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A/C

PostPosted: Sun Apr 27, 2014 6:15 pm
by Flightstopper
@3legged_lab

I know it's probably the last thing you want to even think about on a Sunday and these pictures don't really show shit. Our living room is 12x15 with a 15' vaulted ceiling and the upstairs really doesn't cool that fast either. Attic is vented with a thermostat fan. Any of these duct work pics look out of norm to you? Feed duct big enough for the output to the vents?

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This is the line feeding that junction that is somewhat pinched.

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Hopefully these actually come out somewhat in the right order :lol:

Re: A/C

PostPosted: Sun Apr 27, 2014 6:18 pm
by AKPirate
What's A/C?

Re: A/C

PostPosted: Sun Apr 27, 2014 6:23 pm
by BrewGUN
AKPirate wrote:What's A/C?

I believe it's something only the wealthy can afford. Something about changing the indoor climate. I wish I could be wealthy :(

Re: A/C

PostPosted: Sun Apr 27, 2014 6:25 pm
by AKPirate
BrewGUN wrote:
AKPirate wrote:What's A/C?

I believe it's something only the wealthy can afford. Something about changing the indoor climate. I wish I could be wealthy :(


Oh, I have that in my car but not needed in the house here :beer:

Re: A/C

PostPosted: Sun Apr 27, 2014 6:25 pm
by 3legged_lab
Couple questions that would help.
How many sq. Ft. Is the house?
How big is the furnace?
How big is the a.c.?
How many duct runs feed the upstairs? Living room? And what diameter?

Re: A/C

PostPosted: Sun Apr 27, 2014 6:26 pm
by 3legged_lab
How big is the return?
Dirty filter?
Dirty a.c. coil?

Re: A/C

PostPosted: Sun Apr 27, 2014 6:27 pm
by Flightstopper
1700 sq ft. I'll getback to you on the rest :lol: Thanks man.

Re: A/C

PostPosted: Sun Apr 27, 2014 6:49 pm
by 3legged_lab
A pinch in the ductwork is always bad. So that could be part of it. Especially if its in the one that feeds that distribution box (the "triangle").

I would like to see a minimum 2 - 6" runs to the living room, bigger would be better. Upstairs are always an issue if under ducted because they are always warmer.

If the evap coil is not icing up (the coil @ the furnace) its probably not restricted return (can be dirty coil or dirty filter) or under charged.

Two easy things you could try is a delta T test, air temp going in to system subtract air temp coming out. Temp drop should be between 25°-35° cooler than when it goes in. The other easy thing to do is slightly close a couple registers in areas of the house that might run on the cool side, or areas you dont use as often like a spare bedroom.

Re: A/C

PostPosted: Sun Apr 27, 2014 7:07 pm
by Flightstopper
Awesome will run through all this to see what I can find. That's one of the problems as well my brother moved in for the summer so we had to open up the upstairs.

Re: A/C

PostPosted: Sun Apr 27, 2014 8:35 pm
by Flightstopper
Outdoor temp is 82 now, was in the 90's today, 80 inside on thermostat. Thermometer stuck in the vent reads about 73. Must be low on coolant and thinking I'm gonna have to call someone out. Coil was not icing up and have the thermostat set at 69 right now.

Re: A/C

PostPosted: Sun Apr 27, 2014 9:48 pm
by 3legged_lab
Was it able to keep up with demand last season?

Re: A/C

PostPosted: Sun Apr 27, 2014 9:57 pm
by 3legged_lab
What I've seen happen a lot is someone will do an addition to a house but not upgrade the hvac system. Like say turning an attic space into a finished upstairs, but all they do is add some duct runs to the existing system. An extra 400-500 sq. ft. should have an extra ton of cooling.

Re: A/C

PostPosted: Sun Apr 27, 2014 10:33 pm
by Flightstopper
3legged_lab wrote:Was it able to keep up with demand last season?


That's another thing I suppose. We ran window units last year since we didn't even go upstairs. Any troubles leaving the unit sitting for over a year?

Re: A/C

PostPosted: Sun Apr 27, 2014 10:47 pm
by 3legged_lab
Flightstopper wrote:
3legged_lab wrote:Was it able to keep up with demand last season?


That's another thing I suppose. We ran window units last year since we didn't even go upstairs. Any troubles leaving the unit sitting for over a year?

Shouldn't be an issue.

If its a slow leak it can several years before you notice it not keeping up.

Re: A/C

PostPosted: Sun Apr 27, 2014 10:52 pm
by 3legged_lab
@Flightstopper, Theres 2 copper lines that go between the outdoor unit and the indoor coil, if you go outside to the A/C the small line should be almost too hot to touch and the big line should be pretty cold - a little bit of condensation on it is a good sign.

Re: A/C

PostPosted: Mon Apr 28, 2014 6:44 am
by Flightstopper
3legged_lab wrote:@Flightstopper, Theres 2 copper lines that go between the outdoor unit and the indoor coil, if you go outside to the A/C the small line should be almost too hot to touch and the big line should be pretty cold - a little bit of condensation on it is a good sign.


One was pretty cold, maybe iced up, other line I could touch just fine. I'm an idiot and was looking at the wrong part to be iced up last night. Don't know shit about ac

Re: A/C

PostPosted: Mon Apr 28, 2014 7:15 am
by Woody
I often think that I was born a few generations late. I really enjoy the idea of the slower life style they had back then, but then someone or something reminds me about things like AC, refrigerated meats, medicine, internet porn, etc...

Re: A/C

PostPosted: Mon Apr 28, 2014 7:35 am
by Flightstopper
I'm getting 65* at my bedroom vent after letting it thaw all night. House still seems to run hot most the time so I'm gonna check through everything you wrote up still.

Re: A/C

PostPosted: Mon Apr 28, 2014 7:53 am
by aunt betty
Here's what you need to check...the A-coil. It's also called an evap. coil.
It's inside the furnace. You can find where it is by following the copper lines.

Turn the power off and Take the cover off and look inside with a flashlight. If you've had the unit running and it's not putting out enough cooling it's likely that your coils are clogged and dusty or possibly frozen into a solid chunk of ice. Use a hair dryer to melt the ice and a shop vac to clean the coils. There is a spray cleaner available as well. It foams and cleans.
Get your a-coils clean and while you're at it PUT NEW FILTERS IN. This is why it's so important to change your filters every month or so.
Get in the habit of changing your filters, checking the coils on both the inside and outside unit.
It's a good idea to hose the leaves and spider webs off the outside one,

Or you could pay someone else for an emergency call when it shits on ya. :clap:

Re: A/C

PostPosted: Mon Apr 28, 2014 7:55 am
by Flightstopper
Outside seems pretty clean will check evap. Filers are always changed regularly.

Re: A/C

PostPosted: Mon Apr 28, 2014 8:15 am
by aunt betty
Question is, did it work ok last summer?
If so, just clean the coils and see what happens.