My a/c just doesn't want to cool anything!

1. 94

   Daughter Of Maatposted 11 years ago

   My a/c just doesn't want to cool anything!
   
   So we've had the blower fixed, replaced the fan and our a/c still isn't cooling the house. Things are actually getting worse as the days progress. The a/c isn't even cooling the house down at night now. It gets up to about 85 in the house during the day. Any ideas what could be causing this?

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2. 89

   Pamela99posted 11 years ago

   I'm surely no expert in this area, but is your AC unit the right size for the sq. footage of your house? If you have had someone work on the unit recently, they should return at no cost to you because they must not have fixed it properly. The other thing that comes to mind is the insulation in your attic. Sometimes it is worth adding additional insulation. Also, is air leaking out around your windows and doors. There are ways to seal them off very well. I hope these things might help.

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   1. 94

      Daughter Of Maatposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      the a/c unit is like 30 yrs old, and yes, I'm sure we need to add insulation, but we rent. The landlord says the windows etc are fine. but my electric bill is $350! I think we may just need a new unit but the owner doesn't have the $$ to replace it

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3. 94

   Cre8torposted 11 years ago

   I'll assume that you've cleaned the condenser (outside unit) and that your filter is clean so we can rule out the simple causes. From there, if both the indoor and outdoor fans are running, we can narrow it down to a couple of things that unfortunately aren't "do it yourself" - ers.
   
   Either your compressor isn't working right or you have a leak somewhere in the system and the refrigerant charge is low. Insulation, windows, hot weather, etc...can all be causes but again, I'll assume it was working fine before and that this isn't a one day thing. Particularly since it's allowing it to become 85 in the home. Your stat is set between 70 and 75 I presume??? and the a/c isn't getting it down to that range. I hate to say that if my assumptions are correct, you really do need to have someone take a look at it. It doesn't sound like one of the more simple resolutions I've written on. Check for frosting and/or icing on the copper lines going to and from the condenser to the coil (inside on the furnace). This is a telltale sign of restrictions, low charge and/or insufficient airflow. Wish I had a simpler answer for you this time but let me know what you see.

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   1. 94

      Daughter Of Maatposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      The a/c is leaking. It looks like nasty water, I have a bucket under the inside unit. When I shut the a/c off, you can hear dripping. Stat is set on 73, and for the 1st 2 yrs we were here it ran fine, ice cold. A/c tech said all the fins were bent.

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   2. 94

      Cre8torposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      a/c supposed to drain(ok) if leaking in furnace, further damage is poss. (bad) nasty h2o is cuz rust. fins bent is bad, rust bad, water on furnace bad, leaking refrigerant bad and money pit. sry but I would not run & would replace. window unit ma

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   3. 94

      Daughter Of Maatposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      Yep, I thought we'd have to replace it, unfortunately the landlord can't afford to do so. The little bit of cold air it is blowing keeps the house from getting to 100. It's about 105 in the shade here in Fl. We'd need a lot of window units

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