For general questions regarding cooling your home.
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0answers
104 views
What type of air conditioner to look for
I'm looking for a portable air conditioner that can be moved from room to room. But the key thing I want is one that does not use a condensation tank. I know they exist because I have seen one. It ...
0
votes
1answer
117 views
HVAC unit won't come on
This morning I noticed that my main floor wasn't cooling. I found the condensation pump full ( little giant model VCMA-15ULS ). I disconnected the hose from the unit to the pump, drained it, dumped ...
5
votes
2answers
2k views
How do I install a portable air conditioning unit in a large sliding window?
I have a large sliding window that is 53 inches top to bottom and I want to install a portable air conditioning unit. The kind that don't sit in the windows but vent to the window. The window ...
1
vote
2answers
104 views
Is a combined AC/Dehumidifer unit more efficient than separate units?
I've just moved into a "basement-ish" apartment; the actual ground level is about at my waist. It's a bit mustier than I'd hoped, and not as cool as I'd like during these closing days of Summer. I'm ...
3
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1answer
248 views
How can I protect A/C condenser wires?
I bought a replacement condenser fan motor for my outdoor A/C unit. The old unit was CW direction only. This one is CW/CCW and has 4 wires stick out of the side that change direction depending on how ...
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0answers
304 views
A/C system reports Limit Switch Stuck Open
Unit is a York GM9S080B12UP11G.
When switching thermostat to cool, the system activates the compressor fan. Also, I can hear gases moving through the pipes running to the compressor. However, the ...
2
votes
1answer
309 views
How can I extend this concrete pad?
So the wedge shaped concrete pad thats right up against the house; April 17th, we're having air conditioning installed before it gets to hot out. According to the installer, the unit will fit on the ...
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1answer
527 views
AC Unit Blow Warm Air Indoor But Colder Air Outdoor
I have two AC Units. One for upstairs and one for downstairs. The upstairs one works just fine but not the downstairs. So, i did a test by turning both units on and went outside to compare the two ...
2
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1answer
421 views
Is it normal for A/C performance to improve when vent covers are removed?
I recently moved my office to the second floor of our home and I haven't been able to get the temperature below about 78 even though the thermostat is on 72. My son's bedroom had been the same way ...
2
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1answer
135 views
When I set the thermostat to X degrees, is that the temperature at which air is pushed out through the vents?
My hunch is that most ac units aren't that sophisticated, and they just pump air that is "cold enough" or "hot enough" and pump it until temperature rises to the specified value. Is that right?
2
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2answers
998 views
Home A/C Repair/Replacement quotes are very different. Which one to go with?
I recently have been having issues with my A/C unit on my Condo which was built in 1986. This unit might very well be the original A/C unit. It has two components, the fan outside and the air handler ...
4
votes
3answers
283 views
Advice for replacement/repair of an HVAC with a cracked heat exchanger?
My townhouse has a downflow 1994 Rheem 2.5 ton HVAC unit on its roof (combines both A/C and heat). We have had two issues with the unit and have been in the townhouse for a little under two years. In ...
5
votes
3answers
3k views
How can I stop my lights dimming when my Air Conditioning turns on?
I have no noticeable problems with my house's electricity, but when my Air Conditioner kicks in (and here in Central Texas, it kicks in year round) my lights dim for a second or so and then run ...
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vote
1answer
621 views
Why is my outdoor air conditioner unit making a screeching/squeeling sound?
During the winter time when I have my heat on, my outdoor air conditioner unit randomly makes this awful-sounding squealing/screeching sound. It lasts for about 15-30 seconds at a time, stops, and ...
10
votes
4answers
705 views
Does building insulation wear out and have to be replaced?
First, a little back-story. I've been having trouble with the air-conditioning system in my south-Texas apartment home for almost two months so far this summer. The apartment manager has been ...
3
votes
1answer
248 views
Is it possible to override building-wide air-conditioning settings?
I live in an apartment building (high rise). The ac is off and they won't turn it on for another month!!
Meanwhile it is 90f inside and I can't sleep!! Is it possible to overide? We do have a unit in ...
3
votes
1answer
247 views
What is the life expectancy of an air conditioning unit with a booster?
Over the weekend my wife and I lost our air conditioning. I called a technician out to the house and he replaced both the fan motor and the capacitor. He also had to install a booster to help get my ...
8
votes
4answers
295 views
Is air conditioner installation a DIY project?
We got a bargain on a brand new 6.2kw Split System Inverter Air Conditioner.
The quotes we've received for installation are almost as much as the unit cost itself.
Is this something I should be ...
3
votes
1answer
381 views
How do I replace an A/C diffuser attached to flex duct?
Our house has central air, with the air distributed via flex ducts around the house. On the second floor, the diffusers have baffles behind them that can be closed when the system is not in use, but ...
3
votes
1answer
122 views
How can I determine which MERV filters would be best for my air handler?
I have a Carrier 3.5 ton, 1/2HP air handler (Model Number:fc4bnf042). I have been using MERV 13 a/c filters for a few years now because my son has allergies. I recently discovered that the higher ...
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vote
2answers
541 views
What should be cleaned or examined after an air conditioner drain pipe leak?
The other day, we found some water on the floor in our utility room. After some research and investigation, we discovered that the drain pipe from the central air unit was blocked. We were able to use ...
2
votes
2answers
819 views
How long does it take to make money back on a new air conditioner?
I have a townhouse built in 1975 with an air conditioner on the roof. I have no idea how old it is but I can imagine it is on it's last legs. What's more, this last month's energy bill was one of our ...
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1answer
378 views
What can I use to repair a crack in a plastic AC Condenser Drip pan?
I've currently got an oldish furnace (early '90s Lennox), with an A/C system. The blower motor burnt up on me last week, and I just had it replaced. It turns out that the reason for the motor going, ...
5
votes
1answer
2k views
What's the most common cause of AC coolant lines freezing?
I noticed my house wasn't getting under 75°F this weekend when I had the thermostat set for 70°F. Since I'd done a lot of drywall sanding inside recently, my first idea was to replace the filthy air ...
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0answers
168 views
Why does power loss leave my split/ductless AC unit inoperable for hours or days? [closed]
I've got an LG Ductless 12000 BTU unit that does the most annoying thing..
It is wired into a semi-standard (one of the prongs is sideways) 15A or 20A (can't recall) GFCI outlet inside - and if the ...
4
votes
1answer
653 views
How long do evaporator coils last in a home AC system?
I was going through my blog roll this morning when I saw that someone had asked this elsewhere. I figured it would be a good question to ask.
In general, how long do evaporator coils last in a home ...
3
votes
2answers
804 views
Besides insulation and air conditioning unit, what else is there to check if my A/C isn't keeping me cool?
I live in an apartment home where the indoor temperature has risen to above 80 degrees Fahrenheit daily for the past two months. The outdoor temperature regularly reaches 100 degrees and the weather ...
2
votes
2answers
218 views
What is a safe maximum temperature for an unused part of the house?
We barely use our upstairs so I don't really care how hot it gets. Except, I don't want to cause damage to the house. Considering Texas summers are easily in the 110s °F nowadays, how high can I ...
2
votes
1answer
515 views
How can I reduce heat transfer around my window unit air conditioners?
I have three old window units in my house and they function as my A/C. I am concerned about the amount of heat seeping into the house and cool air leaking out around the A/C units themselves. They're ...
6
votes
4answers
3k views
Turning off Air Conditioning when out of the house for extended time
Most people that live in cold climates know that you should not turn your heat off when you go away for an extended period of time. Just turn it down so the pipes don't freeze. What about the ...
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votes
5answers
2k views
How can I calculate how large an airconditioner my house needs?
I know there are a lot of possible factors that go into determining the size of the air-conditioning system a house needs. Is there a standard way of calculating what is needed, or do A/C companies ...
5
votes
3answers
1k views
AC Coolant pipe has condensation and leaks inside wall
I've got an old AC unit (probably 13+ years old) that came with the house that I bought. This summer I noticed some water damage on the drywall in the basement, so I cut the damaged drywall away, and ...
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vote
0answers
184 views
Where to buy plastic (temporary) air ducting in the UK?
Does anyone know somewhere (ideally online) I can buy plastic air ducting?
The stuff I'm talking about is what they used on Mythbusters to make that helium 'airship'. It's just a large diameter tube ...
2
votes
1answer
2k views
Why is there water dripping from my ceiling AC vents?
I have a one story house with hot water heat. The house also has forced air AC ducts running from the attached garage, in the attic, down into the living room, bedrooms, and kitchen. At certain times ...
3
votes
2answers
360 views
Apartment cooling with fans
I've just moved into an apartment without an air conditioner in Sunnyvale, California. The weather is not too hot, but there are going to be some pretty warm days in the summer, especially since I'm ...
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1answer
341 views
What to do about a gas leak on my air conditioner?
I have an air conditioner that displays an error of gas leakage on the board.
What should I do? Shall I turn it off? It is dangerous?
13
votes
3answers
7k views
Should I cover my air conditioner for winter?
Should I cover my air conditioner for winter? It's difficult to find an appropriate cover, but finding a cover for an evaporation cooler is easy (and because they allow for air flow from the outdoors, ...
2
votes
1answer
102 views
AC comes on randomly
Even though my thermostat was set to "Off" or "Heat", my air conditioner is coming on randomly and blowing cold air out of the vents. I figured that the thermostat was bad so I disconnected all of ...
2
votes
1answer
1k views
Air deflectors on floor registers and cooling efficiency
I was once told by an HVAC technician to avoid using air deflectors on floor registers during the summer. The reason was that the last thing you want to do is to direct the heavier, colder air ...
3
votes
1answer
190 views
Improve AC flow to secondary ducts
I have an AC which has 3 ducts coming out of it. Only one duct gets flow - I'm guessing the AC fan blows right into it. What can I do to improve the flow?
4
votes
1answer
388 views
A/C escaping down the staircase
I live on the second floor of a century-old house that doesn't have central air. We have a large window A/C unit in the main hall but our front door is at the bottom of the stairs rather than the top. ...
4
votes
1answer
789 views
AC in the attic affects downstairs but not upstairs
We have one AC unit (roughly 1 year old) connected to two zones: Zone 1 is upstairs and Zone 2 is downstairs.
Yesterday, our AC seemed to completely stop working for the upstairs but continue to work ...
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vote
2answers
2k views
How do I replace a condenser fan motor in a central air unit?
The condenser fan motor on my central air unit has seized up (tried like crazy to turn it it, but no go). I'm not sure how old the motor is but I'm guessing it's original, so about 12 years old. I ...
2
votes
3answers
315 views
Is there any alternate of conventional Air Conditioner?
Is there any alternate of conventional Air Conditioner, which are costly and increasing green house effect?
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vote
1answer
273 views
Furnace Airflow
I have central air. When the furnace comes on, we can feel air coming out of the registers for a few minutes, then the airflow stops. If we turn it off for a few hours, we can turn it on again and get ...
9
votes
6answers
3k views
How do I reduce how much the sun heats up a front room of my house?
My office room is in the front of the house and facing south. It gets hot very fast during hot days (even in spring). It is a fairly small room and I have computers there attributing to heat. There's ...
3
votes
3answers
1k views
Why won't my AC system turn off after I flipped the breaker?
We've got a central cooling air conditioner that was installed in 1984 with a thermostat from that same year. We are replacing the thermostat with a new programmable one (which has a 100% ...
3
votes
3answers
102 views
Geothermal Resources
I am very interested in learning more about Geothermal solutions for my house.
What are the best resources for learning about and planning a Geothermal systems for a residential house?
Also, does ...
3
votes
4answers
3k views
How often should I run a bleach and water solution through heat pump lines?
How often do you need to run a bleach and water solution through the heat pump lines to keep the bacteria away?
What are the recommended parts (e.g. 1 part bleach, 10 part water) ?
2
votes
2answers
676 views
How do I clean an AC condensate pan?
I have a Ducane HVAC system that started leaking out of the evaporator coil housing. Mine looks like the EU1P. I read that i need to clean out the drip pan.
II tried cleaning it by sucking out the ...
