Tagged Questions
0
votes
0answers
47 views
Can I convert a window A/C unit in to a pool-water cooled system?
I have an 18,000 BTU A/C unit that blew a compressor last year. Perfect for a small project. I however could not find a professional to help me out, so maybe it's DIYable. I know just about enough ...
2
votes
0answers
40 views
Why is my air conditioner tripping the circuit breaker?
Our air conditioner recently stopped blowing out cold air. When I went to check on it, I noticed that the outside unit wasn't coming on. We had had problems with ants in the contacter in the past, ...
1
vote
2answers
75 views
Should I insulate air conditioner coolant pipes?
I recently replaced some rotted insulation on the coolant pipe that runs out of my AC unit and into the evaporator in my house. When cleaning inside the actual AC unit itself I noticed that the ...
0
votes
2answers
123 views
What could be causing this leaky evaporator problem?
My apologizes if I do not know the correct terminology for some of the parts. I will try my best though.
We have a Trane A/C system that is causing us a headache. It is causing water damage in our ...
4
votes
3answers
298 views
How can I redirect the discharge of my forced air vent?
An AC/heating register on our kitchen ceiling blows air directly toward a gas cooktop causing the flames to flicker. Adjusting the register doesn't seem to make a difference. I've looked into air ...
2
votes
1answer
166 views
What is involved in sizing and designing ducts and ductwork?
I have a one-story house, and it looks like it would be easy to run new ducts myself in the attic. What should I know before trying to design a duct system myself?
I have seen ductwork that's metal ...
1
vote
1answer
590 views
What could be causing an A/C blower motor to turn off randomly?
The Blower motor on my AC unit turns off at random times while the outside unit continues to run which is causing the coil to freeze up. The blower won't come on for 30-45 minutes after the AC has ...
0
votes
2answers
250 views
What could be wrong with my A/C unit?
I just installed a new compressor fan on my outdoor A/C unit. Before the fan went bad, it was working fine and had just had its annual service check (the service guy said the freon was fine, ...
5
votes
1answer
345 views
How do outdoor mist-cooling A\C units fare in real-world usage?
I live in Phoenix where summer outdoor temperatures regularly exceed 110°F and humidity around 15% or lower is not uncommon. In this environment a mist system can easily pull the temperature down ...
2
votes
1answer
403 views
Why isn't my heat pump system kicking out cool air this year?
I have a Carrier heat pump/air handler system (looks pretty old) with a honeywell T-stat (looks pretty new) and I am not getting cool air. Heat worked all winter, but I have used it in at least a ...
2
votes
3answers
1k views
How can I improve hvac air flow to my attic?
Two years ago I converted the attic of my 1.5 story house into a livable space. It had no HVAC ducts going up, so I ran some coming from the basement where the furnace is.
Air flow to the attic via ...
1
vote
2answers
355 views
Is there a filter-reminder thermostat that uses run-time instead of total time?
My HVAC filter is in my crawlspace and is a hassle to change. I don't want to change it more than needed. "Change it every month" is bogus advice because in some months (like May) we don't have to run ...
3
votes
3answers
4k views
How much less power does a three-phase A\C unit use as apposed to a 220v unit?
I'm planning to install a 5 ton central AC. I'm deciding between a condensing unit that runs on 220V and a costlier unit that runs on 207Y three-phase.
My understanding is that three-phase motors use ...
5
votes
3answers
768 views
How can I determine why my A/C runs all day?
I have a Bryant AC/Furnace unit. My house is 10 years old. A heat wave hit this weekend & temps got up to 95°F outside. I had my thermostat set to 75°, and it ran all day. The ...
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 ...
3
votes
1answer
258 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 ...
1
vote
1answer
576 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
votes
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
votes
1answer
426 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 ...
4
votes
3answers
289 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 ...
2
votes
1answer
506 views
How can I prevent heat loss through heater/air conditioner wall units?
HVAC experts out there...
I live in Wisconsin and it gets mighty cold here! I have a condo with 2 wall units that are used for both air conditioning and heat. My heat bill in the cold winter months ...
3
votes
1answer
387 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 ...
13
votes
4answers
4k views
Why don't programmable thermostats automatically switch between “Cool” and “Heat”?
While I can set my house to be a particular temperature, I still have to manually switch it between "Heat" and "Cool" mode, and this seems to be true of every thermostat (programmable or not) that ...
5
votes
1answer
3k 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 ...
6
votes
4answers
1k views
Why aren't Geothermal heat pumps more common?
Air conditioning and heating are major energy consumers in American buildings - commercial, residential, and industrial. I have been curious for a while as to why it isn't more common to use the ...
1
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
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 ...
1
vote
1answer
281 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 ...
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 ...
1
vote
1answer
5k views
Should I add a return air vent in a refinished basement?
We are refinishing our basement, and are nearing competition. The walls are drywalled, and the ceiling is dropped. There will be about 500 sq ft of finished space, including a full bathroom, and ...
2
votes
2answers
685 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 ...
3
votes
1answer
191 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?
3
votes
2answers
2k views
How do I install a jump duct?
Our master bedroom is considerably warmer than the living/dining/kitchen area of our house, and we've been setting the thermostat quite lower than we'd like in order for the bedroom to get cool enough ...
9
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 ...
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 ...
7
votes
3answers
2k views
How much cooling can I expect from a central air conditioner?
Yesterday's high was 106.0F, low of 79.2F, full sun all day. AC set at 78F, indoor temperature reached about 85F.
Today's high was 105.4F, low of 81.1F, full sun all day, now about 102 at 7pm. AC ...
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) ?
6
votes
7answers
1k views
Should I apply car wax to the outside of my air conditioning unit?
Through different conversations with family members and friends, I have been told that it is good to apply a coat of car wax to the outside of the air conditioning unit frame. I assume that this is to ...
4
votes
1answer
366 views
two condensate drains?
we just had a new AC system installed in my florida house. the unit is in the garage, and the air handler is vertical with the evaporator on top.
the unit he removed had 2 condensate lines: one that ...
8
votes
2answers
437 views
What type of regular maintenance should I be doing on my central air conditioning unit?
I have not done any maintenance on my central air conditioning system since I bought my house five years ago. Everything seems to be running fine but is there some sort of maintenance I should be ...
8
votes
8answers
4k views
Do thermostat-controlled, auto-adjust HVAC vents exist?
The residential forced-air HVAC systems I have seen are controlled by a single thermostat in one room. One has to manually adjust the vents in order to adjust the temperature in other rooms. Is ...
