window unit ac not cooling properly in mobile home

p5200

I have a GE model 9000 btu. 110 unit mounted in a small bedroom of my mobile home I will try and get the model number if that would help. The problem is the compressor will not stay running long enough without kicking out to lower the temp. yesterday it was 98 or 99 degrees outside and it would not pull down any cooler than about 84 then compressor kicks out and you can watch the numbers on the unit rise to about 89 or 90 before it kicks back in. I have another unit about the same size in the living room which has to try and cool it and the kitchen. It does do a better job but, of course a bigger one would be better. What I have noticed is on the one in the living room the compressor runs constantly like most units I've seen if the set temp goal is not reached. I cleaned the cooling fins inside the best I could and it seems to suck a fairly thick piece of paper and hold it even with the front cover on. Also, what I found strange is when I held my hand in front of the outside condenser coils there was not much air blowing out and it was very hot and was not coming out very evenly across the entire area. If I put my finger to certain areas on it it is actually hot enough I can't hold my finger there very long. Both fans are running and it seems, the cooling coils are beginning to lightly sweat but, the compressor kicks out before they have time to start condensing good but, I have never seen it freeze up on the coils or, any where near the suction line on the compressor looking through vents on outside. My thoughts were that something is over heating causing compressor shut down. And being there's not much air flow through the outside coils and very unevenly plus being extremely hot, maybe the compressor is over heating because of going bad or outside air flow through coils may be constricted? I would surely appreciate some ideas from some of you pros on this forum as the wife and I both have COPD. I can remove the unit if I have to to clean or what ever I just have to do a little at a time due to health conditions. The unit is electronicly controlled has a remote also. I'll get the model number and post it shortly. Thanks! Model # is GE AEW10AMG1 either a one or L

bill01

You need to clean these at least once a year if not more. Most likely you have lots of yuck built up on the inside of the outdoor part of the blocking the air. There is water from the condensation in the house and it mixes with any dirt and gets blown into the fins and does a excellent job of plugging things up.

To get it really clean you would need to remove the unit so you can reach inside wash the coil being very careful not to cut you hands up.

Still if you work at it you can take a hose and spray water into the back of the unit even while it is still mounted. You can in most cases force the dirt out but depending how the unit drains most the dirt will just settle to the bottom of the unit and eventually get picked back up by the fan and blown into the coil again.

Still if you wash it a couple times a year it does not cause a big problem.

A key indication that this will fix your problem is if you spray water though the coil while it is running it should not shut down since the water is helping cool the coil.

CopperClad

P.S. Water and electricity don't mix. I don't have any experience with window units or how they are sealed. Seems as though Bill does so I guess it's safe.

biggles

that sheet of paper trick was for the inside do the same on the outside with the uint in fan mode only..see if it holds it up...most condensers on window units pull air into the coil(as you stand in front of it) and discharge hot out the side fins...might have to be pulled out and lightly hosed from the inside out...and you'll have to remove the unit casing to access the condenser coil...1/4" socket or spin tight screw driver....don't worry about water and the unit you'll leave it out in the bright sun and that will dry it out totally...like the hood of a car...hot

bubbler

The part that gets the dirt is also the part that is outside, getting rained on... I don't think I'd hose it down while running (for fear that loads of water + spinning plastic fan might = broken plastic fan) but otherwise I would expect it's fine to get water back there, even sprayed from a hose.

[S]Also, all the a/c's I've bought within the past decade have a GFCI on the cord, so if something did go wrong, hopefully the worst case is that thing tripping.[/S] ... actually looking at the manuals again, they call them "current limiting devices", not GFCI.

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p5200

Hello folks and thanks for all the suggestions. Sorry it took me so long to get back to you. Something else I have noticed is if the temps are only in the mid to upper 80s or below during the night it cools great and seems to cycle properly. So, would this mean low charge/leak or could it still be from clogged inner/outer coils and the head pressures just don't rise in the evening and overnight enough to cause the compressor to cut out like it does in the day time during the 100+ degree days? The one in the living room keeps the compressor running constantly, once the outside temps get so high unlike the bedroom unit which the compressor does not run constantly and stays off more than it stays on. But like I say once the sun goes down in the evening and all night long, the bedroom unit works great. Hopefully this new info might give you folks an even better idea to pinpoint the problem/problems. All help is sure welcome as these consistent triple digit days are sure rough. Thanks!

bubbler

So, the summary is that your BR unit will not keep the compressor running even though you are asking for it to cool the room...

If you've checked that the fins are clear both inside (behind filter) and out (looking at it from outside) and that both of the fans are spinning... I don't suppose there is really much else you can do?

That fact that it cools properly at night suggests that it is not a controls issue... but all the same, is this digital or does it use knobs? If it uses knobs, you might try to seeing if turning it to a warmer setting (2-3 notches) will cause the compressor to run even less... I suppose that might indicate that the unit is turning the compressor off during the day because it thinks it's cold enough in the room... if it's digital, then you're probably SOL.

It's possible it's lost some refrigerant, but you won't be able to replace it yourself, and to be honest it's probably going to cost more to diagnose and repair a 9kBTU unit than it would to just buy a replacement... I just bought a 6kBTU from Home Depot for $140. The 9k's were in the $200-range I believe.

It's unfortunate but increased labor and skill cost combined with decreased consumer product cost has created a situation where smaller window air conditioners are basically disposable.

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p5200

I have the digital units both of them I think I will inspect the coils again inside and out with a strong flashlight and maybe flush the outside coils with a garden hose while still in place. I looked at Home Depot on the net and they had some foam type cleaner for the inside coils do you know if this stuff is worth trying? By the way, Thanks for getting back to me so soon! Both fans are running.

bubbler

That foam cleaner for the inside probably is also a disinfectant and odor neutralizer. Any cleaner that doesn't require flushing, wiping, or vacuuming, probably isn't really cleaning anything...

For the inside--I'd remove the filter, wash it (always wash them in "reverse" meaning the side of the filter that faces the inside of the unit is the side that should get the water sprayed on it to start. I'd use my best vacuum, maybe a shop vac if you have or can borrow on... this would be especially needed if you've got pets/etc...

For the outside--I guess flushing it w/ a hose is OK, I've personally never done that, because I've never found that much dirt or debris really got in there, but I suppose if you have trees/etc around and you live the units in place year round it might get bad. Just be careful about where you are putting the water and how much--you don't want to risk having it rush into the house or other parts of the unit. It's designed to handle water, but still worth being careful.

If you have bent fins on either the interior and exterior parts, you can buy a tool to straighten them (or use a credit card or something stiff). I sort of doubt bent fins would cause your symptom, but if you've got a LOT of bent fins maybe it would?

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p5200

Well, I think the coils are the culprit! I took some Mr clean spray type cleaner and sprayed the inside coils with it while just the fan was running. Then I put hot tap water in the bottle and sprayed it into the coils then I flushed the outside coils with the unit off and unplugged. Right now it's around 100 degrees outside but the room temp. is only 72 degrees. I can't possibly thank you people enough!