How is the airflow? Sounds like a clogged evaporator coil.... is it icing up?
I have Central Heating & Air, but house won't cool down..HELP!!
Hello Everyone,
I'm new here and to be honest I don't know much about the subject i'm about to post on, but I'm at wits end here. I have tried everything I can think of and have spent tons of money and can't find an answer so I have come here as a last result.
I'm going to try and post all the information I can as I think it may help you to understand my situation. Let's get started!
My Situation
My name is Josh and I own a stilt based house(the opposite of a slab) which is around 850 to 900 sq ft. It has 3 beds and 1 bath. The floors are wood paneling type of floors with padding and carpet over them. We have two windows in each bedroom, one window in the living room, one in the kitchen.
The house is an older house and the walls are made of that wood paneling type of material. The attic has insallation and recently we also installed an attic fan to help with the temp. We live in Columbus, Georgia which can get pretty hot. I have a central heating and air system with the outside unit only being around 3 years old and the inside a little older, not sure how old though.
I get yearly service and change my filter every two months. My unit is a two ton and at the moment is has full frezon. I have also recently went through 2 different themostates. The nice ones with digitial controls and etc. My air ducts in the attic are the ones that look like tubes or thin material. Not the hard steel type. My windows are also the very old, thin types.
THE PROBLEM:
I tend to keep my themostate at auto and around the tempertaure of 74, 75 or 76. I have it set on automatic. The problem is that my A/C ends up running all day and night to try and cool the house down. For instance, I may set it to shut off once it cools the house to 76, but when I get home I notice the temp in the house is 81, 83 or even higher. It's as if the A/C won't cool the house down. For instance, the other day my A/C ran almost 8 hours straight and never shut off. Its as if it can't keep up with the heat.
I have had a total of 6 different A/C people come out and no one can figure out why my unit is cooling my house down. My parents house is almost 3 times my size and they have a two ton which cools it down fine.
We have tried the themostate, checked the pipes, frezon, cleaned the unit, but no one can figure out why my unit can't keep up with the heat when it should be able too. I know things like instattion in walls and other things matter, but whats the purpose of having an A/C if you can't use it.
My father in law does heating and air and he recommended a bigger outside unit, but he said it's strange because other houses in the area which are built just like mine and they cool the house down fine as I have talked to most of them about this issue. My air ports where the air comes from into each room are the circle type and not the traditional square type.
I need some solutions here! Do I need to buy a bigger unit which I can't really afford. What could be the issue here. Any help or insight would be amazing and sorry so long. I have been dealing with this issue for over 2 years and I'm sick and tired of receiving no help. I have been looking around here and you all seem to know your stuff. Help PleasE!!!!
I'm new here and to be honest I don't know much about the subject i'm about to post on, but I'm at wits end here. I have tried everything I can think of and have spent tons of money and can't find an answer so I have come here as a last result.
I'm going to try and post all the information I can as I think it may help you to understand my situation. Let's get started!
My Situation
My name is Josh and I own a stilt based house(the opposite of a slab) which is around 850 to 900 sq ft. It has 3 beds and 1 bath. The floors are wood paneling type of floors with padding and carpet over them. We have two windows in each bedroom, one window in the living room, one in the kitchen.
The house is an older house and the walls are made of that wood paneling type of material. The attic has insallation and recently we also installed an attic fan to help with the temp. We live in Columbus, Georgia which can get pretty hot. I have a central heating and air system with the outside unit only being around 3 years old and the inside a little older, not sure how old though.
I get yearly service and change my filter every two months. My unit is a two ton and at the moment is has full frezon. I have also recently went through 2 different themostates. The nice ones with digitial controls and etc. My air ducts in the attic are the ones that look like tubes or thin material. Not the hard steel type. My windows are also the very old, thin types.
THE PROBLEM:
I tend to keep my themostate at auto and around the tempertaure of 74, 75 or 76. I have it set on automatic. The problem is that my A/C ends up running all day and night to try and cool the house down. For instance, I may set it to shut off once it cools the house to 76, but when I get home I notice the temp in the house is 81, 83 or even higher. It's as if the A/C won't cool the house down. For instance, the other day my A/C ran almost 8 hours straight and never shut off. Its as if it can't keep up with the heat.
I have had a total of 6 different A/C people come out and no one can figure out why my unit is cooling my house down. My parents house is almost 3 times my size and they have a two ton which cools it down fine.
We have tried the themostate, checked the pipes, frezon, cleaned the unit, but no one can figure out why my unit can't keep up with the heat when it should be able too. I know things like instattion in walls and other things matter, but whats the purpose of having an A/C if you can't use it.
My father in law does heating and air and he recommended a bigger outside unit, but he said it's strange because other houses in the area which are built just like mine and they cool the house down fine as I have talked to most of them about this issue. My air ports where the air comes from into each room are the circle type and not the traditional square type.
I need some solutions here! Do I need to buy a bigger unit which I can't really afford. What could be the issue here. Any help or insight would be amazing and sorry so long. I have been dealing with this issue for over 2 years and I'm sick and tired of receiving no help. I have been looking around here and you all seem to know your stuff. Help PleasE!!!!
1 - 14 of 14 Posts
Either that, or you simply have too much heat gain to counter-act the cooling from your unit.
Things like attic insulation, leaking windows, amount of exposure to sunlight, etc. do matter, and can make a unit operate continuously, and seem to not be up to the task of cooling.
Things like attic insulation, leaking windows, amount of exposure to sunlight, etc. do matter, and can make a unit operate continuously, and seem to not be up to the task of cooling.
Hello,
Thanks for your reply. The airflow seems to be pretty good. I had my father in law using a temp gun and he said the air coming out of the unit was the proper temp. Personally when I hold my hand up to the air ducks in the house which are the old circle types i have to hold my hand pretty close to the duck to feel anything. It also seems as if the air is flowing to my celiing instead of shooting downward toward the ground.
I have not had any issues with icing or anything like that. I am writing down what you say because I will take any help I can get. Thank you and look forward to solving this mystery. I would hate to have to buy a 3 ton unit if that really wouldn't solve the problem.
Josh
Thanks for your reply. The airflow seems to be pretty good. I had my father in law using a temp gun and he said the air coming out of the unit was the proper temp. Personally when I hold my hand up to the air ducks in the house which are the old circle types i have to hold my hand pretty close to the duck to feel anything. It also seems as if the air is flowing to my celiing instead of shooting downward toward the ground.
I have not had any issues with icing or anything like that. I am writing down what you say because I will take any help I can get. Thank you and look forward to solving this mystery. I would hate to have to buy a 3 ton unit if that really wouldn't solve the problem.
Josh
That is what I thought as well as I do have older windows and I don't think I have the best installation in the walls. My house is not brick as well. It's the older vinyl type of siding. I would think it would still cool the house down pretty fast at night though? Currently as I type this my themostate is at 79 and the unit is coming on about every 7 min and is taking about 10 min to cool down. It's also not as high as its been here.Either that, or you simply have too much heat gain to counter-act the cooling from your unit.
Things like attic insulation, leaking windows, amount of exposure to sunlight, etc. do matter, and can make a unit operate continuously, and seem to not be up to the task of cooling.
I believe my house was built around the 1950 and I have recently put aluinum foil over a sun window to help with heat.
Probably low air flow.
What size is your return. Do you hear noise near the return when the A/C is running.
Sorry, but the IR guns aren't real accurate. And the temp should be checked at the unit. And then it can be checked at the grilles.
Did any of the techs leave an invoice with what readings they had when they checked your system.
Pressure, line temps, temp across the coil.
What size is your return. Do you hear noise near the return when the A/C is running.
Sorry, but the IR guns aren't real accurate. And the temp should be checked at the unit. And then it can be checked at the grilles.
Did any of the techs leave an invoice with what readings they had when they checked your system.
Pressure, line temps, temp across the coil.
Sorry, but I don't know what a return is? Don't know much about this stuff other then what I have heard different people say. Looking through the invoices now and none of them say nothing like what your looking for.
Return.
Would be where the air gets drawn into, to go back to the air handler.
You may have one in every room but the bathroom and kitchen.
Or, you may only have one, it it could have your air filter in it.
Would be where the air gets drawn into, to go back to the air handler.
You may have one in every room but the bathroom and kitchen.
Or, you may only have one, it it could have your air filter in it.
Ah! Thanks for explaining. I just learned something new!
Okay, I believe I only have one which is in my hallway which is right where my air handle is located. It's close to the floor. My filter is actually placed right under my air handle though.
Okay, I believe I only have one which is in my hallway which is right where my air handle is located. It's close to the floor. My filter is actually placed right under my air handle though.
what is your temperature split?
I'm not sure what you mean? Could you explain?
exiledone1--So you are in Columbus and I am in Albany, say about 100 miles apart. I come to Columbus often and I know, as most of the others on this site don't, that in the last four weeks we have had one hell of an unusual heat wave with the daily temps hanging in the 98 degree+ range with nightly temps in the mid-80 degree+ range. On top of this we always have high humidity to factor into any A/C and HVAC installation. IMO-you are having a problem at this time due to a number of factors, unusual high temps around the clock, high humidity, I'm willing to bet your home is not properly insulated, and that system you describe, which I am familiar with is not one of the best that were out there when new. Suggestion: I have a dehumidifier in my home that I run every night this time of year. The tank on this unit holds five quarts of water, I can fill this tank in less than six hours starting at 10:00 P.M. EACH night at this time of year. My A/C people highly recommended doing this about four years ago and I now swear by it for helping cool the house. We do run it on weekends when we are home, and it will fill the container in less time during the day. IF you know someone who has a dehumidifier and can borrow it, try it for a couple of days to see if it helps. Based on the square footage of you gave us and the description of the home, your unit was probably sized correctly when installed. In today's world they may spec a three ton unit based on the home construction, such as lack of proper insulation, single pane glass, etc. Do all you can to reduce air loss at windows and doors. Maybe use sunblock window tint on windows that face the south side. Any little trick will help, then they all add up. Good Luck, David
Could you explain more about this dehumidifier technique you mentioned? I was a little loss reading your post when you mention that part. How does a dehumidifier help cool the house down? Sorry if it seems like a dumb question, but I would like to know more about this as you have peaked my interest with this one.exiledone1--So you are in Columbus and I am in Albany, say about 100 miles apart. I come to Columbus often and I know, as most of the others on this site don't, that in the last four weeks we have had one hell of an unusual heat wave with the daily temps hanging in the 98 degree+ range with nightly temps in the mid-80 degree+ range. On top of this we always have high humidity to factor into any A/C and HVAC installation. IMO-you are having a problem at this time due to a number of factors, unusual high temps around the clock, high humidity, I'm willing to bet your home is not properly insulated, and that system you describe, which I am familiar with is not one of the best that were out there when new. Suggestion: I have a dehumidifier in my home that I run every night this time of year. The tank on this unit holds five quarts of water, I can fill this tank in less than six hours starting at 10:00 P.M. EACH night at this time of year. My A/C people highly recommended doing this about four years ago and I now swear by it for helping cool the house. We do run it on weekends when we are home, and it will fill the container in less time during the day. IF you know someone who has a dehumidifier and can borrow it, try it for a couple of days to see if it helps. Based on the square footage of you gave us and the description of the home, your unit was probably sized correctly when installed. In today's world they may spec a three ton unit based on the home construction, such as lack of proper insulation, single pane glass, etc. Do all you can to reduce air loss at windows and doors. Maybe use sunblock window tint on windows that face the south side. Any little trick will help, then they all add up. Good Luck, David
To be honest I'm starting to think it's not just one thing, but many different factors going on at my house. I will try the tint idea, but would love to hear about this Dehumidifer technique and exactly how it works. Just for everyone knowledge my A/C does this every time around this time of the year. I agree though, it has been really hot lately!
Thanks
Josh
Josh......
......all this speculation and guessing is getting us exactly nowhere fast. we need to start at the beginning with some solid facts. you need a GOOD tech to come out and evaluate all the following: low side and high side pressures. subcooling and superheat readings. dry bulb and wet bulb airflow temps . static press readings and an accurate assesment of your actual airflow amount. Also your make and model of your ac and heating eqp't. Without all this to start with we can take guesses all day long on this or any other site & not know how to help u. also check with mr Beenthere as he is the 'real deal' when it comes to really difficult problems like this. C'mon get on it we'll help:yes:..........Jack........o yea ,,,temp drop across the evap........Could you explain more about this dehumidifier technique you mentioned? I was a little loss reading your post when you mention that part. How does a dehumidifier help cool the house down? Sorry if it seems like a dumb question, but I would like to know more about this as you have peaked my interest with this one.
To be honest I'm starting to think it's not just one thing, but many different factors going on at my house. I will try the tint idea, but would love to hear about this Dehumidifer technique and exactly how it works. Just for everyone knowledge my A/C does this every time around this time of the year. I agree though, it has been really hot lately!
Thanks
Josh
1 - 14 of 14 Posts
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