[secutanudu]

Hello,

I have a window a/c that is about 2 years old in an average size bedroom (~130 sq. ft).

The a/c is 6000 BTU. The problem is the room does not get cold. I hear the compressor go on when I turn the unit on, and the air comes out very cold. 15 or so minutes later, the a/c quiets down a bit (compressor goes off). 15 minutes later it comes back on and gets louder, and the air coming out gets cold again.

This leaves a room that, while not brutally hot, makes me uncomfortable, as I prefer a cold room when I sleep. A friend had an extra a/c and gave it to me (6000 btu also, i think) and it does the exact same thing.

Is it possible that both of these units have the same problem, or does this point to something else? I tried plugging this a/c to another outlet (one that an 8,000 btu a/c runs fine on) and it did not help.

Also, my house tends to get extraordinarily hot. I was gone all weekend with no appliances running except the refrigerator and computer, and when I got home it was 74 degrees inside, 68 degrees outside. Somehow my house is constantly over 70 degrees inside, even at night when it gets cool out.

Any ideas? Thanks.

 

[biggles]

might check the capillary tube location that mounts on the coil behind the filter.it might be pushed up against the coil and when the unit runs it chills it and cycles the unit.try this........pop the cap tube out of the holder and put it thru the filter so it is truely sensing the return air from the room and away from the evap coil.set the thermostat to the 12o'clock position (68F) typical see what happens.when setting the temp. on a window unit run it at the lowest setting full CCW and when your in the middle of the room and feel comfortable sitting or standing..start slowly turning the thermostat CW when you hear a click and the compressor goes off that is the temperature the unit will maintain in the room.:thumbsup:

 

[secutanudu]

Unfortunately, with this window a/c I cannot get to behind the filter without taking the entire unit apart. I will try it with my old one though.

What could possibly be making my house so hot. I went to sleep last night, and left only the computer on. I wake up and it is 74 degrees in my house, 60 outside (this is 7:30 AM). I also left a window open upstairs with a fan sitting on the window sill blowing out to try and vent the heat.

Any ideas?

 

[jnichols]

wash the condensor coil

 

[secutanudu]

wash the condensor coil

Pardon my ignorance...where do I find that, and what do I clean it with?

 

[secutanudu]

It seems these ac's keep the room cold during the day, but not at night. Do they not operate correctly when the outside temperature drops? How do I make the compressor stay on?

 

[Scuba_Dave]

Best way to cool a house when it is 60 outside is fans up stairs blowing air out
Then fans down stairs blowing air in
In some cases you only need the windows downstairs open to allow cool air in as the fans upstairs blow the air out
Where are you located?
Is your roof/attic properly ventilated?
If not the hot air will heat up the house

 

[Leah Frances]

Clean the intake filters on your A/C units. I run a number of window units and I clean their filters every two weeks.

Check and see if you can change the 'mode' of the units (are they set to 'energy saver' this can limit the amount of time the compressor runs to, what a surprise, save energy).

The sun is heating up your house during the day and it is retaining the heat through the night. I bet you closed all your windows when you went away for the weekend. :yes: Keep your window shades down or curtains drawn during the day to prevent solar heating (or buy and install window shades).

Is 74 really extraordinarily hot? That's what I set my window AC units to, except in the bedroom, where I like it a little cooler - say 72.

 

[jnichols]

the condensor coil is the coil on the outside of the unit just spray water thru it making sure not to bend the fins

 

[Scuba_Dave]

How big are the rooms?
How old are the AC's?

A 6,000 is good for up to 250 sq ft
A 8,000 is good for up to 350 sq ft

If the room is very sunny, increase capacity by 10 percent.

http://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?c=roomac.pr_properly_sized

If my house isn't above 70 all the time my wife complains
She came home the other day & said it was cold inside - it was 74

Running an AC at a very low setting can cause it to ice up & stop working

 

[secutanudu]

Thanks for all the advice, everyone. 74 is not THAT hot (though, I like it around 65 when I sleep). It also wasn't a hot day yesterday. When it starts to hit 90 degrees, it will be unbearable.

I do have a small fan blowing out a window upstairs, and there are vents in the eaves as well as up on the top of the peak, on either side. I don't see any energy saver options. If I could just get the compressor to run constantly instead of switching on and off, it would be fine. I did not think to have windows open downstairs, though to get cool air in.

I live in upstate New York, so this is only a problem 2-3 months a year.

The room is about 140 sq feet, and it's a 6000 btu a/c, as was the one I had before it (with the EXACT same problem).

I know there are all sorts of things that I can do to cheaply cool the house down. All I really want is a 5000-6000btu a/c that will not turn on and off. Basically, a non-energy saver one. I just want an old, energy hog that will keep my room cool

 

[Leah Frances]

We are very happy with our Kenmore low profile window A/C units. Got them last year. I would wait till sale time at sears to buy them, last year (memorial day, father's day, 4th of July).

Your eave vents and peak vents are for venting your roof, not keeping your house cool.

Go to wallyworld and buy a box window fan or one of those two fan models for windows that move a lot of air. Your small fan is not going to do the job. Your upstairs fan should blow OUT. Fans are cheap. Consider doing this in any upstairs room that does not have A/C. Get a timer, set the fan to turn on after sunset and run till the AM. Make sure all doors stay propped open.

If you can leave downstairs windows open all night, do it! You can help by getting another window fan and installing it downstairs to blow IN for the same time.

My parents used this sort of system for my entire childhood. The sound of a big box metal fan still makes me drowsy.

 

[secutanudu]

I really prefer not to leave downstairs windows open at night, as it makes me nervous, but I'll do it if it's the only way to get my room to stay cold. I wish i had central air!

 

[retired guy 60]

Central air is too expensive to run every night to cool an upstairs bedroom. A split ductless air conditioner is the way to go. Mine is Fujitsu but Mitubishi makes them as well.

 

[secutanudu]

The bedroom is downstairs...but yeah, central air to cool a bedroom for 3 months a year is not worth it, just wishful thinking. What's a split ductless a/c?

 

[retired guy 60]

I may be over simplifying somewhat but the compressor (the noisy part) of a split ductless AC is outside usually sitting on a cement or plastic pad that is on the ground while a small box with a fan hangs on the wall and throws out cool air. There are pipes that carry refrigerant between the compressor and the wall mounted box. It is much quieter than a window mount air conditioner and you don't have to remove it at the end of the season. Plus you get the use the window at all times. The downside is that the initial expense is quite high and it should be installed by a professional. My unit cost about$3,500. You will need an electrician to wire it to your service panel. Another point to consider is that the split ductless becomes a part of the house but a window air conditioner is taken by the seller when the house is sold (unless other arrngements are made).
Hope this information is useful.

 

[psilliman001]

your condenser

Pardon my ignorance...where do I find that, and what do I clean it with?

take the unit outside in the yard and place it on an outdoor table that is waterproof. take off the outer jacket of the unit and you'll see a fanblade in the rear of the unit in the center of a round piece of metal. at the rear of the unit there is a component with a lot of closely spaced fins. this is the condenser. most of the complaints of diminished cooling stem from this part accumulating dirt between these fins and reducing the units capacity to cool more or less depending on the degree of how plugged it is. on some units u can take some screws out of the shroud and look on the inside of the condenser to see how it looks. it always looks clean on the outside because the airflow is from inside out so the dirt stays on the inside..o.k. mix up some kitchen dish soap and water in a spray bottle , tip the unit up on an angle from the front , spray the soap liberally on the fins & let it sit a while. then rinse liberally with a garden hose VERY CAREFULLY spraying only the condenser , nothing else. not too much pressure and only 90 degrees angle to the coil face so as to not bend the fins over. let it dry & put it all together . inst a clean filter and put it back in the window. if there is nothing else wrong with the unit you'll have restored it to it's original efficiency........good luck........Jack:yes: