AC Not cooling...enough
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AC Not cooling...enough
I have a trane xe1000, not sure on size ie tons. the temp inside the house is around 77-78 in hot part of the day. Will go down at night to about 70-72. Outside temps average 90and up. How do I clean the coils on the unit, evaporator and such?? Any help would be appreciated. Did have a bad capacitor...have one on order.
#4
Report here the Test Data you get...
Be sure to check for attic or garage hot air being drawn into the Return Air.
Check the discharge air temp off the outdoor condenser, (that is the "Condensing Temperature (CT)," the higher the SEER Rating the lower the outdoor normal temp/split above the outdoor temperature will be.)
Then you either check the small liquid line tubing temp outdoors where there is a tubing bend, or indoors where it bends to enter the plenum.
Indoors could be inaccurate as the tubing temp could vary higher or lower depending on temp conditions the line is conducting.
Subtract the small liquid line temp from the CT & you have the Subcooling temp which varies some from mfg'ers, but will be Ballpark 8 to 12-F Subcooled.
The condenser temp (CT) above the outdoor temp tells you how much indoor sensible & latent heat, & the 3 motor heats it is ejecting. The indoor humidity level has the biggest effect, the higher the humidity the higher the split.
Now, indoors the higher the humidity the lower the temp/split between Supply-Air & Return-Air.
At 50% indoor humidity the split should be Ballpark, around 18 - 20-F. Get a cheap humidity gauge at a hardware store, it's a must to check indoor heatload conditions.
If blower wheel blades & all coils are relatively clean & the split is well above 20-F, you have low airflow with a low heatload through the evaporator coil.
If the indoor split is way below 18-F at 50% RH, you either have way too much airflow, hot Return-Air leak from attic, or some problems in the functioning of refrigerant system.
To solve any of these problems you need to call a knowledgeable HVAC TECH! - Darrell U
Download these Energy Saving PDF Graphics Ways to cut monthly Energy Bills, hopefully in HALF.
Check the discharge air temp off the outdoor condenser, (that is the "Condensing Temperature (CT)," the higher the SEER Rating the lower the outdoor normal temp/split above the outdoor temperature will be.)
Then you either check the small liquid line tubing temp outdoors where there is a tubing bend, or indoors where it bends to enter the plenum.
Indoors could be inaccurate as the tubing temp could vary higher or lower depending on temp conditions the line is conducting.
Subtract the small liquid line temp from the CT & you have the Subcooling temp which varies some from mfg'ers, but will be Ballpark 8 to 12-F Subcooled.
The condenser temp (CT) above the outdoor temp tells you how much indoor sensible & latent heat, & the 3 motor heats it is ejecting. The indoor humidity level has the biggest effect, the higher the humidity the higher the split.
Now, indoors the higher the humidity the lower the temp/split between Supply-Air & Return-Air.
At 50% indoor humidity the split should be Ballpark, around 18 - 20-F. Get a cheap humidity gauge at a hardware store, it's a must to check indoor heatload conditions.
If blower wheel blades & all coils are relatively clean & the split is well above 20-F, you have low airflow with a low heatload through the evaporator coil.
If the indoor split is way below 18-F at 50% RH, you either have way too much airflow, hot Return-Air leak from attic, or some problems in the functioning of refrigerant system.
To solve any of these problems you need to call a knowledgeable HVAC TECH! - Darrell U
Download these Energy Saving PDF Graphics Ways to cut monthly Energy Bills, hopefully in HALF.
Last edited by HVAC RETIRED; 08-02-10 at 07:52 PM. Reason: Rearranged ...
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I have an American Standard with the spine fins, and I used my garden hose to clean it. My sprayer head has an adjustable flow nozzle, so I set it on “powerwash” and turned the water flow down as far as I could. I slowly turned it up until it removed the debris on the spines without bending them. Cleaned it from both the inside of the condenser coil as well as the outside, alternating until all cottonwood and dust were removed.
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basically in english....what hvac retired is saying is.......there are too many factors that could be causing your cooling problems. The obvious problem (which is what he is saying) is refrigerent levels incorrect and without know how to figure superheat and subcooling you would deffinently need a professional out there.