A week ago I started to feel that vents blow air really slow/low. When I stand close to one in floor it usually blows high to knee. Now it is 1-5inches above floor. AC works almost all the time during day. Last bill was sky rocket $160. 2 days ago my dad came. He opened furnace housing and found frozen coil. We used hair blower to melt all ice. We also used some ac cleaner and sprayed radiator outside of home. It dissolved all garbage. Yesterday ac was working fine. Today we feel it is again very low cold air coming from vents. My dad told me to call some ac contractor from yelp...
What do you guys think? Can you help me?
Let me know if you need more info.

 

The reason the airflow is low is because the evaporator coil is freezing up, blocking the airflow. The most likely reason for the coil to freeze up is because the system is low on refrigerant. You'll almost certainly have to call an EPA licensed technician to come out and check the system over. Since the A/C system is a closed system, if it is low on refrigerant, it means that you have a leak somewhere. If you don't get the leak repaired before the system is recharged, the refrigerant will just leak out again and you'll be back where you are now.

 

Ok. I checked yelp, read reviews for first 20 companies, chose one, will call in the morning. What should i expect? How much will i pay? How will i know if he knows what he is doing?

 

Prices vary all over the country, so I can't say how much the tech will charge you. He will likely hook up his gauges to the outdoor unit to check pressures and measure temperatures to determine if your system is low on refrigerant. He may have an electronic leak detector that will "sniff out" a leak. If he finds a leak, he will have to reclaim the refrigerant that's in the system, repair the leak, pressurize the system (usually with nitrogen) to verify that the leak is repaired, evacuate the system, and then recharge it (add refrigerant). You'll have to use your judgment as to whether he seems competent.

 

I called this guy but i think i will call somebody else to compare.
He said that he charges $105 for inspection. Then $150 for 1 pound of refrigerant.Then it might take 4hrs to find a leak with some Test. Then some parts maybe... It might get crazy. Is thisnormal answer or am i just crazy?

 

It sounds normal except the $150 a lb. Call around and ask them what they charge per LB. If you can post the model on the outside unit we can tell if it's R22 or 410a. Big difference price.

 

I checked ac unit outside. There is no stickers outside on it. There are 3 stickers inside. First on fan, second one below on coil(if that is howyou call it).
Coil/condenser
fs3ba-024ka(2 ton)
Cr22kf-pfv-230
Fan
5kcp29cca012

I called 5 companies and everybody plays similar game.
$50 for call, $60 for first half hour, $75 for first pound
Or
$100 for call with inspection, $100 for first pound
Or similar.
Then there was one different guy who was different and because of his anger management issues i feel like maybe this is the guy. He said to forget about those contractors who have no experiance and just come for nothing with no experiance. He said he has 30 years of exp in appliance and ac. He said that he comes to fix my problem not to check and fill refrigerant which resolves nothing.
He said that trip to my home + time spent will be $220-$280, then $100 for first pound of r22 and $120 for sealer for leaks.
He was angry that I used coil cleaner because he believes that acid like that will stay on some parts and corners and will do more harm than good making super small leaks. He said that "new ac school" produces stupid technicians with certificate and no brain.
I hope you got a picture.. What do you think?
I dont know how to check if i have r22 or r410a.
No info on stickers. Do you guys know?

 

If they don't find & fix the leak they have NOT solved the problem; you pay them to solve the problem not waste your money on high $ R-22 refrigerant that just leaks out again...!

 

From the condenser model number you posted, it appears that you have a Nordyne unit and it uses R22 refrigerant. R22 is being phased out and is much more expensive than R410a.

 

Don't like the sealer part for leaks. A buddy of mine gets 35 dollars a lb. for 22 maybe a month ago? He is a one man outfit and tells me what the bigger companies are charging for it.Lol.

 

You mean that sealer doesnt work or that it is too expensive?
Can i buy that sealer and do it myself or does it have to be done by licenced guy?
Btw that last guy isnt part of big company. It is just one person company.

 

There are two issues with using sealer in an A/C system. First, there's no guarantee that it will fix the leak (depends where it is and how large the hole is). Secondly, and more importantly, the sealer can plug up small openings in the condenser & evaporator coils. In other words, it may damage some of the system components. Once the sealer has been added to the system, there's no way to remove it. It is better to try to find the leak and either repair it (leaking line set or coupling) or replace the leaking component (condenser or evaporator coil).

The only time that I would suggest you use a sealer is if you plan on replacing the system in a short time (year or so) and just want to try to squeak one more season out of the existing system.

 

I definetely plan to stay 5-10years before moving out...

 

What do you guys think about buying dehimidifier?

 

Follow Bob1425's advice. do not use sealer, find and fix the leak first. This problem may cost you somewhere between $500 to $2500 depends on where the leak is.

 

What are you suggesting.... using the dehumidifier instead of an A/C system ??
Good for controlling humidity. 100% useless for replacing the A/C as far as cooling.
An A/C system discharges the heat outside.... a dehumidifier puts it back into the same air.

 

To further expand upon what Pete said, a dehumidifier will not only not cool the air, it will actually heat the room slightly, since the compressor generates some heat of its own.

 

My ac guy saidto buy dehumidifier. He will come after weekend to fix it. Ac and dehimidifier will run together. Dehumidifier can add 1-2degrees with a cost of upto $20/month but ac will run better. New ac cost costs $2000. Only an idiot would repair ac if the cost would be as high as you said.

 

Did your ac guy tell you what you are going to get with $2000 ? A new 2T AC (both coil and condenser) will run you at least $4000. and I am sure you will get a 410a system, but don't forget the leak, if the leak is in the line set, you still have to fix the leak first.

 

I dont want to argue on internet. Pointless. Lets wait for him to come and inspect and we decide.
My ac blows nothing thtough vents since 5hrs. Temp raised to 80. Ac didnt stop working. I turned it off. Opened windows. It is cool and thermostat shows 77.
The ac guy who came in 2012 said he can give "something" from American Standard. Ac and furnace gor $4000 or $2000-2500 each. He strongly recommends replacing both.

 

I called my ac guy... The chosen one. He said he can come next Sat. I said thank you... Good bye. I called somebody else. Ac works now even less, barely anything is blowing through vents. I bought and turned on ac for window and dehumidifier. It is ok but only for livibg room and kitchen...
Im going to 2ait for new ac guy until Thursday.

 

Did you also clean the epaporator coil inside and make sure your air filter is clean?also one other thing,when the unit is running fine feel the 2 lines coming out of the outside unit (condenser)larger pipe should be cold and sweating,the small pipe should be hot.

 

If indoor air stopped blowing, it sounds like it froze up due to low on refrigerant...

 

i replaced filter in furnace. I removed ice from coil in furnace. I didnt clean this one. New ac guy comes today at 11-12. I will touch those 2 lines before he comes.

 

Ac guy came. He loolooked on ac and furnace. He removed mybmy furnace filter and installed it different way.
Then he said i need refrigerant maybe even 3 pounds. I told him to check. He brought scale and it it turned out 1.5
Itold him to find this leak. He said that he wants $400 for pressure test. But even if he finds leak he gives no warranty because it is old r22 system and he cant replace coil or condenser where he expects leaks. I said no.

I asked him what are my options. He said :
1) to fill r22 which will $192 with service call or
2)replace ac 2 tone $2600. Replace ac and furnace 4500 same. Replace high efficient 3 tone to make upstairs flow better $6500

I asked him where are the repairs? How this company makes money? He said the are no repairs possible here.
It took 15-30min
Im disgusted.
I chose first option. He filled 1.5 pound. Pressure was 71.2 at least at the end.
I paid and started to pray...
What do you guys think?

 

I believe that if the evaporator or condenser coil is leaking, (R22) replacement coils are still available. However, given that R22 is being phased out and the cost of R22 keeps going up every year, I think that it's not cost effective to replace the evaporator or condenser coil in an R22 system. The cost will be the lion's share of what a new R410a system would cost, and you'll still have an older, less efficient, more costly to repair system.

Depending upon how bad the leak is, refilling it with refrigerant may last the entire season, or it could only last a couple of days. Is the system now cooling normally?

 

Today in Chicago we have extremely high temps @85-90 with high humidity. After 3hrs house cooled down to 75F. I never have seen lower than 74F.
So it looks ok.
I will return dehumidifier to store but i will keep window ac if it gets worse again.
I hope r22 will last whole season. I wonder what should i do next? Ask for estimate for new ac in Autumn or Spring? Would it be cheaper than doing it in Summer?
Then should i buy just ac unit 2 tone or 3 tone or ac + furnace 2 or 3 tone?
Will my electric bill be higher lower or same?

 

The decision whether to replace the furnace along with the A/C depends upon how old and efficient the existing furnace is. If the furnace is an 85% or higher efficiency furnace and is in good shape, I would go with just the A/C. However, if it's an older furnace (typically 70% efficiency), or has been giving you a lot of trouble, I would replace both. I replaced my old 70% efficiency furnace with a 95% efficiency furnace about 7 years ago. It cut my heating bills by ~25%.

As for the 2 ton versus 3 ton A/C question, how well has your current 2 ton system (when it's working properly) coped with typical summer heat? If it generally has been sufficient, then stick with the 2 ton system. I wouldn't expect that a new 2 ton system would cool any better than your current system, however it should be more efficient, resulting in lower electric costs. On the other hand, if the current 2 ton system has been struggling to keep your house cool on many summer days, or you want to have a little "reserve", then go with the larger unit (there are 2.5 ton units as well). You may be able to get a little better price in the "off season" (Spring, Fall) than in the heat of Summer.

 

I live in townhouse. My basement is always suppler cool and chilly. My living room and kitchen are ok. One opening main door or rear door to deck and it is hot again. So ac works all the time and we complain a little. Upstairs... There is no way to even be there for 5min. We have 2 bedrooms there. One has big standing fan. The other has portable ac. We turn it on 30min before going to sleep because it is like 80F in there always.
So in my opinion this ac is too small. We always complain and bills are higher and higher every year.
I dont know how to check efficiency of my ac.
House was built in 2001-2003. Ac/furnace has about 15years.
Cutting electric bill by 25% is what i really need.
If time comes to buy new ac then should i ask for some specific brand? Any details.
So far i just know to get 2.5 or 3ton system.

 

Do you know if your furnace uses PVC pipe to exhaust the combustion gases, or does it use a conventional chimney/flue? If it uses PVC pipe, it's a condensing furnace and is at least 80% efficient. If it's not a condensing furnace, you might want to consider replacing it at the same time that you replace the A/C.

If your goal is to reduce your electric bill as much as possible, you should look for the highest SEER rating that you can afford. Also, be advised that the installation is also very important and has more of an effect on the efficiency and life of the system than the brand.

 

I dont know how to check what you are asking for.

 

i forgot to ask about 1 detail. When this AC guy was hooking up hoses for gauge he was able to hook up blue and red but yellow was stripped so he wasnt able to use it to connect tank. He removed red one and connected it to tank. Is this ok? Shouldnt be both red and blue hooked upwhile filling r22?

 

Ok so my ac is filled with r22. I paid almost $200 with service call. Im preaparing myself for buying new ac and furnace. First estimate is $4000-$4500 for same 2tone and second eztimate is $6000-$6500 for 3tone which should give me better airflow upstairs. Also first guy told me about some "zoning". He wants to separate airflow in ducts in basement and add second thermostat upstairs. I dont know how much extra will it be. He also mentioned 25% smaller bill. Im hoping my ac will last through summer and i that i will be able to save some extra in between seasons on my purchase.