Frigidaire AC (5 yrs. old) not keeping cold air output but reverting to fan outp
#1
08-06-17, 05:32 PM
Frigidaire AC (5 yrs. old) not keeping cold air output but reverting to fan outp
[I'm sorry I couldn't find what I'd written here in the past on this same problem. Therefore I can't read what help I got here in the past.]
Five years ago I bought a costly through-the-wall Frigidaire A/C, model FRA106HT1. This machine fits into a special metal sleeve in the bedroom of my tiny, top floor apartment in which the windows and the sliding glass door (to the balcony) all face due West (so I get hot Summer sun from 12 Noon 'til sunset)-- the apartment building will only take these expensive through-the-wall machines which cost more than standard window air conditioners. Also, all the windows in the building are those awful, tall LEFT-RIGHT sliding ones which won't accept a regular window A/C. My machine worked fine before this year. Earlier this year it began to produce only fan mode temperature air, not cool air. I thought that maybe the machine needed a shade outside on my balcony which is in that hot sun and has no tree shade. I draped a cheap plastic, roll-up porch shade over the top of the metal sleeve and onto the tops of two cheap plastic patio chairs that were rather close to the back of the machine. But that caused the problem of hot air not easily escaping from the back. After maybe 1 week with that shade, I then removed that draped shade and there was better performance especially during and after nights which were cool. Yesterday though the machine is no longer producing cool air, only unrefrigerated fan mode air. I noticed early this year and again now that there's no water pooling on both sides of the back of the machine outside on the balcony. In the first 4 yrs. of ownership and operation, that water was always there in the Summer because I run the machine ALL THE TIME, DAY AND NIGHT. From someone I learned that some other fan in the machine dips into that water picking it up to cool the motor. [Because a drug addict non-stop (even during sleep time!) smoker lives on the ground floor directly below me and is constantly smoking under my balcony, I have to keep my windows closed year 'round with the A/C running in Winter due to the fact that the apartment building is way over heated which keeps me from sleeping-- I like it cold for sleep time.] Now there's no water at the rear of the machine and I wonder what this means. Is the absence of the water a symptom of a failure in the machine? Is something clogged up not allowing the water to pool in those 2 areas? [No water is dripping into the bedroom which is the only place I have the special wall metal sleeve for the A/C.]
When I use the remote to switch between cooling mode and fan mode, I do hear a sound change so I figure that sound change happens in the compressor. Earlier this year I'd do this switching to make the machine produce cool air and that worked but not for long when I did this.
Any thoughts about this and what has to be checked or what's maybe shot now? Could it just be that the thermostat is faulty and now shot?
Five years ago I bought a costly through-the-wall Frigidaire A/C, model FRA106HT1. This machine fits into a special metal sleeve in the bedroom of my tiny, top floor apartment in which the windows and the sliding glass door (to the balcony) all face due West (so I get hot Summer sun from 12 Noon 'til sunset)-- the apartment building will only take these expensive through-the-wall machines which cost more than standard window air conditioners. Also, all the windows in the building are those awful, tall LEFT-RIGHT sliding ones which won't accept a regular window A/C. My machine worked fine before this year. Earlier this year it began to produce only fan mode temperature air, not cool air. I thought that maybe the machine needed a shade outside on my balcony which is in that hot sun and has no tree shade. I draped a cheap plastic, roll-up porch shade over the top of the metal sleeve and onto the tops of two cheap plastic patio chairs that were rather close to the back of the machine. But that caused the problem of hot air not easily escaping from the back. After maybe 1 week with that shade, I then removed that draped shade and there was better performance especially during and after nights which were cool. Yesterday though the machine is no longer producing cool air, only unrefrigerated fan mode air. I noticed early this year and again now that there's no water pooling on both sides of the back of the machine outside on the balcony. In the first 4 yrs. of ownership and operation, that water was always there in the Summer because I run the machine ALL THE TIME, DAY AND NIGHT. From someone I learned that some other fan in the machine dips into that water picking it up to cool the motor. [Because a drug addict non-stop (even during sleep time!) smoker lives on the ground floor directly below me and is constantly smoking under my balcony, I have to keep my windows closed year 'round with the A/C running in Winter due to the fact that the apartment building is way over heated which keeps me from sleeping-- I like it cold for sleep time.] Now there's no water at the rear of the machine and I wonder what this means. Is the absence of the water a symptom of a failure in the machine? Is something clogged up not allowing the water to pool in those 2 areas? [No water is dripping into the bedroom which is the only place I have the special wall metal sleeve for the A/C.]
When I use the remote to switch between cooling mode and fan mode, I do hear a sound change so I figure that sound change happens in the compressor. Earlier this year I'd do this switching to make the machine produce cool air and that worked but not for long when I did this.
Any thoughts about this and what has to be checked or what's maybe shot now? Could it just be that the thermostat is faulty and now shot?
#2
08-06-17, 08:29 PM
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If there is no condensate (water) being generated then most likely there is a leak in the closed refrigerant section and THAT is why you are getting no cooling. The condensate does not cool the motor but it does help to cool the condenser adding to the overall efficiency of the unit.
Unfortunately, it is rarely cost effective to troubleshoot these machines and they are not made for adding additional refrigerant. I suspect the most economical thing to do is a simple replacement of this unit.
If there is no condensate (water) being generated then most likely there is a leak in the closed refrigerant section and THAT is why you are getting no cooling. The condensate does not cool the motor but it does help to cool the condenser adding to the overall efficiency of the unit.
Unfortunately, it is rarely cost effective to troubleshoot these machines and they are not made for adding additional refrigerant. I suspect the most economical thing to do is a simple replacement of this unit.
