A/C Freon ... What Are the guidelines for checking? Please help! I live in a BIG complex of...
Please help! I live in a BIG complex of townhomes. I own central air. These unit are almost 12 years old. I have lived here for 8 years. I know my A/C have NEVER been serviced.
(All maintenance does here is progress the furnace filters.)
I have asked for service, because my A/C is running strong, and late into the night to manage "70", after a long 99 degree day. (Semi Arid, CO)
The bureau sent a man up, to "foo foo" me off, and said it's working fine. It's not. It was COOL within my unit from the night nouns! He said it was "cool to the touch". Pullllleeeezzzze.
He also admitted a PRO desires to service it.
It's hard to "fight city hall" here, but I am the one paying the electric bill!
Please recommend. IS there a normal time to CHECK these A/C unit? Yes, it WILL cool, when it's cool OUTSIDE!
THANKS !
Answers: ma'am, Industry standards is 15-20 degrees difference from outside temp (a) optimal conditions. Cooking, boiling water and running the dishwasher can affect how the home feel. Considering its a 12 yr old unit, 13-15 degree difference is the best you can hope for. However, you can clean the coil on the outside a/c unit. What the a/c element does is transfer heat from inside the home to the outside of the home. If coil is dirty, it will inhibit boil transfer. And since it's an older element, this will help the unit work as capably as possible. The "freon" if it's low, you will see the ice form on the lines to the coils outside or (a) the furnace. A dirty filter will also cause this if it is blocked. You can check the a/c if the outside temp is over 70 degree. Unfortunately, this is the only thing a homeowner can check or allege on the a/c unit. The tech who they sent over should have taken the warmth of the air coming out of the vents this would've told him right away if the compressor outside be working. If you put your hand over the outside unit, the furnace the air feels, the better the element is working to remove the heat from your home. please e-mail me with any question. I hope this helped you.
You need to draw from a reputable AC manufacturer to email you their specifications. They suggest cleaning ,or servicing, a central element once or twice a year. Even call a local AC company to verify it. Also, if it breaks, isn't it their responsibility to replace it? Wouldn't they rather service it than settle up a lot of money for replacing?
The coils will get gunky, full of dirt, and motivation the unit to work even harder to meet the heat on your thermostat. Also, on a 99 degree day, a part will probably only make it down to 75. This is if you live contained by a humid area.
Cool to the touch means what? Our body is regulated at 98 deg, right? So 70 level air could be "cool to the touch". He should check it with a thermostat. If the upper air isn't blowing 50-60 degrees, then the part isn't cooling properly.