AC problem

In our townhouse (main/lower level) AC seems to be running and little cold air is coming out of vent, but still living/family room area is not getting cold, stays somewhere around 80-82F when AC is set to 76F. Its really too hot. Also, we have our floor fan turned to improve the air circulation but still no luck.

All our windows/doors are closed. We don't have this problem with our upper level AC.

I don't know whats wrong, before calling handyman and spending $200-300, i want to check if any of you have any idea what might be causing this problem.....

 

Try turning it off...it may be frozen and need to thaw.

 

Could be what softballchick mentioned.

Also, check the return air registers or the filter. Make sure nothing is obstructing airflow into the unit.

 

We usually turn it off during night and turn on the upper level AC. But next day morning when we turn on the AC at middle level and face this problem.

Is this enough or do I need to do turn off the whole main switch for AC?

BTW, thx for the quick response.

 

Have you checked the damper settings for your a/c ? We had to work with these dampers to get the correct air flow between the three floors and they must be changed between the winter and summer settings with the change of seasons.
You can check the unit outside and if there is "frost or ice" on the unit compressor, then you may definitely have an issue. The units are supposed to have either a five or ten year warranty. If all else fails, we have used McCrea for service and found them to be very reliable.

 

When you say "little cold air".

Is it low airflow?

Or plenty of airflow, but it's not cold.

 

Its kind of both, low airflow and not very cold...

I will try to close all air ducts in the basement and see if it improves...

Thanks to all for your suggestions.

 

Also check/clean your coils in your air handler. Is the outside unit running? We had our start/run capacitor blow a few years ago on July 4th and I replaced it for $30 instead of $300 locally =)

http://forum.doityourself.com/ and other sites are a good resource.

 

Since you have air flow, the blower is working. The filter being clogged will lessen the flow, but the air would still be cold. Do you have a programmable thermostat? If so, check to see if you have a "safety" which will shutdown the compressor to prevent a failure. But, my guess would be a small leak, your coolant has leaked out over the winter and you will need to have someone check it out.

Good luck!

 

Now i have an update.
When I had some landscaping work done by a person, he said he is also familiar with AC/heating etc. So, I asked him to check whats the problem with our main level AC. He used some kind of instrument to measure the level of R22 gas. And he said its too low and might be leaking. And also he showed the reading of the other AC which is working fine and i could see the difference between bad one and good one.

Does this make sense?

As he wasn't very confident, I couldn't ask him to fix it.

Any recommendation? Who can do it and how much it would cost?

Thanks for your help.

 

I had this fixed by Bowman's heating & Air conditioning company.

A technician came, checked and said there is not enough coolant gas and filled R22 (maybe around 2 lbs) and it fixed the problem.

Now, we get nice cool air, just in time to beat 90 degrees F in the next few days....

 

I have to give Bowman's a big thumbs up! Last fall our compressor went out and I called another company (can't remember who...Mike something) and it was going to be 2k to fix it. I called Bowman's for a second quote and they took the time to check on the warranty and realized it was covered by the manufacturer! We only had to pay for the installation which was about 200 or 300. The only drawback is we had to wait a week for the part from the manufacturer... in 95 degree heat. And our house was on the market:scaredeyes:. We never got to give them praise because we were busy with the move so...great job Bowman's!!!

 

Love, love, love the Bowmans guys. They replaced my whole system a few months ago. They were one of three estimates. They were extremely reasonable, professional and about 1/2 (yes 1/2) of the cost of United Air Temp. They did a great job, were on time and cleaned up nicely before they left. I will definitely use them in the future and I have no probs recommending them as well.