AC Running but little air coming out

Anybody have any ideas... by AC upstairs is running but almost no air is coming out of the vents. I have closed all but a couple

 

Have you changed the air filter recently? A dirty filter can restrict airflow, which can also cause your coil to freeze up and reduce the airflow even more.

 

Had the same problem and the coils froze up...But you need to check to see if the drainpipe is clogged as well...I blew mine out with a vaccum cleaner and it made a huge difference...

Good luck!

 

Any thoughts on this one? My upstairs is running and the amount of air coming out feels about right - but its not cool. I checked the outside unit and compared to the one next to it (two units) its exhaust is cold vs warm like the other unit???

 

Beahmer same thing on mine except the air isnt really blowing and the air blowing off the outside unit is warm - where my downstairs one is cold....

I have comfort coming over at 10AM this morning... I will keep a close eye and ask questions...I will let you know what he states

 

thanks rich

 

We used to have to refill the coolant in our heat pump a couple of times a year because it would blow warm air. We had a leak somewhere.

 

For the record we have a Sinclaire II.

We had a well known contractor come out for an estimate to replace the upstairs HVAC system. We felt it was undersized at 1.5 tons as it was constantly running and not cooling the top floor except for the far right bedroom. It was so cold in there that on the hottest nights Girl-Child was under three blankets in a sweat suit.

The contractor came out, did his inspection, took copious notes & measurements and went about his merry way. He returned a few days later to give us the verdict:

The system was sized just fine. While the components were "builder grade" they were working at top efficiency and were probably not the cause of the discomfort (I could see the loss of a sale in his eyes). What was the probable cause was the flexible duct work. The flexible ducts were not hung correctly by the builder :scaredeyes: - yeah - I'm that surprised. The ducts were simply draped over the joists and cross beams. This restricted flow, causing back pressure. Air, being fluid, took the path of least resistance into Girl Child's room as that was a straight shot out of the main plenum. In summary the system was moving less than 60% of the air it was supposed to move. Oh, and the fexi-ducts were the minimum R value that could be used. And the main vent in the MBR was undersized for the duct going to it.

So, instead of replacing the whole system ($12K) we just had the duct work replaced (>$4K). They built a rigid, insulated "superstructure" that runs almost all the length of the attic, stepping down in diameter to maintain pressure. From this plenum work R14 (I think) flexi-duct was used and installed in the most direct path possible to each vent.

We have noted a MARKED increase in comfort throughout the top level even on these very hot days - in fact - it gets a tad chillsome at night.

If you are interested in talking to our contractor, please PM me. This way it's a direct referral and you will get an additional discount beyond whatever else they are offering. Ok, it's all of $150, but hey - that's a night out, yes?

 

If the exhaust is cool, the compressor is likely not running.

Sounds like it could be that the wire to the hermetic terminal on the capacitor has either separated or perhaps burned and severed the wire.

This happened to me about two weeks ago.

A quick 5-minute DIY repair...strip, crimp new terminal and re-attach to capacitor.

If the capacitor was blown (mushroom cap instead of flat) the fan would not be running at all.

 

Well verdict from mine was (supposedly) a freeon (sp?) leek in the system... we had him fill it with freeon for $150 and it is now cool upstairs. He basically told me that the air should be warm coming out the top of the outside unit and if it isnt then there is an issue..... WIth the new freeon we have increased airflow and it is cool....


Challenge is that finding and fixing the leak is going to be very expensive (he estimated) suggested that if it was one he could find and fix it woudl be about $700 and if it was in the coil then he could fix for about $1,500 otherwise likely need a whole new unit......

Needless to say it is cool now, and my strategy is to get a maintenance package for the system and see if it works next year- I really hope it is a small leak as I do not feel like shelling out a ton of money for this........

 

A blown capacitor will look like this...a normally functioning capacitor will have a flat top, this one has a mushroom shape...

This is a $25 repair to do yourself, if you call someone be prepared for $175-$250 or more, if weekend / holiday.

 

@tigercpa

great pic, it helped me diagnosis the problem with my a/c unit. Where does one buy a new capacitor? An electric store? An HVAC store?

 

That's the situation we were in for the past few years. This year we finally replaced the unit since the cost of the old kind of freon that it used was climbing in price due to being discontinued.

 

Pretty much.

I got my replacement capacitor at Grainger Supply on Shaw Road (near the intersection of Shaw and Old Ox. It was about $19.

They wholesale only, but if you need help there let me know (send me a PM). Dulles Electric, also on Shaw, stopped selling them a while back.

If this is your problem, take a couple of photos of it before you disconnect and take it with you to the store.

Most likley it's close to a 40x5x440 capacitor....give or take 5% on he 40x5 part.

 

Needless to say we went out for dinner tonight... returned home and water dripping through the ceiling... I went up in to the attic and the drip pan under the unit had a crack and was leaking...

We are sleeping with out AC again and will have to get somebody back in . From what I have been reading this is likely just a clogged pipe - wish i was able to just fix it myself.....

 

It's a 39x5x440 with a +-6%.

I'll try Grainger but if there wholesale only ...

 

If you have an air compressor, or even a bicycle pump, and have access to either end of the pipe, just try to make as good of a seal as you can around one end of the pipe and pump air into it. That will force out the clog in the drain.

 

Would you just cut the PVC Pipe and then reseal it?

 

Just let me know if you need help....my neighbor helped me and I am happy to pay it forward for someone else.

 

Yeah, if you don't have access to either end, you can cut the pipe, blow out the clog through either side, and then use a coupling and PVC glue to connect the two pieces of pipe together.

You can buy the coupling and glue from Home Depot for about $5 total.

Clogged drain pipes are really an easy fix, considering how much a contractor will charge you for doing it.

Here's a video on how to do it another way (with a shop vac). The concept being using a vacuum instead of forcing air.