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I'm having a similar problem. How much does it cost to get the freon changed? My A/C unit says Refrigerant type 22 design pressure 300 psi. I'm not sure if a trip to home depot and some elbow grease will fix this.
It's not likely that you can do this yourself.
Getting an AC service man out to recharge your system will likely run about $150. But that's not necessarily addressing the real problem. If you're low on freon, it's because it leaked. And the leak is going to have to be fixed.
I went through this on a rental house recently. It was an old old unit, and I eventually decided to just replace it.
Does the liquid line (smaller copper line) sound like it's percolating near the air handler up in the attic or wherever it is? It's actually boiling but whatever. Also how many returns do you have and what size are they and what type of air filters are you using?
We had similiar problem last summer that a/c just couldn't keep up on the sunny 98 degree days. It would reach 80 even though had set on 74. Found out I only had 8 degree difference between old and new air. Soon as I got my preon/freon stuff charged it was back to normal. Right now we are having 98 degree days and it is sometimes 2 degrees above setting but we have no shade and it is working hard to stay at 74.
HVAC systems are setup for about 80% of the maximum heat days you get in your area. They aren't designed to keep up on the hottest of hot days. Well they should be designed like that...
I'm having a similar problem. I live in a condo and the coils in my central unit is nice and cold after a few minutes of running. It even has some condensation. The insulated pipe going towards the roof used to be nice and cold too but now it's just room temperature. I don't have access by the association to check the unit on the roof so haven't had a chance to see if the fan above is running properly yet.
How much does it cost to get the freon changed? My A/C unit says Refrigerant type 22 design pressure 300 psi. I'm not sure if a trip to home depot and some elbow grease will fix this. Will the a/c repair man need access to my roof top? I'd hate to hire him to come in only to have to pay him double because he couldn't access the roof.
Any advice would be much appreciated!
Those are maximum test head pressures. 150 psi on the low side or the suction side of the compressor. Most places I know charge $30/lb plus trip charge and labor. If you do need freon then you have a leak and you'll pay double if they do not fix it first before they recharge it.
HVAC systems are setup for about 80% of the maximum heat days you get in your area. They aren't designed to keep up on the hottest of hot days. Well they should be designed like that...
Sorta. Aside from the energy costs factor, the big issue is dehumidifying the air. A unit that has to run all the time on a hot day will do a better job of dehumidifying than one that goes on and off. When the day is a NORMAL hot day, the unit that is larger and runs less can leave you cold and dripping wet at the same time.
The better solution is to have two slightly smaller units. During normal times, only one is set to go on. During the times of excessive heat, the other unit kicks in as well. About halfway through the cooling season, you reset temps on both to equalize the wear.
Anyone who plans on holding summertime parties that might have to go inside should really consider such a setup. The heat and humidity load of a bunch of guests is enough to drive most properly sized AC units over the edge.
Sorta. Aside from the energy costs factor, the big issue is dehumidifying the air. A unit that has to run all the time on a hot day will do a better job of dehumidifying than one that goes on and off. When the day is a NORMAL hot day, the unit that is larger and runs less can leave you cold and dripping wet at the same time.
The better solution is to have two slightly smaller units. During normal times, only one is set to go on. During the times of excessive heat, the other unit kicks in as well. About halfway through the cooling season, you reset temps on both to equalize the wear.
Anyone who plans on holding summertime parties that might have to go inside should really consider such a setup. The heat and humidity load of a bunch of guests is enough to drive most properly sized AC units over the edge.
That's what they make variable speed compressors for. They run all the time at part load until the thermostat realizes it can't keep up then kicks into high gear. Typically, but not all, the run @ around 80% of their maximum capacity. With breaking out the mfg data for every brand that has variable speed compressors that's a decent generalization.
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