On Mon, 03 Jul 2006 23:21:00 GMT, Carol
wrote:
I live in a rented apartment (small) and it has a window AC unit. It's
turned super hot (heat index 100+) and the unit didn't seem like it was
cooling as well as usual.
I've lived here just over a year, and hadn't yet cleaned the filter...I
went to do so and no filter! The metal fin things that easily bend were
totally clotted with crud. I did the best I could cleaning it up,
between a toothbrush and vacuum cleaner. (I probably bent some in the
process) Should there have been a filter???
Sure. It's good that you cleaned it. A little fin bending will only
hurt a little. If I bent a bunch, I would eventually straigten them
out.
It's hard to tell how dirty the thing is now that you tried to clean
it.
But I've been noticing the cooling goes on and off much more than (I
think) it should in such hot weather. I've been timing it this
afternoon, and it seems to be pretty precise:
every six minutes, the compressor kicks on and it cools...for six
minutes. Then it goes off and the fan runs out regular (warmish and
stinky) air for...six minutes.
Do you have the recirculation valve closed. It might be labelled
"outside" or something. The air that comes out with that valve closed
should be the same temp as the air in your room, even with the
compressor off.
So exactly every six minutes it cools six minutes, then fan but no cool
for six minutes and so on.
Is this normal and something I just never noticed before, or is this
wrong? The cooling seems okay, though I was thinking I should call the
rental company and have them come over and do a good cleaning of the
unit. Unfortunately (I've gone through this with a different apt. they
managed before) their procedure is this: two handymen guys come by early
morning and remove the unit, then set it in the yard. At some point
during the day, an AC repair guy comes by, picks it up and takes it off
for cleaning/repair. He returns it the next day, setting it in the yard,
and then some time that day the handymen guys come back and put it back
in the window. So I have to go without any AC for about a day and a half.
That strikes me as pretty good service, considering it takes 3 stages
to do this.
I guess the best thing to have done was to have checke this in April
or May or early June. There were a few hot days during that period,
but I think testing could have been done on even a 68 degree day.
It's supposed to cool down (to the 80s) tomorrow, Wed and Thurs, so if
y'all think it sounds like it needs a repair, I was thinking I'd call
Wed and hopefully schedule pickup Thurs morning. I could live through
80s for a day with no AC, but I'd like to have it done and running right
before the heat comes back this next weekend.
So...if this six minute on/off thing doesn't sound right, what do I tell
the person at the rental office who is semi stupid? I need to clearly
Hey, you're the guy who waited until July. I'll bet the office has
air conditioning.
communicate the problem, or they'll just tell the AC repair guy to hose
it off and call it done. I need some expert talk to say, or they'll tell
me the six minute cycle is perfectly normal, and I really do not think
it is. I think during 100 degree heat, that sucker ought to be running
24/7, not every other six minutes.
If the room is cool enough, that's ridiculous. You said the cooling
seems ok.
Am I wrong?
Thanks for listening while I sweat!
You said the cooling seems ok.