On Mon, 28 Jun 2010 05:48:09 -0400, "Ed Pawlowski"
wrote:


"mm" wrote

Normally I wouldn't care, but the indoor double breaker for the AC
seemed to make a strange noise when being reset, like a few little
metal blades from a tiny metal fan hitting something, like a Chinese
fan that a woman carries, which I feared was actually the noise of
arcing. And the breaker would NOT reset! So this moise made me feel
I was damaging or further damaging it.


But the bigger question is what's wrong with my AC? We have had 5 or
7 days above 90 degrees**, so I broke down and started using it 3 days
ago. Normally it turns off after about 4 hours, even when first
turned on, but this time it ran many hours, maybe 3 solid days,
without stopping,



If the breaker is not resetting and making lots of noise you probably have a
short someplace. Running three days straight wound not ruin the breaker, but
evidently, there is a problem of either low charge or possibly a compressor
problem.

This seems pretty clear now that you've said it. Last night my mind
was a blank, other than focusing on my unresettable breker. A low
charge would account for its cooling more slowly these 3 days. (I
didn't use it all last summer.) OTOH, it was working until or almost
until the breaker tripped, maybe it's a compressor problem.

I will check the breaker in a little while, and see if I smell
anything at the compressor, and maybe open up the case. Yeah, I know
about 220.

My advice would be to call a service tech. Breakers are fairly
cheap if it was ruined.

I'm supposed to get a new furnace this summer. I've used the AC very
little over the last 27 years so I considered not replacing it,
despite what you all said about efficiency. But I guess I'll get
one. Still, I can easily live without it until then.



It's 85 out at 8:30AM and still very pleasant in the house.
Expected 92 today, 88 tomorrow and low 80's after that. I