I know this subject has been raised over and over, but of course I paid no
attention until I actually had the problem myself. Picture a central air
system that's been no trouble (unless you count the dead snake I had to fish
out of the compressor fan once) until, naturally, the hottest days we've had
in several years (and I do understand about "design point"). Cool-ish air
from the vents and not much of it, so of course I realized I'd let the
filter go too long. It was dirty, my A-coils were blocked and encased in
solid ice so I thawed it all out, replaced the filter, cleaned the A-coils,
opened and cleaned the coils on the outside part of the unit, and everything
worked fine for about 24 hours. Then the same problems -- not very cold air
(8 deg F temperature differential) and iced-up A-coils. I found some leaky
seams on the back side of the ductwork and figured too much air was
bypassing the coils, which I thought might have caused the new freeze-up (I
got a D in Thermodynamics in college, so I might be totally wrong about
that). Fixed the air leaks, reopened and re-cleaned the outdoor parts just
to be sure, and waited several hours to see if things would improve. I get
a lot more airflow from the vents but it's still only 8 deg F differential,
so I'm thinking low freon -- which finally leads to my question: Can low
refrigerant and coil freezing go together, once the coils have been
thoroughly cleaned and air leaks sealed? The big copper line into the unit
was ice-cold when all this started but is just barely cool today. I'm
trying to nurse this thing through one last summer -- my daughter's finally
out of college and I can use the money I usually spend on her tuition to
replace the unit in a few months, if repairs aren't feasible.
- Steve Richardson
St Louis MO

Steve Richardson wrote:

I know this subject has been raised over and over, but of course I paid no
attention until I actually had the problem myself. Picture a central air
system that's been no trouble (unless you count the dead snake I had to fish
out of the compressor fan once) until, naturally, the hottest days we've had
in several years (and I do understand about "design point"). Cool-ish air
from the vents and not much of it, so of course I realized I'd let the
filter go too long. It was dirty, my A-coils were blocked and encased in
solid ice so I thawed it all out, replaced the filter, cleaned the A-coils,
opened and cleaned the coils on the outside part of the unit, and everything
worked fine for about 24 hours. Then the same problems -- not very cold air
(8 deg F temperature differential) and iced-up A-coils. I found some leaky
seams on the back side of the ductwork and figured too much air was
bypassing the coils, which I thought might have caused the new freeze-up (I
got a D in Thermodynamics in college, so I might be totally wrong about
that). Fixed the air leaks, reopened and re-cleaned the outdoor parts just
to be sure, and waited several hours to see if things would improve. I get
a lot more airflow from the vents but it's still only 8 deg F differential,
so I'm thinking low freon -- which finally leads to my question: Can low
refrigerant and coil freezing go together, once the coils have been
thoroughly cleaned and air leaks sealed? The big copper line into the unit
was ice-cold when all this started but is just barely cool today. I'm
trying to nurse this thing through one last summer -- my daughter's finally
out of college and I can use the money I usually spend on her tuition to
replace the unit in a few months, if repairs aren't feasible.
- Steve Richardson
St Louis MO

Low evaporator heat load and/or low charge.

hvacrmedic

Steve Richardson writes:

Can low
refrigerant and coil freezing go together, once the coils have been
thoroughly cleaned and air leaks sealed?

It's paradoxical, but true:

http://groups-beta.google.com/group/...20eda678cc180f

Suddenly it all makes sense. Thanks!

"Richard J Kinch" wrote in message
. ..
Steve Richardson writes:

Can low
refrigerant and coil freezing go together, once the coils have been
thoroughly cleaned and air leaks sealed?

It's paradoxical, but true:

http://groups-beta.google.com/group/...20eda678cc180f

The suggestions about low freon charge were right on the money, once I got
it through my head that too LITTLE refrigerant could produce a huge solid
block of clear ice in my coils. The air conditioner guy was here today,
never even had to go inside to look at the coils. His gauge on the line
showed 50 where it should have been 80, so a quick top-up of refrigerant put
everything back in perfect shape. A good thing too -- tomorrow every window
in the house is being replaced and I'm going to the poorhouse, so there
wasn't anything left in the kitty for major A/C repairs. Thanks everyone!
- Steve Richardson
St Louis MO

uh-huh.

"Steve Richardson" wrote in message
...
The suggestions about low freon charge were right on the money, once I got
it through my head that too LITTLE refrigerant could produce a huge solid
block of clear ice in my coils. The air conditioner guy was here today,
never even had to go inside to look at the coils. His gauge on the line
showed 50 where it should have been 80, so a quick top-up of refrigerant
put everything back in perfect shape.



If your AC guy didn't check the WB RA temp, he bent you over real well.

You got a gas-n-go. You didn't your AC serviced, you got serviced.

"HeatMan" wrote in message
...
uh-huh.

"Steve Richardson" wrote in message
...
The suggestions about low freon charge were right on the money, once I
got
it through my head that too LITTLE refrigerant could produce a huge solid
block of clear ice in my coils. The air conditioner guy was here today,
never even had to go inside to look at the coils. His gauge on the line
showed 50 where it should have been 80, so a quick top-up of refrigerant
put everything back in perfect shape.



If your AC guy didn't check the WB RA temp, he bent you over real well.

You got a gas-n-go. You didn't your AC serviced, you got serviced.

How true.

If he didn't find and fix a leak, you are now "renting" refrigerant. In
other words, you'll be calling SOMEONE back out later (probably on the next
hottest day of the year). Sure, it will get you A/C for a while, but it
won't last. There is a leak somewhere and they don't get smaller.

Save "topping up" for your gas tank or your beer.......

Well gee, guys, that's a little harsh, after I thanked you for telling me
about low refrigerant and coil freeze-ups in the first place! It took 6
years for the last top-up to bleed down, and I think I can stand that kind
of "cheating". The unit is nearly 20 years old, my goal was to get it
through this season, and I don't mind "renting refrigerant" at these
prices -- $111 is something I can afford if it holds together until cool
weather. Maybe you folks have the luxury of cash reserves to tap into on
short notice but I sure don't! In my particular (post-divorce) corner of
the Real World we do the best we can with what limited resources we can
scrape together at the moment, and in this case it meant applying a band-aid
because literally all my ready cash had been spent on new windows (due to be
installed today -- but no sign of them yet). But thanks for your concerns
and suggestions. When (notice I'm accepting that your point that it's not
"if") the old system fails again, you've at least given me insight into what
comes next, and I'm always grateful for technical expertise.
- Steve Richardson
St Louis MO

"Steve Richardson" wrote in message
...
The suggestions about low freon charge were right on the money, once I got
it through my head that too LITTLE refrigerant could produce a huge solid
block of clear ice in my coils. The air conditioner guy was here today,
never even had to go inside to look at the coils. His gauge on the line
showed 50 where it should have been 80, so a quick top-up of refrigerant
put everything back in perfect shape. A good thing too -- tomorrow every
window in the house is being replaced and I'm going to the poorhouse, so
there wasn't anything left in the kitty for major A/C repairs. Thanks
everyone!
- Steve Richardson
St Louis MO



Here is another homeowner that got screwed big time.
PRESSURE ON THE FRIGGIN MANIFOLDS MEANS NOTHING!!!

It is ONE TOOL out of many that your AC guy should have used.
Did he get the return air temp? No. Did he get a dew point reading? no..did
he get a return air temp reading and supply register reading? No...
Your unit isnt in perfect shape...its leaking...or you have a clogged
coil...and you wont know, since you got bent over and didnt get kissed.
Did he check for a leak?
Did he check to see if you have a low airflow condition?
Did he check to see if you had a blower that was shutting down?
If you have a Goodman heat pump, did he check the blower sequencer to see if
its the piece of **** that fails like clockwork?

Did you pay for refrigerant, and if so, did he use a SCALE to weigh in the
charge?
If you paid more than $40 for this hacks BS work, you got ripped
off...personally, if all he did was gas and go, I would not have paid him a
cent and have advocated this for years in here.