My house wasn't as cool as I would expect, given that the
A/C has been on for a few days. I noticed it but didn't
really think much about it. At the same time, I noticed it was
really cold in the utility room where the furnace is. Today the
weather has turned, and the windows are open and the air conditioner
off.

Now I have a lot of water and I can hear ice chunks falling
in the furnace/plenum (?) area. I think ice formed in there and
caused the condensation to back up.

I have called the company who installed it to come take a look,
with any luck they'll be here tomorrow. In the meantime, any ideas
out there what could have happened? I've never had this problem
before. The A/C unit was replaced last year and has been trouble-free
since.

nancy

Meat Plow wrote:
On Sun, 05 Aug 2007 10:28:14 -0400, Nancy Young wrote:

My house wasn't as cool as I would expect, given that the
A/C has been on for a few days. I noticed it but didn't
really think much about it. At the same time, I noticed it was
really cold in the utility room where the furnace is. Today the
weather has turned, and the windows are open and the air conditioner
off.

Now I have a lot of water and I can hear ice chunks falling
in the furnace/plenum (?) area. I think ice formed in there and
caused the condensation to back up.

I have called the company who installed it to come take a look,
with any luck they'll be here tomorrow. In the meantime, any ideas
out there what could have happened? I've never had this problem
before. The A/C unit was replaced last year and has been
trouble-free since.


Your A coil froze up. One sign of less than normal level of freon in
the system. Also make sure your filter is clean.

I agree but I also would shut down power to the furnace and do not try to
run it until the service tech has a chance to check it out.

If your breaker is labeled then turn it off or you may have a simple light
swqitch by the furnace where you can also turn off the power to the furnace.

The reason you want to turn it off is because you could damage the controls
or the blower motor because they could get wet and short out.

Good luck and hope it is a minor repair.

--
Moe Jones
HVAC Service Technician
Energy Equalizers Inc.
Houston, Texas
www.EnergyEqualizers.com

On Aug 5, 11:40 am, "Moe Jones" wrote:
Meat Plow wrote:
On Sun, 05 Aug 2007 10:28:14 -0400, Nancy Young wrote:

My house wasn't as cool as I would expect, given that the
A/C has been on for a few days. I noticed it but didn't
really think much about it. At the same time, I noticed it was
really cold in the utility room where the furnace is. Today the
weather has turned, and the windows are open and the air conditioner
off.

Now I have a lot of water and I can hear ice chunks falling
in the furnace/plenum (?) area. I think ice formed in there and
caused the condensation to back up.

I have called the company who installed it to come take a look,
with any luck they'll be here tomorrow. In the meantime, any ideas
out there what could have happened? I've never had this problem
before. The A/C unit was replaced last year and has been
trouble-free since.

Your A coil froze up. One sign of less than normal level of freon in
the system. Also make sure your filter is clean.

I agree but I also would shut down power to the furnace and do not try to
run it until the service tech has a chance to check it out.

If your breaker is labeled then turn it off or you may have a simple light
swqitch by the furnace where you can also turn off the power to the furnace.

The reason you want to turn it off is because you could damage the controls
or the blower motor because they could get wet and short out.

Good luck and hope it is a minor repair.

--
Moe Jones
HVAC Service Technician
Energy Equalizers Inc.
Houston, Texaswww.EnergyEqualizers.com- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

Anything that reduces air flow is also a factor, like closing off too
many register outlets.

"Moe Jones" wrote

Meat Plow wrote:
On Sun, 05 Aug 2007 10:28:14 -0400, Nancy Young wrote:

Now I have a lot of water and I can hear ice chunks falling
in the furnace/plenum (?) area. I think ice formed in there and
caused the condensation to back up.

I have called the company who installed it to come take a look,
with any luck they'll be here tomorrow. In the meantime, any ideas
out there what could have happened? I've never had this problem
before. The A/C unit was replaced last year and has been
trouble-free since.

Your A coil froze up. One sign of less than normal level of freon in
the system. Also make sure your filter is clean.

I agree but I also would shut down power to the furnace and do not try to
run it until the service tech has a chance to check it out.

If your breaker is labeled then turn it off or you may have a simple light
swqitch by the furnace where you can also turn off the power to the
furnace.

The reason you want to turn it off is because you could damage the
controls or the blower motor because they could get wet and short out.

Good luck and hope it is a minor repair.

Thank you both so much. It is off and I'll wait for the company
to come tell me what's wrong.

nancy

wrote

Now I have a lot of water and I can hear ice chunks falling
in the furnace/plenum (?) area. I think ice formed in there and
caused the condensation to back up.

Anything that reduces air flow is also a factor, like closing off too
many register outlets.

Heh, yeah, I did close off a couple. Ooops. Thank you, I will mention
that to the guy. Will be pretty sorry if I did this to myself.

nancy

"Meat Plow" wrote

On Sun, 05 Aug 2007 11:51:52 -0400, Nancy Young wrote:

Thank you both so much. It is off and I'll wait for the company
to come tell me what's wrong.

Lettuce know what was wrong

Heh, you can count on me coming back cryin'.

nancy

"Nancy Young" wrote...

"Meat Plow" wrote

On Sun, 05 Aug 2007 11:51:52 -0400, Nancy Young wrote:

Thank you both so much. It is off and I'll wait for the company
to come tell me what's wrong.

Lettuce know what was wrong

Heh, you can count on me coming back cryin'.

nancy

If the tech says that you were low on refrigerant ask him/her where it went.
Refrigerant does not get "used up" in a sealed system. Therefore, either
you a) have a leak that needs to be located and repaired or b) the tech is
incorrect about their diagnosis or c) you are the pending victim of one of
the most frequent A/C repair scams.

"Travis Jordan" wrote

"Nancy Young" wrote...

Heh, you can count on me coming back cryin'.

If the tech says that you were low on refrigerant ask him/her where it
went. Refrigerant does not get "used up" in a sealed system. Therefore,
either you a) have a leak that needs to be located and repaired or b) the
tech is incorrect about their diagnosis or c) you are the pending victim
of one of the most frequent A/C repair scams.

Thanks for the heads up! This place is one I've dealt with for a long
time, they're reliable. If there is a leak I would certainly like to hear
all about it since they installed this A/C unit just last year.

nancy

"Nancy Young" wrote in message
. ..

If there is a leak I would certainly like to hear
all about it since they installed this A/C unit just last year.


Hehehe.... :-)

"Nancy Young" wrote

Now I have a lot of water and I can hear ice chunks falling
in the furnace/plenum (?) area. I think ice formed in there and
caused the condensation to back up.

The verdict, water was not draining out of the pipe that
goes to the outside. He blew it out with air, and checked
that it was at the correct angle to drain. A/C is back up and
running.

He did ask if I closed vents, I pointed out which ones. He
checked the pressure, no problems with the coolant level.
Then he looked at the furnace and there was still a lot of water
in there.

All better. Thank you all So much for your help, I was glad
I knew what to expect, what he'd be looking for.

nancy

Nancy Young wrote:
"Nancy Young" wrote

Now I have a lot of water and I can hear ice chunks falling
in the furnace/plenum (?) area. I think ice formed in there and
caused the condensation to back up.

The verdict, water was not draining out of the pipe that
goes to the outside. He blew it out with air, and checked
that it was at the correct angle to drain. A/C is back up and
running.

He did ask if I closed vents, I pointed out which ones. He
checked the pressure, no problems with the coolant level.
Then he looked at the furnace and there was still a lot of water
in there.

All better. Thank you all So much for your help, I was glad
I knew what to expect, what he'd be looking for.

nancy

There is a couple of items you may want your service tech. to add to your
system.
1. There are overflow cut-off switches that are installed on the condensate
drain line and when the line stops up, it will shut down the A/C and help
prevent overflow that can cause you damage. They retail around $40.
2. There are dispensers that also can be installed on the drain line which
allows you to drop in tablets to help kill the bacteria & slime growth. They
retail around $35.

--
Moe Jones
HVAC Service Technician
Energy Equalizers Inc.
Houston, Texas
www.EnergyEqualizers.com

"Moe Jones" wrote

Nancy Young wrote:

The verdict, water was not draining out of the pipe that
goes to the outside. He blew it out with air, and checked
that it was at the correct angle to drain. A/C is back up and
running.

There is a couple of items you may want your service tech. to add to your
system.
1. There are overflow cut-off switches that are installed on the
condensate drain line and when the line stops up, it will shut down the
A/C and help prevent overflow that can cause you damage. They retail
around $40.
2. There are dispensers that also can be installed on the drain line
which allows you to drop in tablets to help kill the bacteria & slime
growth. They retail around $35.

No kidding! I will be keeping an eye on this situation, and
if it happens again I will have that done. Thanks!

nancy

Nancy Young wrote:
"Moe Jones" wrote

Nancy Young wrote:

The verdict, water was not draining out of the pipe that
goes to the outside. He blew it out with air, and checked
that it was at the correct angle to drain. A/C is back up and
running.

There is a couple of items you may want your service tech. to add to
your system.
1. There are overflow cut-off switches that are installed on the
condensate drain line and when the line stops up, it will shut down
the A/C and help prevent overflow that can cause you damage. They
retail around $40.
2. There are dispensers that also can be installed on the drain line
which allows you to drop in tablets to help kill the bacteria & slime
growth. They retail around $35.

No kidding! I will be keeping an eye on this situation, and
if it happens again I will have that done. Thanks!

nancy

Can you easily get to the outlet of the condensate drain line?

That is what the dispenser is for. You just open it a drop a few tablets or
pour some bleach into the drain line once a month to help the drain line
stay clear.

If you do nothing most likely the drain line will stop up again. When the
line was blown clear the top of the drain line stills has slime and given
time the slime will clog the line.

You can even install a tee in the line to be able to pour some bleach.

--
Moe Jones
HVAC Service Technician
Energy Equalizers Inc.
Houston, Texas
www.EnergyEqualizers.com

"Moe Jones" wrote

Nancy Young wrote:
"Moe Jones" wrote

Nancy Young wrote:

The verdict, water was not draining out of the pipe that
goes to the outside. He blew it out with air, and checked
that it was at the correct angle to drain. A/C is back up and
running.

There is a couple of items you may want your service tech. to add to
your system.
1. There are overflow cut-off switches that are installed on the
condensate drain line and when the line stops up, it will shut down
the A/C and help prevent overflow that can cause you damage. They
retail around $40.
2. There are dispensers that also can be installed on the drain line
which allows you to drop in tablets to help kill the bacteria & slime
growth. They retail around $35.

No kidding! I will be keeping an eye on this situation, and
if it happens again I will have that done. Thanks!

Can you easily get to the outlet of the condensate drain line?

That is what the dispenser is for. You just open it a drop a few tablets
or pour some bleach into the drain line once a month to help the drain
line stay clear.

If you do nothing most likely the drain line will stop up again. When the
line was blown clear the top of the drain line stills has slime and given
time the slime will clog the line.

You can even install a tee in the line to be able to pour some bleach.

I went downstairs to take a look. This is the first time I saw the
configuration of the drain line. There actually already is an upside
down T fitting, open at the top. Thanks for that information, I had
no idea. Would be nice if the installers or the guy today said
something about it.

nancy