Common Central Air Conditioner Questions

1. why does my central air conditioner freeze up and stop working?

If your AC is set too low, like 60 degrees, the unit will freeze and stop working until it unfreezes, and after it thaws, it will work again.

Check the settings on it to make sure this is not happening. I know it sounds stupid, but it can happen.

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2.

Do I need a permit of any kind to install a central air conditioning unit myself?

Of course you can buy it without a license. You can install this yourself without a permit.

I do everything inside my own home without permits. .But it depends if you can do it right too

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3.

When can we get our central air conditioner charged/filled with refrigerant etc?

It should be fine in that temp. The worst time would be when the cooling season starts and they are getting tons of calls.

That's when prices are highest as well

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4. Eastern and Central US survey: Have you put in your Air Conditioners yet?

No way - course, I don't have one anyway, it cools off really nice here at night, and we don't have the humidity like you do there.

Cold today, hasn't made it above 45

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5. Why does my air conditioner keep freezing up?

clean it first.

Change the filter in the funace. Make sure the air flow is not blocked.don't worry about that refrigerant charge until you know the fans are working and the coils are clean

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6.

central air conditioner woes?

Make sure the breaker marked "heat" is on. That is your air handler (assuming you dont have gas heat) then try the thermostat to cool.

Hopefully this will help!

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7. I have central air and the air conditioner is running but the air is barely working.

What should I look for?

if its extra hot outside, the air doesnt cool as well, you may want to check and make sure the house is insulated well, and there are no holes or cracks in windows etc

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8. Should an air conditioner be covered when not in use?

Yes.As soon as you shut it down for the season hose it out with water and let it dry a few hours then cover it until you are ready to use it again

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9. Why won't my Air conditioner won't turn on?

it telling me that you did not trun your swicth to air conditioner on you thermostent. when you don,t turn it it wouldnt come on . you can for get to do that

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10.

What are some causes for the central air to trip the circuit breaker?

Too much load on the breaker. Try moving other appliances that are on the same breaker to other outlets or have an additional breaker installed just for the a/c alone

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11.

Have you used your air conditioner yet this year?

Nope, I've been using the heater. Live in central California, near Davis.

We've been getting bipolar weather this year! It'll rain, then get super warm, rain, sun, etc.

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12.

Where do you live and do you own an air conditioner?

in AZ we neeeeeeed air conditioner in every room. now its not on though.

We use it badly for about 5-6 months. During summer electrical is as high as $450-500. it's crazy here but nice

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13.

central air conditioner help?

Install cold air returns in the basement and run the furnace on high fan only speed with all the vents open this will maintain a comfortable even temperature throughout the house

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14. air conditioner question central heat and air?

It's better to leave it on one set temperature than to set it up during the day. It will have to work harder to get up to temp. Unless you are going away for a few days then you could set it up.

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15. My central air conditioner isn't working correctly.

You need to have an A/C tech check it for you.

Low on freon, Dirty air filter Clogged line filter.Condencer fan not turning up to speed.Clogged condencer coils.

Compressor could be overheating.Thermal overload inside compressor opening and protecting the compressor.

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16.

Why does my Air Conditioner smell like fish?

if it's a central unit, change air filter, and have e-coil cleaned,also ducting maybe need to be replaced, if it has moldy smell, when a/c turns on. if,it is a window unit, clean filter, and e-coil

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17.

which way does the air flow on the inside intake of a central air conditioner?

Left to right, unless you are on the opposite side, then it is right to left. Or, turn on the fan and hold a piece of paper in the cabinet.

The paper will be drawn towards the return side and away from the supply side.

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18. When the air conditioner runs, water leaks on the floor?

All air conditioners produce water due to condensation. Most drain out the back and if your air conditioner is perfectly level it find it's way out. Make sure it is tilted back just a little to allow it to drain properly.

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19. What would cause a central air conditioner to freeze up?

Okay, here's the list of possibilities: 1) Failed blower (no air over the coil doesn't transfer heat from air) 2) Failed thermal expansion valve 3) Low refrigerant charge (or leak) 4) Dirty air filter 5) Bypass of a portion of the coil (see number 1)

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20.

who knows about air conditioners? help please!?

Possible causes are - the filter needs to be changed; the freon in the system needs to be topped up/ changed; the system is just too old to work as efficiently as a newer system would be

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21. is it cheaper to run a fan (regular portable one) or central air?

The fan is circulating the air whereas the air conditioner can actually cool it and draw moisture from the air simultaneously.

The fan would be less expensive as far as the hydro is concerned but what will the cost be in terms of your comfort?

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22. New central air conditioner stopped blowing cold air, help?

The thing is a year old. Don't touch it. It better still be under warranty or you got screwed.

Call the outfit that put it in and scream at them about it. Sorry,. if you called me out I wouldn't touch it.

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23. does your central air or air conditioner unit reach the upstairs?

right now it doesn't because my air conditioning is broken!

and i'm dying! answer mine too please. http://answers.

yahoo.com/question/index;_yltAgC6A2AM_6Pulsth4JfyiIDsy6IX;_ylv3?qid20090624122212AA3kwNL

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24.

If your water is shut off, can your central air work?

Yes, your air will work. There is no water hookup for central air conditioning.

An air humidifier has a water hookup, but this should only be running (if you have one) during the heating season.

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25. My central Air Conditioner Unit is making a WEIRD sound!

?

your blower wheel needs to be oiled. on a singer it is fairly easy to take out and oil.

i believe there is only one bolt and one wiring harness to disconnect in you furnace. email me if you have questions

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26. Power went out and now central air conditioner does not work.

Is it fried?

First try turning the unit off for about an hour then try it again. It may have just went out the internal overload due to the short cycling of the power going on and off

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27.

can someone explain the operation of an air conditioner or heating pump performance in terms of COPin terms of?

If you interesting in understand air conditioning. Make sure to understand refrigeration cycle first, it's really easy once you understand it.

Here the source: http://www.central-air-conditioner-and-refrigeration.com/basic-refrigeration-cycle.

html

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28. My central air conditioner keeps filling up the drip pan and tripping the shut up valve.

the conensation line is stopped up.

do you have a cond.pump or just a cond.drain line?

ckeck where the water is exiting the pan, you'll probably find it there,or if you habe a pump its either stopped up or gone out

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29. What is the cost of replacing a central air conditioner and furnace?

You'd have to call a local company and ask.

There are too many variations from area to area. I hear heat pumps perform both functions. Would probably be more expensive tho.

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30. how to trouble shoot an air conditioner?

Low air pressure could be caused by a dirty air filter that is restricting air flow.

It could also be caused by a restriction in the ductwork, crushed duct, or a disconnected duct. Or the blower motor could be bad

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31. If my central air conditioner is running in my home, but it is not cooling my house, should I turn it off?

Chances are your unit could have been fixed cheaply a loooong time ago. By continuing to try to run it, there's a good chance additional damage has been done. btw: air conditioners don't run on "coolent".

They use refrigerant.

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32. what happens when an air conditioner condensate line clogs?

what kinda professional do i call if it is?

If you have a water hose you can squirt water back up the consensate line and blow the clog loose. Don't over-do it cause the water then would end up on your carpet also

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33.

Can you get central air when you have baseboard hot water for heat?

You can do hot air with a hot water boiler, you would need to install duct work throughout the house. A hot water blower to circulate air throughout the duct work.

and assuming you want A/C, a condensing unit. It could be a significant investment.

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34.

100 fans or air conditioner(central air)?

Tricky question. Do you have 100 fans already?

If not installing them will get costly. Electricians are pricey buggers. Central air is nice.

Feng shui would discourage the disruptive nature of that many fans.

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35. Do central-air units use the same refrigerant as autos?

No, most car use 134a while central air units are still mostly R22 (although there are several other choices). You can not mix the different refrigerants since they have different temperature/pressure characteristics

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36. Where can you buy a kit to charge your central air conditioner.

Mine keeps freezing up so I am pretty sure I n

If you try to do this yourself you will probably end up destroying the compressor. Freeze back is most likely caused by dirty air filter and/or dirty coils inthe ductwork. check that first before you destroy the unit by attempting something you know nothing about.

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37. how does an air conditioner?

Huh?

You meant, how does air conditioner works? There are a lot site explain it. Here is link for technical question: http://www.

central-air-conditioner-and-refrigeration.com/central_air_conditioning_unit.html What is your real question?

There are a lot helpful people out here.

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38. how the i fix the fan on my central Air conditioner?

Check for a oil plug on the motor. Will be a small and on the side of motor. This does consist of removing the fan housing.

If it has one, Use a small amount of 10W30 motor oil on it.

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39. Why a central air conditioner is installed outside a house and not in basement?

It's counter productive. The basement heats up from the condenser coils and that heat can find its way into the living areas. The coil can raise the temperature above 80-90 deg F.

Plus the noise is another big factor

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40. air conditioner (central heat and air) not throwing off a lot of cold air what to do?

Uh oh .

last time that happened to me, it ended up involving 6 HVAC techs, 4 service trucks, and a $600 bill. If you haven't had your system serviced lately (within the past year or so), you're overdue for a service call, anyway.

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41.

What is the average cost for replacing an air conditioner?

That seems to be the most popular question going when we enter someones house to diagnose their a/c problem. Let me just say, its more expensive than a new computer system or a new wide screen tv.

But not a whole lot more

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42. How much would it cost for just the central air conditioner? ( the one that's outside)?

They took it with them!? really!

? depending on the age of the equipment thats left (is it over 10 years old?) I would just buy a new one $2000 - $4000 installed depending on the size of your house

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43.

Question about air conditioner cycles?

in both automotive and in window a/c the fan runs continuously it's just the compressor that turns on and off. central air turns off the whole thing like you said

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44.

Does a landlord have to provide some sort of air conditioning?

If the central air is in your lease agreement, then yes, she absolutely has to provide you with air. If not, then she does not.

Hopefully you kept any paper that said the unit had air conditioning. Even an advertisement would probably hold up in court.

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45.

Air Conditioner problem. please help!?

make sure your thermostat is set on cool. if that doesn't work then since the outside fan isn't running i would say its time to call a repair person as there is something wrong with the outside unit

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46. Should my attic fan still come on when my central air is on ?

short answer? yes long answer? very much so, you see that keeps your air conditioning from over heating and removes humidity so your house stays cool.

the cooler your house is in general the cheaper the bill later.

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47. Has anyone purchased a portable air conditioner, if so, do u like it?

which one do u recommend?

A portable air conditioner must have the body or butt of the machine outside. If the machine is entirely inside the front of the machine will blow cool air while the rear puts out heat so you would be no farther ahead

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48.

Air Conditioners -- when were they first being sold?

Modern air conditioning was invented in 1902 By William H. Carrier.

Carrier Air Conditioning was formed shortly thereafter. They were available back then but cost a lot of money. It wasn't until after 1950 that the market really took off

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49.

Central air conditioner is leaking water?

Are you sure that the collection pan/drain pan is level? Is the water clear and not full of dust etc?

A little bleach will keep it clear. I had a bad experience with an unlevel pan. Ceiling fell in.

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50. what uses less engery to us central air or air condition unit?

a room air conditioner cools a smaller area so would use less energy that a central air unit.

A small room unit can use the existing electrical wiring so that is a savings. but then come the variables, so see the link

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51. Is it cheaper to run air conditioners then central air units?

in the long run20-30 years, but central air units would be worth it, but with this economy you don't know whats gonna happen so stick with air conditioners for now