Author Topic: Need advice from a Cooling/Heating Expert (Read 465 times)

Pfunk · « **on:** July 31, 2003, 06:12:03 PM »

Ok here is the deal, I just rented an apartment that is probably 40-50 yrs old. The problem is that it does not seem to want to cool. I bought a new digital thermostat and the A/C runs 24 hrs a day and will not get below 80 degrees. It is also weird in the fact that the temp on the thermostat flucuates wildly. 1 minute it will say 83 then I will turn it off and it will go down to 79 or even up to 85, this is when the A/C has been running for 4-5 hours nonstop. I have weatherstripped all the windows and even around the attic door. Tommorow I am going to put a piece of plywood over the fireplace opening. The landlord came over today and said the thermostat was off by 3 1/2 degrees when it said it was 82 in here it was actually 78. The other problem is that when the thermostat says its say 82 and I set it to 82 it still runs all the time and wont shut off, it will only shut off if I set it to a degree higher than it is reading. I know this isnt a thermostat problem b/c I installed the same exact one in my other apartment and it shut off as soon as the temp got to the reading that I had set it at. My landlord doesnt seem to think there is a problem when I told him it ran all the time, he said "Yeah people complained about that, but because it is so humid out its gonna do that". I dont see how that is possible conisdering it just rained here and it is about 4-5 degrees cooler outside the place than it is inside and the damn A/C has been running for the past 2 hours. Someone PLEASE help. Its about 90degrees here and I cant take it

funkedup · « **Reply #1 on:** July 31, 2003, 06:27:42 PM »

What kind of A/C system is it? Packaged window unit? Chilled water? Direct expansion?

If it's running all the time and not cooling, then it's either not putting out enough air or the air is not cold enough.

capt. apathy · « **Reply #2 on:** July 31, 2003, 06:44:00 PM »

central air or window unit? how cold is the air coming out. soundslike it could be something as simple as low on refrigerant. most a/c issues will have to be handled by a pro anyway unless you have the tools to test or add coolant. your compressor may not be engaging but you'd have to dig into it to find out. all in all you'd probably be money and frustration ahead to call a pro. unless you are trying to cool to big an area with a small a/c unit then running all the time is deffinatly not normal and your landlord is likely just trying to avoid fixing it. not that that will nesescarily help you because most states don't require a/c to be provided.

Holden McGroin · « **Reply #3 on:** July 31, 2003, 07:13:20 PM »

Perhaps you have a portal to hell in this apartment. Why do you think the last guy moved out? Get out now!

Seriously, check to see if your a/c and heat are fighting each other somehow. Are they on the same theromstat? If they are two separate systems, could be a cause.

Pfunk · « **Reply #4 on:** July 31, 2003, 09:40:49 PM »

It is central air, the air coming out of it is strong but I have no idea how cool it is, evidently not very cool. I changed the filter etc. It is a Carrier unit but it does not look very big. It is a 1 bedroom apartment with a living room bathroom and kitchen. It is fairly large for a 1 bedroom place.

Raubvogel · « **Reply #5 on:** July 31, 2003, 10:08:02 PM »

Is it 4500 square feet with a carpeted garage?

funkedup · « **Reply #6 on:** July 31, 2003, 10:35:22 PM »

Pfunk you can either get the landlord to fix it or call somebody to fix it yourself.

The latter is going to cost $. Make yourself a huge nuisance to the landlord until he gets a professional out there to look at it.

If you absolutely can't get him to fix it, I can help you to build a legal case that the system is screwed up, but it would take some doing.

capt. apathy · « **Reply #7 on:** July 31, 2003, 10:54:29 PM »

the air coming out the vent should be chilly.

if not something is wrong.

did the a/c work before you hooked up the new thermostat?

if so that is likely the problem, usually you have your hot wire, and then 3 other wires (a/c, heat, fan. if I remember corectly mine was black for main wire, blue for a/c, red for heat, and white or green for fan). could you have hooked the wires up incorectly so that when the a/c is selected it just turns on the main blower. also if you went by color-coding and did your part corectly it is possable the wires are wrong at the main control unit(usually a schematic on the inside of the access panal). on the heater usually.
you can do an easy check by hooking the other wires up to the power wire one at a time and see which is which. one should run heat, one fan, and one a/c. let them go for a bit until you are sure which system is running and label each wire. then hook them back to the thermostat. if the a/c works when wired like this and you had the wires hooked up corectly then you may have just bought a POS thermostat

if you are sure the thermostat is ok and hooked up corectly and you still get no cold air out of the vent then I wouldn't recomend doing anything else yourself, you'd not likely be able to fix most problems and if you screw it up worse you may end up taking the problem off your landlords hands by making it your fault

Pfunk · « **Reply #8 on:** July 31, 2003, 11:13:12 PM »

No the air was not cooling with the old thermostat hooked up, I simply replaced it at my own cost in the hopes that it would make a difference(it didnt). All I did was hook red wire to RC, or RH cant remember, the green wire to G, the yellow to Y, and the white to W. The thermostat already had a wire that bridge two of the hook ups. I installed the same thermostat in my other apartment and I know it is hooked up correctly. The landlord doesnt seem to think that it is a big problem, but it is hot as hell in here and I cannot afford to let the damn thing run 24/7. If it runs for 2 hours straight it get a little cooler but not much I'd be willing to bet that it would be no cooler than 78-80 degrees after running full tilt for 5-6 hours. I can feel it get hot 20 mins after cutting it off but the thermostat wont turn the AC on unless I do it manually. So I think its 2 problems, either the thermostat is defective, or something internally in the wiring is causing it to malfunction.....he said he had a problem with this earlier b4 i moved in, I guess a thermostat blew for some reason. And #2 I think the air that is coming out is not cool enough to get it below 80 degrees.

Leslie · « **Reply #9 on:** August 01, 2003, 12:30:37 AM »

Quote

Originally posted by Pfunk
It is central air, the air coming out of it is strong but I have no idea how cool it is, evidently not very cool. I changed the filter etc. It is a Carrier unit but it does not look very big. It is a 1 bedroom apartment with a living room bathroom and kitchen. It is fairly large for a 1 bedroom place.

Could be bad coils. My Carrier unit is three years old and it stopped cooling. There is a leak in the coils and they need to be replaced...to the tune of $675.00. It's the best deal I could get, it's out of warranty. At least I don't have to pay $900.00.

Seriously, it could be a leak in your lines or fittings, i.e. you need more refrigerant. If the coils are leaking, that's big bucks to replace, and your landlord probably won't do that. Check out your rental agreement to see if he's obligated. Again, he's probably not.

In that case, you may have to buy a window unit to get some cool fast. If you do, see if you can work something out with the landlord, at the very least, let him know the unit is yours, unless he wants to knock some rent off to cover the cost. He may do it if he's busy doing other things and doesn't have the time. Might appreciate you taking care of the problem yourself.

Do you rent at a college setting, or is this at home?

Les

capt. apathy · « **Reply #10 on:** August 01, 2003, 12:33:28 AM »

if the air is cooling somewhat then your thermostat is fine. it doesn't tell the a/c unit how cold to make it, just 'on' until the thermostat says off. also a good sign that the compressor is engaging (or there'd also be no cooling at all, just air) so that leaves low on refrigerant (most likely), or also you could be losing some effectiveness through an obstructed radiator (or whatever the proper name for the part is) on the high-pressure or 'hot' end of the unit. it works much like the radiator in your car (much more pressure though) and often the air passages between get clogged with leaves or dirt making the release of excess heat inefficient. that's easy enough to check, just pick out the debris and blow it out with an air-compressor or if you don't have one a high-pressure end on a water hose is better than nothing.

if you clean that out and it gets no better it's time to call the repair man to recharge it and check for leaks, if it an older model using non-ozone friendly refrigerants this can be very spendy. on my Volvos a/c it was cheaper to pump out the refrigerant, convert it to new refrigerant and fill it than it was to add one can of r refrigerant. if it runs on the newer stuff it's fairly inexpensive

edit, also you may be able to make the landloard pay. i'd think if the origanal ad listed the place with a/c when discribing it then it is no longer what you agreed to rent. if it's to spendy to fix on your own and he refuses you could talk to an attorney or just hinting that you might may inspire him to fix it.

Leslie · « **Reply #11 on:** August 01, 2003, 12:52:19 AM »

40 to 50 year old apartments sounds like off campus living. If that's the case, it could be extremely difficult to get the landlord to do anything about it. That's college life!!!

Wouldn't hurt to try, but be civil and don't lose your cool. If you buy your own unit, be sure to let the powers that be know the unit is your property, and not the property of the apartments.

The rental agreement is what counts, not the ad in the paper. When the ad was placed, there may have been a/c there...of course, if it wasn't working when you moved in, then that's another story.

I'm not saying, don't speak up. Sometimes someone will do something for you because they like you.

Les

Pfunk · « **Reply #12 on:** August 01, 2003, 01:22:57 AM »

Yeah its an apartment about 1 min from campus, I rented it because of the location and the size.

I just looked at the copy of the lease and this is what is says

9. Repairs

Tenant acknowledges that he has inspected the property and accepts the condition as is. Landlord will make necessary repairs to Propert with reasonable promptness after receipt of written notice from Tenant for major deficiencies which create unsafe or uninhabitable conditions. Major repairs shall include:electrical,plumbing,heating,cooling,built in appliances or structural defects. Tenant shall make or cause all incidental repairs other than above. If any damage beyond normal wwear and tear is caused by Tenant or his guest(s) or liscenses, Tenant agrees to pay landlord the cost of repairs within the next rental payment. Tenant may not remodel or structurally change property or remove any fixture therefrom without written authority of Landlord.

Sounds to me that he is legally obligated to fix the damn thing.

Leslie · « **Reply #13 on:** August 01, 2003, 03:28:15 AM »

Have you sent the landlord a letter about the A/C malfunction? According to the agreement, he has "reasonable promptness" on his side...especially if landlord has many properties to keep up with.

Plus, you gotta be careful. Part of the agreement says you agree to pay for repairs at the time of the next rent.

Better see a lawyer if the landlord doesn't respond to your legitimate complaint in a prompt manner. I wouldn't be surprised if there weren't other students in the same boat. (Alabama street slang.

)

Good luck!!!

Les

Scootter · « **Reply #14 on:** August 01, 2003, 07:53:43 AM »

A working AC system should have a 14 to 18 degrees differance between the air going in to the return and the air coming out of the supplys. Less is bad (not cooling) more is bad as its supercooling and not removing the humidity by not running long enough) what you decribe sounds like a problem. the unit should not run 24/7 with the windows closed (unless the system is very very undersized).