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se-alum's avatar

se-alum

The Biggest Boss

13,948 posts
Jul 5, 2011 8:51 PM
So I come home from work to an 88 degree house. I went back to the A/C unit, the blower fan is working, and the outside unit is working, but it isn't pulling any air over the evaporator coil. I don't know much about A/C units, but it sounds like maybe the capacitor went bad?? Any help would be appreciated.
Jul 5, 2011 8:51pm
THE4RINGZ's avatar

THE4RINGZ

R.I.P Thread Bomber

16,816 posts
Jul 5, 2011 8:55 PM
Most inexpensive attempt to fix is change the filters. Try that first, a clogged filter won't allow the air to pass over the cooling unit.

I once paid $178 in a service call to be told this very thing.
Jul 5, 2011 8:55pm
se-alum's avatar

se-alum

The Biggest Boss

13,948 posts
Jul 5, 2011 8:57 PM
THE4RINGZ;821986 wrote:Most inexpensive attempt to fix is change the filters. Try that first, a clogged filter won't allow the air to pass over the cooling unit.

I once paid $178 in a service call to be told this very thing.

I change the inside filter regularly, is there one on the outside unit??
Jul 5, 2011 8:57pm
THE4RINGZ's avatar

THE4RINGZ

R.I.P Thread Bomber

16,816 posts
Jul 5, 2011 9:00 PM
I don't know. Mine was the inside filter.
Jul 5, 2011 9:00pm
S

Scrawney

Member

93 posts
Jul 5, 2011 10:19 PM
Most likely not, could be the capacitor not allowing the fan to run, or possibly a relay not sending power to the fan.
Jul 5, 2011 10:19pm
ernest_t_bass's avatar

ernest_t_bass

12th Son of the Lama

24,984 posts
Jul 5, 2011 11:07 PM
Freon?
Jul 5, 2011 11:07pm
THE4RINGZ's avatar

THE4RINGZ

R.I.P Thread Bomber

16,816 posts
Jul 5, 2011 11:16 PM
ernest_t_bass;822113 wrote:Freon?
pretty sure the dude doesn't live in his car, but dynamite drop in.
Jul 5, 2011 11:16pm
ernest_t_bass's avatar

ernest_t_bass

12th Son of the Lama

24,984 posts
Jul 5, 2011 11:51 PM
THE4RINGZ;822117 wrote:pretty sure the dude doesn't live in his car, but dynamite drop in.

My brother in law owns an HVAC business and just "charged" my AC unit with three pounds of freon.
Jul 5, 2011 11:51pm
se-alum's avatar

se-alum

The Biggest Boss

13,948 posts
Jul 6, 2011 8:03 AM
ernest_t_bass;822113 wrote:Freon?
If everything else was working, that may have been it, but no air is being pulled over the evaporator coil, so I don't think that's it.
Jul 6, 2011 8:03am
C

Cairo.

Junior Member

6 posts
Jul 6, 2011 9:07 AM
If you're calling for the unit to run and you walk outside next to it -- Is the fan spinning or do you hear a humming sound? If not, it is most likely a compressor issue where it has short-cycled and tripped. If the unit is running, but you're getting no cold air, 2 possible reasons -- 1st and most likely would be a bad evaporator coil (whether that is due to a leak, trip, or no refrigerant). 2nd, you may have dirty filters where the airflow is impeded. Unfortnunately A/C units can be tricky to work on especially if there is fluid involved. Regardless of the problem, your best guess is to get a service guy out there to diagnose it. It will cost you $150 just to have him come out and look at it, but without much knowledge of the unit trying to fix it yourself may be much more costly.
Jul 6, 2011 9:07am
se-alum's avatar

se-alum

The Biggest Boss

13,948 posts
Jul 6, 2011 9:30 AM
Cairo.;822262 wrote:If you're calling for the unit to run and you walk outside next to it -- Is the fan spinning or do you hear a humming sound? If not, it is most likely a compressor issue where it has short-cycled and tripped. If the unit is running, but you're getting no cold air, 2 possible reasons -- 1st and most likely would be a bad evaporator coil (whether that is due to a leak, trip, or no refrigerant). 2nd, you may have dirty filters where the airflow is impeded. Unfortnunately A/C units can be tricky to work on especially if there is fluid involved. Regardless of the problem, your best guess is to get a service guy out there to diagnose it. It will cost you $150 just to have him come out and look at it, but without much knowledge of the unit trying to fix it yourself may be much more costly.
Well, I rent off my sister & brother-in-law, so it won't cost me anything...lol! I just wanted to see if there was a quick, easy fix. Looks like I will just have to have them take care of it.
Jul 6, 2011 9:30am
password's avatar

password

Senior Member

2,360 posts
Jul 6, 2011 11:29 AM
You can change the Run Capacitor on the blower for less than $20.00 and it takes about 10 minutes, make sure you turn off the power to the furnace. Take it to an appliance shop and they will test it for you if you don't have a tester, if it test good then you are looking at a blower motor with a cost of about $120.00 if you do it yourself.
Jul 6, 2011 11:29am