AC Question

[99WhiteBeast]

Went out of town for the weekend and set the thermostat to 79. When we returned the house was about 85 so we set the thermo at 72. After about two hours we noticed the temp not dropping in the house but actually increasing. I checked a few vents and there was nothing blowing from them.
The outside unit with the line running into the house has a frozen block of ice on it. The outside unit and the attic unit was running.

What does this mean? I've turned it off for now.

[whitelightning'02]

It's been my experience, if ya freeze up, you are low on freon..... but I'm no expert ... Rocks should chime in any min now.......:hammer:

[gbgary]

there are a few things that'll make them ice-up but the most common are stopped-up filters and low on freon. other things it could be are dirty evap coil, failed blower motor, stuck contactor on o/d unit, to name a few. turn it off so it can thaw and call someone in the morning. you don't want it iced-up when they get there...they won't really be able to check much. it'll take several hours to thaw. the ice on the outside is only a small fraction of the total ice. the evap coil will be a complete block of ice.

[03LightningRocks]

there are a few things that'll make them ice-up but the most common are stopped-up filters and low on freon. other things it could be are dirty evap coil, failed blower motor, stuck contactor on o/d unit, to name a few. turn it off so it can thaw and call someone in the morning. you don't want it iced-up when they get there...they won't really be able to check much. it'll take several hours to thaw. the ice on the outside is only a small fraction of the total ice. the evap coil will be a complete block of ice.


Couldn't have said it any better myself......:tu: :tu: :tu: . The part about letting it thaw is particularly important. You don't want to hear the service man tell you he has to come back to diagnose the problem properly.

[99WhiteBeast]

Yep the attic unit is an iceberg. If I just run the fan will that help it de-thaw faster?

The previous owners enclosed the patio to make an office and they put in a motel type AC wall unit. At least we can camp out in there tonight and save the after hours service call:tu:

[PoorSvtman]

Yep the attic unit is an iceberg. If I just run the fan will that help it de-thaw faster?

The previous owners enclosed the patio to make an office and they put in a motel type AC wall unit. At least we can camp out in there tonight and save the after hours service call:tu:


sent you a pm steve-o give me a ring if you need to:tu:

[03LightningRocks]

Yep the attic unit is an iceberg. If I just run the fan will that help it de-thaw faster?

The previous owners enclosed the patio to make an office and they put in a motel type AC wall unit. At least we can camp out in there tonight and save the after hours service call:tu:


If there is an over abundance of ice, the melt off could very well overwhelm your drain system. Keep an eye on it so you don't end up with a ceiling repair to go with the AC problem.

[99WhiteBeast]

If there is an over abundance of ice, the melt off could very well overwhelm your drain system. Keep an eye on it so you don't end up with a ceiling repair to go with the AC problem.

Thanks Ron. That was one of the first things I checked to make sure the drains were all clear. The PVC pipes were slightly clogged.

It looks like it has a redundent drain system. The first catch pan inside the unit is 3/4" high and drains to a local bathroom sink drain. The second pan is under the entire unit and is 1.5" high and drains to the outside wall.

After everything de-thawed we were able to run it all night (at a moderate level) without another freeze up.

I'm calling a tech to come out and do a service today.

[99WhiteBeast]

I could use some opinions here from the experts.

I have a evap coil leak. The units (air handler and heat pump) are 3 years old (4ton/10ser) are both "Goodman" brand. This is a builders basic cheapo units from what I understand.

I spent about $400 today for the leak detection and Freon charge (10lbs:eek2:)

The new coil for the current unit is roughly $1100 (labor and parts)

A new variable speed Trane air handler is $2600 (labor and parts)

A new variable speed air handler and heat pump (13ser 4ton) $6200

I know if I don't do something with the leak I'll probably end up replacing the compressor at some point.

[gbgary]

the coil should be under warranty. all you should be paying for is freon and labor. the bill should be half that.

[99WhiteBeast]

the coil should be under warranty. all you should be paying for is freon and labor. the bill should be half that.

I purchased the house last year and was able to locate the owners manual and warranty info. It states only "functional parts" are included and implicity states "sheet metal and expendable supplies such as refrigerants and repairable coils are not included":mad:

[gbgary]

I purchased the house last year and was able to locate the owners manual and warranty info. It states only "functional parts" are included and implicity states "sheet metal and expendable supplies such as refrigerants and repairable coils are not included":mad:

if it's repairable have it repaired. that'll be even cheaper. if it's not repairable, and if it's less than 5 years old, it's under warranty. goodman has a 5yr. parts warranty. it doesn't matter who owns the house or when you moved in. they go by the serial number or actual start-up date for the original owner.

[03LightningRocks]

Goodman is basicly sh!t equipment, usually installed by sh!t companies. That being said, Gary is correct, that unit has a factory 5 year parts warranty. Only catch is, it is technically only to the original purchaser, which isn't you. Now that is something that I have never seen inforced. It is possible that goodman is starting to play hard ball, but I think it is possible the company you had out may not realize it is still under 5 years old. Then again, maybe they want to upsell you;) .

Repair of an eveporator coil is a VERY bad idea. You will be fixing another leak in it real soon. That is if they are even able to repair the leak you have now. Problem is that you won't know if it is fixed until a few months...or even a year from now...after the freon has leaked back out.

I would recommend replacement of the coil only...if it is under the factory warranty. Replace that POS air handler if it is not under warranty. Some things you have to consider....awe fock it...call me tommorrow at 214 906 2643 and I will ty to give you some guidance. We can't really afford to work out where you live, but I will try to help with advice.

Ron