Anyone know anything about HVAC?

So my AC runs but it's not cooling. The refrigerant is full. The air blowing out the radiator outside is cool. The intake line going into the unit in the closet inside is occasionally making sucking and hissing noises that start high and scale down quickly.

Compressor? Clogged line? Satan?

How about making an extra vent by opening a hole in the wall.

Did you check the flux capacitor?

Those are called Windows.

My dog ate it. Then disappeared into thin air.

If you are cooling the interior, the air blowing out should be warm. If it's under warranty, ask the manufacturer to have a look.

Yeah that's why I checked the air blowing out the radiator. It's cool so I know the refrigerant isn't being circulated, but I don't know if it's the compressor, a clogged line or what.

Warranty expired last year (figures). Shoulda bought a Rheem instead of a Trane, hunh?

@br0kenrabbit: I'm assuming it's a heat pump type AC? Sounds like the compressor / evaporator is faulty from the sound (no pun intended) of things. Good luck!

I have gas heat. When the heat is on the outside unit doesn't run.

Hell, I dunno if I feel like tackling this myself, might just call someone$$. :-\

no expert but from what i understand about how the system works, is the coolant actually being pumped through the system? if not then there is not movement to actually carry the heat around and you probably would not get any cooling even with the blowers going and the coolant levels good.

or the compressor if the coolant is being circulated but not being cooled.

Yeah I was thinking the same. Called a guy in though and he says it's a stuck valve. He'll supposedly be back in a few hours with a replacement. Here's hoping, cause I didn't sleep for shit last night. I gotta be cold to sleep well.

OTOH, I swear there's a 'Warranty Expiration' fuse on those things. :-\

@br0kenrabbit: they guys who set the warranty limits are very good at their jobs. they know to the hour when something is bound to break :)

Oh, I know. But hell...

...my grandmother had the same damn Frigidaire refrigerator from before I was born till her death in 2008. She bought it in the '60s, when lead was lead, steel was steel and plastic was something they made toys out of. My Uncle still runs that fridge in his basement.

Meanwhile, I've replaced my refrigerator several times and even the one I bought when I built this house less than a decade ago has had to have work done to it (compressor went out).

I will say one thing about our grandparents generation: they made quality shit.

The Freon can show that it's full but you've likely got air in the system and the freon isn't effective. It likely just needs a recharge, meaning, all the old freon + air taken out, and new freon minus the air put back in. If that doesn't work then it's likely a compressor issue.

Apparently it was a stuck valve. Dude fixed it and I'm sitting comfortably at 74°. :-)

yup. had the same problem w/ my fridge. the control electronics board died after about 5 year and needed replacement. aside from the appliances being more complicated i'd guess that they're also much cheaper ( inflation adjusted ) so obviously more prone to faults. we're just living in much more of a "throw away and get a new one" time vs. maintain and repair.

the whole "they just don't build em like they used to" holds true for some things but certainly not all.

I had a similar issue with my AC unit about 4 years ago. One place we called - Freon was "low" so they filled it and cool air was circulating again. A month or so goes by and air blowing the vents isn't very cold and the blower was kicking out cold air instead.

Called another company and an actual English speaking person (last tech was Hispanic and could barely speak English - thankfully I can understand some Spanish). He was an older gentleman and had 30+ years experience with heating/cooling systems. He found that the A-Coil was leaking....

Nearly $1000 and 3 days later, the new A Coil was in and installed and everything was working perfectly again. This A Coil has a 10 year warranty on it, so that's good.

Oh nice, that's an easy fix.

Yeah I was in an accident where I was driving a Ford Taurus, 2005. Engine compartment was all accordioned but no real damage to the passenger compartment. Still hurt, though.

On the other hand, my friend sometimes drives an old Ford heavy duty, 70's something. Deer bounce right off it.

I work with glycol chillers at my job, and just guessing here, but it kind of sounds like a pump or compressor issue. It's either cavitating or unable to prime due to an air bubble or lack of enough fluid, or maybe a bad or faulty pump?

Is there any way for your to bleed refrigerant through the lines? Or would that void your warranty and/or make you uncomfortable?

It's probably way easier than that, though, and even more likely not that.

One time we found a Snickers bar wrapper in our line. That fixed the problem!

Nice! I love the easy fixes.