Heat Pump not cooling

10 years ago

last modified: 10 years ago

So the end of last summer we noticed the house not cooling. Then the fan wouldn't turn off unless you shut the breaker off. Heated fine over the winter. AC not cooling so we called a friend who does HVAC for a living. He serviced the system, put $200 worth of freon in it, said it would take all day to cool the house down, tested everything said it was working fine, air temp 51 degrees coming out of vents. By midnight the house had only cooled to 81 degrees, at sunup climbed back to 84, then 87 where it's stayed all day. Thermostat set to 78 and it hasn't made that. Any ideas what could be wrong? Friend serviced as a favor and only charged us for freon so I hate to bug him again but can't afford a company service call right now. Temps outside 81 right now, inside 84! We also tried replacing the thermostat, that wasn't the issue.

BTW he didn't fix the constantly running fan, he said it wasn't a big deal, keeps the air cleaner, and only uses a third of an amp. So fan runs constantly.

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Comments (5)

PRO
Austin Air Companie
10 years ago
A heat pump isn't something to guess about. (it could be anything or a few things all at once)

How old is it?
tigerdunes
10 years ago
last modified: 10 years ago
nice anecdotal story here but more facts needed...post model number, brand, age of outside condenser....your location?....you are certain you have heat pump?...the idea that system would not cool last summer but was able to heat home in winter is in conflict...the obvious is you have a major leak but there are other possibilities... compressor is working?...you should be able to hear it.....ditch your friend and get a qualified dealer involved who has experience with heat pumps...

IMO
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sktn77a
10 years ago
Is the air still 51 degrees coming from the vent?
weedmeister
10 years ago
last modified: 10 years ago
Guessing you were using the auxiliary heating strips during the winter. If it only cooled for a day, you probably have a major leak or worse.

Oh, and the inside blower will run constantly if the set temperature is always below the actual (in cooling).
udarrell
10 years ago
He needs to locate the leak in determine if it can be fixed;
can I keep recharging unit that is leaking that bad.

When it is freshly charged in working at its best check the
temperatures in the indoor humidity preferably late in the afternoon.

All the ductwork & Return-Air Filter
area issues need t be effectively dealt with first...

Simple easy anyone can do ways to check the performance of your central air
conditioner so, you can call an Energy Efficiency HVAC Technician to get the
various problems revealed, - addressed.

If you want us to run a ballpark analysis of how your system is performing in
respect to its 'Nominal Rated Btuh' we need at least the following numbers:
Performance Data Collection – Best Time to collect data is Late afternoon
around 4:30 pm, when attic is HOT; also when outdoor temps are around 80; 85;
95; 105F or, anywhere in between.

1) Helpful; Tonnage & SEER or year Mfg'ered or bought the outdoor condenser
Make & model number: ___________

2) TXV or, orifice metering device? __________. Only if U know…

3) Outdoor condenser’s discharge-air-temperature ______-F

Subtract Outdoor air temperature:_______ = _______ Condenser Air-Temp-Split
________

4) Need the ‘Indoor’ percent of relative
humidity - away from Supply-Air outlets _________
Walmart has very low-cost ACU-RITE digital humidity & Temp gauges - every
A/C User should have

5) Indoor Return-Air
Temperature ______

Subtract Indoor Supply-Air Temperature ______ -F

Indoor temperature-split _______-F

Click; Reply With Quote: Reply with quote - with filled-in data.

We Need the above information for troubleshooting & ballpark performance
analysis.

A TECH should check the blower wheel blades & evap-coil for possible lint
build-up; then, perform static pressure reading & compare to the blower
chart or graph to check for proper airflow CFM through the evaporator coil.

Adequate indoor airflow to & from all rooms is extremely important to heat
removal performance & other temp-data readings; the indoor coil needs to be
adequately heat-loaded for optimal performance.