I would tell the landlord to have the unit serviced ASAP.

He came in and took a bunch of temperature readings and said the unit is running perfect, it's just as the AC guy told him it should run. And we are over working causing it to leak a lot of water into the over spill tray.

You need to get more cooling BTUs upstairs. That is where dealer's concentration of efforts should be. This means an evaluation of ductwork supply and perhaps damper controls.

IMO

After doing some reading on the system that we have I came a crossed 2 things I didn't know and wasn't told about.

1. is that I guess there is an internal filter at the bottom, I took a look at our unit and the bottom part where the door and screws are suppose to be to is covered with tape so I have no clue when the last time this filer was changed. A questions I have about this is; is this filter still important when you have the filter at the return grill? (I hope I'm naming these parts right, its still some what greek to me)

2. Is we have been here, and this goes also with the question above, for about a year and half and as far as I know it has never had a full professional maintenance. I know the landlord as cleaned out the drain lines with some kind of tablet but thats about it.

How important are these things? And might it have any thing to do with the water leak/freezing at 68?

Energy Star recommends cooling to be 78 degrees.

What are your indoor temps?

78!?!? There is no way I could sleep with it that hot! Anyways at 68 downstairs it's 71 up and at 70 down it was around 76 up.

Your A/C is working well.

Do you have fans?

Yes but when I have the migraines I can't stand them running

Let's have a realailty check before going into this. Very few units will keep a house at 68 degrees during hot weather and that's too cold anyhow. It's next to impossible doing an end around on landlord and his tech by asking on the net. That suspicious taped up door may or may not have a filter behind it. Look and if there is a filter,change it,if not,don't worry about it. While you are pokeing around in there,is everthing covered by thick coat of lint and dirt? If it is,I can almost 100% assure that the coil is clogged and causing poor cooling, freeze up and dripping water. If your landlord refuses to service unit, hire a reliable company to service it. "IF THEY FIND A CLOGGED COIL",have them take pictures or take some yourself of clooged coil. Have serviceman document the fact unit is under preforming due to lack of routine service and clogged coil. If landlord refuses to reimburse you,it's off to small claims court with pics and serviceman's remarks in hand.

If there's a dirty filter,change it and that may cure your problem. Meanwhile,you can move a lot of cool air upstairs with a box fan at foot blowing air up and maybe a second at top pushing air down hall.

" just want to be more informed "

• Don't we all,but it's not as easy as going online to ask. There's simply too many variables that you will not be able to fill in the blanks so that our answers are beneficial to you. You came right out of the gate omitting basic information which tell's me you know -0- about hvac. It's the same for a short order cook,seamstress,hair stylist or other trade that requires months of ojt just to get started. Here's something you will be able to handle. Using an accurate thermometer,tell us exact temperature at air intake and at an outlet farthurest from unit..

What temperature do you want the second floor to be?

The filters need to be changed. That is usually the responsibility of the landlord. If not, then the there should be easy access for you to change them.

You can try closing some of the registers on the first floor. Start with the one closest to the the thermostat. Don't close them all because that may cause another set of problems.

70 or 71 has seems to be ok. There are 2 "outer" filters that we keep clean, I never knew about the one inside the unit until I was looking up the specifications for it.

We are allowed to buy and install ceiling fans on our own dime which we wouldn't mind BUT we would have to leave them behind once we move out.

Regardless of all the other stuff that's been discussed thus far, I suggest you install those ceiling fans.

ETA: I've had to install things on my own dime while living in rentals to improve my comfort—and it is what is. In my second college apartment I installed a ceiling fan like you're contemplating, and in my first college apartment I installed tinted window film and room darkening shades. Both apartments had central air conditioning in good working order, but the rooms in which I made these modifications were both west-facing and probably very poorly insulated.

We have a house that cannot be shaded by trees. There are no overhangs over windows due to building code (high fire area). I have been struggling for years to get the upstairs cool enough for sleep without having to use A/C except in the most extreme weather. Here is what I discovered after a lot of experimentation:

1. exterior solar shades helped a lot. The sun shining into the house heats up not only the air but the drywall, carpet, etc. Interior shades don't help, because once the heat is inside the house, it's going to be hot.

2. a ceiling fan helped a lot. ours run completely silent.

3. figuring out the best place to put fans upstairs took time, but discovered that one window in one certain room did a significantly better job of cooling down the upstairs.

4. a whole house fan didn't help much.

the combination of 1,2, and 3 have made our summers much better. Having said that, EVERY house in every climate is a little different. You have to experiment, and it is often a combination of 2 or 3 moderate things that add up to enough to create a satisfactory solution.

Did not read all, read OP.

To get upstairs cooler would require ductwork changes. Unlikely to happen in a rental. Your best option is to get a standing fan at the bottom of the stairs and have it blowing up the stairs. Also install those ceiling fans upstairs.

Of course take the recommended advice and put a new furnace filter in and check to see if the evaporator (A) coil is dirty. That is for sure a possibility. You can look at the condenser outside and see if that is dirty also.

Thank you I'm finally get some of the feed back I was after. It seems like in the long hall the ceiling fans might be worth it. And a fan at the bottom of the stairs.

No one seems to have mentioned it, but an AC unit leaking water usually indicates a clogged drain for that unit. That is the apartment manager responsibility to have repaired. Whether or not the AC should be able to get to 68 degrees is a different story, A clog will not clear itself up.

You are right, the landlord has come over just alittle bit ago and put in some cleaning solution, and we have worked together to put a plan in place.

I'm not sure where you're located, I might have missed it.

I'm in Ohio, my AC has NO issues attaining and maintaining 68 degrees on any given day. Normally I keep my downstairs at 70, but lower the temp to 68 when I'm doing heavy cleaning and using the steam mop. I know that's super cold for most people, but with the numerous meds I'm on, I sweat easily because of the side effects and takes me awhile to cool down. Once cleaning is done, it's back to 70.

Like you, my upstairs is much warmer than downstairs because of old broken down ductwork. So I have to lower the downstairs AC to make the upstairs temps livable. The back bedroom, farthest away from the AC in the basement gets barely a little poof of air as it's last in line. Couldn't even keep a church mouse cool. I'd love to have all the ductwork ripped out and installed with new, but that's on the back burner & not an emergency.

I have no advice to offer, but I feel your pain and frustration. I totally understand your migraines, I get them occasionally and I don't want a fan blowing on me either.