Previous Questions & Answers

 

Air Conditioning

Question:
My AC just doesn't get cold enough anymore, what can I do?
Answer:

You may need to call a service rep..Sounds like things are siezing up or it needs freon....Are you having brown-outs in your area? If so that could be why..the electrical company does that to save on energy.

Question:
Our A/C will blow switch if to low. I keep it at 86 which is cool enough for me. If lower to 84 the switch will blow. It seems like the cooler I have it then the switch will blow if I keep it higher no problem. I keep all filters clean have vacuumed and cleaned A/C never dirty. How can I tell if it is the thermostat or if something else is the problem?
Answer:

When you say "the switch will blow", do you mean the breaker? A thermostat cant cause the breaker to trip. Being low on refrigerant could cause the breaker to trip when you run the A/C longer.

Question:
What does a 12pt heating/cooling inspection consist of?
Answer:

It may vary from company to company. The most important points are what
we consider the most important. There may be more done while on the job
at no extra cost, but this list contains every thing that is done every
time by us.

Furnace:
• Clean and adjust burner assembly
• Clean ignition assembly
• Inspect and clean heat exchanger
• Carbon monoxide test
• Monitor flue draft
• Adjust operating pressures
• Calibrate thermostat
• Replace or clean filters
• Clean and adjust blower components
• Lubricate all moving parts
• Measure temperature rise
• Check combustion efficiency with digital
analyzer

Question:
For the past week my A/C has made really bad sizzling water sounds and the water isnt coming out of the A/C like it should. Can this be a dangerous sign?
Answer:

It is not dangerous. Is it cooling your house? If it is not condensating or producing water like it should then you have a couple of problems, an airflow issue or too much refrigerant in your system! When was the last time you had it serviced?

Question:
I had a brief power outage and then my air conditioner blew warm air and the house warmed to 88 degrees and the AC unit did not cool. I tried turning it off and on and checked the main fuse box and nothing worked. Also I clean the filter regularly and that was not the problem. I left the unit off all day and then tried it again the next night and now it is blowing cool and cooled the house back to 78 degrees. I am still worried there is a problem with freon or the compressor?
Answer:

This could be a serious problem with the compressor. However, it could be a capacitor or fan motor. Best to call in a professional.

Question:
The A/C will come on, and blow cool air from a restart, but after a few minutes the air turns warm. When I listen to the outside unit, the compressor comes on making noise as if its pushing coolant through. Something in the unit is whining, perhaps its the capacitor, but Id like to be sure before I start throwing parts at it. So after a few minutes, the fan stops spinning, and at this point the warm air shows up inside the house. But the humming seems to be loud, of course its not being drowned out by the fan anymore. The motor spins freely and doesn't appear to have any issues. Could it be the high voltage switch/relay not tripping something? If a capacitor is bad, perhaps only part of the cap is charging and not able to release the high current to the compressor. Can anyone be detailed as to what to expect when certain parts fail? Also, what are the typical ratings on the capacitors? I have 27,000 micro farad oil filled caps just collecting dust, and a drawer full of fans.
Answer:

We recommend that electrical appliances such as air conditioners be worked on by ONLY TRAINED TECHNICIANS. The problem you describe may be a bad motor or capacitor. If its a dual cap for both the compressor and fan look for bulging at the top of the cap. Typical sizing for A/C is 20-80 micro farad for compressors and 5-10 MC for fan motors at 370-440 VAN. You must match the existing micro farad to work properly.

Question:
My A/C is dripping water below to the bottom floor.
Answer:

This is a sign of a coil freeze up and thaw. It can be caused by a number of reasons that will require a service technician to help you with. You can check for a very dirty furnace filter (airflow) and a clog or problem with the drain from the coil. If the unit outside is extremely dirty, it will also freeze up, it can be cleaned with a regular garden hose. If its none of these, your system may be low on refrigerant and a technician should attend.

Question:
Outside coil freezes up after the A/C is turned on.
Answer:

If you are referring to the area outside the coil that is on the inside of the house, the problem is either lack of air flow i.e., dirty air filter, blower wheel, too many registers closed, etc. Or lack of refrigerant flow which is usually cause by a freon leak, but less often by a restriction of refrigerant flow. The coil on the outside unit would only freeze if it were a heat pump, and then only in the winter time.

Question:
The inside coil of the A/C unit has ice on it when the temperature outside is cooler than 65 degrees. Freon has been added but it has iced up again 6 months later. What is the problem?
Answer:

Your coil could be dirty inside between the fins, or your filter needs to changed, there are a few other things that could cause that besides low freon. It could be your outdoor unit is not shutting off when the indoor unit does, also you should not run it if it is 65 degrees outside, because its colder outside than the air conditioner can cool the inside so the unit will not cycle off and will ice up.

Cabinet Refinishing

Question:
How do I do it
Answer:

use wood polish