our ac unit as far as we know is over 7 years old. Before it was blowing luke warm air, blowing through the vents strong. we cleaned the filter the evaporator coils, the unit we cleaned outside too the coils. Last night we had someone recharged the system for freon, he said the compassor is weak. He said let it run should take a while for the house to cool down. Now that is all he did was recharge the system. After he left, the air blowing through the vents is weak, little cool air. In the furance where the coils are is dry. no condisation. We can not afford a new AC unit. What could the problem be? Thanks for your help
2013-07-20T12:50:14Z
Thank you both for your help. will look into cleaning the wheel do anything thing right about now.
keakar2013-07-20T09:23:17Z
Favorite Answer
sounds like he added enough Freon to get "some" cooling going and it has frozen the coil because it still needs more Freon. this may be because it already leaked out again or maybe he just didn't put enough in it the first time.
when the coil freezes it builds a sheet of ice over the coils and that stops airflow
The guy who recharged the system would be well enough equipped to know for sure if the compressor was weak. As for the poor air flow, that's something entirely unrelated to the compressor and freon.
You might have a bad circulating fan in the furnace. It may be not running at full speed. Those bearings (bushings actually) go bad. They get dirty then the dirt wears them out. Then more dirt gets into them and makes everything stick badly.
If this were my problem I'd remove the fan (called a squirrel cage) and disassemble it. Thoroughly clean the fan blades using high pressure water. The motor would need to be removed before you spray water at it. Put the motor on a work bench and using compressed air blow the dust out of it. Then check to see the armature (the motor shaft) spins freely. Check it for end play (push it in and out). If it moves more than an eighth of an inch it's worn. Then check for side play. If you can wiggle the shaft side to side more than a thirty-second of an inch it's worn out. Time for a new motor.
If you can't move the motor shaft or it's very difficult to move, try lubricating it using a small amount of transmission fluid. It's an excellent cleaner and lubricates well too. You might even have to disassemble the motor - don't worry, there's little harm you can do. Just don't force it apart. Remove the four long bolts that go through the motor and slide the two halves off, one off each end. Using a soft cloth, clean the shaft with transmission fluid. Using a cotton swab, clean the bushing (the brass looking thing). While the motor is apart, look to see if there is a felt pad surrounding the bushing. If so then apply transmission fluid to that. Don't over saturate it, it will drip. You only want enough to keep the bushing lubricated for the next two or three years. After that, you're probably going to need to replace the fan.
NOW: Since the fan is not working properly and the compressor shows signs of being weak, afford it or not - it may be cheaper to replace the whole unit. In the long run you can throw tons of money at it trying to keep it working, whereas a new machine will give you years of uninterrupted dependable service. So weigh the costs and decide wisely. Also, a new heater can be more energy efficient. So calculate that into the equation too.
To add to the 1st two answers, which are both correct, If your system needs freon, it has a leak. The refrigerant system is a closed system. If it's low it's escaping from somewhere.