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My central AC is not cooling the house like it used to. I have a 3 ton unit for approximately 2400 sq ft and?
Have 2 floors + basement.Closed off the 2 ducts in the basement (its not Living Space).The upstairs does not cool enough for me to sleep upstairs, but the kids manage, except when it gets REALLY hot.Downstairs USED to practically freeze when I first bought the house and was working on it, but now that we moved in, just doesn't seem to get cool enough. I had the unit checked a number of times, 1 says to install another unit for the upstairs, 1 says REPLACEMENT of present unit (no reason, just replace it) and 1 that said pipes going into the house were smaller than the ones on the outside or was vice versa, and it would have to be undone and fixed right (to the tune of $600). All struggled to get readings on the freon, and all stated the freon was in there, and the 1 saying pipes were wrong said that was causing the bad readings, as the pressure wasn't equal and that was why pipes needed replacing. I think a bigger unit is needed, but 1 said that would blow ducts and ruin the unit. HELP
Unit runs CONSTANTLY, and cool air comes out, but DOES NOT really cool house. Anyone know what is really going on here? HELP!
Unit runs CONSTANTLY, and cool air comes out, but DOES NOT really cool house. Anyone know what is really going on here? All have checked temps at vent, at air return, and say unit is working properly. It never ran all the time before we had the deck installed, which actually shades it some. Could the workmen have hit something? Is it really the right size unit for the house? Could it be the pipes are mismatched? The unit was put on by the previous owner and was not new (he got it from a friend). Would a larger unit really blow the duct work apart, ruin it and make the new unit burn out quicker? The air that comes out at the vents is cool, but is like limps out, you know like maybe a bigger blower? Can I add a bigger fan to the unit? What do I need to do to make this work right and proper. Thank you for ANY HELP! Oh, my neighbor thinks I need freon. UGH!
I checked the sq ft and its actually 2229 sq ft (not that much difference. Yes, filters are changed regularly (1x a month), the return air duct does pull the air well enough, usually will pull my dresses right against it, not with a jerk, but a gentle pull (will still check on what you said. Yes, the techs were supposedly certified, and SUPPOSED to know what they were doing, but not enough that I trusted them to do ANY work. Since not one agreed with the other, I am left to wonder, whats up with that? Had one repeated what any of the others said, I would have done it. I felt the unit was TOO small for the cooling needed (I like it cold!) I would be happy with just cool right now, but its like cooler than outside, but not enough to truly be comfortable. If I cook, forget it, the whole kitchen is HOT and in turn the house warms up. We have resorted to cooking outside most of the time when its hot. This can't continue, I don't have money to WASTE, but am willing to fix to a point.
5 Answers
- dartiator63Lv 41 decade agoFavorite Answer
Base coverage for a/c is 500 feet per ton, so to run efficiently, you would need a 5 ton unit to heat and cool 2400 square feet. Yes you need a matched set for size to have a safe and efficient unit. I have seen mismatched systems that have blow apart before.
As far as airflow, if the unit will not suck a full size piece of typing paper flat against the return air grill with almost a jerk, then the air filter or the coils are dirty. Clean them.
If it has good suction, and poor distribution, then you have a blockage or a duct with a hole in it. Which means you are air conditioning your walls or attic. have them repaired.
There is also the poss ability that there is a restriction (blockage) in the coolant lines that is the problem, so new lines and coolant might help, but why pay for a patch on a system that will not meet your cooling need?
Best bet is a new system once and for all, kind of like pulling a band aid off quickly or slowly.
Luck
- Anonymous5 years ago
There are two seperate issues here, air balance and cooling capacity. Let's take air balance first: After reading some of the above answers, I wonder whether I have stepped into the Twilight Zone. After 10 years of duct design, installation, modification, remediation, cleaning and trouble-shooting, I can assure you that air can and should be distributed evenly throughout the home. You have a poor duct design. Cooling capacity may be another issue. If your interior temperature is twenty degrees lower that your exterior, your system would be considered to be operating within acceptable parameters. If it is 92 degrees outside, 72 degrees inside is great. If, however, it is 80 degrees outside, 72 degrees is not so good. It may be that you simply want more b.t.u.'s of cooling than the contractor allowed for. The question is, is the system sized properly for your home? The inside/outside temp. differential will help determine this. Ulimately, however, the only way to determine if the equipment is sized properly for your home is to have heat load calculations performed and checked against the b.t.u.'s of cooling provided by your equipment.
- sensible_manLv 71 decade ago
Since you have had Techs out, I am assuming the filter(s) have been replaced or at least cleaned. This makes a big difference and should be done monthly. To me, a 3 ton seems small for 2400 sq ft. I has a 3 ton in a 1800 sq ft home.
- Rick KLv 41 decade ago
did you get a certified tech out there???? Because if it wasn't fixed I would call and complain and talk to the owner or someone in charge at that place.... explain everything.....
Did they check the fan in the furnace?? have you had the vents cleaned??? if the coolent was checked it should have gave a stable reading!!! and should have been checked when the temp was above 75 degrees as well... It seems as if you have a few "DUMMYS" working on your system..... Check them for their cetificate to be sure they are certified!!! and liscenced, and INSURED as well incase they screw something up!!!!
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