AC/HVAC Folks

[Pat Germain]

I was wondering if I had the condensor/evaporator thing backwards. Thanks for the correction, Ken.

[Greg Cole]

The second reason, and the one I'm leaning towards is inefficient compressor. This occurs when the internal valves fail internally in the compressor. When this happens the compressor will fail to pump, bypassing refrigerant gas internally. This can only be determined by a competent technician, an amprobe to measure compressor current draw, and a set of refrigerant gauges.

Welp, me thinks Joe's got it right here. D'oh.
Seems as once a month since March I've had one large unplanned expense a month... I was hoping to get through June without.

[Jerome Stanek]

My unit will freeze up on the inside coil if my filter is plugged or there is to much humidity in my house.

[Tom Godley]

The outside units will ice up in the winter -- if its a heat pump. You normally do not notice this when it is summer because the internal ductwork covers up the evidence.

If its straight cool - Then the outside will not ice up.

If everything is running -- and the unit is properly filled -- then you do have an internal problem. A system low on refrigerant may perform like this and will often freeze up.

Some units have more sensors than others -- some of the builder grade units will run until they die. The compressors do fail with the motors still running.

I would not fix the old unit -- especially if you have already changed the evaporator. The newer units are so much more efficient and also quieter. You want a matched set.

[Joe Leigh]

If you're thinking of replacing the system you'll want to upsize a bit. 2 tons is undersized for 1100 square feet. Rule of thumb for residential application is 500 sq/ft per ton.

[Lee Schierer]

I would not fix the old unit -- especially if you have already changed the evaporator. The newer units are so much more efficient and also quieter. You want a matched set.

If you need to replace the unit, some of the new units qualify for a 15-30% tax credit, which can ease the pain of purchase considerably. In the long run a new unit will use less energy for the same cooling.

[JohnT Fitzgerald]

Ken, I think you may have that backwards. All instances of icing up I've ever seen are on the outside unit only. I've seen mine, and several others, frozen up solid before. However, I've never seen the inside unit iced up.

The inside unit can indeed ice up, and you can still get airflow with 'icing'. Another cause of icing is low refrigerant level - sorta counter-intuitive, but it's the way refrigeration works.

[Pat Germain]

If you need to replace the unit, some of the new units qualify for a 15-30% tax credit, which can ease the pain of purchase considerably. In the long run a new unit will use less energy for the same cooling.

That's a really good point, Lee. It's painful to pony up for a new HVAC system. But after you do, it's really nice to be more comfortable for less dollars per month.

[Chris Kennedy]

Ken, I think you may have that backwards. All instances of icing up I've ever seen are on the outside unit only. I've seen mine, and several others, frozen up solid before. However, I've never seen the inside unit iced up.

Not to cause trouble, but he may not have it backwards. I make no claims to having any sort of HVAC knowledge, but I have had my internal unit ice-up while my external unit is free and clear. There was some issue with the blower, and the external unit was working nicely, sending cold air in, but it wasn't being blown out and the unit iced up.

Cheers,

Chris

[Jim Finn]

In my experiance as an air conditioner serviceman I have seen the inside (evaporator) coil freeze up but not the outside (condenser) coil except in the case of a heat pump. Is this a heat pump?