HVAC Halp!

[nissan_crawler]

So...my ac ***** and I closed off a few vents and shut the doors to those rooms to help cool the rest of the house last night...which promptly froze the evaporator into a 12" cube of ice. :homer:

My question is, I don't have a heat gun and don't want to take time to run and get one...will a propane torch heat up the refrigerant too much and cause bad things to happen?

Ack the house is 80 and warming up by the minute.

Also, any ideas why if it can't come close to cooling the house that it would freeze up like that?

4-5 years ago it did an alright job of cooling the whole house when it was 100*, now it gets up to 78 or so when it's 90-95 out.

Furnace filter is clean, system was serviced last year. Can the house ducts get dirty enough to choke off flow that much that it would do that

 

[sneezer41]

iced evaporater.......too much humidity, too little air flow, too cold of freon...you probably slowed the airflow down too much by closing off the rooms, ther is probably some other unrelated issue that made it too hot

 

[rickairmedic]

Crawler sounds like you may be low on freon . I would say the easiest way to thaw the evap coil if you have gas heat is to turn on the furnace thats how I quick thaw them to charge them when they are low . only other options when they freeze up are dirty filter or the evap coil itself is quite dirty.Hope this helps.


Rick

 

[rickairmedic]

whem the AC is running can you hear a gurgling sound in the refrigerant lines if the answer is yes then you are low on freon . Run the furnace for 15 minutes till you feel the plenum above the evap coil getting hot then turn the AC back on if you hear gurgling sounds comming from the lines then you need a service tech .


Rick

 

[russlaferrera]

Use a hair dryer to defrost the coil. Air flow is a big concern. When you closed off some rooms, did you affect the return air Where is the air return duct? Air has to circulate in and out. Filters clean? Check the drip pan. Make sure the condensed water is going to the outside.

 

[nissan_crawler]

Use a hair dryer to defrost the coil. Air flow is a big concern. When you closed off some rooms, did you affect the return air Where is the air return duct? Air has to circulate in and out. Filters clean? Check the drip pan. Make sure the condensed water is going to the outside.

filter clean, drain line open, only has one main intake.

I'm guessing rick is right, I serviced it up last year with some borrowed equipment. Unfortunately, it's not available to me this year, any good place to buy some servicing equipment? I'm guessing I'll have to get a 30 lb cylinder, or do they sell something smaller?

 

[rickairmedic]

Crawler it will cost you $180+ for a 30 pounder of freon and I dont think I have ever seen R22 in anything smaller as far as a set of guages you probably have a johnstone supply in town but without an EPA card buying the freon isnt likely.Sorry


Rick

 

[nissan_crawler]

Crawler it will cost you $180+ for a 30 pounder of freon and I dont think I have ever seen R22 in anything smaller as far as a set of guages you probably have a johnstone supply in town but without an EPA card buying the freon isnt likely.Sorry


Rick

I have the card, not a problem.

Edit: You're talking about the MACS card, right?

 

[rickairmedic]

Well then look for Johnstone supply in you yeller pages I dont know where you are located so not sure if they are there but any HVAC wholesaler other than Trane or Carrier should be able to set you up with a set of reasonably cheap guages and a jug of JOY juice .

Rick

 

[rickairmedic]

Crawler I gotta run and get scrubway for the familly but I will be back shortly if you want PM me a phone number and I can call you when I get back.


Rick

 

[nissan_crawler]

PM sent, thanks for the help.

 

[nissan_crawler]

Big thanks to Rick for spending over an hour on the phone helping me. That was a heck of a thing to do for somebody that's too far away to be a customer. I did everything I can, it still freezes up, it's low on Freon.

I'm hoping I can find somebody to just shoot some in so it'll work until fall, we'll see. If not, I'll see if my MACS certificate lets me buy it.

There is a Johnstone Supply here, Rick.

For now, I'm running it until it freezes, running the fan to thaw it, running it again, etc.

 

[nissan_crawler]

One more for you Rick...If I can't find somebody to do it, and can't buy r22 with my MACS license, is enviro-safe r22a alright?

 

[nissan_crawler]

It's not a matter of me thinking it'll be cheaper, it's a matter of not having $6,000 right now.

 

[rickairmedic]

Crawler you may be able to get the R22A but I am betting it will still work out cheaper to have someone come out and juice it up did you have any luck today ?


Rick

 

[nissan_crawler]

I found a guy to do it, won't be until tues-wednesday though. Nice price though, $54 for the call, $9.90/pound for the freon.

The neighbors kid dropped out of HVAC school, so I borrowed his gauges, it's got about a half charge.

I found out that 98% of all the HVAC places in this town are a damn scam.

Standard response:
"How much do you charge per pound for freon, and how much for a service call?"

"Well, we charge x.** per pound, and $**.** for a service call, but that's only for the first hour."

"Only the first hour? How many hours does it take you to put freon in?"

"Well, first we have to check your furnace filter and see if it needs replaced, then we need to clean your evaporator and condenser, and we have to see if your expansion valve needs adjusted."

"I just put a new filter in yesterday, and I cleaned the evaporator and condenser yesterday. The expansion valve has been set just fine for the last 27 years, I doubt it needs messed with now."

"Well, they could be causing the problem."

"No, they couldn't, because I already checked them. The half charge of freon is the problem."

"Well, we have to be sure."

"So you're saying I'm too stupid to tell if a filter and a condenser or evaporator is dirty."

"No, I don't think you're too stupid to tell."

"So, you're just scamming me."

"Oh, of course not."

"Well, it's one or the other."

What a bunch of jerks. They all pretty much said it would be a 3-4 hour call to service freon.

One guy told me he has to inspect my thermostat.

"So, you're telling me my thermostat will cause my evaporator to freeze into a block of ice?"

"Well, it can cause problems."

"Do any of these problems happen to be my evaporator turning into a block of ice?"

"No, but it can do other things."

"It's not doing other things."

"Well, we just need to check it out."

Whatever, piss off.

I spent 2.5 hours on the phone, finally got to one guy that said:

"Sure, I can fill it up, just trying to get through until you have the cash to replace it later this year?"

"Yep."

"No problem, I can't get there until tues-wed, though."

"That's fine."

Gee, I wonder why he's booked up when all the other placed were available today. Only place in town that isn't screwing people. He probably just got a $6,000 install this fall due to that.

 

[rickairmedic]

Crawler theres usually one or 2 decent guys in town I am glad you found one . Now go to wally world and grab a window unit for your bedroom for the weekend but save the receipt and box so you can return it due to the fact it didnt fit in your window right after you get juiced up .


Rick

 

[rickairmedic]

Hey Crawler did ya get juiced up yesterday everything working ok now .



Rick

 

[nissan_crawler]

Not yet. I got sent to school for 2 weeks, so I'm gone during the day now. I've been spending my nights digging a 3'deep, 3' wide, 15'long trench with a 1' wide, 2' deep, 30' long trench heading to it.

Damn tree roots make it slow going. in 3.5 hours today, I got a 3x3' square maybe 2.5' deep dug.

 

[rickairmedic]

I would recomend renting a Termite from your local tool rental store .Also check with your AC guy as with his pricing he might be able to come out on saturday for the same rates I know I dont charge overtime for the weekends .


Rick

 

[nissan_crawler]

I would get a bobcat, but I have a gas line/well pump pipe/well wires somewhere in the vicinity, so it's going to have to be hand dug.

The "call before you dig" line is worthless. I had them mark the yard when I did my fence. I purposely redesigned the corner of the fence to MISS the gas line, and put it (theoretically) right between two posts that were 8' apart. Wouldn't you know, I hit the damn line digging the hole. I would've missed by 4 feet if I left it the way I wanted it.