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View Full Version : Ac Problem and a few questions... I know nothing!


luckeeesmom
05-19-2008, 11:16 AM
First off I have a serious prob with my ac unit. I was out of town since last Thursday evening and just got back around 1:30 this morning. I walked in the door and the house was absolutely frigid. I immediately noticed something was wrong and when I checked the thermostat the temp registered 57F! I have no idea how long that temperature was maintained since I was out of town. I immediately turned the unit off until I could call for repairs.

I looked to see if maybe someone had inadvertantly turned the thermostat that low and when I pressed the temp up button, the temperature display seemed to be flickering between the 68 that I had set it at and the 57F that it is currently registering.

I have a person coming out today to look at this and when speaking with him on the phone he seemed to think that either the contact on the unit was worn out or the thermostat has gone out. Is this a reasonable assessment of this problem?The repairman also told me to check to see if the unit was running outside and I looked this morning and it is not running.I don't know very much about hvac systems and I don't want to be taken advantage of. I also would like to get the most out of my repair visit by asking the correct questions.

Here are a few that I am curious about:
My current thermostat is not programmable, would it be to my advantage to go ahead and have them install a more up to date thermostat during the visit regardless of what the problem is? Is there an advantage in energy efficiency with a more intuitive thermostat?

The inside portion of my HVAC system is located in a small closet on the first floor of my townhome. It has a louvered vent on one side of the closet which goes into my living room. The vent does not attach to any ductwork so I assume that it is just for ventilation of the unit itself. The problem I have with this is the closet is not very well sealed off from the crawlspace and I fear this is causing a big air leakl into my home. Is there anything I can do to address this?
m kilgore
05-19-2008, 11:35 AM
As far as the problems your having let the techinician figure that out. It is hard to tell from here.

The thermostat would most likely be a good investment if your not home certain parts of the day. You can set he unit back some and save in energy costs. This depends on what kind of system you have.

The louver into your equipment room is also hard to answer as we do not know if you have electric, gas, heat pump etc....
beenthere
05-19-2008, 11:36 AM
It could be the stat.(Is it battery operated ? )
A programable is worth while if your are gone for long periods of time.
Seal the crawlspace off from the closet.
luckeeesmom
05-19-2008, 11:39 AM
Ok sorry for not including enough details! The unit is a Trane and it is a gas/electric unit. I assume the gas is for heat and the elecricity for cooling since my gas bill goes up in winter and way down in the summer! It is about 6-8 years old I believe. I am not home certain portions of the day and prefer cooler temps at night so I thought changing the thermostat would be helpful unless it costs more to cool the house back down each evening.
Daltex
05-19-2008, 12:57 PM
Seal the crawlspace off from the closet.


Could that be where it's getting the combustion air though?
luckeeesmom
05-19-2008, 01:06 PM
I really don't know. I don't mind providing ventiliation however I'm afraid that quite a bit of air is leaking out that way and would like to do something about it. My boyfriend is at home today and I left a message for him to ask the repairman about it.

I am seriously considering a programmable thermostat. Is it worth the extra cash to get one of the cool touch screen models?
beenthere
05-19-2008, 01:10 PM
Could that be where it's getting the combustion air though?
Its a possibility. The service tech would need to look and see before sealing.
Which if that is the case, then a duct should be installed from the return grille to the furnace.

Buit, since she said not sealed well. I'd bet its just air leaks and not an opening for combustion.
beenthere
05-19-2008, 01:11 PM
Could that be where it's getting the combustion air though?
Its a possibility. The service tech would need to look and see before sealing.
Which if that is the case, then a duct should be installed from the return grille to the furnace.

Buit, since she said not sealed well. I'd bet its just air leaks and not an opening for combustion.
energy_rater_La
05-19-2008, 04:10 PM
ahem...guys...SHE said...LOL!
crzymtrbiker
05-19-2008, 04:52 PM
As far as your system getting the house to 57 degrees wow! Most systems will not get a house that cold...If it is like you say the thermostat is flickering then you may have an impedance voltage either in your stat or the wire...in other word a break in the line. You need to ask if he would ohm the wires out first. If it is a contactor then you will see the unit either never run or run all the time. Like the others have said you need to have your technician look at it! He is on the right track. As far as the stats are concerned...Yes there are much better stats on the market. Just a suggestion but ask about the Honeywell 8000. It is a touchscreen stat that is easy to use and uses algorithms to process when the unit need to come on and off thus saving you $ in the long run. As far as the air leak you will have to ask your tech who can see what your talking about! Hope this helped!