HELP! AC just keeps running

[kirk1701™]

Question for the pro’s

Hello all, my name is Joe, googled the forum to try and find some info and advice to see what’s going on with my AC unit.

I live in Kentucky, as most of you know the Midwest is going through a heat wave which started mid-July and was about the same time our AC started acting up so we called the guy back who services and installed the unit about 5 years ago. Low on Freon he says, put Freon in it along with a sealer as he said we had a slow leak somewhere and wasn’t the first time he’s had to put Freon in. OK, week goes by, did fine and the day it went to 100 degrees we could not cool the house past 80 degrees? He puts more Freon in which got it working till the next day :gah:

He comes back out, made it here late that night and puts the gauge on and did not understand what he was telling me but one of the gauges was to high even after he adjusted the Freon by letting some out saying he over charged it which was just as bad as a low charge; it would not cool properly if it was not charged properly???

Its cooling now, it is 100 degrees out but here’s the thing, it runs constantly from about 11 AM on and will never satisfy the 76 degree setting on the thermostat??? By 6 PM, still running and the inside temp is 80 which will start dropping after dark till the unit will finally start cooling the house back down and satisfy the thermostat around 9 PM

Here’s some info I know
1. I put a digital thermometer down in the vent, when unit is running I’m at a constant 61 degrees.
2. House is 1900 SQ FT
3. Unit is 3 ton Rheem electric and gas combo and when its below 40 degrees it does the same thing, runs runs runs??

Hoping some of you can help point me in the right direction, the service guy tells us it will run constantly when the temps are like this and that the units are not made to handle these kind of temps???

Are we being fed bull or is there something really wrong?

Thanks in advance.

[sammy37]

Sounds like you need a new tech. Also, I dont think any true professional would use leak sealer! Sounds to me like a hack.

I think it's also time that someone check your ductwork for you, sounds to me like you may have some major leaks. What is the btu input on the nameplate for the heat?

Has your tech ever tried to find the leak? How old is the unit? It may be time to think about replacement.

[big sky hvac]

You might consider finding a different tech to look at your system. There should be only two things found inside an A/C system and "sealer" isn't one of them.(oil & refrigerant). If there is a leak, it should be found and repaired, not by using "sealer". Yes it's possible with extreme high temps. that it may run a long time. The humidity also plays a big roll in how long it runs for. It may also be possible that the A/C isn't sized properly. Has it cooled properly up until now?

[monkeyspanners]

Sounds like there is too much refrigerant in the high side of the system and not enough in the low side, what would cause that i wonder...

[big sky hvac]

Sounds like there is too much refrigerant in the high side of the system and not enough in the low side, what would cause that i wonder...

Do I sense some sarcasm?!

[monkeyspanners]

Do I sense some sarcasm?!

I've been told i'm flippant on more than one occasion :p

Not sure how much advice to give out to home owners here with the no diy rules.
I've seen blocked driers after people have used sealant, don't know they had used it until later but wondered why my recovery machine was sounding like it was working hard :censored:

Jon

[big sky hvac]

I've been told i'm flippant on more than one occasion :p

Not sure how much advice to give out to home owners here with the no diy rules.
I've seen blocked driers after people have used sealant, don't know they had used it until later but wondered why my recovery machine was sounding like it was working hard :censored:

Jon

I used that super seal one time, just a couple of weeks ago.I had a customer with a leaking evap. coil. They decided they wanted to take advantage of the tax credits available so I sold them an entire system. The only problem was that our installer was about two weeks out from getting it in. The guys wife was on oxygen, so she had a harder time breathing when it was hot. I suggested trying the "experimental drug" on his system to help get them through until we could replace everything. It worked for about a week, had to top it off with some recovered 22, but it did make it. I told him if we weren't replacing the entire system including the lineset, I'd never use the stuff, but in this case, it worked out ok. I'm guessing the op has a plugged metering device possibly.

[sammy37]

He definately has problems with his unit but he also says the thing runs constantly right now and in the winter below 40 degrees. I'm curious as to what the btu is on the heat side of that thing.
I assume in his location, that his gas pack is probably ground mounted. He didnt mention if his ductwork was in a basement or in a crawl space.

[kirk1701™]

Sorry it took me a while to get back to your replies, didn't expect this fast a reaction so Thanks.


Sounds like you need a new tech. Also, I dont think any true professional would use leak sealer! Sounds to me like a hack.

I think it's also time that someone check your ductwork for you, sounds to me like you may have some major leaks. What is the btu input on the nameplate for the heat?

Has your tech ever tried to find the leak? How old is the unit? It may be time to think about replacement.
I don't see anything on the backside of the unit in reference to BTU, if thats not where to look let me know where and I will try in find.

The service guy (actually the owner) who put the sealer in also said if it was not a slow leak the sealer might not work and than we would have to find the source.

The ductwork was also one of his suggestions, if the issue continued we might need to take a look to see if there were any holes but hell, he just cleaned all the ductwork and wrapped them when the unit was swapped out.

Unit is about 5 years going on 6 years old.


You might consider finding a different tech to look at your system. There should be only two things found inside an A/C system and "sealer" isn't one of them.(oil & refrigerant). If there is a leak, it should be found and repaired, not by using "sealer". Yes it's possible with extreme high temps. that it may run a long time. The humidity also plays a big roll in how long it runs for. It may also be possible that the A/C isn't sized properly. Has it cooled properly up until now?
As I said above, he has as much said the sealer was an attempt and if didn't work we would need to find the leak. I'm not trying to make excuses for him, as I said I really don't know much about AC but would like to be able to talk to him on his level so he gets the idea I'll know if and when he's trying to jerk me around.

Has been plenty enough humid here, more so then usual also. But not sure if it has ever run properly because I'm just getting involved, its my mom's home actually and I never paid attention to how often it ran before but she says its always run constantly if the temp goes above 90 outside? So my original post is info I've noticed since I've got involved this summer.

As for being sized properly, the house was sold to us with a 2.5 ton unit however the 1 car attached garage was turned into another room prior to our buying the home so we went with a 3 ton as recommended by the company who installed it and now still services it.

As to changing to a different service co. I suggested that also, get a second opinion since this guy says it supposed to run constantly when its extremely hot. According to her she had to stay with him due to warranty; that true?


I used that super seal one time, just a couple of weeks ago.I had a customer with a leaking evap. coil. They decided they wanted to take advantage of the tax credits available so I sold them an entire system. The only problem was that our installer was about two weeks out from getting it in. The guys wife was on oxygen, so she had a harder time breathing when it was hot. I suggested trying the "experimental drug" on his system to help get them through until we could replace everything. It worked for about a week, had to top it off with some recovered 22, but it did make it. I told him if we weren't replacing the entire system including the lineset, I'd never use the stuff, but in this case, it worked out ok. I'm guessing the op has a plugged metering device possibly.

Our guy didn't say anything about not having used it before or how well it worked nor if it was worth an attempt, just used it as an attempt I guess.

Hope all this helps and might be wise to mention as I was just told, the compressor was just replaced last fall due to no heat?? That make sense to you guys when I think compressor I think cooling but I could be wrong? It was just blowing out cold air with the heat on.

I'll check back later for more replies and try to answer any replied to the best of my ability or wait till I find out from my mom the answers and reply then.

[kirk1701™]

He definately has problems with his unit but he also says the thing runs constantly right now and in the winter below 40 degrees. I'm curious as to what the btu is on the heat side of that thing.
I assume in his location, that his gas pack is probably ground mounted. He didnt mention if his ductwork was in a basement or in a crawl space.

Let me know where to find the BTU and I'll post it.

Electric/Gas duel unit so it switches to gas but as I recall it uses gas below 30 degrees because its cheaper then electric.

Bowling Green, Kentucky for location

What you mean by gas pack? If its what I think your referring to its a 500 gallon tank, truck comes and fills LP gas.

Ductwork is in crawl space which is half underground, I've been down there before and its actually cooler then outside due to being half underground. she has a brick ranch style home.

[sammy37]

Let me know where to find the BTU and I'll post it.

Electric/Gas duel unit so it switches to gas but as I recall it uses gas below 30 degrees because its cheaper then electric.

Bowling Green, Kentucky for location

What you mean by gas pack? If its what I think your referring to its a 500 gallon tank, truck comes and fills LP gas.

Ductwork is in crawl space which is half underground, I've been down there before and its actually cooler then outside due to being half underground. she has a brick ranch style home.

Sounds like you have a dual fuel unit. Dual fuel is a neat setup, its a shame that such a new unit has to have leak issues.
Now I understand why it runs so much below 40 degrees.

We call gas electric units such as yours, gas packs. Seems like every state has a different name for them, most people in Cali refer to them as duo packs or twin packs.

[bmathews]

I used that super seal one time, just a couple of weeks ago.I had a customer with a leaking evap. coil. They decided they wanted to take advantage of the tax credits available so I sold them an entire system. The only problem was that our installer was about two weeks out from getting it in. The guys wife was on oxygen, so she had a harder time breathing when it was hot. I suggested trying the "experimental drug" on his system to help get them through until we could replace everything. It worked for about a week, had to top it off with some recovered 22, but it did make it. I told him if we weren't replacing the entire system including the lineset, I'd never use the stuff, but in this case, it worked out ok. I'm guessing the op has a plugged metering device possibly.

I used it one time. The unit was leaking, in a month they were going to rip the house down and do a huge remodel. All a/c's going to recycle bin. I tried it and it didn't work for crap. I think it is for very minor leaks. Which I don't know why you wouldn't just identify the leak and fix it or replace whatever's leaking. To the OP, who knows. Call somebody else out. It could be a leaker somewhere or a bad txv valve. Can't tell from behind this screen. And we don't know the guy working on the unit. It might be one of us???? I hate the term hack. He might just be new at the game just getting started and over his head. Like nobody on here has ever been that way. Everybody on here who is a pro has gotten bitten once or twice. Just call somebody else out or request a different tech come out.

[funwithhvac]

do you know if the compressor it self is running all the or do you think it is because the fan on the unit is running.sounds like the first problem was there was a leak,but when he put the sealent in it it might have stoped the dryer up.but there should be a screen before the txv and one after.they all need to be checked and most likely replaced,then find the leak with a leak detector and fix it

[kirk1701™]

Sounds like you have a dual fuel unit. Dual fuel is a neat setup, its a shame that such a new unit has to have leak issues.
Now I understand why it runs so much below 40 degrees.

We call gas electric units such as yours, gas packs. Seems like every state has a different name for them, most people in Cali refer to them as duo packs or twin packs.
Yes, Dual unit but we used more gas this past winter then normal? Could be because it was (and it was) a longer winter then normal and colder. We got down in the single digits for daytime highs which is not common around here.

House is very well insulated, even new therm. windows have been installed but just to be sure I'm replacing the weather stripping around the doors this weekend.


I used it one time. The unit was leaking, in a month they were going to rip the house down and do a huge remodel. All a/c's going to recycle bin. I tried it and it didn't work for crap. I think it is for very minor leaks. Which I don't know why you wouldn't just identify the leak and fix it or replace whatever's leaking. To the OP, who knows. Call somebody else out. It could be a leaker somewhere or a bad txv valve. Can't tell from behind this screen. And we don't know the guy working on the unit. It might be one of us???? I hate the term hack. He might just be new at the game just getting started and over his head. Like nobody on here has ever been that way. Everybody on here who is a pro has gotten bitten once or twice. Just call somebody else out or request a different tech come out.
Actually the service guy is the business owner, think I mentioned this in my last post and he's been in business quit a while now at least 10 years. We used him to inspect the furnace when we purchased the house, he serviced the old furnace till we had it changed in 2003 to the duel unit. He's listed with the BBB and also has commercial contracts so I'd like to think its like you said "he's in over his head, don't know what's wrong" and he's doing everything he can think of to diagnose the issue just don't want to come out and tell us he don't know whats wrong so he's saying nothings wrong? I hope that don't sound bitter :toetap:

Last time he was here he did say, if this didn't resolve the issue he might swap out the compressor while it was still under warranty which led me to think he knows something, thats why I say he don't want to tell us.



So what I gather from you all is 1) start with finding the leak if there is one 2) check ductwork which the service guy has mentioned both and sounds like everyone here and the service guy we have are thinking along the same lines.

Anything else I should be thinking remotely looking at?

[samantha9988]

How freakishly similar to my situation in every way!! I had to reply.

My unit is five/going on six years old.

I'm in KY as well (Lexington)

Compressor failed last year/replaced this Jan

This spring, system wasn't satisfying temp in the hottest part of the day and eventually it completely froze up.....called for service....He tested it and it was low on coolant. He added 2 lbs.......Said there could be a leak but he looked and didn't see oil anywhere (which is a sign of a leak)......A week later, he comes back and checked it again and took 1/2 lb of coolant out.....Said it's hard to get the charge exact.....At any rate, since then, mine has worked great. There are no shade trees around my house so it's full sun (unfortunately)... It maintains the temp at 73 *IF* the temp doesn't go above 95 degrees and it does run constantly to keep the temp satisfied. If it's, say 90 degrees outside, it will actually cycle on/off. Checking supply temps and intake temps is right at 20 degrees in difference (which is optimal I think). I also keep black out curtains drawn during the day and that helps to keep the A/C from working so hard as well. At any rate, good luck and hope it ends up working ok.

[kirk1701™]

How freakishly similar to my situation in every way!! I had to reply.

My unit is five/going on six years old.

I'm in KY as well (Lexington)

Compressor failed last year/replaced this Jan

This spring, system wasn't satisfying temp in the hottest part of the day and eventually it completely froze up.....called for service....He tested it and it was low on coolant. He added 2 lbs.......Said there could be a leak but he looked and didn't see oil anywhere (which is a sign of a leak)......A week later, he comes back and checked it again and took 1/2 lb of coolant out.....Said it's hard to get the charge exact.....At any rate, since then, mine has worked great. There are no shade trees around my house so it's full sun (unfortunately)... It maintains the temp at 73 *IF* the temp doesn't go above 95 degrees and it does run constantly to keep the temp satisfied. If it's, say 90 degrees outside, it will actually cycle on/off. Checking supply temps and intake temps is right at 20 degrees in difference (which is optimal I think). I also keep black out curtains drawn during the day and that helps to keep the A/C from working so hard as well. At any rate, good luck and hope it ends up working ok.

OMG it does sound like mine, not only that but our service guy has as much said the units in our area were not made for this kind of weather and will run constantly in this extreme heat? THAT!! I do find unbelievable as I don't believe a company is going to make a unit based off what part of the country its being installed at.

We also keep the curtains drawn in the day as the front side is full sun. Which makes me wonder now; we did have HUGE water maples all the way across the front that shaded the whole yard and afternoon sun which the roots were getting under the foundation and starting to break the foundation so we had them cut down oh about 3 years back now??? I have since replaced the tree's with dogwoods but they are still small and don't offer any shade and probably won't for another good 10 years at least.

[sammy37]

OMG it does sound like mine, not only that but our service guy has as much said the units in our area were not made for this kind of weather and will run constantly in this extreme heat? THAT!! I do find unbelievable as I don't believe a company is going to make a unit based off what part of the country its being installed at.

We also keep the curtains drawn in the day as the front side is full sun. Which makes me wonder now; we did have HUGE water maples all the way across the front that shaded the whole yard and afternoon sun which the roots were getting under the foundation and starting to break the foundation so we had them cut down oh about 3 years back now??? I have since replaced the tree's with dogwoods but they are still small and don't offer any shade and probably won't for another good 10 years at least.

What your service guy should have said, is the units in your area were not sized for this kind of weather. Any undersized unit will run constantly in unusually hot weather, especially if it is having mechanical issues.

What you have to remember is that where you live, it is very important to size a unit properly for humidity reasons. An oversized unit in your part of the country would cool the house where you wanted it to but it would probably be wet and clammy.
Where I live in Vegas, we dont have humidity issues so we can get away with over sizing a little bit with no ill effects.

[kirk1701™]

What your service guy should have said, is the units in your area were not sized for this kind of weather. Any undersized unit will run constantly in unusually hot weather, especially if it is having mechanical issues.

What you have to remember is that where you live, it is very important to size a unit properly for humidity reasons. An oversized unit in your part of the country would cool the house where you wanted it to but it would probably be wet and clammy.
Where I live in Vegas, we dont have humidity issues so we can get away with over sizing a little bit with no ill effects.

Thanks Sammy that does clarify it a hell of a lot better :cheers:

That actually gives me something to come back at him with the next time he says that.

My mother said to pass this on, have spoke with the neighbors and their units turn off/on all day?

I guess it's time to call him, take a look at the ductwork and check to see if in fact there is a leak and lets get it resolved.

Matter a fact ductwork is something I think I can do myself right; flashlight and look for holes or cold air?

[kirk1701™]

OK, another question for you guys..

Just got the electric bill and half of this problem was also on last months bill which was $185

this month $205

Prior to July it was $115

I take it this should be expected or is this worse then what you would expect?

[Adnshel]

Without seeing the system, there are too many variables that could cause your problems. Simple easy fix, maybe - maybe not. Hard to tell looking at a computer screen. That is why others are making the recommendation to call a technician that can properly diagnose the problem.

[kirk1701™]

Without seeing the system, there are too many variables that could cause your problems. Simple easy fix, maybe - maybe not. Hard to tell looking at a computer screen. That is why others are making the recommendation to call a technician that can properly diagnose the problem.

We'll acording to my mom (as I have recomended that myself) she says since it was under warranty she had to stay with this guy for warranty coverage but I'm not sure how true that could be.

[samantha9988]

OMG it does sound like mine, not only that but our service guy has as much said the units in our area were not made for this kind of weather and will run constantly in this extreme heat? THAT!! I do find unbelievable as I don't believe a company is going to make a unit based off what part of the country its being installed at.

We also keep the curtains drawn in the day as the front side is full sun. Which makes me wonder now; we did have HUGE water maples all the way across the front that shaded the whole yard and afternoon sun which the roots were getting under the foundation and starting to break the foundation so we had them cut down oh about 3 years back now??? I have since replaced the tree's with dogwoods but they are still small and don't offer any shade and probably won't for another good 10 years at least.

Yes! Shade trees are very important in cooling. This is my first home (bought in Sept 2004) so being that it is a relatively new subdivision, there are trees but not large enough to provide any sort of shade. They are getting bigger though, but still not enough. IN the past all of the rentals I had lived in had large established trees and the A/C worked great for the years I had lived there (An apt for three yrs) and a duplex for 4 yrs).....And these were not new places....Those a/c systems were dated, yet I never once had to call anyone for service on them because they all worked so well (I never gave it a 2nd thought).........Of course, now that I actually "OWN" my own home, I start having the trouble......

Based on what I have read, when the compressor was changed on mine this past JAN, the compressor then needs to be charged with coolant. This should be done when it's 75 degrees or warmer outside to get a correct charge, so when spring arrived and mine wasn't cooling correctly, he discovered when it was 2 lbs low (yet no leak detected) that the charge may not have been correct "all along" due to the fact that compressor was replaced in a winter month with non-optimal outdoor temps. I've been told that typically a follow-up should be done when compressors are replaced in the middle of winter to make sure the charge is correct, but that never happened........Could there be a leak? Yes......Could he not have gotten the charge correct? Yes......AT any rate I paid for coolant twice (once in Jan during the recharge) and once again for the service call a few months later).....Oh well.....Working great now :)

[kirk1701™]

Yes! Shade trees are very important in cooling. This is my first home (bought in Sept 2004) so being that it is a relatively new subdivision, there are trees but not large enough to provide any sort of shade. They are getting bigger though, but still not enough. IN the past all of the rentals I had lived in had large established trees and the A/C worked great for the years I had lived there (An apt for three yrs) and a duplex for 4 yrs).....And these were not new places....Those a/c systems were dated, yet I never once had to call anyone for service on them because they all worked so well (I never gave it a 2nd thought).........Of course, now that I actually "OWN" my own home, I start having the trouble......

Based on what I have read, when the compressor was changed on mine this past JAN, the compressor then needs to be charged with coolant. This should be done when it's 75 degrees or warmer outside to get a correct charge, so when spring arrived and mine wasn't cooling correctly, he discovered when it was 2 lbs low (yet no leak detected) that the charge may not have been correct "all along" due to the fact that compressor was replaced in a winter month with non-optimal outdoor temps. I've been told that typically a follow-up should be done when compressors are replaced in the middle of winter to make sure the charge is correct, but that never happened........Could there be a leak? Yes......Could he not have gotten the charge correct? Yes......AT any rate I paid for coolant twice (once in Jan during the recharge) and once again for the service call a few months later).....Oh well.....Working great now :)

Hmm, how co-incidental because our compressor was replaced last fall (OH about 40 degrees when the heat stopped). Then, had to be adjusted again a few weeks ago, hmm now it was 95 :LOL:

We'll, its been about 2 weeks now, its run fine since but only thing is running constantly now :eek2:

Electric bill came yesterday, almost double so Just got off the phone with the owner who normally services the unit. As we spoke I started asking questions I'd gathered here so far and the first one being would it be safe to state what he said about the unit not being made for this area is not made for this heat better be stated "The unit is undersized for this heat" as was one of the first things you all said.

He agreed.

As for the electric he said the TVA did just raise rates and socked it to us and they are fixing to raise them again next month. :eek2:

Don't think I mentioed this yet, I placed a digital thermometer down in the vent to see what the temp is coming out at different times of the day. So its staying pretty constant, 57 - 61 degrees no matter what part of the day so I mentioed that to him, and asked about the leak. He said two weeks now if its run fine since the charge and you've got that kind of cooling he didn't think there would be a leak.

He's coming by monday, some of the things we will be looking at:
Ductwork and if were loosing cooling
Amps were pulling on a load with AC running
Thermostat and if we need a replacement
Coils and unit under the crawlspace and check current there
Compressor
Have a lot of water on the unit outside he's checking into that.

Anything else you guys want to add for me to look at while he's here I'd sure appreceate it.

Excuse the spelling everyone, know there are probably going to be some mistakes and type-o's (never was good with spelling) I just reinstalled the OS, don't have much installed one of which being IESpell checker. :LOL:

[samantha9988]

Hmm, how co-incidental because our compressor was replaced last fall (OH about 40 degrees when the heat stopped). Then, had to be adjusted again a few weeks ago, hmm now it was 95 :LOL:

We'll, its been about 2 weeks now, its run fine since but only thing is running constantly now :eek2:

Electric bill came yesterday, almost double so Just got off the phone with the owner who normally services the unit. As we spoke I started asking questions I'd gathered here so far and the first one being would it be safe to state what he said about the unit not being made for this area is not made for this heat better be stated "The unit is undersized for this heat" as was one of the first things you all said.

He agreed.

As for the electric he said the TVA did just raise rates and socked it to us and they are fixing to raise them again next month. :eek2:

Don't think I mentioed this yet, I placed a digital thermometer down in the vent to see what the temp is coming out at different times of the day. So its staying pretty constant, 57 - 61 degrees no matter what part of the day so I mentioed that to him, and asked about the leak. He said two weeks now if its run fine since the charge and you've got that kind of cooling he didn't think there would be a leak.

He's coming by monday, some of the things we will be looking at:
Ductwork and if were loosing cooling
Amps were pulling on a load with AC running
Thermostat and if we need a replacement
Coils and unit under the crawlspace and check current there
Compressor
Have a lot of water on the unit outside he's checking into that.

Anything else you guys want to add for me to look at while he's here I'd sure appreceate it.

Excuse the spelling everyone, know there are probably going to be some mistakes and type-o's (never was good with spelling) I just reinstalled the OS, don't have much installed one of which being IESpell checker. :LOL:

Sounds like it's working properly.......I honestly think it's the heat. I mean it has been very HOT! Think about it, even at night, the temp doesn't go below 80 until 3 or 4 am, and barely at that. I guess it could be undersized but over sized isn't good either. We are about to get blasted with T storms here.....Ahhhhhhhhhh

[udarrell]

The indoor SA/RA temp/split during the day, if humidity stays the same in your home, should remain stable; check the humidity readings & the temp/split mornings & mid afternoons. Stable split - eliminates possible problems...

The airflow CFM should always be ballpark checked & then when correct, the Superheat & Subcooling is checked to properly balance the system's charge.

Think about all the ways you could reduce the heat-gain into your home & do all of them you can...

[gwt181]

2. House is 1900 SQ FT
3. Unit is 3 ton Rheem electric and gas combo and when its below 40 degrees it does the same thing, runs runs runs??

Without looking at the house and attic it seems the unit is under sized. Down here in south Louisiana 1900 sq ft would get 4 tons for the July and August heat load. Ask your guy to do a load calculation for you house.

[kirk1701™]

2. House is 1900 SQ FT
3. Unit is 3 ton Rheem electric and gas combo and when its below 40 degrees it does the same thing, runs runs runs??

Without looking at the house and attic it seems the unit is under sized. Down here in south Louisiana 1900 sq ft would get 4 tons for the July and August heat load. Ask your guy to do a load calculation for you house.

Yea, it makes sence now after you guys pretty much explained it. Actually I'm not undersized for my area; I'm undersized for these type of temps were experincing.

Your way south of me south Louisiana, yea I can see why it would be undersized there.

Have I mentioned yet I hate hot weather? :D

I'll let you guys know what happen Monday, I'm going to be tied up on Sunday so thanks for all the pointers.

[udarrell]

2. House is 1900 SQ FT
3. Unit is 3 ton Rheem electric and gas combo and when its below 40 degrees it does the same thing, runs runs runs??

Without looking at the house and attic it seems the unit is under sized. Down here in south Louisiana 1900 sq ft would get 4 tons for the July and August heat load. Ask your guy to do a load calculation for you house.
First, I'd do a manual J with the HTM multipliers so U know what U can do to reduce the load to 3-Ton.

Then, I'd do a thorough check of the duct system for proper insulation, air leaks & proper sizing & air delivery according to a performed Manual D.

If the duct system & air handler won't support 4-Ton, then U may end-up with 3-Ton of heat transfer with the 4-Ton unit.

Then, with airflow CFM adjusted to where U want it, I'd check the charge using Superheat & Subcooling. I doubt that 3-Ton is delivering near a nominal 3-Ton of heat transfer to the outdoors.

I am betting we could do the things that would let that 3-Ton system handle the heat-gain of your home. On extreme heatload days if the conditioned space reaches 78 or even 80-F @ 50% RH or less, with proper air circulation U should feel comfortable.

When it is well above the summer design conditions, it is time we quit being sissies concerning not getting the temp below 75-F.
Just My Humble Opinion...

Do we actually want to save on our utility bills, or do we always want refrigerator conditions when it's well above that areas summer design?
:pop:

[gwt181]

[QUOTE=udarrell;7523302]
I am betting we could do the things that would let that 3-Ton system handle the heat-gain of your home.
QUOTE]

Without doubt we could make that system work. Just hard to do when you’re not there.:)

[ICanHas]

I used that super seal one time, just a couple of weeks ago.I had a customer with a leaking evap. coil. They decided they wanted to take advantage of the tax credits available so I sold them an entire system. The only problem was that our installer was about two weeks out from getting it in. The guys wife was on oxygen, so she had a harder time breathing when it was hot. I suggested trying the "experimental drug" on his system to help get them through until we could replace everything. It worked for about a week, had to top it off with some recovered 22, but it did make it. I told him if we weren't replacing the entire system including the lineset, I'd never use the stuff, but in this case, it worked out ok. I'm guessing the op has a plugged metering device possibly.

Where did that R-22 come from? My recollection of regulations tell me that this is illegal, unless it came from some scrap window A/Cs in his name or a cylinder of R-22 in his basement.

3. Reclamation Requirement

EPA has also established that refrigerant recovered and/or recycled can be returned to the same system or other systems owned by the same person without restriction. If refrigerant changes ownership, it must be reclaimed (i.e., cleaned to the ARI 700-1993 Standard of purity) by an EPA certified refrigerant reclaimer.

[kirk1701™]

Hey guys, little update.

Repair guy came today, we agree no leak as the AC is blowing 61 degree air into the house. Checked the charge and we were OK there but did mention something (don't recall what he called it) being a little on the high side. When I remember what he called it I'll relay it on.

He did say something was wrong, 88 here today and it should be cutting off and on at the thermostat set on 76 and it started running non-stop by 11 AM. :gah:

Crawled underneath the house and over to the unit was a puddle of water where the condensation pump was and low and behold it was stopped up??? I should have known something because the Orkin guy was here two weeks ago for the annual termite inspection and said the crawlspace smelled moldy and damp but we chalked it up to the 13" of rain in June.

Unstopped that, got the pump working, all else checked out underneath, no leaks in the ductwork; we looked around plus he said if there was a leak it would be a lot cooler underneath there???

He put a new Honeywell thermostat on, said lets see how that does for a couple a days and see if that makes a difference and if that didn't do the trick he was going to call Rheem and see if they had any ideas because he has been looking now for whatever is going on whether in be with the heat or with the AC now for over 10 months.

Keep you guys informed over the next couple a days with the new thermostat.

[ICanHas]

Hey guys, little update.

it started running non-stop by 11 AM


He put a new Honeywell thermostat on

It defies me why people even consider thermostat as the source of problem for something like this. Thermostat automatically turn off at a set point, then off at another set point. Anything in between, there is absolutely nothing it can do.

[kirk1701™]

It defies me why people even consider thermostat as the source of problem for something like this. Thermostat automatically turn off at a set point, then off at another set point. Anything in between, there is absolutely nothing it can do.

I think the repair guy is kind of lost, 88 degrees here today, cloudy and even he said was no reason it should be running constantly. :yes:

Everything was checked out, but that condensation pump has been stopped up for some time and running over underneath the house, you could see where the water had soaked into the dirt under there and spread. This should have been found months ago and I know its been stopped up for quite some time but he said that wouldn't be why it wasn't cutting off you guys agree?

I will say this, it got cold in the house tonight, but looking at desktop weather it is 74 degrees outside so, I turned the thermostat up to 78 and its nice in here. Give it a couple days, were suppose to have 90's back mid week we will see.

[genduct]

We have come a long way from the days of medical treatment when we bled the patient to get rid of the "bad stuff" Now we bleed the unit one day and give it a transfusion of refrigerant the next. Is that Progress or What?.
I think you need a new doctor!

[hvachightech]

Did the tech wash out the unit? If not you can start there. Wash the condensor coils with a water hose. Do not use high pressure when doing this. In hot weather units normally run longer during the day but not constantly. Your unit is probably undercharged. If your unit is 3 ton it is designed for only 1500 sq ft. so it is doing what it can to keep up if your house is 1900 sq ft. Units are measured to cover roughly 1 ton per 500 sq ft. You should consider purchasing a larger unit. If your duct work can accomodate a 4 ton you would be better off installing the larger unit. I would also suggest finding another company for the purchase. Best of luck...

[kirk1701™]

Hey guys,
Glad someone replied I got the link via subscribed thread in my e-mail and I lost the link to the forum.

Anyhow, think the problem is solved. Like I said in the original thread we had the same problem in the winter. We'll in the room far side of the house opposite the thermostat we have a gas log with a blower, we started using that this winter and I also started remodeling that room over the winter. I put two ceiling fans in that room and kept them going all winter we had no problems.

Also, in the process of remodeling I run some CAT5 network cable from my room where the router is through the crawl space to the other end of the house for internet access in that room and guess what I found? A vent in that room that we didn't know even existed and not only did we not know it existed the duck work had been ripped off the vent so most of the heat/AC was going into the crawl space from that return :gah:

That's in the process of being fixed, with that and the ceiling fans I don't expect any more problems.

Thanks all. I'll keep you informed.

[udarrell]

I don't like to counter another's post, but 500sf is no longer acceptable for sizing anything.

Average home & summer climate rough ballpark (which is wrong to do) most homes will work with 700sf to 750sf per-ton. A 1900sf @ 750sf is 2.5-Ton to 3-Ton system.

Using 500sf per-ton is 3.8-Ton system; way too big for average situation.

The only right way, is to do a Manual J heatload calc.

[kirk1701™]

More updates everyone

FIXED

It was a leak in the freon all along and the dumb butt service guy we had knew this. After getting on here and gaining some knowledge of the system the guy wouldn't come back when I talked his language??? So after my last post below, he wouldn't even answer his phone, return calls or come out.

"Oh it don't hurt the unit to run constantly from 10 AM til 10 PM"????
"The systems in this area are not made to handle 95 degree's so they won't keep up"????

You guys said all along to find a new service tech

Wasn't my call, had to talk my mom into this so after heat went out last winter and we had a guy down the street now I called him. He put freon in and that lasted a while then he had to come back, he said then it was a leak so eventually he got the time to fix it for us. "FREE"

Its 95 - 98 degree's now guess what?
System is cutting off/on in the middle of the day, keeping the house cool and having no issues. :whistle:

YES!! Now that I know the last guy probably made this leak purposely to continue soaking my mom for service calls since 2008 putting freon in the system and charging her $ each time I'm reporting him to the BBB

The name of the company is: Not allowed to be posted here.

[Six]

We have come a long way from the days of medical treatment when we bled the patient to get rid of the "bad stuff" Now we bleed the unit one day and give it a transfusion of refrigerant the next. Is that Progress or What?.
I think you need a new doctor!

Actually there is a disease thats still treated by bloodletting the patient. Hemochromotosis.