Is it frozen or kaput?
@3SnuggleBunnies (16374)
United States
July 9, 2012 11:30pm CST
I worked a late shift and everyone is asleep. I notice the air conditioner (a/c) is running. Well it's been running nonstop for nearly a week. With the heatwave we've had we had no choice but run it. So I'm sitting here checking out my online stuff and I notice I don't even feel it, the room is very warm. It's not blowing much of anything though it on 68, so it should feel like nearly an ice box in this room. So I decide we'll I'll fiddle with all the functions see what it does. Still this slow can't feel much of anything going on. I just put it on fan as a lady from work said it was supposed to get down to 65 tonight which would be awsome (compared to last week were it was 87 at night!). Just checking on things here online and Boots is on the floor by me and we hear this crunch/breaking like sound from where the a/c is sitting and we heard it a few times. It even startled him.
So I'm thinking perhaps if possible that the a/c is frozen and it just needs a rest? Or is it kaput? I really don't want to invest in a/c I'd rather invest in central air but my house is so outta shape that I'd have to pay to have the electrical updated before even putting in the central air & new furnace combo. And I don't have enough to do all 3. *crossing fingers* it's just frozen and needs a rest.
1 person likes this
10 responses
@ShyBear88 (59347)
• Sterling, Virginia
10 Jul 12
It might be dusty, or you might need a filter change. AC's are meant to be running all day and all night. Ours has a function where we can put it on auto and we have a two level apartment so when we aren't upstairs we turn off the air yes it'll get hot but it saves money it also keeps the ac in good shape because they do get old and if not cleaned or put a new filter in they will not work correctly.
2 people like this
@3SnuggleBunnies (16374)
• United States
10 Jul 12
That's a good point about the filter. I don't know when it's been cleaned last nor where it is on this model. I will ask my Hubby in the morning about it.
Usually I keep the a/c on energy saver and put it up to something like 74-78 whichever, so it gets a rest somewhere along the way and isn't working so hard or costing us so much money.
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@ShyBear88 (59347)
• Sterling, Virginia
11 Jul 12
We keep ours on Auto 74 or 72 depending on the how hot it is outside.
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@3SnuggleBunnies (16374)
• United States
13 Jul 12
I do vary it by how hot it is, if the kids are going in and out of the house fairly often, and if hubby is home. Hubby would love it if it was an ice box, but yet in winter he doesn't want it at 68 *LOL*
@bird123 (10660)
• United States
10 Jul 12
Either your evaporator coil is stopped up badly from not using a filter or you could have a refrigerant leak. Low refrigerant will create below freezing temperatures in the evaporator coil. It freezes up and doesn't cool because it's low on refrigerant.
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@3SnuggleBunnies (16374)
• United States
10 Jul 12
That's another possibility. But how does one check such a thing?
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@peavey (16936)
• United States
10 Jul 12
Let's hope that it's frozen and will thaw out. My son had his air conditioner do that. All it took was a night's rest for it and it was good as new, but he had to call a professional to find out.
I have three window air conditioners and they keep this house comfortable, even as hot as it's been. It costs less to run them than to run central AC because I only use them where I need them and don't have to cool the whole house.
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@3SnuggleBunnies (16374)
• United States
11 Jul 12
It's I'd say atleast 5yrs old. I could have him look at it as when I got home from work it was very late and everyone was asleep.
@savypat (20216)
• United States
10 Jul 12
I think you are right, a/c does wear out. What we do is cool only until the outsid air is under 77 degrees, then we open the windows and use fans to bring that air into the house. Last year we did have to replace a compressor but that was a little expense compared with replacing the whole unit. Good Luck.
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@PointlessQuestions (15397)
• United States
10 Jul 12
Maybe it's just thawing out. They do freeze up when they run all the time. I'm glad we have central air now. The other house stayed so hot with 3 air conditioners going. I think there were too many holes in that old house and it couldn't get cool. We keep our air on 78 because we don't want a high bill. We have ceiling fans which helps a lot.
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@3SnuggleBunnies (16374)
• United States
10 Jul 12
That's what I was thinking that the coils or whatever were frozen and it was thawing is what those noises are. I'd love to have central air but as I said I'd only have money for either the electrical upgrade or to put in a new furnace (ours is older than me) and get a/c put in. However, our electrical is still on fuses so it would have to get done first and then we wouldn't have enough money for the c/a. Someday, we'll get this place into respectable shape, sadly the kids may be out of the house by then. 
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@SomeCowgirl (32190)
• United States
10 Jul 12
We had some AC problems here recently as well, it's working great now though. No sound or anything, it just was so hot and the air wasn't on but the outside unit was. We had reset it, and it worked for a bit, kaput, cleaned the filter and that's better.
I'd say to vaccum, dust it as much as you can then try to see if that helps with the air and air circulation.
Good Luck. It's cooling off here because of rain, but woo it's been hot.
@katsmeow1213 (28716)
• United States
15 Jul 12
I know mine has had a hard time keeping up with the heat we've had lately too. Mine is only a year old, we bought it last summer, but some days after it's been running for hours it doesn't feel as cool either. Normally then we shut it off for a few minutes and it works fine again. We also shut it off at night and when we leave the house to save electric.
@southwestheating (16)
• Cape Coral, Florida
7 Nov 13
If its frozen, remove the ice, make it clean, set the air conditioner to thaw which will take 30 min to 1 hour., then it will work finely.
Southwest Heating and Cooling provides expert air conditioning services in Cape Coral and Fort Myers Florida. From maintenance to complex repairs, we have the experience you need.
