Looks like we're having *some* A/C problems....not a total failure, but just not keeping up.

Our 19-year-old AC may finally be showing signs of wearing out. Just yesterday, it had inadvertently been turned completely off, and when I restarted it, it couldn't quite get the house all the way down to my set temp of 75. The closest it could get was 77, running nearly continuously - and this from a unit that's previously had no trouble getting our house down to 72 or lower in extreme heat (yeah, it's been one of the good ones). (As an aside, a tech who came out and fixed a blown relay several years ago told me my AC was "one of the good ones...take care of it!")

Anyway, my outlet thermometer says the cooled air is coming out at about 65 degrees. Inlet temp (at the supply) is about 75. I'd expect that output temp to be closer to 55-60 (~15-20 degree delta). I cleaned out the outside condenser coils (which weren't that bad to begin with) as a normal precaution, and both the inlet filters are brand new (changed within the last month or less). There's no ice on the outside condenser coils, but there IS ice on the condenser coil going into the blower in the attic. That made me suspect the blower isn't pushing out cold air at the right volume, but I have no way of verifying that. I am more than happy to suspect the blower motor, as we already had an incident about three years ago suggesting it was at least out of balance, but a tech that pulled it, checked it out, and put it back seemed to have solved that problem. It makes no unusual noises or sounds, and you can hear it switch between low and high speeds when the AC itself turns on. I just wonder if it's not spinning as fast as normal.

If there are any AC types here that have some suggestions, I'd be most appreciative. If I have to give someone a call for an evaluation, suggestions are welcome. I'm hesitant to call any of the types who advertise heavily, particularly those who have developed a bit of a reputation for "hard-sell-everything." At this point, it isn't at "critical mass," it's just not cooling as well as it normally does.

Thanks in advance.

I have no idea, but I highly suggest ARP in Edmond:

http://acrepairok.com

Charlie is a class act, honest to a fault, and he went above and beyond for my family 3 years ago during the summer of 100+ weeks in July/August. He earned our business and we haven’t looked at anyone else to service our system.

Could be a dirty A-Coil. Have you checked that? Are you getting a good bit of condensation coming out? You should be getting quite a bit when it's working properly. Maybe it needs a little shot of freon? I had one years ago that started freezing up and it needed a bit of freon. It would only freeze on Hot & Humid days. If the humidity was low and it was 95 outside there wasn't an issue.

Dave I had the same thing happened to me last year. My air conditioner is also about as old or a couple years older than yours. It turned out to just be dirty and it's cool like a champ ever since. I used waggoner's Heat and Air in Norman as they do not charge overtime on weekends don't know if they cover your area or not.

Dave I had the same thing happened to me last year. My air conditioner is also about as old or a couple years older than yours. It turned out to just be dirty and it's cool like a champ ever since. I used waggoner's Heat and Air in Norman as they do not charge overtime on weekends don't know if they cover your area or not.

Awesome tip. I'll give them a call tomorrow (assuming they're closed today). I'm just trying to avoid someone who wants to come out and just sell me a system.

Could be a dirty A-Coil. Have you checked that? Are you getting a good bit of condensation coming out? You should be getting quite a bit when it's working properly. Maybe it needs a little shot of freon? I had one years ago that started freezing up and it needed a bit of freon. It would only freeze on Hot & Humid days. If the humidity was low and it was 95 outside there wasn't an issue.

It is so blessed hot in the attic I can't stay up there more than a few minutes at a time. I swear its close to 120-130 up there. I'll have to figure out how to remove the access panel where the lines go in...

Check the compressor outside that the cooling coils are free of debris, we have these dang black willow trees that put out the "cotton" that blows around that end up blocking mine up, have to spray the coils off with the water hose and it does the trick. Had a repairman tell me one time that half their service calls can be fixed by cleaning the coils and replacing the filters.

Your coil inside is the evaporator. If it is freezing up it is likely low on refrigerant. Also check your filters as they can fill and reduce airflow.

How hot is the air coming off your condenser (outside unit). Make sure that you haven’t stacked anything around it which might inhibit plenty of air.

As an older unit, I have a licensed guy who is good with older units and not just out to sell you a new one.

Your coil inside is the evaporator. If it is freezing up it is likely low on refrigerant. Also check your filters as they can fill and reduce airflow.

How hot is the air coming off your condenser (outside unit). Make sure that you haven’t stacked anything around it which might inhibit plenty of air.

As an older unit, I have a licensed guy who is good with older units and not just out to sell you a new one.

Good info. All vents are clear and all filters are new. Outside unit double checked and cleaned again this AM. Compressor itself seems to be behaving, which makes me think I'm not getting enough.air volume across the coils through.the.plenum.

So, actually, I am 85% sure my blower motor is going bad. I am noticing a drop in output volume near a vent too close to the return that normally pulls the.door shut, but doesn't now. And the volume of air by sheer hand by the vent is lower. The fan nearly went out a few years ago but was shown to be just.out of balance. I'd love the name/number if your tech. Thanks.

I was typing my previous response on a phone and got so exasperated trying to correct my fat-thumb typos I gave up until I could get to a real keyboard.

My observation of reduced fan intake volume is based on a really dumb setup imposed by whatever goof put in my ductwork. They put in a vent in my master bedroom, about two feet from the door; just in front of that same door is a large return vent. So, normally, if that door is even 1/2 open, the intake pull is so strong it closes the door. If I don't close the door, all the cool air being pumped into the room is being sucked right back into the supply vent. Now, with things in their current condition, that door has to be about 80-90% closed for the air pull to close it, and even then it's no longer the firm "cachunk" I'm accustomed to, but just enough to engage the doorknob. So the intake side of that fan is waaaay lower than normal even though, right now, it's running.

What happened about three years ago was we heard that fan make a reallly loud "rumble" when it ran, and a tech came out, pulled it, and realized he brought the wrong blower motor to replace it. So, he put the old one back in (for reasons I don't recall), and when we fired everything up, the "rumble" was gone, everything worked, and that was that. It's run fine ever since. About two weeks ago, that "rumble" came back for about a day, then disappeared, so what I'm thinking is the thing is just barely spinning now. I'm likely to turn the whole thing off because I'm afraid the lines into the A-coil will freeze and then endanger my compressor, even though it's an old gal, it still works.

Don't know if any of that makes any sense, but that's where I am. Outlet temps are now mid 70's, where they were mid 60's as recently as yesterday. In my naive way of thinking, that's reinforcing the notion that the fan isn't pushing volume across the coils....

Good info. All vents are clear and all filters are new. Outside unit double checked and cleaned again this AM. Compressor itself seems to be behaving, which makes me think I'm not getting enough.air volume across the coils through.the.plenum.

So, actually, I am 85% sure my blower motor is going bad. I am noticing a drop in output volume near a vent too close to the return that normally pulls the.door shut, but doesn't now. And the volume of air by sheer hand by the vent is lower. The fan nearly went out a few years ago but was shown to be just.out of balance. I'd love the name/number if your tech. Thanks.
Just sent you a PM

Didn't read through every post so please excuse if it has been mentioned before.
I would....
Check the evaporator coil inside to see if its dirty...
Check the insulation on the outdoor refrigerant line, if it is old/worn it is only a few bucks at home depot.
Check the blower motor/fan in the squirrel cage, if the system is old you probably have a fair amount of dust on the fan blades and blower motor.

Our 39 year old HVAC finally gave out this spring and we had Drabek and Hill do a new install. They were fantastic and did all our rebates for us and everything. They've been around since the '50s and so far their customer service and work has been everything I had expected. Best of luck to you -- hope you get cool soon.

Just sent you a PM

Got it and thank you!!!

I'm confident enough that this is a fan blower issue that I'm now officially hesitant to let the blower run for fear of seized bearings and, however unlikely, risk of it possibly catching fire since I don't know it's exact condition. Will hopefully get some eyeballs on it today.

Just sent you a PM

Got it and thank you!!!

I'm confident enough that this is a fan blower issue that I'm now officially hesitant to let the blower run for fear of seized bearings and, however unlikely, risk of it possibly catching fire since I don't know it's exact condition. Will hopefully get some eyeballs on it today.

Didn't read through every post so please excuse if it has been mentioned before.
I would....
Check the evaporator coil inside to see if its dirty...
Check the insulation on the outdoor refrigerant line, if it is old/worn it is only a few bucks at home depot.
Check the blower motor/fan in the squirrel cage, if the system is old you probably have a fair amount of dust on the fan blades and blower motor.

Thanks, Achilles! We had a blower issue about three years ago and I think it has returned - this time for good. Hoping I can get away with a blower replacement for maybe this summer and squeeze one more year out of the ol' gal. Thanks!

I thought I'd bring this thread to a close..... Rover's tech and I concurred we had at least a blower problem, one wherein it was working, but not pushing enough air across the coil to cool the house or prevent the coil from freezing. We'd heard some rumbling from that blower and he felt a very slight tug/resistance turning it by hand, so we inferred it would be worse under full load. He got the right blower, which easily restored full air volume, but it didn't solve the cooling issue. We were down about 2lbs of R22, which he added, and I noted a quieter compressor as a result. He suspects a small leak somewhere, as it's the first time in 19 years it's needed any refrigerant. I agreed to try some stop leak, recharge it, and see how that goes for the balance of the season.

I was really pleased with Rover's tech, felt he charged me fairly for the work he did, and believe we had/have a good solution for now. If we can get through the balance of the season, I'll be happy. For now, we're cold and happy with about 58-degree vent temps. We'll see how it goes from here. I may even install my Nest today!

The icing could be the cause of the motor going bad. The frozen a-coil aka, evaporator coil inside the cabinet keeps air from flowing properly and over spins the fan since it has no air resistance. The same effect can be observed by putting your hand over the grill of a small desk fan and listen to the motor spin up.

Low refrigerant is usually the cause of the freezing. The oil evaporates too quickly as it gets to the slow moving coil, therefore too cold. As someone else also mentioned it’s worth checking the insulation on your send line also.

The fan can also over spin if the filters are dirty, and if the fan itself is dirty. Finally it’s good to make sure your attic is breathing properly. That your soffit vents are not blocked, and your attic vents are flowing freely, be they whirly birds or other styles. If you have an electric attic fan you should definitely run it in the big heat.

I used to use the guys who advertise on tv but I found a guy that does the same service for the same price. Every year he comes out in spring and washed the condenser coils with detergent to get the corrosion & dirt off, checks the pressure on Refridgeration (and usually tops it up every couple years) and blows out the squirrel cage. He also throws in some filters and puts his voltometer in a place or two to make sure it’s tip top. It’s purely preventative, but the only problem I’ve had with this 30yr+ old unit is a bad relay in 8yrs. Easy fix but the part markup felt like %1,000 considering those types of parts typically cost 10 bucks at the auto shop or supply house.

I also do this with all my rental properties as the millenials like to set the thermostat to 65 and then call me when they can only get it to 67 when it’s 107 outside. Running it all day is actually easier on the system than stop/starting all the pumps and fans and relays every 15 minutes. Not so much on the power bill...

I also forgot one more thing. I wouldn’t go hunting for a leak if you haven’t had a problem in 20 years. Fill it up now and if it’s low by next season then you know you have a problem. Even if you have a pinhole leak that requires 1lb of Freon every 3 years. It’s cheaper than flushing it and cutting out pieces of copper and soldering all over.

I also forgot one more thing. I wouldn’t go hunting for a leak if you haven’t had a problem in 20 years. Fill it up now and if it’s low by next season then you know you have a problem. Even if you have a pinhole leak that requires 1lb of Freon every 3 years. It’s cheaper than flushing it and cutting out pieces of copper and soldering all over.

Agree completely. The tech didn't advocate going on a search-and-destroy mission for the leak, either.