AC troubleshooting? please help?

Question

i live in an apartment and i called early because my ac in home is not working and the maintenance man brought over this huge thing that is old and stinks and said he can't work in the dark, I am really pissed and hot , is there anything I can do on my own if the problem is not severe?

Answer 1

you should have called him earlier in the day. i'm sure he will have it fixed tomorrow.

Answer 2

more info please.

:is the a/c turning on?

:is the a/c blowing air but not just cool air?

:what happens when you put the thermostat on the 'fan' position?

Answer 3

HVAC Tech.:  My best suggestion would be to treat yourself to a night at a local motel and let maintenance get you fixed up tomorrow. with additional info I do believe your unit has a Bad compressor or lost its charge . either way you cannot fix it. so find a comfortable way to get through the night. should not take long to change out the units tomorrow. SORRY I can't do more

Answer 4

i imagine if you could have fixed it you would not have called a repair man ,so leave it,take a cool shower,stand in the refrigerator,go to walmart,burn up some 4.00 per gal gasoline,lots of stuff you can do to be cool,like go buy yourself a really trendy(cool) outfit.............tom

Answer 5

It could be several things. The first thing you need to do is turn the unit off. The cooler you set it at the faster you can burn the motor out on it then you will be in a really hot situation. Go to the closet where the unit is and see if it is wet in there or notice any moisture. If so, it could be any of the reasons I listed. The main thing is to keep the unit off and the closet open so it can dry properly and air out to prevent mold. The you can start looking for answers as to why this is happening.

1.The condensate pipe may be clogged (happens with pet/human hair and dirt. The cure is to grab an air compressor and force air through it for about 5 minutes to clean the condensate pipe. Every month you should pour straight bleach into the condensate pipe to keep it clear.

2.The unit may be low on freon. The cure is the repair man fills it back up and figures out where the leak is or else he/she will be coming back either monthly or seasonally to refill it. This is also an inefficient fix as it will drive up your electric bills.

3.The coils may need to be cleaned. The landlord should pay for this service as it is very costly depending on the placement of the coils.

4. If you haven't been changing the filters monthly ( I hav et o clean mine every other week cause I have three dogs and four kids), the dander and fur will have clogged it up and willprevent air from passing properly through the filter and will make the unit work much harder and freeze up. The cure it to change the filter. Open the grating (somewhere near the place where the indoor unit is or it may be in the closet with the unit) and get out the old filter, take it with you to the store and buy some new ones just like it. Change them monthly or more often if necessary. If you removed the grating and noticed an accumulation of hair and or dirt under there you should vacuum it out immediately to prevent another clog.