Air conditioning not cooling in apartment?
Question:Live in south Georgia in a duplex...main living room approx. 8 x 12 feet. Air does not seem to be cooling sufficiently. On 95 degree day, even if left on set at 78 degrees, here are the readings from the thermostat.
5 pm: 88
7 pm: 85
9 pm: 84
12 am: 84
6 am: 83
Basically I'm paying out the butt for my power bill but still not getting cool. The landlord claims that it's just how it is when it gets hot outside, that the unit can only cool so much. I think that's BS! Someone please give me their thoughts. Thanks!
Answers:
That is BS and your landlord is required to keep the unit in habitable condition. If the AC is working properly and the unit is adequately insulated there is no reason why the AC should not keep the temperture at a reasonable level, even on a 95 degree day. Inform him in writing (keep a copy) of the problem, and the tempertures, and request that he pay for alternative housing while the AC is being repaired. You may want to consult a lawyer who handles tenant rights as well.
Gas toppling is the answer.
Get the unit cleaned.
looks like you've got a freon leak or the compressor is malfunctioning. tell your landlord the unit needs to be repaired.
it sounds like your A/C is still functioning, just not very efficiently. things for you to check are the filter, check condenser coils (the fins outside) make sure there are no bushes/obstructions within at least 3 feet from the back. wash them off with a low pressure hose, dirt buildup will make it less efficient.
Call maitenance and they'll fix it for free considering you're paying an arm and leg (probably) for the apartment anyway!
try getting your technician to clean it, it might be just dirt, if it turns out it isnt, try decreasing the temparature, if that still doesnt work have your technician take a look
How old is the a/c unit? I had one that that when it ran non-stop, it would freeze inside and not work properly. I think most of them these days have an automatic feature to avoid that freezing problem.
You said you live in a duplex, are the upper part? or is your living room on the main level?
You could also arrange on your own to get a cooling specialist to check things out for you since your landlord doesn't care to do anything about it. That's what I would do; of course, don't expect to reimbursed by said landlord, but at least you might be more comfortable.
There is not enough information really to answer the question over the internet. I recommend that you check the filter and replace it if necessary. Your landlord sounds like a dick. He doesn't pay the electric bill so he doen't care to help you and he is too lazy and too cheap to hire anyone to do the necessary work. Move out or sue him!
landlord it's his problem to maintain it. if you touch the unit he can sue you
Offhand , I`d say it`s doing it`s job . Very generally , a properly working unit should give you a 10 degree difference between inside and outside temperatures .
The higher the temperature outside , the more inefficient the air conditioner becomes . At an outdoor temperature of 95f , many units will just barely work , much less keep you cool .
That`s not to say there`s nothing wrong with it though . The most common problem with window units is the condenser on the rear of the unit gets plugged with dust , lint and whatever . The more it gets plugged , the less heat it can get rid of , and the warmer the cooled air coming into the room becomes .
If there was a freon leak in the unit , you`d notice the cooling coils building up frost/ice if you take off the front cover and filter . If the coils are wet and dripping water , the freon charge is OK .
Everything considered , If there is a problem , it doesn`t appear to be a serious one . It`s possible the unit isn`t of sufficient capacity to cool that area . It should be an 8,000 btu minimum .
Make sure the exhaust vent is closed . It should always be in the closed position except when you want to clear smoke etc from the room . If it`s in the open position , you`ll be exhausting some of the cool air to the outside .
As suggested previously , keep the thermostat set well below your desired temperature , but not at the "coldest" setting , otherwise your cooling coils could ice up .
Finally , if the condenser hasn`t been cleaned in more than a year , I`d suggest you talk to the landlord and INSIST he have it cleaned , along with the filter . In order to clean the condenser , the unit has to be removed and taken outside .
The condenser has to be cleaned from the inside AND the outside , otherwise the dust and lint will never be removed properly .
Dial it down to the lowest setting possible, after an hour check the unit to see if it,s iceing up on the condensor, if it,s a wall unit just pull the front panel off to see it. If it is iceing up chances are the unit is not big enouph for the duplex. The only way it,s ever gonna kool to it,s maximum potentail is if it defrost,s and stays defrosted, if it,s not iceing up the landlord,s probablly got an overideing thermostat somewhere where he has only control of it and has it set at a certain temp. 9 times out of 10 it,s probablly to small a unit for the space, also keep in mind if it,s low on freon the pump wont even run, all ac unit,s have an automatic shut off in case there is low freon levels or a leak, this prevents them from burning up the pump and fan motor,s.
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