Hey guys, can anyone suggest any good heating and cooling repair company? this is like the worst time ever for the central air to go out. :sad:
thanks
thanks
Came home to a broken AC
- Thread starter isubeatle
- Start date
Calling a repair company? That's no fun. Let's go ahead and troubleshoot it right here. What is it doing, or not doing?
well the thermostat kicks on and turns on the blower in the furnace downstairs in the basement. but the AC unit outside never kicks on.
outside on the house near the AC is a gray box that has a green light flashing on it. i think it's an energy saver, says it's from MidAmerican so that's why i think that's what it is.
Anyway, i went and checked the breaker and it hadn't flipped but i went ahead and flipped it just to make sure. i turned the thermostat off for about 10 mins. the gray box outside had a red light blinking along with the green light after i turned the power back on. on the box it says "...compressor won't turn back on after 8-10 mins if power is cut..."
anyway, after 10 mins or so the red light turned off and i tried turning the thermostat back on. the furnace blower turned on and i went outside to watch the AC unit. i could hear power going to it, humming sound, but it doesn't do anything. the big fan blades don't move or anything, so im thinking it's something electrical and not the compressor? i have no clue
outside on the house near the AC is a gray box that has a green light flashing on it. i think it's an energy saver, says it's from MidAmerican so that's why i think that's what it is.
Anyway, i went and checked the breaker and it hadn't flipped but i went ahead and flipped it just to make sure. i turned the thermostat off for about 10 mins. the gray box outside had a red light blinking along with the green light after i turned the power back on. on the box it says "...compressor won't turn back on after 8-10 mins if power is cut..."
anyway, after 10 mins or so the red light turned off and i tried turning the thermostat back on. the furnace blower turned on and i went outside to watch the AC unit. i could hear power going to it, humming sound, but it doesn't do anything. the big fan blades don't move or anything, so im thinking it's something electrical and not the compressor? i have no clue
I would never ever let midam put one of those stupid boxes on my house... are you sure it is not just midam declaring it a peak time and keeping the air from running?
I had this happen to me also. Came home from work and the ac box outside was working (blades were spinning) but there was nothing coming out of the vents. I didnt do anything to it and the puppy turned back on about an hour later. I think it just overheated maybe?? Anyways hopefully that is what is going to happen with yours. Came home and it was 88 in my place, worst experience ever....
Couple of things to try. First you need to find the reset button on the outside ac unit (probably a red button located inside the unit next to the access panel). Once you hit the reset button and you here the unit getting electricity stick something in from the top and manually push the fan blade to see it you can get it going. If this works go inside and turn down the setting to really low and call a repair man in the morning. At least you will be somewhat comfortable tonight.
My neighbor, for those who remember Hawkfromnorwalk, had the exact same issue. That gray box indicates that you are signed up (knowingly or unknowingly) for MidAmerican's Summer Saver program. On peak days, which this whole week will be, MidAmerican will cut the power to your compressor to save energy. You get a $30 a year credit for this. HFN called MidAmerican today and a guy form Schaals came out and disconnected the box. But yes, if you have that box connected to your house, MidAmerica has the authority to cut the power to your compressor.
Hmmm....yeah, you have one of those power saving units from MidAmerican on there. I'm not certain how they work, but I think they just cycle the A/C unit on and off during peak power usage times. I don't know what the interval is in terms of time. The notice you see on that box is just telling you that you can't cut the power to the A/C unit (and the power saving unit) to circumvent it and get it to power up the A/C again right away.
If you're lucky, it might just be the motor on the fan having overheated or burned up. That part will be much cheaper to replace than the compressor. The compressor makes a very distinct buzzing and humming noise when it first starts and then gets going. It sounds like you're hearing the compressor start up and run, but its likely being shut down automatically when the A/C unit figures out that the fan isn't running.
If you're lucky, it might just be the motor on the fan having overheated or burned up. That part will be much cheaper to replace than the compressor. The compressor makes a very distinct buzzing and humming noise when it first starts and then gets going. It sounds like you're hearing the compressor start up and run, but its likely being shut down automatically when the A/C unit figures out that the fan isn't running.
Summer Saver hours are over by 7:30PM
MidAmerican Energy installs a small cycling device on your home's siding near the central air conditioning unit. From June 1 to Sept. 30, the device will, on peak usage days, govern the degree to which your air conditioning operates. When cycling is necessary, air conditioners are cycled between approximately 2 and 7 p.m., but never on weekends or holidays. MidAmerican Energy uses randomized programming to vary the cycling starting time across our service territory, so the actual start time for each device varies between 2 and 2:30 p.m. and the corresponding end time is between 7 and 7:30 p.m. The cycling device does not control the indoor air conditioner blower fan, so previously cooled air continues to circulate during cycling periods.
MidAmerican Energy Company
You have to knowingly sign up for it, they won't just do it.
I thought I would chime in on this really quick. Yes, it sounds like you are signed up for the summersaver program. My advice, call the number on the box right away tomorrow morning and tell them to get rid of it, unless that $30 credit a year means too much to you. Here is my day yesterday. At 3:00pm, I noticed my house was getting warm. My AC unit is old and has a hard time keeping up so I dismissed the issue. At 4:30 the temp in my house jumped from 72 to 77, so I went out to the AC unit with a hose to rinse it off (I figured maybe it was dirty). When I got to my condenser it wasn't running. I tinkered around with the fuse box for a while and it would kick on but immediately turn off. By the time I called the 800 number on the box they were closed but I talked to billing and they confirmed I was on the summersaver program. Today I called them and told them to disconnect it immediately and they sent somebody out. I don't remember telling them to enroll me on the program and I wonder if it wasn't already on the house when we moved in and I just accepted the program automatically without knowing what it was. Anyway, it sucked and I wasn't a fan of an 80 degree house...
Well I can't find any reset button anywhere. But I did try turning it on and I heard the humming and nothing. So I used a stick to move the blades and they started to spin. But itt only at about half speed it feels like and no cold air. So I'm sure it's the condenser now. But I have no idea really
That seems a little weird then. Mine finally kicked back on around 7:00 and ran fine after that. I would call a repair service and then ask them if the constant turning off and on because of the MidAmerican box caused the compressor to malfunction.
Can't be sure, but a couple summers ago, during that summer's hottest week, our AC went out (actually has gone out 2x in it's lifetime). I think both times, it had something to do with the coolant pressure being too high. Also, check the condensation drain. With the humidity through the roof, it would be surprising if the unit was collecting condensation or something.
it doesn't sound like the compressor, if motor spins half *** or hums loud robably a contacter or capacitor. Thats what the problem is most of the time.
I took the energy saver box off my condenser last year and got the fifth degree from city worker about, I just told him I didn't authorize it being hooked up so back off. The company I work for installs those as a third party contractor. Nobody knows they are going on, we roll in to a town and put them on. If we need to work in house we put a tag on the door and ask for a call back as when we install. There is no permission asked to install initially.
I took the energy saver box off my condenser last year and got the fifth degree from city worker about, I just told him I didn't authorize it being hooked up so back off. The company I work for installs those as a third party contractor. Nobody knows they are going on, we roll in to a town and put them on. If we need to work in house we put a tag on the door and ask for a call back as when we install. There is no permission asked to install initially.
i could see during regular peak hours (when its 80-85 outside) and shutting off the power to save people money. but cutting off when the heat index is over 115 is ********. i guarantee the people that work in the midam building have that puppy cranked down to 65 and would never think about putting a powersaver on their a/c unit. id tell midam to shove that box up their *** and go **** themselves
But if they shove the box up their ***, how are they going to successfully **** themselves?
Anybody want to offer advice on my issue?
My AC unit is working fine but the house won't get below low 80's when it's on. There is a significant amount of pooling water around the base of the furnace in the basement.
I checked the filter and it looks fine and I disconnected the hose to see if it was clogged, which it wasn't.
Any ideas? (thought I'd get CF's 2 cents before I incur a large bill)
My AC unit is working fine but the house won't get below low 80's when it's on. There is a significant amount of pooling water around the base of the furnace in the basement.
I checked the filter and it looks fine and I disconnected the hose to see if it was clogged, which it wasn't.
Any ideas? (thought I'd get CF's 2 cents before I incur a large bill)
My guess is that the water is just condensation from the humid air coming in contact with the cold coil. Unless there is a lot of it, like more than just a puddle surrounding the furnace. Are the vents blowing out cold air? If so, it could be that your unit is undersized and can't keep up when temperatures get this hot. Either that or maybe you're not getting cool enough discharge air because your coil isn't running cold enough refrigerant.
