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M4
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Posted: 6/29/2012 12:53:10 AM

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My Ruud A/C seems to be running ok, with the annoying exception the air isn't nearly cold enough.

Might be a dumb question, but how tough would it be for me to fix that myself.....quickly?

Florida is not where you want to be in June with a weak A/C.....your help is appreciated.
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Traderjac
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Posted: 6/29/2012 7:34:16 AM
You may luck out and repair it. What is the exit temp. of the air?
What R is it, 22 or 410A?
Are your filters clean?
Is the indoor evap freezing up?
M4
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Posted: 6/29/2012 8:43:06 AM
[Last Edit: 6/29/2012 8:43:39 AM by M4]

Originally Posted By Traderjac:
You may luck out and repair it.

What is the exit temp. of the air? Not sure, but its certainly not what the thermostat is set at.

What R is it, 22 or 410A? Not sure what that means.

Are your filters clean? Yes.

Is the indoor evap freezing up? It'll only do that with a very dirty filter, which isn't the case.

Is something like this typically a matter of freon (or whatever is used for cooling) needing a boost?

If it is that, can I "recharge" it myself?

If its not that then what might be the issue?

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ar-jedi
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Posted: 6/29/2012 9:09:05 AM
Originally Posted By Traderjac:
What R is it, 22 or 410A? Not sure what that means.

you can't fix it by yourself.

ar-jedi
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Hoppy
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Posted: 6/29/2012 9:14:55 AM
I'd at least check the cooling coils to see if dust has clogged the "radiator". This will cause them to freeze up and air will not circulate. If that's the case you just turn the unit off, thaw the ice and clean the coil "radiator'.

I'm not an AC guy so I'm not certain of the terminology but I used to have to do this on a regular basis on an old outside unit we used to have.
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klutz347
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Posted: 6/29/2012 10:28:34 AM
Originally Posted By ar-jedi:
Originally Posted By Traderjac:
What R is it, 22 or 410A? Not sure what that means.

you can't fix it by yourself.

ar-jedi


My thought also.

OP, unless you have the proper gauges and manifold, and training you can't just "Add some freon" and have it work. Best case if you do, it still doesn't cool. Worst case, you blow the system up and have to get a new one.

Hire it out.
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all4freedom
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Posted: 6/30/2012 11:25:46 AM
I love DIY projects, but when this happened to me 2 summers ago, I called the pros. Could need a charge/have a small leak. I'd call a smaller HVAC guy and have him check it out. If you don't have any knowledge of the subject at all (and I don't mean you, I had no idea) DIY probably isn't the route to go. Especially with plumbing, HVAC and electrical stuff.

FYI, the AC system was 30 years old and crapped out. The local small business guy cost me $1950 for a new unit and line set. The big HVAC company quoted me $4200 I think it was. Pretty much apples to apples as far as components, etc. They just had to pay for a lot more vans and TV commercials.
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M4
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Posted: 7/1/2012 4:14:43 PM

Originally Posted By all4freedom:
I love DIY projects, but when this happened to me 2 summers ago, I called the pros. Could need a charge/have a small leak. I'd call a smaller HVAC guy and have him check it out. If you don't have any knowledge of the subject at all (and I don't mean you, I had no idea) DIY probably isn't the route to go. Especially with plumbing, HVAC and electrical stuff.

FYI, the AC system was 30 years old and crapped out. The local small business guy cost me $1950 for a new unit and line set. The big HVAC company quoted me $4200 I think it was. Pretty much apples to apples as far as components, etc. They just had to pay for a lot more vans and TV commercials.

That's what I did. Can't screw around in June, in Florida without A/C.

Looks like it's going to be close to $500 to repair....and after the guy clearly showed and explained what the problems are, there's no way in hell I could have done it myself.

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all4freedom
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Posted: 7/3/2012 3:28:39 PM
Sometimes that's the only solution OP. The AC is out in the car I drive to work so I tried a charge kit first, it blows cold when it wants to. I did everything I could and put $40 in to it and I'm now $40 behind when I have a pro look at it.
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M4
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Posted: 7/3/2012 6:07:48 PM

Originally Posted By all4freedom:
Sometimes that's the only solution OP. The AC is out in the car I drive to work so I tried a charge kit first, it blows cold when it wants to. I did everything I could and put $40 in to it and I'm now $40 behind when I have a pro look at it.

Yeah, well, $1175.00 later, my house is now 72 degrees once again.
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