Previously, all our other A/C issues have been with the outside unit literally blowing up.  Apparently compressors don't like being under-powered.  We fixed the power issues two years ago by completely replacing the breaker box with a new setup and re-wiring the house.  We've had no power related problems since.

However, this year's problem is with the attic unit.  The blower motor won't start on it's own (emits a loud hum), but even when I give it a little help and get it going, it doesn't blow the amount of air that it should.  The freon lines are cold, and it looks like the outside unit is doing it's job properly.  I'm hoping it's nothing more severe than having to replace the blower motor in the attic unit.  My guess is this one's been going out for a while, which might explain why the house hasn't been as cool as it should over the last few years.

But, is there anything else I should be looking for?  When I checked, there was no obvious scoring or charring on the motor and capacitor, though both are pretty old from the looks of them.  From what I can gather, it looks like this blower motor may actually be the original one that came in the unit when the house was built in the 1970's.

Remember the Alamo, and God Bless Texas...

If your blower does nothing more than hum, replace it.  It should move a pretty sizable amount of air even on low, when viewed from the attic.  If the lines to your coil are still cold but little to no air is coming out of your vents.  The good money is usually on a bad motor.  I replace 30-40 a summer in the complex.  It isn't hard if you are decent with electricity, however I would recommend calling someone out and pointing them in that direction.

I am not an AC repair man, nor do I play one on TV.  However I deal with them regularly on the topic you mentioned.  

Yeah.  My dad ran an A/C shop until the day that he died, and I apprenticed with him in the summers.  While the other 12 year olds were out there playing and swimming, I was in other people's attics.

The bad part is being able to buy what you need and not being from a shop.  None of the shops around here would sell me the capacitor I needed because I'm not licensed.  Fortunately my step-dad is an electrician, and he's got a guy from their shop headed over with one.  If that doesn't fix it, which I suspect it won't even though my step-dad says it's the logical first step, the guy should have a motor on the truck or be able to pick one up from the local supply shops out here.

Either way, hopefully it gets fixed today.

Remember the Alamo, and God Bless Texas...

GBT, good luck with that!  I know it really blows not having A/C here.

Got a question, tho.  I just moved to a new apartment (complex is about a year old), and the AC unit makes some wacky ass sound like air being blown through a tank of water.  Kinda bubbly gurgly, a little akin to those water cooler things with the big bottles you put on upside down.  

WHY is that??  Is there some kind of water tank on new AC units?  I can hear that my neighbor's AC units, both above and below, do the same thing.  It's freaky, because it gets loud at night, and the inside unit is right next to my bedroom.  

you may want to try cleaning the contacts and spraying the cob webs and dust out with compressed air.  but you will probably end up buying a new motor

I live in Texas and my car has no AC [:)]

GBT, good luck buddy.

Just 2 weeks ago it got pretty hot here finally. I live in the desert here in SE Washington. Turned on the AC and didn't notice the house getting hotter not colder.

Finally when I did, I called my older brother who used to be a HVAC guy and and he said to check the buss fuses outside.

Thank God it was a $3.50 fuse and nothing more.

Again good luck bro.

ED

Condensate drain is probably plugged.  If it is new construction, it should be easy to clean.  Remember, the condensate has a BUNCH of nasties in it and is a great bacterial growth medium.

Do NOT get bleach on the evap coils!!!!  You will need bleach to kill all the scum.

I feel for you.  My parent's AC (1 year old) had a defective variable-speed blower motor control unit go out.  Over $600 for the reapir and the fish feces wouldn't warranty it.  

I snagged the old part and after 30 seconds, recognized it as a variable frequency drive.  Diagnosis was a blown MOV as these things fail with catastrophic results.  Another 30 seconds blown.  Replacement part was $1.50 and with 5 minutes of solder iron, the old was renewed.  Unfortunately mom won't let me "test" my repair job...back to drawing board.

The MOV was on the rectifier section of the variable freq thingy.  Tracing the circuit showed the power would be interrupted when the MOV blew.  Cool, I can be assured the old part is as good as new.

Not to hijack the thread, but if you ever have a clogged evaporator drain, don't do what I did. I tried blowing it out manually with a hose to my mouth (no comments here) but it was clogged solid.

I needed something with more umph, so I drug one of the 25lb CO2 bottles up into my attic that I use with my home brewing. I hooked the hose to it and cracked the valve.

There was the WHOOOSH and a shuttering sort of sound and I knew that it worked and I had blown the line out successfully.

Then I hear the wife screaming inside!!!

I go down and she's in the bathroom. Apparently the evap drain goes into the main house drain near the bathroom. The clog had shot up from the sink and brown funk was sprayed all over the mirror and ceiling.

I know...sounds like something off of Home Improvement, but it seemed like a good idea at the time.

BTW, if your motor started turning after you nudged it, probably not the starter cap. If it's just a single speed motor, it probably either has seized bearings or some burned out windings.

Good luck

That can be fixed...
[img]http://www.lslproducts.com/5[/img]

If the indoor fan is not blowing the correct amount of air you need to shut everything off until it is blowing correctly.Liquid freon is pumped to the Air Handler(indoor unit) where air blows across the coil causing the freon to flash off into a vapor,then back to the compressor.If you don't have the correct air flow,not all of this liquid freon will change into a gas/vapor and liquid could slug back to the compressor.Pistons in the compressor don't take kindly to trying to compress liquid.

YOU ARE IN MY PRAYERS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Yeah, as soon as my wife woke me up and told me what was happening, I turned the unit off.  I tell her to do that every time we have an A/C problem, but she always forgets it.  Maybe it's the naive hope that it will just work again?

Anyway, it was both the capacitor and the motor.  We replaced both, and the house cooled off by the time the sun went down.

On the gurgling apartment A/C, it's either a plugged drain line, or if your apartment is older they may be using a chilled water system.  I've lived in two older complexes that used chillded water.  If it's a plugged line, then you need to get it cleared ASAP.  You could find yourself with water coming from the ceiling.

And if you have no A/C in the car, you're in my prayers too.  My first car had no A/C.  I don't ever want to do that again.

Remember the Alamo, and God Bless Texas...

If it is a chilled water system it will sound like that or if it is a refrigerant system with a TXV (Thermostatic Expansion Valve) it will sound like that to a degree.

You have liquid refrigerant coming from the condensing unit inside to the evaporator coil so the "watery" sound could be normal.

TexasEd,
Some numbnuts tie the drain into the drains from the sink, tub, etc. but they should not be. Most "homes" will have them ran out into a flower bed or the like.

BigDozer66

I have a complete Nissan Factory Air Conditioning system for sale or trade!

Everything you would need from the outside to the inside then you would have room for more gun's etc. in the bed!

BigDozer66