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I have a 2 ton central unit for my upstairs. It is 25 years old and still runing. Lately it will run all day when the outside heat is peaked and then when dark falls it will catch up at about 10:00pm and begin to cycle normally. Can it be that the unit has lost some of its cooling power even if it seems to running ok?
Re: I have a 2 ton central unit for my upstairs. It is 25...
Hello, it could be that the unit is slightly undercharged and has a small leak. Usually when the cooling is needed the most the ac wont be able to keep up with the heat load as you mentioned.
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Are you in Siberia? How old is the unit, how cold is it outside, is your unit sized correctly for the cubic meters of space in your area, and how thick is the insulation in the walls and ceiling of your building? Here in the U.S., I am in West Virginia. My electric central heat / A/C unit is 4 tons in capacity, my unit is 18 years old but I maintain it myself, my house is 170.5 meters squared in floor area with vaulted ceilings and my ceiling insulation is about 30.5 cm thick, my walls are a bit on the thin side but my floors have been stuffed full of blown fiberglass. All in all, we have mostly mild winters here but when the temperatures get to about -6 C.or below for several days at a time, my electric heat would run 24 / 7 to keep the house at 21 C. if I didn't kick on my propane gas logs. I usually keep these in reserve for when the power goes off as my 7 Kw generator won't run that dinosaur consumer of a heater. I tried to say dinosaur k___er but Fixya considers the "K" word to be profane even if the victims have been extinct for 65 million years. Oh well. Anyway, I run the logs off from two 7 kilo propane tanks with gas grill regulators connected to a "T" on the soft copper line leading into the fireplace. I know this wasn't much help but maybe the comparisons gave you something to think about. Good Luck.
If the unit is running in cold weather than there is ice building up on the coils located outside. This is normal in that the unit is running in heat pump mode heating inside and cooling outside, After the unit detects the ice build up it briefly reverses the cycle heating the outside coils melting(defrosting) the ice which you observe as water on the pad.
You could do it with a wireless thermostat and just have 2 thermostats right next to each other with a sensor for the other one. I think that's your best option, look into a wireless thermostat.
I'm assuming you have had a competent Air Conditioning contractor look your unit over.if you trust your A/C contractor, why don't you work with them towards an answer? I would get an air flow and sizing analysis, a full equipment service/performance check, and see if there is something simple causing this dilemma. Possibly low refrigerant charge,or you have a filter or coil restriction on the indoor unit. I've seen mold plug a coil solidly before. And due to new federal regulations on air conditioning efficiency and the phase-out of R-22, I would recommend that any replacement equipment be done in full, not part and parcel. The newer two stage energy star rated cooling and/or heat pump offerings are a fantastic solution for premium indoor comfort, and the government is offering powerful incentives right now if you're in the market.
First of all, clean your outside coils so that you are assured of good cooling air. The compressors have an overtemp device that is usually internal to protect them against heat. If you have an air compressor use it to blow out the coils good. If the compressor will start, the capacitor is good so it sounds like a cooling problem with the compressor
If your sure on the psi your low on freon or your evaporator is restricted discharge psi would realy help.you will get best performance with a clean unit or pay expensive utility bill . Tom
Sound like there are running on emergency heat which is elrctric.Have the system checked out buy a local heating and cooling company. Have they checked the filter and changed them.
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