Ice on distribution pipes to air conditioner

I've got a Trane central air unit for my home (dual zone), and the upstairs unit is not putting out cool air. I checked the compressor unit outside, and there is ice on the distribution pipes as they enter the unit. Also, when the fan is running no hot air is being pushed out of the top. The downstairs unit works fine; no ice on the lines and the compressor fan blows hot air to the outside (inside it keeps nice and cool). Both units are original, about

10 years old.

Obviously if it is a simple fix I don't want get suckered into buying a whole new compressor. But since I know next to nothing about cooling systems I need to know possible causes for the problem and likely price ranges for what I should expect to pay for repair.

Can anyone help?

Reply to
DesignGuy
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I think I can.

I can't see it from here, but I'm pretty confident it's NOT the compressor.

Reply to
HeatMan

compressor.

What do you suspect it is then?

Reply to
DesignGuy

This is Turtle.

There is three things that come to mine here but I can't see it from here. When you have ice on the suction line [ bigger copper line ] you have this.

1) Poor air flow across the evaperator coil inside at the coil. This can be dirty evaperator coil / dirty blower wheel / furnace or air handler motor not fuctioning correctly or running fast enough / too many air register in each room in your home closed off / and last Dirty filter. All of these are called Air flow problem. Most often this is it.

2) Blockage in the freon system or flow of freon . This can be a bad expanion valve or a plugging up flow rater at the evaperator coil inside the house or a drier or strainer at the evaperator coil where the freon enters. This would be the cause in about 1 in a

1,000.

3) You are low on freon to a point of running out and it will ice up before you get to a empty level. Now this would be the second most common thing that would be the cause.

Now I do not see a compressor change out with a problem like this. I do see a fixing of a leak of freon somewhere or cleaning of a evaperator coil or changing of a blower motor. Now a compressor change is just out of the picture as i would see it here.

TURTLE

Reply to
TURTLE

Turtle hit it right on the head.

The only homeowner repair I reccommend is changing the filter. You may be able to replace a motor on a furnace, but I don't recommend it( I don't know how handy you are).

Reply to
HeatMan

As a follow-up: I contacted a local company and they sent a guy out (at

10:00pm last night no less - they were running *way* behind that day).

Freon was a couple of lbs. low, so he added to that. That may indicate a slow leak in the system, I'll have to watch that. The other problem was that the vents to the air conditioner houseing were clogged. I was looking from the inside out, through the top. But shining a flashlight from the outside up into the vents showed debris in there. So I hosed that out this morning. Charge for the service call ($60) plus two lbs. of Freon @ $17/lb. was $94. Spent my time talking with the nice fellow that came out, learned some new things about heating/cooling.

I will need to put either gravel or possibly square slabs out around the units. They are under some trees which drip and cause splashing from the ground (very little grass due to shade) up into the unit vents.

Reply to
DesignGuy

When you have ice on the suction line [ bigger copper

be dirty evaperator coil / dirty blower wheel / furnace

too many air register in each room in your home closed off /

expanion valve or a plugging up flow rater at the evaperator

the freon enters. This would be the cause in about 1 in a

before you get to a empty level. Now this would be the second

see a fixing of a leak of freon somewhere or cleaning of a

just out of the picture as i would see it here.

Thank you Turtle and Heatman... Turtle your point #3 was right on the money.

Reply to
DesignGuy

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