A/C Problem

[Dimitrios Paskoudniakis]

My outdoor compressor is running, but no air is blowing. There is alot of condensation on the copper tubing just outside the interior air handling unit in the basement, and there was even some ice buildup.

This is for my basement and first floor, and fortunately my heat pump for upstairs is working.

Last winter they had to replace a controller on my furnace which is needed for both heating (oil heat) and cooling.

I'll call the HVAC in the morning. Meanwhile, any ideas what the problem might be?

[Dick Adams]

[hallerb]

yep clogged filter can do that, leave unit off for a few hours, it may have frozen up

[Dimitrios Paskoudniakis]

yep clogged filter can do that, leave unit off for a few hours, it may have frozen up

____________________

Dumb question - you mean the air filter that occasionally is pulled out, cleaned, and reinstalled, or some other filter?

[Dimitrios Paskoudniakis]

Which is clean by the way.

[Edwin Pawlowski]

In that case, is the blower itself working? If not, could be a control, a bearing, the motor itself.

[Dimitrios Paskoudniakis]

The blower is not working. The fuel oil company replaced a controller last winter, so I'm calling them first.

[Duff2]

You have a refrigerant leak and are low enough to freeze the coil but not completely out, yet..

[Tony Q.]

"Dimitrios Paskoudniakis" wrote

Post this question here, they love answering questions. news:alt.hvac

[Dimitrios Paskoudniakis]

Would this also explain the blower motor not running?

[Ralph Mowery]

If you have ice, you could be low on refrigerant in the system or not enough air is flowing over the coils. Check the filter and also see if the fan in the air handler is running and if belt driven, see if the belt is ok.

[Wayne Boatwright]

On Thu 05 Jun 2008 07:10:16p, Dimitrios Paskoudniakis told us...

Not likely. The blower may be separately fused, it may be burned out, or if belt drien, the belt may be broken or slipping badly. You need to closely inspect the blower/motor.

[Dimitrios Paskoudniakis]

Would that also explain the ice and condensate on the coil just outside the air handler, or is that separate and caused by low refrigerant?

[Don Young]

No, the blower motor not running is most likely the cause of the freeze-up, not the other way around, unless the motor is very hot. Shut the system off until you can get it repaired. Do not let the compressor in the outside unit run until you get the blower motor running again and have good air flow. You may have a bad motor or whatever controls the motor. You may also have a tripped circuit breaker that powers the inside unit.

There is a possibility that low refrigerant gas has caused the evaporator coil to ice over. This can cut off the air flow and cause the blower motor to overheat. If this happens either its safety switch will cut it off or it can burn out.

Don Young Don Young

[Wayne Boatwright]

On Thu 05 Jun 2008 07:31:47p, Dimitrios Paskoudniakis told us...

Yes, an inoperable blower could definitely cause the ice and condensate because there's no air traveling across the coils to carry the cold from them. It is possible, however, that you could also have low refrigerant. But I'm betting on the blower.

[Mikepier]

See if you can manually turn the fan at your thermostat. There should be a switch for the fan that has 2 positions: AUTO and ON. Turn it to ON. If the blower comes on, then its something in the control board or the wiring. You should still be able to run the A/C with the fan set to ON.

[Dimitrios Paskoudniakis]

Yes I tried that, but it the fan still did not come on.

[Mikepier]

Does the fan work in heat mode? If not, the next thing is to confirm if the blower is getting voltage. You can check by using a meter

[Edwin Pawlowski]

Oooooooooooohhhhhhhhhhhhhh, that is mean. :)

[Cheri]

LOL, never again. :-)

Cheri