All of a sudden our A/C is not cooling. I checked the outside unit and it's blowing out air - the fan is not sucking in. The fan should be sucking air in, right? Any idea why something like this would happen? The house is less than four years old. I've tried flicking the mains switch but this didn't make any difference.
Paul
Kind of hard to tell from here.
Flick the Yelow Pages open tomorrow morning and call somebody who knows what they're doing. Or, you could just start doing stupid shit like changing out the thermostat. Yeah. That'll fix it.
About the only thing I can think of that you might be able to fix easy is a plugged condensate drain. If the drain pan is full there is a switch that turns off the unit. This is under the "inside" unit.
Clearly this is a case calling for the services of a professional. (The outside unit pulls air in AND blows it out) There is really nothing I can suggest that I think you would be able to check that would help you other than to check out the yellow pages for a phone number.
You say the condenser fan is blowing, well then its sucking to. If it blows it sucks, if it sucks it blows. unless the coils are totaly caked with crap then it wont blow or suck that would suck, or blow.
Actually, Tom is right. IF and thats IF you take the OPs words as they are written...then it makes no sense.
See? Here if a fan is blowing out, its GOT to be pulling air from somewhere. Meaning, he isnt familiar with the consensor operation, or, he is talking about something else.
This is where Tom makes the comment about the thermostat. Tom hung around in alt.hvac long enough to know, and see, tons of posts that start out like: My AC quit working, and I ran out and bought a new thermostat, and its still not working...
IF you read a bit more into the OP, it SOUNDS like the units never been serviced, and the outer coils are clogged, but not a soul on the internet can tell, therefore, a call to a competent company would be in order.
Heeheehee...Call me Sherlock Holmes, but I keep my eye open for clues. People tend to reveal their troubleshooting competency level in the smallest of ways...
"I've tried flicking the mains switch but this didn't make any difference"
...indeed! Cripes on a cross, with a "tell" like that, how could anybody send this guy anywhere *but* the Yellow Pages?
Gee Tom P was so rude for saying Flick open the yellow pages, Let me say it nicer Unless you installed the dam thing and burried it in mud it sucking some dam air, Flicking those mains aint gonna go squat if the condenser and fan are running Get It , Now go flick those Yellow pages.
hee hee hee... next time, I skip the "Mr Nice Guy" and go right to:
Thermostat. You need to change your thermostat.
Ya know, tell 'em what they want to hear.
Kinda like last week. Got a call, person demanded that I bring a Lennox TEV with me for a 17 year old coil. ????? Scuse me...but WHO diagnosed it? *I* sure didnt. Retired AC contractor that lives next door........
Get there...and see the problem...the AC unit is UNDER the pool decking, never been serviced.....the evap...clogged...clean both the condensor, and the evap...and lo and behold....it ran..and it was overcharged...big surprise there..
Needless to say, I do not think they believed me at first...
Kinda reminds me of a former customer(he got transferred).
I had to schedule my visits around the neighbors not being home. He was a retired maintenance man that loved doing HVAC (and screwing it up). He got offended if someone called a real service company.
His name wasnt DAVE was it???
Never met him, but he was an old man(70's plus)
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