Does anyone know what it means when a PTAC unit starts working fine but after a few hours starts giving out noises as if the circular internal fan is becoming unbalanced and possibly fouling slightly on its shroud?
At around the same time, the conditioning seems to change to what resembles mostly ordinary fan mode. Turning off overnight gets it working again for a few more hours.
Difficult to say with a PTAC. It weighs a ton and is very difficult to move to get inside. But isnt the refrigerant quite difficult to escape from a home unit, absent a leak?
Yes it is difficult, but they do leak. I had one that about every 2 years it would loose enough refrigerent to freeze up the coils. I obtained some gauges and refrigerent and would check it every year. This unit was installed after the house was built and put in with some of the precharged lines and coils. The lines were put togeter with some kind of compression fittings. I tightened them up and it went a lot longer before needing refrigerent added.
There should be a way to see or tell if the coils are icing up. Check the air flow, and a clogged filter may be part of the cause.
WHOA there, just a minute, while we are on the general subject of hitting the nail squarely on the thumb.........
I didn't mention, because I wrongly didn't think it relephant in the room, I KNOW full well that the air filter needs cleaning. It hasnt been cleaned for a few years and I was going to clean it. I just wanted to know what else I needed to do at the same time.
NOW I know. Clean that filter out. Thanks for that
If the air filter has not been changed for several years, it probably is so full there is little air flow an may cause the unit to freeze up.
I don't know much about the PTAC and what kind of filter they use, but would think it should be changed or cleaned much more often. By now the coils may be so dirty they will need cleaning.
yes, but with a PTAC, it is my understanding that you have to pull the 100lb unit out to clean/white foam the coils.
Clean the filter every few months and you won't have to.
It is a black partially cloth thing with a flimsy plastic frame.
I vacuumed it and left it in the shower to dry.
Its going to be a pig to get back in properly!
I don't remember seeing a black one, might just be dirty.
Yes, they are a pain to get in, and sometimes there are two, one a bit behind.
I hate them. You've got that loud compressor near your living space, you can't control humidity, etc. All in all the newer split systems are a huge step forward.
Things not looking so good. I tried to see what was going on with the improved air flow by turning the unit on with the filter out while drying and the results are what I expected. Unit works fine for about five minutes, then the noise starts and the actual conditioning seems to start to decrease.
I can't figure out who ever thought these old dinosaurs were a good idea. In an apartment with a half dozen, cleaning the air filter every few months can become a full time occupation! And yes, we did look into replacing them with Daikin Splits a few times. It never seems to make economic sense.
I DO note that if you look on youtube now, PTAC units seem to have easily removeable filters, a bit like ordinary A/C units have had since about the mid 1950s. But with most PTACs, the procedure for removing the outer cover and getting down onto your chest to wiggle them out is convoluted to say the least.
I would think there must be a lot of money to be made reverse engineering a more modern replacement? But the companies which do make these seem happy to continue to produce these same old units at astronomical cost. I might be wrong but the Chinese company which tried to make them at lowish cost (the SoleusAir KHSY-15 remote control) stopped pretty quickly when no one would distribute them!
Things not looking so good. I tried to see what was going on with the improved air flow by turning the unit on with the filter out while drying and the results are what I expected. Unit works fine for about five minutes, then the noise starts though it doesnt actually sound particularly threatening
(I'll report back when I get the filter back in and the metal cover back on, which should muffle a bit more of the noise)
It could be one of the electrostatic washable filters...
Twice a year I open the plastic frame and wash the internal parts. It's a multistage filter comprised of foam pads and screening material.
Yes, it probably is (an elongated version of) one of those. Although not as easy as an aluminium one, it cleans pretty easily, with a vacuum cleaner followed by dunking in the shower. It is just rather tricky (though not difficult) to get out. Yours looks like the ones on youtube which pulls out easily from the front in about 20 seconds. I think I have the aluminium ones in my Ice Cap / Lion PTACs.
I can just about guarantee that a normal household vacuum cleaner does not clean it as well as a leaf blower blowing through the filter in the opposite direction from which the dust was sucked in.
If you are going to "dunk" it in the shower, I suggest taking the frame apart - if possible - and washing the layers separately, assuming that it is similar to mine.
As mentioned, I blow mine out once a month and wash it twice a year.
A Dyson should do a reasonably effective job?
I'd put a leaf blower up against any household vacuum cleaner and expect the blower to do a better job.
I don't have a Dyson and I don't what model Dyson you have. Apparently they range from ~$250 to ~$900. I don't know the difference in performance, CFM rating, etc. so I can't answer your question.
I just a did a test. I vacuumed my filter with a shop vac. I then vacuumed it again with a Sanitaire Commercial Canister vac (10 Amp, 135 CFM).
I then took it outside and blew it out with my leaf blower. As always, it blew out a visible cloud of dust. I'll stick with the leaf blower.
We finally managed to get someone out to look at this PTAC and he showed me that the problem is the bearing in the circular fan. His firm however wants to sell us new units at $2700 each so I am reasonably keen on finding the fan blade and getting it in. The company making them is SoleusAir, who are impossible to contact!
Anyone got any ideas on finding a fan for a KHSY15 please?
It may be possible to have the motor rebuilt or replaced cheaper. Plenty of motor rebuilders around.
I picked up a noisy window AC once. I opened it, and disassembled the fan motor, read the bearing #, and picked up a pair for less than $10 at a bearing shop, which I installed. It worked perfectly after that.
Well that is what the bloke said, based probably on his firm wanting to sell me a new unit. I like your idea a lot! He did mention that there is a bit of bearing which seems to comprise a (silicone?) sleeve or two around the central shaft. I wondered at the time why he couldnt just replace the two worn bits??
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