I’m in a rental right now with a useless landlord, so I’m trying to fix the problem myself (or at least find the cause). My home’s central air AC unit is working, but doesn’t seem to be working well. There is cool air coming from the vents, but its less than I would expect, and when its 80f/27c outside, its rarely more than a single degree cooler. I’m looking for ideas to track down the problem. In particular, between the landlord’s neglect and the last tenant’s seemingly willful destruction I expect it’ll be something maintenance related.
So far I have checked:
-
The unit size relative to the property (its about 2.5 tons for a 2,500 ft² property) which the internet seemed to say was fine. That said, its a bungalow with no attic and high-cielings, so Im not sure if that could have enough effect to account for this.
-
Intakes and outlets inside the out aren’t blocked by furnature (although what I can see looking into them looks pretty dirty)
-
I tried removing the furnace filter (which, from my understanding, is also used by the AC inside the house) temporarily, although didn’t notice a significant difference.
-
I checked the cooling fins on the unit outside the house for obstructions, but there was little more than a bit of webs
I’m not an expert on these things at all, but is there anything else I can check or try?
QuarterSwede@lemmy.world 2 months ago
Stick a thermometer in the vent. Should be around 50°F coming out. You’re potentially low on refrigerant. Any frost on the coil box (usually above the furnace)?
givesomefucks@lemmy.world 2 months ago
That’s gotta depend on location…
I’ve lived in a couple US states, and AutoZone always carried it.
Just checked online and even amazon sells 134a
StrawberryPigtails@lemmy.sdf.org 2 months ago
134a is for automotive ac units. Unless something has changed recently, household hvac systems use a different type. It used to be R22 for both, but that was a long time ago. Turned out freon (R22) was bad for the environment.
Twitches@lemm.ee 2 months ago
Quick Google search I found a website that let you buy it all you have to do is check a checkbox that says your certified.
QuarterSwede@lemmy.world 2 months ago
Not legal and definitely not easy to get local without a license. There’s always someone will to sell on the black market. Also, shit is dangerous if you don’t know what you’re doing. I was trying to give the OP sound advice, you know, what they’re asking for.
protist@mander.xyz 2 months ago
Totally. Then once you get it, make sure to huff a bit of it to make sure it’s pure