i know this is a pretty common problem and the google tells me it can be a couple of things, but most likely indicates a coolant leak

but a couple of sources says it could be a dirty/clogged filter and i'm not sure if there's some unknown-to-me filter for the AC unit itself or they're referring to the air intake filter inside the house (which needed to be replaced, no doubt)

also, i found a snake in the unit two days ago (the AC quit working yesterday)...i heard a clicking noise and went over there and a dessicated snake's carcass was stuck in between the grill slots on top...i pulled him out with pliers, but it was only half his body, so the rest is still in there...late afternoon we noticed that the house wasn't getting cool (86 instead of 78) and went out there and sure enough, there's frost on the line next to the unit and frost inside the unit itself

i suppose my question is this: is it possible it's something i can fix myself, and if so, what should i check? i've replaced the air filter but i'm not at home until later today, so it hasn't been turned on since i cut it off yesterday...the frost has all melted, o i wasn't sure if there was something i could/should check while it's thawed and i can take off the cover...maybe a connection or something? see if the snake made something come loose? or should i just call a repairman and have them deal with it for $rhodeisland?

6/26/2011 11:12:43 AM

It could be the filter, but I've never seen a full ice-up that was due to a filter if the filter wasn't so dirty it was black. Make sure the fan(s) that blow air across the coils are spinning and make sure your coils aren't super caked with dirt or something.

Baring the possibilities I just mentioned, you have a coolant leak. If you could fix it yourself you would probably already own the refrigerant gauges to check the refrigerant pressures. I recommend calling a professional.

If you need finding a service tech, I recommend checking the manufacturer's website for a list of authorized technicians near you.

6/27/2011 3:18:51 AM

What type of unit is it and how old is it?

Reason I ask, Goodman units manufactured 2-3 years ago had faulty coils with small pinhole leaks in them. AC guy checked the serial number on mine for me and it turned out to be one of the faulty coils. They don't advertise it, you have to check for yourself but the coil ended up being covered by Goodman.

But to answer your question, my guess is you have a leak. Mine was installed brand new in 2009. In 2010, it froze up and the guy couldn't find a leak, but put coolant in it. In 2011, (last month) it froze up again, and that's when a new guy told me about the faulty coils in some of the goodman models.

[Edited on June 29, 2011 at 11:17 AM. Reason : yea]

6/29/2011 11:15:33 AM

$20 on it being a leak. and call a professional.

6/29/2011 11:46:13 AM

^^ Goodman has 10 year warranty anyway. Pretty sure they also cover labor for the first 5 years.

7/4/2011 8:37:58 PM

^I got the coil covered with the warranty but not the labor..unit is only 2 years old

7/4/2011 10:22:48 PM

after having someone come out and take a look, it's nothing obvious...in that, everything LOOKS good (coolant pressure is fine, capacitors, motors, and circuit board all work)

my handler pan and drain were downright nasty with gunk and it wasn't draining as quickly as it should, so i ended up paying $128 for the technician to be out there and under the house for more than 3 hours (checked the entire thing looking for the problem, vacuumed/flushed the drain line, emptied and cleaned the pan, did a "tune up" of the heat pump) which was worth it for me

of course, i still don't have a solution...his bet was on a relay (there are 3 in the handler and we assume two have been replaced already since the old ones were sitting down there on top of the handler), so i'll probably replace that myself (because, really, i should be able to do it more cheaply than $170)...second bet was on the conductor (or something...it's the board on the outside of the heat pump outside...another $170)

suggestions of the cheapest place to get components? i assume there's an online option that has the best prices

[Edited on July 25, 2011 at 3:26 PM. Reason : also, my pump and handler are goodman and 12 years old]

7/25/2011 3:26:17 PM

good grief, who did you call? $128 is a damn screaming bargain for 3 hours of labor, even without any parts/materials that might have been used.

7/25/2011 9:23:28 PM

Michael and son

It was $89 for the diagnostic, regardless of the amount of time spent... I opted for the $99 home care agreement and $29 first month charge, which covered the diagnostic, the flushing and cleaning... I can cancel before the next month is billed (and will)

Obviously they don't want you to cancel, and but I verified that I could... Dude was here for almost 3 and a half hours

7/25/2011 9:37:17 PM

okay, so it still frosts up, especially with these hot days

i figured i'd look into replacing the suggested time delay relay, first...the part number is B13707-38 and i've definitely found it cheaper than the retarded $170 they quoted me...$14 shipped, to be exact:

http://www.air1supply.com/Replacement-Goodman-B1370738-B13707-38-SPDT-Time-Delay-Relay_p_213.html

now, the question is whether or not i should actually get that particular unit...any reason to think it's a piece of crap? the only noticeabe difference is that one has a sticker on the top, while the one that's in there looks like:

http://www.globalindustrial.com/p/electrical/relays-sequencers/sequencers/packard-sequencer-spdt-1-3-no

thoughts? does it matter?

7/27/2011 8:26:17 PM

for $14 you might as well give it a shot

7/27/2011 10:43:21 PM

Quote :

"did a "tune up" of the heat pump"

Quote :

"it still frosts up, especially with these hot days"

you got "tuned up" alright...



Next time you need AC help and dont want to get lied to and screwed over-
http://hvac.buildingpros.com/build/name/SJ+SERVICE+COMPANY+RALEIGH+N.C._Clayton_North+Carolina_1005578

7/28/2011 8:42:31 AM

^ i don't think i was lied to or screwed over at all...if i had been, you'd think they'd have jumped at the chance to "recharge" my unit at $75 for the first pound and $50 for each pound after that...the unit is 12 years old, they could easily have claimed it needed new capacitors or a new board or any number of things

$128 for more than 3 hours out in the sun on a 100°F day? all to POSSIBLY sell me $300 in parts (the actual labor would be "free" because i signed up for their home care thing)? additionally, he showed me exactly where the drain was clogged, where the pan had spilled over, took apart the unit to show me the relay and other components that could be bad (i wouldn't have had any idea where to look and what to replace had he not done this), and he took apart the unit to clean the dead snake out of it...he went out of his way to tell me how i could do the drain declogging myself and said that the "tune up" wasn't necessary (just a generally good idea because it was pretty filthy)

i don't know, man, it was worth the $128 to me

7/28/2011 8:49:13 AM

... and now your unit is frozen again. Spending $128 on stuff you could have done yourself must feel really good sitting in a hot ass house. Just saying...

7/28/2011 8:54:06 AM

Quote :

"Spending $128 on stuff you could have done yourself must feel really good sitting in a hot ass house."

your point is completely invalid

1.) i know virtually nothing about HVAC systems
2.) my time is worth something, even if yours isn't...if a professional is out there for 3 and a half hours, i can guarantee you someone who knows almost nothing about HVAC systems (me) would have been out there longer...that's independent of the time it would have taken me to google what to do (assuming i could have even found the answers without knowing what i was even looking for)
3.) at the time, i didn't KNOW it wasn't low coolant (the most likely cause)...how would you have suggested i test the coolant level for free? yeah, that's what i thought

hell, you are CAPABLE of building a high-end professional website or being a world-class chef yourself if you wanted to...but it's certainly not going to happen just because someone ELSE already knows everything you'd have to learn to do it

also, it's only intermittently frozen...it's down to 78°F at night (what i've always kept it at, even when it was working fine)...i've had to change the program to be 85°F during the day (previously set to 82°F)...but i'm not there, anyway...the only inconvenience right now is that it isn't 78°F when i get home from work/school (i keep it at 82°F until 7 or 8, now)...it's not exactly miserable, just warmer than i'd like

[Edited on July 28, 2011 at 9:04 AM. Reason : .]

7/28/2011 9:01:41 AM

Typically you can find coolant leaks by looking for spray marks of oil. Look at the top of the compressor, any welded areas on your coolant line, and around where the coolant hose hits the evaporator coil.

Edit: Wow, I completely missed what forum I was on and thought this was for a HOUSE A/C unit.

Oh well you still might be able to find leaks looking for spray marks of oil.

[Edited on July 28, 2011 at 9:45 AM. Reason : Edit]

7/28/2011 9:44:28 AM

Quote :

"Edit: Wow, I completely missed what forum I was on and thought this was for a HOUSE A/C unit."

...it is for a house A/C unit

7/28/2011 9:53:07 AM

Ah any luck?

7/28/2011 3:06:29 PM

thought i'd come back and post that (so far) the unit's been working great...well, as efficiently as it did before the frost issue (struggles during the triple digits)

anyway...yay

8/9/2011 8:01:29 PM