How To Improve Your Air Conditioner's Efficiency - Part 2

[tubageek2006]

A little bit off topic, but when (roughly) was the roach palace built?

[uxwbill]

@tubageek2006 I'd guess the early 1900s.

[monsterdrumworks]

I live in florida and water pours out with the 2 drain holes I drilled , thats b/s leave it level , water will rot your condensor out twice is fast , no idea where you where schooled on hvac but you want to remove water from Any unit be car / truck / home ect ect... hope my tip of the day saves you a condensor

[uxwbill]

@monsterdrumworks Uploads (0) - now THERE Is a real surprise!

I'm glad you know so much more than the people who engineered the air conditioning unit in the first place..the same people who run refrigerant lines in some units so they go through the water and shed heat into it...the same people who put "slusher" rings on the fans. The evaporator lives its life with moisture on it and has no problem!

I'd go on, but I'm out of room. Think you can do better? Get a video camera and _PROVE_ it!

[uxwbill]

@uxwbill In fact, the only reason I leave comments open on these videos, which seem to be a hotbed for this kind of garbage, is due to the number of people who are genuinely appreciative of what I've done.

I'm not a professional, but I stand by every word I ever said in this series of videos.

[Jerkwad152]

Proper carpet irrigation is a must in this severe drought situation.

[uxwbill]

@Jerkwad152 You should hear how hard I'm laughing after reading that comment. The only time I ever irrigated my carpet, it started to smell bad and only weeds ever showed up. Then again, weeds would appear to be the only thing I know how to grow with any degree of success. ;-)

[eljunkesito]

very good.right on the money

[crazybandit35]

my air conditioner is freezing up once a month and i wait 30 minutes and it works fine after that and i find dirty water near the filter on the coils and the fins will cleaning it help?

[uxwbill]

@crazybandit35 It could not hurt, although you should make sure that it is not tilted incorrectly (it should be very slightly outward) and that it is appropriately sized to the room it is cooling. Also check the filter to make sure it is not plugged.

[crazybandit35]

@uxwbill i clean the filter every month but i think it may be time to clean the unit i've had it for a couple of years and it just started doing it the last two weeks

[minniyoutubaster]

Finally at last!!

A video which gets to the point right away.

My problem is that i always use the wrong search words. Which winds up wasting my time. For example I initially searched for how to access slide out filter (in case i buy an air conditioner, only to see i can't access the filter due to my wall blocking access), and then i searched for other key words such as "how to clean wall air conditioners" and then "how to clean window air conditioners" - then finally found yours on sidebar.

[YoMoma777]

I have an ac unit that humms loudly when being turned on and pushes no air when it hums. Needs to be turned on then off 4 to 5 times before it runs and pushes cold air. This happens everytime we start it up. Unit is only a couple years old and started behaving this way right after warrenty expired.

Its a 15,100 BTUH 110 volt unit.

Anyone else experence something like this?

[uxwbill]

@YoMoma777 Possibly a bad start/run capacitor. It's cheap and probably not all that hard to replace, but use extreme care when working around any electrically operated equipment or wiring. Remove the old one and match its ratings as closely as you can. It's OK to go a little bit either way, but you should be within a few percent. Make a note of where the wiring goes or take pictures.

[1965cyclone39]

Why does my big 14,700 btu ac unit blow HUMID air? The humidy in the big room that it is in is up above 70% (everything in the room has a moist feel) and I am ready to just replace it with a new one. I have been told that I need to drill holes in the bottom of the frame so that it will let out the excess water, but I am afraid to do that as I see that there are refrigerent lines at the bottom that this water cools. Please help!

[uxwbill]

@1965cyclone39 Is it big enough to handle the cooling load? Is it getting enough power? Have you set the thermostat correctly? Has it ever been cleaned.

Do not drill holes in the bottom of the unit. This will not help. The water held there helps to cool the hot refrigerant lines.

[1965cyclone39]

@uxwbill It is in a large bedrood that is apx. 360 sq. feet and there is another room that connects to it (open doorway) that also needs cooled that is at least another 120 sf. and then that connects to our living room. We have another 14,700 unit in the dining room (in between the gally kitchen and the living room) that works wonderfully, but they had stopped making them and we went with a different manufacturer for the one one in the bedroom. It has blown humid air since new.

[uxwbill]

@1965cyclone39 If it's done that since new, I'd guess that the cooling system is somehow broken or that the design just isn't that good. Sealed cooling systems are normally reliable. I can only guess that this unit may have a slow leak or didn't get enough refrigerant at the factory.

Before giving up, you might try moving it to another outlet (without using extension cords) and see if its performance is any better. Does it do any better at night?

[1965cyclone39]

@uxwbill It does the same night or day. I will remove it (pain in the rear wall mounted) and give it a good cleaning. After that, I will have the pressure checked or maybe try to do that myself If I can get some gauges. If the pressure is low, would it have this problem?

[uxwbill]

@1965cyclone39 It's a sealed system, so there won't be any service ports unless someone attaches them. I can't imagine how that would be done without reclaiming the contents of the system first, installing the ports and charging it back up. I'd recommend letting a tech do any kind of pressure test.

There is a point where many air conditioning systems will cool "better" with low refrigerant. Most systems will not linger at that point very long if they have much of a leak.

[1965cyclone39]

@uxwbill So a tech will be able to check the pressure and then add if it needs it? Is this expensive to have done since the tech will have to open the system? Thanks for your help.

[uxwbill]

@1965cyclone39 Yes. And it will need to have service ports added. I don't know what the going rate for service is, but you might phone around to a few different places, tell them what you've got and see what they'd say. Some places may not even be willing to work on sealed systems, but they can be serviced.

If you know anyone who works in HVAC but does work on the side, they might give you a good deal.

[uxwbill]

@unityspirit51 Sounds like an issue with the plasticizers outgassing--it's pretty normal for a newly made unit. Time will take care of it, but it may take some time before the smell is completely gone.

[paul3fun]

Thanks..i had a feeling that was the problem...but didn't know if it made since or not

[paul3fun]

The hotter it gets outside the less cold air it blows but once it gets into the evening and night time then it blows ice cold air...is it the sun thats making the a c stop blowing cold air when it's in 95 or higher?

[uxwbill]

@paul3fun In order for an air conditioner to work, it has to output all the heat it has collected somewhere...and that somewhere is outside. That's how an air conditioner works--it doesn't "make cold" so much as it removes heat and places it somewhere else. The hotter it is outside, the less effective the air conditioner will be inside. You can try shading the unit or moving it to alleviate the problem.

[kimkrisrich]

What does it mean when your air conditioner starts to leak tons of gallons of water inside through the filter? We had that problem a while back with a Frigidaire ac unit so we had to get rid of it. Also what does it mean when an ac unit turns on but no more air comes out of it? That recently happened to a whirlpool ac unit we have and now we bought a new one. The only good ac that has lasted 15 yrs is kenmore but we had to sell it cuz my son broke the buttons off!

[uxwbill]

@kimkrisrich You have a plugged drain in your air conditioner, or it's tilted back too far inside the window. Tilt it further out or use a piece of stiff wire to clear the drain, which you will find somewhere on the underside of the unit. (A few units have a cutout around the bottom of the condenser coil for this. Be careful cleaning that opening if your unit has it.)

[uxwbill]

@uxwbill As for the other problem, can you hear the fan humming or trying to run? If you can, the bearings have seized up. You may be able to fix it. It will be easy and any light machine oil will work if the motor has lubrication openings on it. They're usually covered with plastic caps. If the motor is "permanently lubricated", you need penetrating oil and some luck. Either way, you'll have to work the motor gradually until it loosens up.

It's rare that the motor could be bad.

[Aimar0412]

At what temp. differential should i set my a/c from the temp outside?? I would appreciate your answer thanks!

[uxwbill]

@Aimar0412 Set your air conditioner to where you are comfortable. If saving energy is your concern, set the unit to approximately 78 degrees F (25C). Most air conditioners are set up such that their thermostats will not allow the compressor to start if it is too cold for air conditioning at the time.

[bryceathlete]

I just got an air conditioner from my neighbors and one day it started to sweat on the inside and freeze any Ideas about why? and how i could fix it?

[uxwbill]

The drain hole is probably plugged. Use a stiff wire from the outside of the unit to clean it. Also make sure it's not tilting inward. It should be level or tilted slightly outward for the proper result.

[jkeelsnc]

Thank you for your nice video. I will clean the AC tomorrow. Apparently, the landlord is ignorant to the fact that the AC should be cleaned now and then. Then again he complained recently that the power bill was a bit high (power included with rent). So perhaps cleaning out the AC will help reduce the power bill a little (the power is shared with the house up front so I don't have complete control over it). Still every little helps. :) thanks.

[semco72057]

I like this video and the problem I have is sealing up around the window to keep the outside air and rain from coming in. I found some sealant which comes in a can which can spray around the opening to fix that problem.

[TwigaMegahan]

Excellent! Informative, easy to follow, without any glaring gaps in steps or information. An absolute must for anyone with an older unit, or Freecyclers like myself, who want to know how to get the best out of their "new to me" unit, in the interest of the "reduce, reuse, recycle" way of life! Accolades and thanks to the makers of this film!!!!

[uxwbill]

You're welcome and thanks for watching this video.

[pinkytm1]

My father says when an AC is propped up with a board chances are its stolen. #LOL

[standalonesolid]

appreciate the tips.

[paranormaalutrecht]

What a noise :) If you where my neighbour you had a serious problem :D

[weasel2htm]

Wouls this be the "roach Palace"?

[uxwbill]

The indoor shots sure are. Hadn't seen a roach in a while, but I stomped one tonight. May be time for some more bug bombs!

[weasel2htm]

You could do a davidsfarm and just frost them with old A/C freon.

(Something tells me that the side effects of the flaming propane would not be desirable)

[uxwbill]

You're not "supposed" to vent A/C freon. (I've been told that the fine in the US is...enormous...if you do and happen to get caught. So I don't even chance it.)

I don't know...given the shape of the roach palace, flaming propane might be an "improvement".

Funny thing is that roaches are said to be able to survive even an absurd amount of nuclear radiation--and yet one good stomp from a boot later it's lights-out time.

[cmarlow480]

so why do you have a AC in that upstairs where theres NOTHING no walls no insulation or anything?

ps cool tips

[uxwbill]

Because it's better than no AC when you're moving tons of old interior crap to the trash, and the house really does hold its cool better than it would seem to. The exterior walls are pretty thick.

[cmarlow480]

oh whats that upstairs gonna be a bedroom or your office?

[uxwbill]

I don't know yet. It's one of those decisions I should really make, but I'm not even sure if the house is going to be salvageable. It's been very, very neglected.

[randomrazr]

hey uxwbill, u gonan post any pics of ur cars, like ur caddy, buicks or riliant anytime? i miss ur car vids...lol

[Silverwolfstarz]

very nice tips