School me on central air

Hey guys!

With the heat coming it seems the central air conditioning unit we have at our 1971 house just isn't cutting it. During the very hot hours in the afternoon it doesn't seem to be blowing as cold as I'd like.

We got a quote for a 17 seer Rheem system that will include the replacement of all of our vents in the attic for $7,000.

Any thoughts on Rheem?

 

Rheem is adequate. 17 SEER is more than you need.

 

How often do you run your A/C yearly? A lower SEER rating can save you money, but despite the yearly cost savings it might not save you anything in the long run, especially if you dont plan on living in the house long-term.

 

"doesn't seem to be blowing as cold as I'd like".

Have you had your existing unit serviced? Freon pressure checked? Filters clean?

 

Timely thread on AC.

The AC unit at my parents house is taking a dump too. How do you know the AC unit needs a service or be replaced? The AC is from around 87-88 when they moved into the house new. It doesn't see much action.

 

You've got to find a trustworthy serviceman and have him give the unit a good looking over. Word of mouth from friends or family is the way to go in your search.

 

We set our thermostat at 70-72 damn near all year and our bill hardly gets over $200 per month. This is even with the MIL watching the kid at the house while we are at work all week.

This is a beast though:

 

I open a window...

(he said smugly - until he realizes he has no yard, no garage and no space in the house)

 

That is one good thing you OC'ers have going for you down there. You get that onshore sea breeze influence most nights to cool you down.

 

The coastal ones.
Others of us that live over a good ridge from the coast don't get a cool down until later.

 

We keep it at 70 all year round. We bought the house a year ago and one of the items on the inspection list was to service the AC. I don't recall exactly what was done to it.

The plan is to stay in this house for the long haul. Prices are crazy and we were very fortunate in getting this house at the time we did and it our dream city.

Thanks for the input

 

One thing to keep in mind is a new unit is always going to be more efficient then the ones of yesteryear. If you have the space and money you might want to check into the individual room units. I would start all of this though by cleaning then could outside myself and then having the pressure checked. Sorry to keep rambling on but have the airflow out of the vents checked too. That will ensure you have the proper balance of airflow to each room.

One more thing. Not running your AC is the worst thing for it. You need to keep the seals lubricated by the oil that is in the system. Just FYI

 

An AC unit should get about an hour or two of attention per year in maintenance time at least. A unit like the one Cornholio has is VERY easy to maintain, most residential AC is not easy to properly maintain. And most residential techs are really just new unit salesmen, they don't do anything more then minor repairs.

The list or reasons why an AC unit won't blow cold is too long to list. But a proper cleaning and a charge check are a good start. The problem is R22 isn't cheap anymore since it has been phased out (FYI, Cornholio's unit would cost about $250 at minimum in refrigerant alone if it sprung a leak). If you can find a quality tech to repair your system, it will be expensive, but reliable. Baring in mind, I would cost about $100 an hour and I wouldn't even knock on your door for less then $150 (no, I don't do side work). If you are willing to pay the proper amount, get a good indoor and outdoor coil cleaning, and a proper charge check (charge check would take a minimum 30 minutes, just to check. Spend a few hours getting it cleaned and properly tuned, and it will be as good as new. If the charge is off by 25% or so, put in some EasySeal and replace the valve cores as a little insurance. If you lost more then half the charge, there's a good chance you have a leak to repair.

For the record, I have a window AC in the living room, nothing else.

There are no seals to leak.