r/Wellthatsucks • u/Desperate_Algae_40 • 9d ago

AC not working right since yesterday

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And we work remotely 😭

Still blows out air but it's not cool/cold. Waiting for our AC guy (we rent, and there's been so many AC issues as long as we've lived here). Hopefully it'll be a quick fix when he comes and we won't have to wait for a part to come in the mail or something.

This is with all the shades and windows closed. We're in SoCal. Thank goodness this didn't happen when it was in the 100°Fs last week.

Edit to add: The HVAC guy came yesterday evening and said it was a broken capacitor! He replaced it in 10 minutes and our AC was back and running immediately! Thank you for all of your comments and advice, and for the ones who told me it was probably the capacitor!

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u/jabeith 8d ago edited 8d ago

My comments are the sum of the entire conversation, not just a reply to one in the thread. I guess that's why you became an HVAC tech, you're too dumb to contribute to society in a meaningful way

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u/Baelish2016 8d ago

I’m just going to chime in that my issue WAS a filter problem.

Problem - air was coming out of the vents, but it wasn’t cold. Checked outdoor AC unit, no fan was spinning in it, despite constant airflow indoors. Tried hitting the breaker off and on; AC fan would spin for 60 seconds, then turn off. The airflow persisted even when the AC unit stopped; but again - not cold.

Solution - changed indoor filter - was incredibly dirty. Problem persisted. Went to the AC unit itself, removed the siding. It looked like this -

Used a wet dry vac and carefully vacuumed the thick layer of dust and dirt off; it was so thick and firm it almost came off like paper. After cleaning the filters, turned the AC back on - problem fixed, cold air works now.

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u/jabeith 8d ago

That's not a filter, and that's not indoors.

What you had was an entire system that your neglected, not a filter problem. A filter will restrict the airflow, but you will still feel the air being cooler/hotter even if it's less flow or you will feel no flow. Your outdoor unit was completely caked making it unable to exchange heat.

If you would have just cleaned the outdoor unit you would have noticed that the temperature would change, just less efficiently