r/Wellthatsucks • u/Desperate_Algae_40 • 22h 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.

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u/inf3ct3dn0n4m3 22h ago

If your filters are dirty enough the outdoor unit can kick off on high head pressure and lock itself out.

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u/jabeith 22h ago

Then the air wouldn't be flowing.

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u/Baelish2016 21h ago

Eh, I had the same issue - air was flowing through the vents, but the AC fans weren’t spinning.

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u/jabeith 21h ago

Not a filter problem.

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u/inf3ct3dn0n4m3 1h ago

Brother ive been doing hvac for 20 years. Youre picking such a weird hill to die on while having no clue what youre talking about. The air handler/furnace has no idea what the outdoor unit is doing unless its a communicating system which only high end systems are. A dirty filter can cause a spike in head pressure at the outdoor unit which makes it trip off. The air handler/furnace has no idea the outdoor unit isnt running anymore so it continues to put out the same amount of air out as before. The only difference is its a warmer temperature because the outdoor unit isnt running. This isnt up for debate ive seen it happen more times than I can count.

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u/jabeith 42m ago

I'm surprised you've been in the game 20 years and still don't seem to actually understand what the customer is telling you. OP said AIR IS FLOWING. Can you not read? I'd be pissed if you came to my place and started talking about clogged filters on a unit that is clearly moving air. That's not to mention that filters being clogged would cause less heat to be absorbed and need to be dissipated outside by the coil, causing lower pressure

You dont know what you're talking about.

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u/inf3ct3dn0n4m3 39m ago

Youre literally brain dead. Do you think a clogged filter means you suddenly stop feeling air come out of the vents? 90% of customers arent going to notice theres less air coming out of their vents. Also im not talking about OP im talking about the comment you replied to arguing that dirty filters cant stop the air from getting cold. I just explained how it can and you're too stupid to understand but still want to argue anyways

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u/jabeith 37m ago edited 25m 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 14m 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 11m 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