Do it yourself Home AC Maintenance

[jazz4cash]

Where else to put it, if there is no basement?

I’d sacrifice a closet to have the mechanicals accessible even if the ducts still run through the attic. You would need more noise insulation though.

 

[Sunset]

I got my capacitor from Grainger , as all the hardware stores I called including HD, Menards, Lowes , all would just order it and have it in a week.

Grainger had in their store, so I picked it up.

I also bought a furnace replacement motor from the same place 8 yrs ago, and it's still running fine.

 

[John Galt III]

I got my capacitor from Grainger , as all the hardware stores I called including HD, Menards, Lowes , all would just order it and have it in a week.

Grainger had in their store, so I picked it up.

I also bought a furnace replacement motor from the same place 8 yrs ago, and it's still running fine.

Thanks. I searched online and it turns out there's a Grainger store near me I never knew about.

 

[meleana]

Our filter is part of the gas furnace and we do routinely replace it. We probably will rarely get the AC serviced. Maybe in a few years. It’s only a year old and we are in a new house. No attic ( all trusses). And duct work all in the basement and comes up in the floor vents that the heat does in the winter. ( we have a ranch style cottage).

 

[sladecek]

Where else to put it, if there is no basement?

A lot of new homes here in Central TX are using spray foam insulation. Typically the underside of the roof decking is sprayed, which brings the evaporator unit and all ductwork in the attic into conditioned space (there's no insulation on top of the ceiling drywall).

 

[msanniee]

In order to maintain the units warranty, I have a routine check up done every fall. I change air filters evert couple of months. The air filters wind up costing more than the annual maintenance call.

 

[2cheap2eat]

If you have to ask that question then I don't see any reason why you would be doing this yourself. I don't know the answer and that is why I wouldn't be doing it myself.

LOL I was wondering the same thing! A few hundred bucks using a professional can save you in the long-run!

If you really want to do it yourself, YouTube is a start.

 

[Kroeran]

Summarizing key points already made drawing on my many adventures with attic systems

1) build a platform beside the unit with cheap plywood scraps
2) install a pull down ladder
3) install some kind of bright light up there wired or battery powered
4) main thing is to check overflow pan is dry, put some antibiotic treatment in the drain pipe, peek at the coils and chamber for mold, blow off any dust, with breaker off.
5) think about installing UV in the box but be warned that UV light can permanently blind you - DANGER
6) put a leak detector in the overflow pan
7) outside, hose out the radiator coil
8) keep replacement capacitors handy but study capacitor safety. DANGER They store power after breaker is pulled !
9) check outside box line incoming and outgoing temperature differential as health check on system
10) wet vacuum drain line from outside
11) use cheapest baffled (sine wave) filters and change around 3 months depending on usage (eBay may have best value)

 

[Car-Guy]

^^^^^^

Good list...

Glad you started with the most expensive stuff first (#1 Plywood) No such thing as cheap plywood anymore, even scraps.

 

[Retired Expat]

Hi All!

Rather than calling an HVAC guy I want to see if I can perform annual maintenance on my home AC system myself. I have a pretty standard AC system, it is completely separate from the heating system which is baseboard heat.

So I pretty much got the outdoor condenser unit squared away, I removed the dirt from the fins and lubricated the fan etc. etc. My question is really about the indoor evaporator unit. The evaporator is in my attic (see pictures) and I'm not sure even where to begin servicing this thing. Not only is it sealed tight but I'm scared to go near it because if I apply pressure to the sheetrock underneath, I'm going to go right thru the ceiling!

Is servicing the evaporator even necessary? Any suggestions would be appreciated....thanks!

The interior unit is the part that gets cold and cools the air. It creates lots of condensate so drains must be checked and pans cleaned. Mold and legionnaires disease grows in the damp dirt at collects there. The coils and fins as they are wet can collect dust and dirt and depending upon where the filters are located, (at the return grill or before the coil can make a big difference on how dirty the coils might be. So yes you must service the attic or interior unit.

 

[frank]

Right. And it will happen in the summer, not the winter. I always have an extra on hand. But I just retired a 1993 unit and I didn't buy a spare for the new Goodman I installed. I should probably do that.

did you install your own goodman? how do you like it? does it have the ecm blower motor? was thinking of doing the same thing. how does goodman's warranty work where you live?

 

[Argus]

Sorry, I didn't read through 3 pages of replies, so if I'm repeating someone's earlier comment...

three things
1. if it's under warrantee have it serviced
2. If you plan to sell anytime soon, have it serviced so you can show it's been professionally maintained (had to do this when selling father's house)
3. ask the service people "do I really need to do this every year or can I do it every 2 or 3?"

I asked our service people who maintained our on-demand-water heater, and they said you can call us every 3 years or so. Done. Not everyone is out to pick pocket you.

 

[sengsational]

did you install your own goodman? how do you like it? does it have the ecm blower motor? was thinking of doing the same thing. how does goodman's warranty work where you live?

I did buy it myself on Amazon and used a deer hoist to get it into the attic, hehe! It cheaper blower motor. Got a guy and a truck A/C guy to braise and charge. I didn't really dig into the warranty.

 

[Time2]

did you install your own goodman? how do you like it? does it have the ecm blower motor? was thinking of doing the same thing. how does goodman's warranty work where you live?

My furnace had am ECM motor that died while still in warranty. The second one developed a bearing problem and had to be replaced. My brother in law, an HVAC guy, found I had ordered bearings and said, forget that, "I'll replace it with a regular motor, I see to many of the ECMs going bad." He did that and 5 years later still it's still working.

 

[frank]

My furnace had am ECM motor that died while still in warranty. The second one developed a bearing problem and had to be replaced. My brother in law, an HVAC guy, found I had ordered bearings and said, forget that, "I'll replace it with a regular motor, I see to many of the ECMs going bad." He did that and 5 years later still it's still working.

I saw online that there were problems with the ecm motors and heard there was a way to work around them and just use a regular motor. I was just hesitant about installing the goodman because of that type of motor. how long did you original motor last? do you happen to know what he used to work around the ecm part?

 

[jazz4cash]

In order to maintain the units warranty, I have a routine check up done every fall. I change air filters evert couple of months. The air filters wind up costing more than the annual maintenance call.

That’s another issue with our attic installation We have a filter for each of five 12x12 return vents. The filters cost the same as a larger standard size filter ($5-6 per filter for a step above the cheapest available). That really adds up! I try to stretch the filter changes since it is a huge filter area but usually end up changing them too soon or too late.

 

[sengsational]

did you install your own goodman? how do you like it? does it have the ecm blower motor? was thinking of doing the same thing. how does goodman's warranty work where you live?

No complaints with the system. It's the upstairs system, and we have a two story foyer, so in the winter, the downstairs carries the load of both floors, and in the summer, we never go upstairs, so we have it set so it doesn't come on very much. All that to say it's not been exercised very heavily. But it heats and cools without fault. But it's new, so I would expect it would, right?

As to the warranty, I've never had much benefit from product warranties, so don't sweat that aspect of the purchase. I don't think I even filled-out the card and mailed it off. I probably should, so I get informed of recalls and safety issues. It says "registration is strongly urged". If it quits working, I'll cross the warranty bridge, but it says warranty doesn't apply to units ordered over the internet unless installed by a dealer. I'm sure I can get the guy that did the braising and charging to say he installed the whole thing.

You can fiddle with it, maybe, at www.goodmanmfg.com, and click "product registration".

 

[frank]

I will register it at some point this month when I finish installing it. it has 10 year part and lifetime heat exchanger warranty if you sign up online, but only a 5 year parts warranty if you don't sign up online.

 

[pjigar]

FWIW, we built a modest forever home and we broke all the "conventional rules" of home building. One of the unconventional thing we did was that we went with "split HVAC" in every room/area. The split HVACs are relatively new in US so install costs can be a lot higher so I installed all 5 units myself. They come pre-charged so putting them in service only needed a vacuum manifold and vacuum pump. I already had both those tools from previous car AC work I had done. These split HVACs are relatively simple appliances and easy to maintain yourself. Main reasons we went with split HVAC were efficiency, air quality and overall system reliability (redundancy aspect, only one will break at a time so we won't be without HVAC in the whole house).

 

[frank]

I live in upper midwest and heat is my initial worry. I can go without air conditioning for a couple of weeks while I get and install a new system, but when it/s -20 outside there is no time to wait. does the split hvac have the heat and air in one unit? is the heat electric?

 

[pjigar]

Yes, my splits have heat pump function. But heat pump is NOT very efficient. When we reached -10 F last winter, HVAC struggled to keep the temperature to 60 F. I would ask someone up north to chime in on heat pump experiences.

I think temperature difference is what matters for heat pump/AC. Pulling heat out of 80F (-20 F - 60 F) temp difference is very hard. AC generally has to pump out the heat with ONLY 40 F (100 F - 70F) difference in the summer.

PS: Next winter, we are going to supplement heat using wood burning fireplace since wood is free for us now!

 

[Time2]

I saw online that there were problems with the ecm motors and heard there was a way to work around them and just use a regular motor. I was just hesitant about installing the goodman because of that type of motor. how long did you original motor last? do you happen to know what he used to work around the ecm part?

The original motor lasted less than a year. As to replacing it, my brother in law did it. I do know it required installing a relay (contactor). I'm electronically trained and could understand it, but didn't try. BIL, did all the wiring, I had it all disassembled, so he could install the new motor.

Here's a video, with a few details of installing a PSC motor vs ECM, to get you started.

Another ECM to PSC conversion, might be better, I didn't watch it all.

Here is an ECM Thermistor replacement, with enough info that you can test to see if that is the problem. (Low cost repair)

 

[sengsational]

They come pre-charged so putting them in service only needed a vacuum manifold and vacuum pump. I already had both those tools from previous car AC work I had done. These split HVACs are relatively simple appliances and easy to maintain yourself. Main reasons we went with split HVAC were efficiency, air quality and overall system reliability (redundancy aspect, only one will break at a time so we won't be without HVAC in the whole house).

Thanks for sharing your experience with split systems. With respect to installation, you buy a line set with fittings already attached? So you pick a length that works for each unit? Actually, if the units are pre-charged, the line set length would have to be aligned with the amount of refrigerant in the unit. Anyway, I guess there are fittings "everywhere" and you don't need a torch to install...just a vacuum pump. That puts it within reach for me. Although I could get the braising equipment and learn to do it, I realize my lack of practice might be more trouble than it would be to hire the man. Besides, to do it legit, hiring the man would be required to handle the refrigerant anyway. Is one "allowed" to install these split systems (ie "handle" refrigerant...even though it's only opening a valve once it's been evacuated)?

 

[pjigar]

Thanks for sharing your experience with split systems. With respect to installation, you buy a line set with fittings already attached? So you pick a length that works for each unit? Actually, if the units are pre-charged, the line set length would have to be aligned with the amount of refrigerant in the unit. Anyway, I guess there are fittings "everywhere" and you don't need a torch to install...just a vacuum pump. That puts it within reach for me. Although I could get the braising equipment and learn to do it, I realize my lack of practice might be more trouble than it would be to hire the man. Besides, to do it legit, hiring the man would be required to handle the refrigerant anyway. Is one "allowed" to install these split systems (ie "handle" refrigerant...even though it's only opening a valve once it's been evacuated)?

The units came with 15' line set and the units were pre-changed for up to 25' lines. You need to add refrigerant if line length goes over 25' but you don't have to reduce refrigerant for using the included 15' line. All line sets (kit or purchased) generally comes with flare fittings and control cable, ready to go. I think there is a lot of wiggle room in the design pressures; case in point: I forgot to vacuum the first unit I installed and it still works fine. It may not be as efficient as vacuumed units but it heats and cool as we would expect it to.

All units were installed on the outside walls for the ease of installation and to use the included line sets. I just kept the extra line length in loops rather than re-flaring the joints. And yes, just flare fittings for the line connections. Be sure to use a dab of Nylog Gasket/Thread Sealant at the flare joints.

If the inside unit is mounted on the inside wall than installation becomes very tricky since you will now have to install the drains in the walls and run the lines through walls and attic.

 

[ncbill]

FWIW, we built a modest forever home and we broke all the "conventional rules" of home building. One of the unconventional thing we did was that we went with "split HVAC" in every room/area. The split HVACs are relatively new in US so install costs can be a lot higher so I installed all 5 units myself. They come pre-charged so putting them in service only needed a vacuum manifold and vacuum pump. I already had both those tools from previous car AC work I had done. These split HVACs are relatively simple appliances and easy to maintain yourself. Main reasons we went with split HVAC were efficiency, air quality and overall system reliability (redundancy aspect, only one will break at a time so we won't be without HVAC in the whole house).

Your units are referred to as "mini-splits."

Were I building a home w/o access to natural gas they are what I'd use today.

A "split" system is the conventional setup with the compressor outside & the evaporator inside connected to an extensive arrangement of duct work.