Central Air died. Options?

[aaronc879]

When I bought my house in late 2016 I knew the Central AC was 15 years old and would not last long. It died a few days ago after a little less than 4 full Summers. My place is only 1000sqft so i'm looking into less expensive options than $4K for a new Central Air. I live in Wisconsin so the Summer HOT season is only for around 3-4 months. It is humid and miserable without AC though for that 3-4 months(July and August mostly). I could get a window unit for the bedroom for $200-300 and just live in there during the worst of the Summer heat. I could go somewhere with free AC during the peak heat afternoon hours. Any other ideas? I'm low income and not FIREd so I want to keep my costs down as much as I reasonably can.

 

[skipro33]

Doing the math, your AC was installed in 2001. It is now 19 years old. I'm guessing it is strictly a chiller, not a heat pump.

I would first find a reputable AC repair company and get an estimate of what is wrong and what a repair would cost. These are machines and if they have their service routinely performed, should last a long time. Especially if only used during a 90 to 120 day window per year. Most failures are going to be with mechanical parts that are designed as the weak link. Even the fuse or circuit breaker can wear out. Be sure to check the obvious; did the breaker trip or fails to stay closed? Is there a disconnect at the compressor that perhaps is fused and blew? Are there any loose electrical connections that perhaps have gotten warm and now draw more power than the design can operate? Things like the contactor, a switch controlled by your thermostat, that supplies the AC power to the compressor and the fans can be worn or too dirty to conduct electricity efficiently. The only real expensive component will be the compressor. The average cost to replace is $1,200. Compressors need a capacitor to start their motor. Capacitors are like a type of battery and they dry out over the years. Replacement caps available on Amazon for around $10.

 

[pb4uski]

Mini-split heat pumps are increasing in popularity around here as they do double duty of heating and cooling and are very energy efficient so you're only running that inefficient furnace when it is frigid and the heating efficiency of the mini-split is not so good.

Another option might be a floor AC unit that vents through a window and then put it int storage during the off-season.

 

[aaronc879]

Doing the math, your AC was installed in 2001. It is now 19 years old. I'm guessing it is strictly a chiller, not a heat pump.

I would first find a reputable AC repair company and get an estimate of what is wrong and what a repair would cost. These are machines and if they have their service routinely performed, should last a long time. Especially if only used during a 90 to 120 day window per year. Most failures are going to be with mechanical parts that are designed as the weak link. Even the fuse or circuit breaker can wear out. Be sure to check the obvious; did the breaker trip or fails to stay closed? Is there a disconnect at the compressor that perhaps is fused and blew? Are there any loose electrical connections that perhaps have gotten warm and now draw more power than the design can operate? Things like the contactor, a switch controlled by your thermostat, that supplies the AC power to the compressor and the fans can be worn or too dirty to conduct electricity efficiently. The only real expensive component will be the compressor. The average cost to replace is $1,200. Compressors need a capacitor to start their motor. Capacitors are like a type of battery and they dry out over the years. Replacement caps available on Amazon for around $10.

When I turn the AC on there is air blowing but it is not cold at all. Tried it 3 times, several hours apart and no change. Same thing happened to my parents a couple years ago. They paid over $300 to have someone "fix" it. It blew cold air for 2 hours then never worked again. I don't think trying to fix an AC that is this old will end well for me.

 

[RobbieB]

I'd consider a really big window unit and fab up a sturdy support for it.

 

[aaronc879]

I'd consider a really big window unit and fab up a sturdy support for it.

At 106 pounds I would have to hire two people twice a year. Have of that weight for a 6000 BTU will be all I can handle on my own(maybe)

 

[CardsFan]

At 106 pounds I would have to hire two people twice a year. Have of that weight for a 6000 BTU will be all I can handle on my own(maybe)

If I were you, I would get a window unit, that I could lift, to at least get through the next few weeks, and few low cost box fans to move the air around. You might just find moving air and lower humidity makes things comfortable.

 

[skipro33]

When I turn the AC on there is air blowing but it is not cold at all. Tried it 3 times, several hours apart and no change. Same thing happened to my parents a couple years ago. They paid over $300 to have someone "fix" it. It blew cold air for 2 hours then never worked again. I don't think trying to fix an AC that is this old will end well for me.

Your AC is likely a 'split' system; the part outside that sheds heat and the part inside that collects heat. You describe that the part inside is working in that it blows air across the part that collects heat, but since the air is warm, it's not collecting the heat. This means the part outside is not shedding the heat. With the AC set to run, go and check the outside part. It has two main parts; a fan to blow the heat off the coils, and a compressor that transfers heat through the freon from the inside. If the outside fan is running, that's good. You should be able to see that. The compressor is a little more difficult to determine if it's running, so let's assume the outside fan isn't running and that the power for that fan is the same source as the compressor. Is there a box near the outside portion that has a switch or a panel you can lift to see if there's a switch under it? Check that first. If there is, exercise the switch by turning it off, then back on again. If it's a device you unplug, likely that has fuses behind it. Pull that out and with a meter, see if you can tell if the fuses are still good to conduct electricity. If you don't have a meter, take this part into a hardware store and they'll help you determine if the fuses are good.

This is a start at least to see if you only have something minor that you can repair yourself.

For history, I worked for an electric company and at the start of my career, I installed a cycler on AC units that turned off the compressor in order to shed power during high energy times. By volunteering to let the electric company turn off their AC for a couple hours each time it got really hot, we rebate the customer $50 for that season. Of course, any time after I touched their AC and it quit working, they would blame us and I'd go check into it. I'd say that at least 90% of the time, the problem was a minor item; bad fuse, breaker, contactor or loose connection that cost under $50 to repair. My truck was stocked with all those parts and I could affect repairs on the spot until the AC repair companies got wind and sued the electric company. After that, I couldn't repair them unless it was indeed the fault of the electric company, but I could show the home owner what was wrong by installing my good part and how they could buy one themselves.

So do yourself a big favor and take a little time to verify your AC indeed needs to be replaced. You could save yourself a lot of money or at least delay the replacement until after the peak season when you are at the mercy of the repairman. Most will tell you you NEED a whole new unit when in fact you NEED only a minor repair to get you back into operation.

Good luck!

 

[Marita40]

I think you are right about it being not repairable. My system is going on 18 years and still works fine, but if it dies the parts are not available and the Freon can’t be replaced. In my previous 1400 ft condo, I just used one large and powerful window air conditioner — cost about 450. — and shut off an extra room or two. It chilled the whole place and worked great for our short MN summers. Have good window coverings to block heat. Lots of folks here in our old houses rely on one or two window air conditioners so you’re in good company. I did have a handyman install it and then remove it every year because it was too heavy for me.

 

[RunningBum]

Not sure how long you plan to stay in the house, or how common it is up there. Would potential buyers expect the AC to work? I've been cheap with stuff like this in the past, only to wind up having to fix it before closing on a sale, so I went without whatever it was for a few years but still had to pay a repair cost, so I should have fixed it to begin with and enjoyed it myself before selling.

skipro seems to have a lot of good advice and experience. I don't think I saw mention of a freon leak. Seems like it'd be a bad one if it only lasted a few hours.

 

[Sunset]

When I turn the AC on there is air blowing but it is not cold at all. Tried it 3 times, several hours apart and no change. Same thing happened to my parents a couple years ago. They paid over $300 to have someone "fix" it. It blew cold air for 2 hours then never worked again. I don't think trying to fix an AC that is this old will end well for me.

Since you say you have a central A/C type.
The air blowing is your furnace fan blowing. Nothing to do with the A/C unit.

Run it and go outside, and see is the fan spinning for the A/C unit outside ?
Mine was, but no cold air, and no sound of the compressor running.

I put the symptoms and model of A/C in a google search and watched some you tube videos, and learned that often a unit fails for a small cheap to fix reason.

I saw to: turn off power at breaker, then open the corner of the A/C, and look at the capacitor , mine was swollen.

I paid about $15 for a new one , took a picture of the old one, unplugged the wires, unclamped the old one, and replaced it.

I had one A/C unit run for 30 years, no fixes required on that one.

I have found youtube to wonderful to learn how to fix my: A/C, washing machine, brake pad replacement.

 

[travelover]

Since you say you have a central A/C type.
The air blowing is your furnace fan blowing. Nothing to do with the A/C unit.

Run it and go outside, and see is the fan spinning for the A/C unit outside ?
Mine was, but no cold air, and no sound of the compressor running.

I put the symptoms and model of A/C in a google search and watched some you tube videos, and learned that often a unit fails for a small cheap to fix reason.

I saw to: turn off power at breaker, then open the corner of the A/C, and look at the capacitor , mine was swollen.

I paid about $15 for a new one , took a picture of the old one, unplugged the wires, unclamped the old one, and replaced it.

I had one A/C unit run for 30 years, no fixes required on that one.

I have found youtube to wonderful to learn how to fix my: A/C, washing machine, brake pad replacement.

Totally agree, it could well be a simple part like a capacitor or contactor relay. YouTube has a lot of very basic videos on how to diagnose AC with basic tools and knowledge.

 

[Walt34]

Totally agree, it could well be a simple part like a capacitor or contractor relay. YouTube has a lot of very basic videos on how to diagnose AC with basic tools and knowledge.

Agreed, try the simple stuff first, it could be something cheap and easy. This guy's channel has a lot of good videos on HVAC stuff:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCekKmUEJxBRx5tI1tUyHOqA

 

[Bamaman]

You can get 8000 btu window units cheap at Amazon.com, and they are 50 lb., 115 volt units.

That's what I suggest.

 

[splitwdw]

We use window units and fans to direct the air to other rooms. We usually only need them for 3 months. 2 5000 BTU units, one upstairs and one downstairs cool the whole house. We have insulated panels we made that fit on either side of the a/c unit. You can cut out cardboard to cover over the wings to insulate. Also place a block of wood at the top of the open window to act as a lock to hold the a/c in place. I have a Lasko high velocity floor fan that directs the air. Aim it towards the ceiling cause cold air drops.
A friend has tried the free standing a/c unit that pb4uski mentioned but the one he bought didn't cool very well. Maybe it depends on the brand.
I weigh in @ 122lbs and can install the units myself.

 

[SecondCor521]

I'll +1 the others saying try to get it repaired and it's probably something cheap, and with the cheap fix it has a very good chance of lasting much longer.

I paid $287 in June 2016 to have the A/C guy replace the capacitor on my unit, which was installed in 2004. Of course later I found that I could have replaced it myself for $10, but at the time I didn't know that and had young kids in the house. It's still working fine now, four plus years later. They of course offered to sell me a new unit for IIRC $7K, which thankfully I didn't need.

 

[aaronc879]

Not sure how long you plan to stay in the house, or how common it is up there. Would potential buyers expect the AC to work? I've been cheap with stuff like this in the past, only to wind up having to fix it before closing on a sale, so I went without whatever it was for a few years but still had to pay a repair cost, so I should have fixed it to begin with and enjoyed it myself before selling.

skipro seems to have a lot of good advice and experience. I don't think I saw mention of a freon leak. Seems like it'd be a bad one if it only lasted a few hours.

My Grandmother passed a few months ago and my Dad and Aunt just sold the house at asking price and it doesn't have central air. Central air is nice but in a house worth $100K-125K it is not a must

 

[splitwdw]

aaronc879, Are you handy that you can attempt the things that skipro and others are suggesting to repair a really old central air unit? If not just go buy a small a/c unit. You said you are on a limited budget so don't waste money on a service call. The service call could cost as much as a small a/c unit.

 

[aaronc879]

aaronc879, Are you handy that you can attempt the things that skipro and others are suggesting to repair a really old central air unit? If not just go buy a small a/c unit. You said you are on a limited budget so don't waste money on a service call. The service call could cost as much as a small a/c unit.

About all i'm qualified for is a screw driver. I think a small a/c unit is probably the way to go. I may let myself suffer for the next couple weeks and deal with it next May.

 

[statsman]

I think the suggestion to check for a blown fuse is a good one. Most HVAC units are connected two ways electrically. One at the electrical panel for the fan and circuit board control. The other at a fuse box possibly near the outside condenser unit.

We had a similar problem year ago, and I determined one of the two fuses in the fuse box near the condenser unit had blown. As suggested, pull the fuse(s) out and use a multi-meter to test. If blown, the circuit inside the fuse will be open and any multi-meter test shouldn't budge the meter off of 0.0.

If the condenser unit fuse is blown, you will get air circulating but no cold air. Replacement fuses can be purchased at places like Lowes or Home Depot.

Note: If you are not comfortable around electricity, have someone knowledgeable do the test if you decide to have it done.

 

[BigMoneyJim]

About all i'm qualified for is a screw driver. I think a small a/c unit is probably the way to go. I may let myself suffer for the next couple weeks and deal with it next May.

Ok, here's the no-tool potential hack. (I've done this before but don't necessarily consider it best practice.) Like others have said, go outside when it's trying to cool and see if the fan is running. If not, but you hear the compressor (sounds like a big loud refrigerator because it basically is) running, get a water sprinkler and have it sprinkle the condenser (the radiator-like thing made of metal fins).

Total hack, but it could easily avoid your suffering for the next two weeks in the most likely failure scenarios. You're just using water instead of blown air to cool the fins.

(If that helps, the 'real' fix is one of the cheaper ones: either fan or one of its driver components.)

Edit: If you don't fix or replace the central A/C, a window unit is probably the most convenient and short-term-cheap option. I'm looking for an excuse/opportunity to try mini splits someday, but those seem to have higher up-front costs compared to window units but are probably more economical over a long haul.

 

[Aerides]

You're assuming it's dead - I would find a good priced by-the-hour place to confirm that, or give you a diagnosis that may be far less than a full death/replacement, before going further.

 

[Moemg]

Several times during real hot weather my air conditioner froze . It would still blow air just hot air . The solution was too turn it off and let it unfreeze . Takes about a day . Try it ! It costs nothing .If that does not do it get someone to look at it . It may be a cheap fix.

 

[travelover]

This guy is good and offers really simple diagnostic advise.Maybe you have a handy buddy who would help run a couple simple tests? LINK

 

[JP.mpls]

My house has a boiler heating system (no venting system).

I've considered a mini split system for years, but I hate the big ugly units that hang on the interior wall.

I've gotten by with an upstairs window unit for 35 years. It does the job.

I'm in Minnesota, so similar climate as OP. I probably only run my AC a dozen times a summer.

The 8k sized units are fairly light. I upgraded to the 10k last time, and it is a big dog.
I'm not sure how many more years I be able to install that big heavy thing.

JP