A/C...INSPIRED BY...Rude Guest/Rude Host!!!

[momrek06]

DH & I built a brand new home. We moved in June 2005. The house has central air. We have never had it before...always had the room a/c!

WE HAVE NO IDEA HOW TO PROPERLY USE THE A/C... !

Last summer we ended up more times than NOT with the outside unit being all frozen up and NO air coming out of the vents. We would shut it off let it thaw and attempt to use it again. We called the HVAC people who installed it and he said it is fine.

On the actual Thermostat we have a switch...FAN on/auto ..what should THAT be set AT !! And what is a comfortable # to set the cool button at...68..70.. !!!

If anyone could give me some idea how to use this system..I would be so grateful...as once again summer is upon us and so far we have managed to FREEZE the system again....ugh....

It has filters that we change MONTHLY.

TIA

 

[daisyduck123]

I wish that I could tell you how to use it but I've been in my own house for 10 years now & don't know how ours works. DH sets it & when I get too hot or too cold, I just move the little arrow up or down to the temp. I want.

I am the most mechanically/technologically deficient DISer there is!!

 

[ashjohnson80]

I usually keep the fan switched to auto. I have the a/c on and set at 69 at night and around 73/74 in the day time.

 

[beckmrk04]

We keep ours set at about 70-72. We switch it on to "auto" which means when it heats up in the house, it will kick on until the house is back down to 72, and then shut back off.

BUT- yours should NOT be feezing up!

 

[momrek06]

We keep ours set at about 70-72. We switch it on to "auto" which means when it heats up in the house, it will kick on until the house is back down to 72, and then shut back off.

BUT- yours should NOT be feezing up!

We were figuring the FILTERS needed changing and seems everytime we change these filters...we can run it for awhile with NO freezing....UGH...but getting this HAPPY medium is CRAZY...

OKAY so what I have learned is LEAVE THE BUTTON TO AUTO !

Then set it to 70 (DH likes it cool)! We even installed ceiling fans as well to use even with or withOUT the A/C on.

I have two DS' (24/20) and they are ALWAYS dropping that setting to like 62 and I come in the house and it is soooo cold and then I am putting it back up to 72...ugh...

THANKS

 

[ashjohnson80]

62, I would've done froze to death! (bad grammar, I know!)

 

[SeaSpray]

We had our central A/C unit freeze up on us one time, a few years ago. The repairman we called took us outside and showed us that leaves had gotten stuck all around the base of it. Apparently, those units need to be kept totally clear of any leaves or grass, they need to "breathe". lol Make sure there is no grass growing close to it, and make sure that no dead leaves or anything are stuck under it or behind it. And if it does freeze up, you need to totally shut the unit off until it defrosts because it won't start to defrost if it's turned on, even if it's not really putting out cold air.

We set the fan to "auto" and the temp to about 72.

 

[momrek06]

62, I would've done froze to death! (bad grammar, I know!)

OH MAN..was I MAD ...because, ASH, it is like a freakin GAME with those two about them liking it COLD and DH and I liking it at a reasonable temperature.

Guess What...I always WIN...

But thanks to you as well on that AUTO setting....never knew which way to set it

I am learning...yes, I am!!!!!

 

[momrek06]

We had our central A/C unit freeze up on us one time, a few years ago. The repairman we called took us outside and showed us that leaves had gotten stuck all around the base of it. Apparently, those units need to be kept totally clear of any leaves or grass, they need to "breathe". lol Make sure there is no grass growing close to it, and make sure that no dead leaves or anything are stuck under it or behind it. .

WOW!!! I will do that as well. I will check in the morning! I did have these state-of-the-art covers made for them...we have TWO of those big units outside. One unit is for upstairs and one unit for the first floor. I had them all covered all winter to protect them from the elements of the NORTHEAST!!!

Thanks!

 

[beckmrk04]

I am learning...yes, I am!!!!!

You'll have topost with an update!

 

[momrek06]

You'll have topost with an update!

I WILL FOR SURE


p.s.

 

[Nancy]

Ours was freezing up one summer and that was when I was told to check the filter. I have the filter that you just rinse and put back in. I love it. We keep ours at 73 and auto. I also agree with the cleaning it really good around the outside unit. I did ours last year with the power washer and was amazed at the junk that came out...and how much better it worked after cleaning it really good.

 

[cakesnkids]

Well, since we have an entire family of your boys that my DH lives iwth one day out of 3 (firefighter) who fight over the a/c, that can be solved with a locking box that fits over the thermastat. I put mine on 72, that's where it stays until cake days (I decorate cakes), then it goes to 68, and if anyone touches it, I break their fingers! Yes, AUTO, yes, wash the outside once a month, dirt roads, dogs, leaves, pollen, all these things are bad.

 

[geetey]

This was a common problem for us when we lived in Nashville. Next to our outside units, there was a white pvc pipe where the water would drain (here in MO, this is in the basement). Anyway, frogs like to nestle down into the drain, especially with some grass clippings and soon the clog would cause our unit to freeze up and stop cooling. Make sure everything is clear around your outside units!

Typically people keep their a/c on AUTO. However, switching to ON won't mean the house keeps getting colder - it just means the fans will stay ON (the blower keeps working) constantly.

Remember to clean/change your filters regularly!

Hope this helps.

 

[SeaSpray]

WOW!!! I will do that as well. I will check in the morning! I did have these state-of-the-art covers made for them...we have TWO of those big units outside. One unit is for upstairs and one unit for the first floor. I had them all covered all winter to protect them from the elements of the NORTHEAST!!!

Thanks!

Oh, and regarding covers.....!! I've been told by more than one person (repairmen) to NOT totally encase a central A/C unit with a cover, in the winter. This will cause condensation to build up and remain inside the unit, and will cause rust and other problems that will burn out the unit quicker. The best kind of a cover is the kind that *only* covers the top, so no debris can go down inside through the vents. Never cover it completely, even though they do sell those kinds of covers.

 

[Obi-Wan Pinobi]

Isn't there a certain number of degrees difference between the outside temperature and what you set your thermostat at where anything higher you risk freezing your unit? Like 25 degrees? So if it's 85 outside, if you set your unit below 60 you could freeze it up. Maybe it just depends on the unit and size. I know I was told this about a commercial HVAC unit at work.

 

[mickeyfan2]

Before we replaced our unit with a geothermal A/C we had the box outside. It never froze up, so can not help you there. Try asking the freezing question to another A/C company and call the manufacturer. Our system has a humistat on it and we keep our humidity below 50%. We set out temp to 70 (but many find this cold). We set our fan to auto during normal use. The on is used when we open the external vent to the A/C and want to circulate the air. Most of the time we have it set to auto and the vent closed.

 

[Disney Doll]

Set the "Fan" to "Auto". That way, when the house heats up past your temp setting, the unit kicks on. If you set the "Fan" to "On", it will run continuously, which is probably why it has been freezing.

As far as what temp to cool the house to...depends on your comfort level. We keep ours at 70-72, depending on how hot it is outside. Some people do it a little higher (73-75) but since I hit 40, it seems like I run a little hot...can you say menopause????? We tried 68, which is what we keep the heat on in the winter, but for some reason that was too cold for the AC. Go figure.

 

[momrek06]

OP HERE:

THANKS EVERYONE FOR ALL THE AWESOME REPLIES!!!

To SEASPRAY: YIKES!! As I read your reply about the covers I am thinking I got totally ripped off as I "custom" ordered these and paid like $70 ea for the covers....BUT as I continued to read your Post...yup these covers only go about a 1/4 the way down WHICH went we put them on last Fall I thought.."what is up with this" and just figured that is how they are made...