Ah, ok, thanks.  I just assumed if it had leaked that it was empty and then it wouldn't cut in.

Guess I have to get a guy out with some gauges.

Central air conditioners have two separate components: the condenser and the evap­orator. The condenser unit is usually located outside the house on a concrete slab. The evaporator coil is mounted in the plenum or main duct junction above the furnace.

Most central air conditioners are connected to a home's forced-air distribution system. Thus, the same motor, blower, and ductwork used for heating are used to distribute cool air from the air conditioning system. When a central air conditioner is operating, hot air inside the house flows to the furnace through the return-air duct. The hot air is moved by the blower across the cooled evaporator coil in the plenum and is then delivered through ducts to cool the house. When the air conditioner works but the house doesn't cool, the problem is probably in the distribution system.

Both the evaporator and the condenser are sealed. Therefore, a professional service person should be called for almost any maintenance other than routine cleaning. Central air conditioners should be professionally inspected and adjusted before the beginning of every cooling season. However, don't let your maintenance end with this annual checkup. While there aren't many repairs you can make yourself, there are specific maintenance procedures you can follow to keep your system operating at peak efficiency.

Caution: Before doing any work on an air conditioning system, make sure the power to the system, both to the condenser and to the evaporator assembly, is turned off.

    or some fans at Walmart












-- Edited by 427carl on Tuesday 10th of August 2010 04:18:24 PM

Can you buy kits for "top ups" for central air like you can for cars now? I think they come with a sealant. That might be all you need..
We were going to put central air in our place this year however the AC guy suggested a wall mounted heat pump. It works really well and uses 1/3 less electricity than central air. It's a bonus that it works as a heater in the winter. Worth checking into if your system is going to need replacing.

69Laurentian wrote:

---

What brand of heat pump did you go with, how many btus? Might work really well on the west coast!

Can you buy kits for "top ups" for central air like you can for cars now? I think they come with a sealant. That might be all you need..
We were going to put central air in our place this year however the AC guy suggested a wall mounted heat pump. It works really well and uses 1/3 less electricity than central air. It's a bonus that it works as a heater in the winter. Worth checking into if your system is going to need replacing.

---