please help ac just stopped working

[joe fresh]

o shit you gotta be kiiddin me! guess what the lights just turned out and i went upstairs and turned on the ac and it worked. this is a big relief and i learned alot from this situation. i have it set on fan now currently to be safe. i wanna thank everyone in this thread for helping me but i have a couple final questions before this thread is over

if i keep it on fan in these temps its highly unlikely or impossible to freeze up right?

on the lg unit i have does the fan bring in any cold air from outside? i talked to a guy at an appliance repair place earlier and he told me it does bring in some cold air but i wanted to make sure by talking to you guys

this is where you are wrong....for one having the fan on only will do nothing more than one of these

and on top of that if temps drop low enough to freeze the refrigerant then the rad will freeze, why will it freeze you ask? simple, the condensation happening on the interior rad, and the fact that half the a/c is sitting outside....



edit: it should be noted that some older window a/c's from the 80's-90's have a vent trap, that when you slide one way or the other will allow you to either recirculate the existing air in the room or exhaust hot air and bring in cold....older cars also had this option on the ventilation system.....

all new a/c's(at least the ones i seen) are closed loop with no vent trap option

 

[TREE KING]

joe after doing alot of research today i found out that if your ac is too small for the space your cooling than it will be on constantly and have a higher risk of freezing and im talking about with high temps outside so the cool air that the ac/freon makes causes the ac to freeze so that means if the fan is on theres less cool air going through it which means theres less of a chance to freeze or impossible with high temps outside. it doesnt have to be cold outside for your ac to freeze you get my point? so in my opinion its obvious that the fan setting wouldnt cause it to freeze. it being cold outside is a different matter. i think the ac blasting for 6 hours straight combined with 25f temps outside caused the problem so if the fan was on instead of the ac then the unit would be overall warmer which equals less risk of freezing.

its kind of hard for me to explain but i think you got my point

 

[joe fresh]

yes what im saying....it if its cold outside...it makes the components of the a/c cold, including the free-on(refrigerant)....

in your grow room there is humidity...even if its low its still there

with the fan blowing it blows air from your grow over the interior rad....

which will cause condesation on the rad....this is what will freeze...when it does your fan will not be able to blow any air because it will not be able to suck in any air through the frozen rad...

basicly what im saying is if you decide to use just the fan, it will do no more than act like a regular fan....not a problem but it will not cool your grow. the only risk is if it gets cold outside then even using just your fan the rad can freeze up, not guaranteed, but it can(depending humidity and how cold it is outside).


and yes i understand that it doesnt have to be cold outside for it to freeze...mine is in my grow, nothing outside its a all in one water cooled unit....and when i put the setting at 17C thats when the rad froze up....so using your a/c at less than 20C you run a risk of freezing it up, running a window unit using only the fan you run a risk of freezing it up at 5C or less(only using the fan option)

 

[watts]

how long should an a/c run during lights on in a properly sealed room? all 12 hours or 1/2, 1/4 of 12 hours.. or what?

 

[joe fresh]

how long should an a/c run during lights on in a properly sealed room? all 12 hours or 1/2, 1/4 of 12 hours.. or what?

what kind of a/c? winow? portable? mini split? water cooled?


generally you want the a/c on 24/7, and then you set the thermostat so that the compressor cycles on and off co correct the temps

 

[Mycel]

Too cold ! It's all iced up ... If you turn it off for a bit it may thaw , but thats no good for all the time . Just get a thermostat and a fan , then use the cold air outside to cool your room

 

[TREE KING]

joe the only point i was making is that theres less chance of it freezing with the fan setting on. now i see you agree so were on the same page. now that i know the fan wont bring in any outside air than i guess the best setting for me is the energy saver setting which turns the unit on and off depending what the temp is. of course i would also set it at a higher temp so its on less

do you know what the dry setting does? is it just the same as the cool setting but it takes more humidity out of the air?

joe do you know any window ac's that have the vent setting someone was talking about earlier? i guess if i had that setting it would bring in the cold air from outside

 

[watts]

like a 5 ton mini split... with 12-15k in lights

 

[joe fresh]

the most efficient way to use it, and best way to keep the a/c life is to do like i said above, have the fan constantly on circulating air, and keep the compressor on a thermostat, this way the compressor will cycle on/off when ever the temps need corecting.

this is why its good to size the right a/c for your room, an a/c is not supossed to be turned on/off so frequently nor is it supposed to run non stop...with the right size a/c your compressor activated by thermostat should cycle on/off every few min and stay on for only a few min

 

[watts]

great joe, thanks.

 

[joe fresh]

joe the only point i was making is that theres less chance of it freezing with the fan setting on. now i see you agree so were on the same page. now that i know the fan wont bring in any outside air than i guess the best setting for me is the energy saver setting which turns the unit on and off depending what the temp is. of course i would also set it at a higher temp so its on less

do you know what the dry setting does? is it just the same as the cool setting but it takes more humidity out of the air? dehumidifies the air more, kinda like an a/c dehuey in one

joe do you know any window ac's that have the vent setting someone was talking about earlier? i guess if i had that setting it would bring in the cold air from outside look for older second hand ones, the newer ones dont make em like that anymore

im telling ya, your best bet is to remove the a/c and make a box over the window like the vid i posted earlier, it shows how within the first 5 min of the vid...and shouldnt take more than 1 hour to do...very stealthy too, and you save money....

not to sound rude but it would seem to me you are taking the hard way out rather than the easy...

i understand how hard it was to install the a/c....but ad we all know building a house is hard work and takes time, but taking one apart takes not long at all

 

[TREE KING]

joe i hear you. you only have to tell me something once. im asking about the ac with the vent function for other reasons that have nothing to do with growing like an ac for my bedroom that lets in fresh air cause i have asthma. plus theres a chance that i wont be able to figure out how to build the box or i might decide that its safer for me that the neighbors see an ac in the window and not something else. this isnt simple theres alot of different reasons why i ask the questions i do. if you dont know an ac with this function its all good

 

[joe fresh]

to my knowledge they no longer make them like that anymore....and if you would look at the vid, you would see that all the neighbors would see is blinds/curtain in the window, its really simple

 

[TREE KING]

to my knowledge they no longer make them like that anymore....and if you would look at the vid, you would see that all the neighbors would see is blinds/curtain in the window, its really simple

the video is a half hour long thats why i havent checked it out yet but im gonna watch it now thanks

 

[budleydoright]

I would put my money on it being fried. Even with the cold, if it was running it should generate enough of it's own heat to stay on. the latest generation of window shakers are not nearly as solid as they were 2 years ago.

Trying to find one this time of year can be a real bitch. I would suggest looking at craigslist it the worst case comes to pass.

 

[TREE KING]

I would put my money on it being fried. Even with the cold, if it was running it should generate enough of it's own heat to stay on. the latest generation of window shakers are not nearly as solid as they were 2 years ago.

Trying to find one this time of year can be a real bitch. I would suggest looking at craigslist it the worst case comes to pass.

i see you havent read the thread the ac is fixed it just needed to be defrosted. thanks for the help everyone i appreciate it

 

[budleydoright]

Correct, didn't read the whole thing. Glad to hear all is well for you.

Blew through a 6000 btu unit last summer, went to an 8k which is holding up.

Been looking at some window AC units on Craigslist, lots of deals this time of year and a good time to get a backup. Had AC on my mind so this thread caught my attention!

 

[dxco]

I have not read the entire post but when you get the unit working again you should think about a compressor heater -it's just a band that you tighten around the compressor that keeps it warm. They are standard equipment on heat pumps because the compressor doesn't like to run in the cold, it can cause damage. Required if you plan to run your AC in the winter (which makes absolutely NO SENSE to me)!
Here's one for $15 :
http://controlscentral.com/eCatalog/tabid/63/ProductID/311138/Default.aspx

Sounds like you're in the miwest -it's going to be a warm week but this is probably the last nice weather we will have for a while.

You really should look into a way to use the cool outside air to cool your room. Grow Rooms use enough energy as it is without running AC in the winter! If you have air cooled hoods, bring the cold outside air into the hoods & then right back outside. A little outside air coming into the room would probably cool it to a reasonable level. If your room is sealed, you might be stuck with the AC but you can still cool your reflectors for FREE...
DX / DX Hydro

 

[budleydoright]

I totally agree, I know of at least 2 companies working on water cooled AC units that have no compressor. They are basically 2 heat exchangers and an insulated water vessel.

This would work in my area 8-9 months out of the year provided the peak load is at night.

I'm thinking about building my own with ebay sourced parts. Would save me a ton of money.

 

[Midnight]

I have not read the entire post but when you get the unit working again you should think about a compressor heater -it's just a band that you tighten around the compressor that keeps it warm. They are standard equipment on heat pumps because the compressor doesn't like to run in the cold, it can cause damage. Required if you plan to run your AC in the winter (which makes absolutely NO SENSE to me)!
Here's one for $15 :
http://controlscentral.com/eCatalog/tabid/63/ProductID/311138/Default.aspx

Sounds like you're in the miwest -it's going to be a warm week but this is probably the last nice weather we will have for a while.

You really should look into a way to use the cool outside air to cool your room. Grow Rooms use enough energy as it is without running AC in the winter! If you have air cooled hoods, bring the cold outside air into the hoods & then right back outside. A little outside air coming into the room would probably cool it to a reasonable level. If your room is sealed, you might be stuck with the AC but you can still cool your reflectors for FREE...
DX / DX Hydro

A heater for the compressor will do absolutley nothing to fix his situation. He needs a real ac unit like a mini split or regular split that can have a low ambient kit added. The low ambient kit WILL solve his problem, I just don't know if they make them for window shakers.

http://www.ductlessguide.com/purpose-mini-split-ambient-kit.html

Purpose of a Mini Split Low Ambient Kit
January 8, 2009 by Shawn Mack
Filed under Technical Guide
2 Comments
“A low ambient kit is only used to continue creating air conditioning in temperatures below 55°F.”

Most consumers use their ductless mini split for air conditioning in warmer months of the year. Some consumers need air conditioning year round and at temperatures well below freezing. In general, air conditioners should not be operated in temperatures below 55°F.
Server rooms, meeting halls and restaurants are just a few examples of cases when air conditioning is needed when the outdoor temperature is below freezing. Not to mention the poor guy in the warehouse with his office next to the boiler!
Anytime air conditioning is needed below 55°F a low ambient kit is required. A low ambient kit is an electrical accessory that can be added to your ductless mini split.
The low ambient kit works by slowing the fan speed to maintain higher head pressure in the condensers compressor and prevent freezing. The fan speed is controlled by the low ambient kit that is connected to the fan motor on the condenser.
Many people see the term “low ambient kit” and think that it can be used to continue the operation of their heat pump in the cooler months. This is not true.
A low ambient kit is only used to continue creating air conditioning in temperatures below 55°F.
When looking for a low ambient kit make sure you find one that is compatible with your mini split air conditioner brand and voltage. Low ambient kits are easy to install and will come with directions for connecting to the fan motor.