How To Repair A "Vintage" Air Conditioner

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launderess

launderess

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Quiet Please, There´s a Lady on Stage
File this under, you never know what you can do until you try.

Turned on the AC earlier this week to wring some moisture out of the air, and the thing began to act up. Our main AC is a Friedrich "Wallmaster" unit, that according to the plate was built in Feb 1990, but we've only had the unit since about 1997. It was an eBay purchase (surprise),being auctioned off by a man who was moving out of the area, and according to him was "newish" when he purchased it and he had not used it much.

Any who back to the story. Unit was cleaned last year "coils, condenser etc, by moi and was not in any hurry to do that again. Called a few local AC shops about having the unit taken out and steam cleaned/inspected but costs were too dear for the work that would be done. You see these units are mounted through the wall and are PITA to get out, with tons of mess every where. My problem with the unit was that the condenser would only come on for about 10 minutes, then shut off, only to come back on again several minutes later and so forth. Since the unit is rather old, every repair place tried to sell us on a new unit, offers I passed.

First rather like this "old" unit as it blows really cold air, and have not heard really great things about many newer air conditioners. Sure many models are more efficient than previous units, but the EER on this unit is 9.5. Wallmaster units sold today by Freidrich have an EER of about 10, so can't see the savings there. At $600 or so for a new unit, didn't think the cost would be recouped via energy savings anytime soon either.Especially as one only uses AC for about three months of the year.

After spending last night in stifling air, decided to give things one more shot. Having pulled this unit out of the wall so often am getting frequent flyer miles, did it yet again late last night to open up the front and get a peek at the thermostat. Figured that somehow it was causing the unit to cut out early. Also though if worse came to the worse, could at least get the make/model information and order a new thermostat to either replace myself or give to a repair man (and save the mark up), to install.

Once the unit was opened decided better than to remove the thermostat, but did take down the numbers to call Freidrich with and order a new part. Since was there figured a few quick sprays with canned air around the contacts couldn't hurt. Then put everything back together. However before putting the knobs back on, thought of something.

Since last year, and probably before, noticed that the temperature knob wouldn't "click" until it was way down below "one". Now it struck me that many of the air conditioner service companies I telephoned offered to come out to clean the AC, and "recalibrate" the thermostat as part of a "Spring Cleaning" offer. This service was anything put cheap, and has previously mentioned had already cleaned the coils and such so not sure what more they could do to justify the hefty fee. What I did was using my fingers,turned the thermostat until it clicked,then put all the knobs back on. Lord and behold the new setting for the thermostat is now at "1" instead of way down past that number.

Result of all this palaver? Well fired up the AC hours ago and the condenser has been working like a champ ever since. Incoming air several hours ago was about 85F, with the out going near 67F. Recent test has incoming air at 79F or so with out going down to about 63F. Peeked at the condenser coils and at the bottom is water proving the unit is finally operating and wringing the moisture out of the air.

Am that well chuffed with myself that think will go shopping with the $100 or so saved by not calling the repair service.

Now if all will excuse me, need to go and put on a sweater!

*LOL*

L.
 
EERs on A/C units used to be selling points, since some were 7, some were 8, some were 10, some were 11. Then the Feds mandated a minimum of 8 or so, and now it's hard to find a unit that's more than 10, even though I recall seeing mid and even high 11's years ago. The Chinese units sold at wal Mart, Home Depot, etc, tend to be bottom of the scale in all respects. And check the box even with an 'american' brand, IIRC, GEs are made in China now too. Big surprise, huh? I'm amazed GE hasn't outsourced all of NBC to China...

I think that silly energy star program requires only 10% or so better than the minimum for room A/C units, in order to get a sticker (which the EPA will tell you to look for, but it's neither a recomendation or endorsement by them...). So, if the minimum's 8, and you're 9....
 
made in USA

I think Freidrich are still made in the USA in TX; supposedly why they cost more money than other models but are suppose to be well made. At least this is what the salesman told me at "Bernie's" appliance store ......
 
Thanks All

Finally shut off the AC as it was getting too chilly in here! Now will just keep the heavy drapes closed but windows open and things should stay great until the next "heat wave".

Yes, Frigidaire seems to be the only portable/room air conditioner line stil made in the United States (San Antonio, Texas), with the rest cheap Asian tat. Such a shame we've reduced almost every consumer appliance to throw aways. My unit is all metal construction, right down to the plate beneath the knobs that has all the functions. Only plastic is the grille and a few other bits.

I like Friedrich because you can ring them up and still get a live American customer rep or service tech to help. Last summer during the heat wave, the unit began to short cycle like crazy. A quick call to Friedrich and found out many local people from my area had been calling as well. Turns out Con Ed had reduced the electrical power to many areas (brown out to you all around during the 1970's), and that was causing the ACs to act up. That reminds me, must look into a used but cheap/good line conditoner in case Con Ed pulls that stunt again this year.

Personally I like Freon cooled AC's as they blow nice COLD air. You know the kind one would stand in front of the AC as a child to "cool off", until Mother told one to knock it off. *LOL*

L.
 
Oh Yes,

Around here Con Ed has a new energy savings "program", that allows one go get funds for turning in an old AC towards buying a new "Energy Star" model. It's only $50 or so for window units, but a whopping $100 for wall units. However don't see many people lugging old wall units down to the designated tip to get their hundred "dolla", as these things weigh a ton. Besides it would deprive the local immigrants (mainly Mexcian and such), and certian homeless persons from their nightly raids on cooling appliances put out for recycling. The noise made by them banging, hammering, crowbaring and what not to get at metal is LOUD. Others just arrive with a beat up old van/truck and cart away the entire unit.

L.
 
Laundress,

You're invited to come visit and resurrect my 50's vintage GE window air conditioner. Complete with faux painted wood grain on metal. Warning: it sits about eight feet above floor level in the upper wall of my enclose patio. Bring your stilts!
 
I thought Friedrich had been bought out by someone else, was thinking Maytag but maybe not. Or am I thinking Fedders. What's interesting is to walk by some old stores and see that they still have their big old monsters cooling away above the front door dripping water onto the sidewalks,,that's when you know it's summer.LOL
 
Fedders builds the "Maytag" brand air products including air conditioners, dehumidifiers, and such. If you go to the Fedders website you can find information on all Maytag air products including manuals and tech support (such as it is).

Yeah baby! Love those big ole AC's that have been in place for ages yet keep on cooling. Walking around my part of town, you see them in ground level windows such as doctor's offices, stores and even some apartments. On many units the evaporator coils have been bent to the point they are almost one shiny surface, and or initials/words have been carved out, but yet people keep on using these units. The vandalism occurs because such people do not have their units beind grilles.

Of all the major brands of ACs for home use, probably onnly Friedrich is still some of what it was, with brands like Fedders, Emerson "Quiet Kool", and the rest shadows of their fromer selves. Good to see the "ton" AC market is still dominated by the American big boys like Trane, Carrier, and York. But when people are spending that kind of money, they demand quality.

L.
 
Launderess

We have the BOL $89 lowes unit... I have used this unit in my dads house and a rental mobile home that i own in asheville and now here and all of them i have bought over the past 3 years still cool excellently.. The one i bought for my apartment here in Raleigh works great and keeps our 200 sq ft bedroom cold as ice on low cool and set about mid way with the fan on.. I highley recomended this unit. Plus its very cheap...

http://www.lowes.com/lowes/lkn?action=productDetail&productId=68868-41798-FAX050P7A&lpage=none
 
"That reminds me, must look into a used but cheap/good line conditoner in case Con Ed pulls that stunt again this year."

They already are.....blackout in Flushing, Queens the other night.

I've always wondered why people pronounce "Friedrich" as "Frederick"?
 
Um, Look Again...

"Fedders builds the "Maytag" brand air products including air conditioners, dehumidifiers, and such. If you go to the Fedders website you can find information on all Maytag air products including manuals and tech support (such as it is)."

Um, both of these (and most other brands, now) are made by LG. And they're pretty bad.
 
Well, the latest issue of Consumer Reports rates air conditioners and neither Fedders nor Friedrich made any of the ratings.

In the top five for each category (Small up to 6000 BTUs, Medium, up to 8200 BTUs, and Large up to 12,500 BTUs) were AC's made by:

GE
LG
Frigidaire
Kenmore
Whirlpool
Haier (yes, Haier, the ESA3085 - 8000 BTUs)which cost a whopping $200 according to CRs MSRP.

GE was number one in each of the categories.

All units rated "excellent" in terms of comfort (temperature and humidity control on low)

L.
 
What a Joke..

After my sisters LG dishwasher sent her kitchen up in flames, i refuse to touch them.. SHe had just had it fixed.. My frigidaire is not made by LG, rather by woods refrigeration... Made somewhere in the us.. Has no energy saver mode, or vent mode (who would use this function on an a/c unit any way?) or timer or even a remote (are people really that lazy that they cant get up and adjust the tempurature???)... And omg it doesn't even have electronic controls.. But ya know what? It keeps our bedroom cool and is fairly quite (we like white noise any way) and works well... Plus it was only $95 with tax.. ALl of those other models are more expnsive for just a few little frills.
BTW-A big way to tell who made the a/c is that if the air blows up tword the celing (as it does with alot of basic a/cs), its an LG... If it blows at you and the vents adjust is a woods unit.. Wish they still made true whirlpool a/c units
 
I believe Carrier window air conditioners are still made here in the USA too. Probably a little hard to find, and comparatively pricier than the big-box store AC units.

Scott, you mention the brownout conditions that cause air conditioners to short-cycle. I remember having that issue in my RV. I was in a campground a few years ago on a hot 4th of July. The campground was filled to capacity and everyone had their AC units on. Voltage was low all day long, but that evening, The transformer can up on the pole started overheating because of the load. It started hissing and sparking, and oil was oozing out the side. Another visitor went over to the main power panel and hit the main breaker to cut power to the camp before it damaged anyone's AC units or the transformer exploded. The power company came out at close to midnight, and the transformer was still too hot for the linemen to touch!

After I got back in town, I noticed my RV air condtioner was still not working quite correctly after the brownout at the RV park. I climbed up on the roof and took a look at the wiring in the AC unit. The insulaton was burned off the wiring and it was getting all frayed. I completely replaced all the compressor wiring with heavy duty 10 gauge wiring and cleaned all the contacts to the compressor and other terminals. I tested it again...It worked perfect, and resolved the short-cycling issue

I am certain that brownout condition burned up all that wiring, and I'm certainly glad that I caught that before it caused a more serious condition. I guess the fuse didn't blow because the voltage was so low.

Just wanted to mention this because you guys that have experienced this issue may be dealing with cooked wiring in your air conditioner too!!!
 
During the brown outs last summer, just gave up and shut down my AC. Low voltage conditions lasted about two or three days, and it wasn't worth the pain my AC was going through trying to get enough power.

CR's report states most of the ACs tested did "ok" during brown out conditions, but the Sharp was "the worst", and the mid-sized LG "mediocre".

Low voltage is bad for many appliances that use motors, IIRC and will fry some things out if one is not careful.

Strange thing is how many people crank up their AC or other appliance during a brown out, thinking a higher setting will get them where they need to be. All they are doing is putting more stress on an already stressed system.

L.
 
That is why when you buy a central system it makes sense to get one rated at 208/220 so that your voltage can go down to 190v before it balks.

Grid not happy? UPGRADE IT. We are getting to be ridiculously close to resembling a turd-world nation in this city with the repeated long-term blackouts year after year.

You can be sure those <$100 A/C's are allowing EVERYONE to have one and the grid suffers. So let's wake up and FIX IT!

Addtiioanlly: The good thing about so many new buildings in NYC using electric PTAC heat-pumps (READ hotel/motel style units) with backup reaistance electric coils, is that it will help balance the winter /summer demand by drawing more power in the winter when the grid is under-utliized in this area.

To further the goal of balancing winter / summer loads:

IIRC the middle-income housing by NY State on Roosevelt Island has straight resistance heat that IS (was?) NOT METERED TO THE TENANTS. It is directly across the river from Big Alice, Con-Edison's generators in Queens, NYC. I believe NYS buys the power in bulk, perhaps unmetered, at a HUGE discount.

(oopsie was I ranting?)

http://www.friedrich.com/ptac/index.asp
 
In all fairness to the grid I do shut off the cental air and fire up ONE small bedroom unit when things here get precarious.

A point to remember in NYC: after three for four days and nights of 90*F heat the concrete buildings and sidewalks and roads have "stored" heat to their full ability/capacity. This is when the load on the gird is greatest. It continues even after the heat subsides in that it takes a few cool nights in succession for the concrete to give off the heat again, reducing the need for arificial cooling.
 
Balancing heating demand.

A few years ago I spent some time in Scotland (great food, wonderful place, and really nice people, the single malt was good too). They had what they called "storage heaters." At that time, the electric rates were higher in the daytime than at night, which seemed like a good idea to me. In order to take advantage of lower night rates, and help balence the daytime and night demands for power, they ran the heat only at night. A storage heater looked like an electric resistance radiator. It contained electric resistence coils at the bottom of a tall, shallow box, and the upper part was filled with bricks. The coils would turn on and cook the bricks all night long, and in the morning the power would turn off and the bricks would radiate the heat all day, finally cooling off in the evening in time for the power to switch on again. To regulate the heat, you could adjust how long the power was on (adjustments were not instantanious this way). Another way was a shutter atop the heater which could be closed to trap heat inside, slowing the cooling of the bricks, and releasing less heat into the room. If you got too cold and the shutter was open, you would put on a sweater, a cheap, fast, and easy solution!
In the US, the most efficient heating and cooling system I have ever seen is a geothermal heat pump. They are godaweful expensive to install (nearly twice the cost of a conventional HVAC system), but the operating costs, maintainance costs, and system-longevity make it well worth every penny. In this type of system, there are pipes, which are either buried horizontally, or drilled vertically, into the ground. It relies on the ground temperature being nearly constant year-round. The system pumps coolant, or even water, through the pipes and into the "furnace" in the building. The result is a comfortable building that is also very cheap to operate. There is no ugly, noisy, AC compressor outside, just a small, quiet, and easily hidden pump. There are geothermal heat pumps that are over 50 years old, still in use and, still energy-efficient. Why can't we just use these more regularly?

Cursing my conventional AC bill,
Dave
 
Dave,

Geothermal heat pumps are indeed very efficient. However in addition to their higher installation cost, is the near impossibility of fixing the pipes in the ground should one spring a leak. Instead, new pipes have to be installed, as I understand it. Perhaps newer plastic materials minimize the chances of breakage, but I would imagine that settlement and inadvertant digging take their toll anyway. For established residences on limited land square footage (many new homes in my town are either townhouses or built on 1/6 acre or less), obviously there is less area in which to install a geothermal system, although vertical systems might work for some homes. I have a well on my property and I suppose I could put a pipe loop into that, but I've never checked to see just how much room there is, what the usual water depth is, etc - and the well is about 100 feet from the main residence, so the connecting pipes would have to be extremely well insulated.
 

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