ac runs non stop

bnrboy775 · Wed Jun 01, 2011 2:51 pm

I have a singlewide mobile home. I just had my ac completely serviced/ cleaned. We have a lot better air flow now to both side of the house. But my problem is that the side of the house with the living room and master bedroom stays warmer, which is where the thermostat is. The other side of the house is like a walk in freezer. I have checked the ductwork for leaks and found one and have repaired it and that helped some but I just don't understand. It seems like it blows twice as hard on one side of the unit as opposed to the other. Any help would be appreciated... it is a coleman pres II outside unit is a lennox. The thermostat is a hunter digital thermostat..

bnrboy775 · Wed Jun 01, 2011 2:54 pm

Oh and the outside temp is 90 degree and I have the thermostat set on 80

flcruising · Wed Jun 01, 2011 3:30 pm

You have a singlewide or doublewide? Your description is confusing.

bnrboy775 · Wed Jun 01, 2011 3:53 pm

Its a singlewide unit. The ac in in the middle of the house. On the side of the unit with living room and master it is warmer then the other side of the unit that has two bedrooms.

bnrboy775 · Wed Jun 01, 2011 5:51 pm

Also when they came and cleaning the inside coil( it had to be taken completely out to clean it). They did not clean the unit outside of the house. If I cleaned that would it help with the airflow?

Bill · Wed Jun 01, 2011 9:24 pm

Hi, Cleaning the outside unit will not help your air flow. what it will do is work more efficiently, It will cool or heat(heat pump) the air better. Sorry but it wont solve your air flow problem. Some item's to check, the insulation under the home, connection of the duct work, Even check the air filter and make sure its clean. You said that they cleaned the A coil, so that should be okay. Also take a different thermometer and put it by your thermostat and see if your thermostat is reading the same temp. Hope this helps.
Bill

bnrboy775 · Wed Jun 01, 2011 9:35 pm

Okay. Well ill still clean the outdoor unit. It can't hurt anyway. I know the insulation is not too great underneath the unit. Id like to get under there and add more insulation. Should I think about doing that or just insulate the skirting? I have checked everywhere I can see and cannot find any leaks from the ductwork.

flcruising · Thu Jun 02, 2011 1:36 pm

All of your vents are fully open? Try blocking off the ones in the cool side of the house and see if it increases the flow to the opposite end. It sounds to me like you may have a blockage, but this simple test will help you determine. Also sticking a mirror and a flashlight down into the vent may reveal as well.

bnrboy775 · Fri Jun 03, 2011 1:11 am

I have tried completely closing the vents off on the whole cool side of the house and the airflow on the other side doesn't seem to change at all. I have stuck a flashlight in each vent and taken my cell phone and recorded a video pointing towards the vent the flashlight is in and cannot see any blockages. This allows me to see up close as well as far away due to light on phone camera. No holes either.
There is only one thing that looks different and that is in the vent closest to the unit on the cooler side of the house. I put my phone in and record the video and I notice that on the top of the ductwork there is a large bulge downward into the duct. There are screws sticking out at that point which leads me to believe it is junction point. I have gone under the mobile at that point and can feel no air blowing out anywhere but I cannot access the top of the ductwork to find out what the deal is with it. I hope I described it well enough for you to understand. If not can I take and post pics on here? Or send them or this video to someone to look at and see what you think on it.

flcruising · Fri Jun 03, 2011 2:10 pm

It sounds like It would be necessary to open up the belly to do a proper inspection as you've done pretty much all you can to check from above.

If the airflow didn't change at all by blocking the vents on the cool end of the house, then you definitely have a duct issue. You may be able to open up the belly on the end of the house with the airflow problem, and look down the duct with a good flashlight. Do you know anyone with a smoke generator?

bnrboy775 · Fri Jun 03, 2011 2:15 pm

No I do not know anyone that has one. Since the problem only involves half the house , would it be isolated somewhere around the ac unit? Or could it be anywhere along the ductwork?

bnrboy775 · Fri Jun 03, 2011 8:59 pm

So I did some more investigating today. There is a fairly large air leak coming from pretty much directly under the ac unit. It is on the top of the ductwork. In other words it is leaking between the ductwork and the subfloor of the house. I don't know how I can get to it to fix it as I cannot access the top of the ductwork. Can I cut this whole section out and replace it or would I be better off just contacting an hvac company to have it done?

flcruising · Mon Jun 06, 2011 9:20 am

Does the unit sit on the subfloor?

How about a picture?

jpingram5 · Sat Jul 09, 2011 2:57 pm

Sounds like the collar that joins the unit to the duct work possibly. If you can you can try and cut out a section of the ductwork directly underneath the unit (the blower/coil) and you should be able to reach up in there and possibly patch the leak or repair it. Or least see it better.