old air conditioner

Get the coils cleaned, inside and outside. Have freon level checked. Make sure air flow in apt is unrestricted. Keep a clean filter at all times; change it about once a month.

Check on the air filter.
I do that.. even though they are reallllly hard to find


Coils..

Something I can clean myself? Should I call someone instead?

Is that essentially what ends up being cleaned when you spray the outside unit with a hose?

I bet Eb knows what of he speaks.

be sure to check the exhaust side (outside) for icing which will happen and basically that will shut down the cooling capacity of the unit. if it is iced over turn it off and allow to thaw. stay tuned to what EB says.

If it does not turn off, and if it also does not cool very much, and if it's old, and if the room size matches the BTU, then my first guess is that it has lost a consequential amount of refrigerant.

If it's an in-window type, simply buy a new one, they are cheap enough alrighty.

i imagine that having a service person check the air-conditioner might be about the same cost as a new (window ?) air-conditioner - and you'll probably be told that you need a new one .
you might check the vents etc. to ensure that there is no dust-buildup . if the condenser fins get "plugged up" (dirty) the performance will start to drop off .
do you get plenty of airflow ?
if that's the case you should be able to clean them - but make sure the unit is UNPLUGGED first !!!
the cooling tower of our central air-conditioner was cleaned about three or four years ago - it's about 25 years old - and the performance increased greatly .
hope this helps .
hbg

not a window unit

perhaps this website will help - good instructions on "how to" >>>
CLEAN AIR-CONDITIONER

total segue here BUT, yesterday we had our handiman check our swamp cooler, the pads were TOTALLY disintegrated and there was a garbage bag full of mineral deposits on the louvers and the floor; we have been paying every spring for the past 5 years to have it serviced and, obviously it never was. I had to buy a new pump, all new pads, new drive belt and scrape out the louvers and floor just to get it running.

While yes, some here have mentioned indirectly a defective defrost cycle (cause icing) and yes some have mentioned ineffective air flow, all things being equal, on a unit as described: low refrigerant!

The best solution as I have discussed.......save your money and do not hire a maintenance-repair dude, given its age and replacement cost..... buy a new one.

since it's NOT a window a/c try this one :
A/C CLEANING

The coils on the inside are fairly easy to clean, if thay are easily accessable. Use a nylon bristle brush to wipe away dirt. You can get coil cleaner at many hardware stores. There are interior cleaner and exterior cleaner. Use a squirt bottle to clean as much out of the coils as you can, and then squirt the coil cleaner into the coils with a squirt bottle. Allow it to set and work before washing it off by squirting water on it.

If you can get to the outside unit, hold your hand above it while the fan runs. If you feel air above the fan, the coils are not all that dirty. If the air blows more out to the side, they are pretty dirty. It is hard to reach the coils with a squirt bottle, but if you can, squrit the coils and let them set a few minutes. Then hose them off. It would be wise to pull the emergency disconnect first, which is normally in plain sight near the unit and not reactivate until the water has had some time to run off.

If, when the A/C is running, the biggest copper line on the outside is not very cold, it likely is low on freon.

Since you didn't describe icing, I haven't said anything about it. A restriction in the flow will sometimes cause frosting and a dirty filter, if they even installed any on the outside copper lines, can cause frosting. If the unit has lost approximately half its freon, it will ice very badly.

Oh.......it's not an easily replaceable in-window unit.......too bad, however I still stand by my guess of low refrigerant being the single most likely cause given its age and symptoms as described.

i've been told that once our unit loses it's freon , the unit will have to be replaced . apparently the service companies are no longer allowed to recharge freon units (perhaps just a ploy to get us to buy a new unit) .

I had one resident who allowed his coils to become excessively dirty. He complained how it ran all the time, costing him a fortune. He had plenty of freon. A good cleaning of just the interior coil, plus a clean filter, made it run like a champ. He said his bill lowered a full hundred dollars.

Sadly I can not afford to, nor am I allowed to.. replace the AC unit.
I live in a rented apartment with little say over what happens.

But, when i want something done, I have to do it myself.

Tomorrow, I will spend some time downstairs looking at the outside unit.
Beyond an occasional squirt with the hose, I have not yet looked into how clean it is, or whether or not the air flow is sufficient.

As for the inside coils..

Given the photograph I posted.. if it is of any help..

Do I go in to the BOTTOM to reach them? Or should I remove the entire brown casing?

No so, only if the defrost termination uses a timer, icing from low refrigerant is much less likely if the defrost period is based on temperature.

Our bill.. keeping it at 78/80 can be almost 200.00 for a 600 sq ft apt.

wayyyy too much