Heat Wave in Texas

SubieRubyRoo · Jun 27, 2023

ChrisMU said:
No need to keep it in a box. I have three window units to supplement my central a/c. Earlier in the week, when it was 107 degrees and two window units were running, my thermostat still read 75 instead of the 72 it’s set at. My house is an 1800 sf ranch home with a metal roof. Central a/c is a 3.5 ton from 2014. Location: about 15 miles west of Austin.

3.5 ton seems a little oversized for 1800SF (I’m at 1790 and was recommended a 2.5 ton), which “may” be part of the problem. When the unit is big, there is a very rapid decline in air temp, but the unit does not really dehumidify the air. I’ve read some articles lately that in humid climates, the smart money is on rounding down to the nearest half-ton (when the unit is not full VFD) so that the unit is forced to run a little longer to reach the set temps. This helps dehumidify the air more, and results in a more comfortable living space as opposed to the seesaw temps and higher RH because of the oversized unit.

JavierH19 · Jun 27, 2023

Seeing that map of lower Mexico has me wanting to go back to Oaxaca where the weather is almost san fran like year round. This Houston humidheat has me blasting the ac and making me wish trucks had crotch coolers like back in the day.

rekit · Jun 27, 2023

"I would keep a window unit in a box in case the central AC konked out if I lived down there."

Exactly. Just bought a 1 ton so my 5K generator would run it for Hurricanes and power outages. We already have 2 other wall shakers in some bedrooms. And then saturday, on my birthday, we came home and the 5 YO Carrier central is not running. Hoping it's the cap (which it was), but don't have one. Called monday morning, hey come when you can. AC guy came out and 25 minutes later it is running. $350-are you kidding me!!!! I took a pic of the cap he put in for future reference and google found it for $30. Made in USA. Carrier has 10 years on parts and I paid 600 for a 10 year labor plan. Hoping they don't find an "out", but they covered the 3-4K blower motor that went out last winter. (ECM). I used to do AC and knew more than this guy. I had to point out that it had a hard start kit already in there kinda outa the way and he replaced that cap too. Google showed it at $10. Retired on a fixed income, gonna be a chalenge at some point.

clinebarger · Jun 27, 2023

Snagglefoot said:
It only made it to 99 F today in Houston. No new record.

DFW has higher record temps for this time of year....A lot of them set in 1980. The Houston area is usually more humid.....But the humidity has been pretty brutal here in DFW.

Fla · Jun 27, 2023

Malo83 said:
Quit your whinning we'll be hitting triple digits this weekend.

LOL! 97 degrees here today and I think that we're still 2 degrees below the record. But more heat is coming so we might make it yet!

Fla · Jun 27, 2023

rekit said:
"I would keep a window unit in a box in case the central AC konked out if I lived down there."

Exactly. Just bought a 1 ton so my 5K generator would run it for Hurricanes and power outages. We already have 2 other wall shakers in some bedrooms. And then saturday, on my birthday, we came home and the 5 YO Carrier central is not running. Hoping it's the cap (which it was), but don't have one. Called monday morning, hey come when you can. AC guy came out and 25 minutes later it is running. $350-are you kidding me!!!!

I have a well pump and an AC unit that both use caps. My AC blew one years ago so I started watching for spare caps from some of the old equipment that I get around. I now have a stock of about 20 different sizes and you can't believe how many people have come to me over the years that needed one. If you own anything that uses a Starter and/or Run cap in it, you NEED to look at the value on it and get a spare and keep it on hand.

rekit · Jun 27, 2023

Of all the sensors they have now I don't understand there was not one (on mine anyway) to shut down and alert you when a cap fails. My 2018 unit was just sitting there timing out on the overload on the compressor and I guess the condensor fan was trying to run the whole time. The blower still running, it did'nt give a crap. "Hey, I'm blowing hot air for an hour-oh well....."

Fla · Jun 27, 2023

As far as I know they're all like that. The indoor fan went out on mine a few weeks ago and stopped blowing air but the pump and the fan outside just kept on running. But with the indoor fan not running, there is no heating of the Freon in the evaporator so the freon in it won't evaporate, so the liquid Freon will back up into the running pump which is almost certainly bad for it. I suspect that something like this could ruin the entire system if it was caught quickly and shutdown. I was lucky, I replaced the ECM fan motor (I already had a spare

and turned it back on and everything resumed working as it should. I was doubly lucky in that the temperature only got into the 80s at that time. The day after I got it running again, the temp zoomed into the mid 90s!

Having bought a spare ECM motor by mail order a year ago for about $300 saved me from having to buy one locally when-I-needed-it for over $900!

rekit · Jun 28, 2023

When my warranty goes out, when my ecm blower motor goes out I'll replace it with a relay and old school $100 motor. Regarding that $350 charge for the cap replacement-The window unit I bought for generator duty was only $450 for a really nice Freidrich w/free delivery! 1 ton with remote! The complete central install 3 ton Carrier with strip heat and ductwork was ony 8K in 2018. At this rate Carrier is gonna go broke with their 10 year parts warranty that came with it. I paid $600 for the 10 year labor coverage from another place. They are hurting already.
If anyone is interested:
JB Warranties, 2221 Justin Road #119-PMB 151, Flower Mound, TX 75028
Office: 855-742-5522 | Fax: 469-464-1226 | Claims Fax: 469-464-1227
They paid on the ecm, hoping they pay this.

vavavroom · Jun 28, 2023

My heater kicked in last night and this morning. That's unheard of here in late June. I take temperatures in the 50s and 60s over sweltering heat, though. Across the Bay they suffer in the 90s.