Central Heat and Air Questions!!!!?

Question

I live in a house that is a rent house and my central heat and air unit is always running during the summer months and will not keep my house cool. I have contacted my landlord and he sends the HVAC tech. over to fix it and the problem still remains. I don't think the unit is big enough for the house. How do you calculate what the capacity should be on a unit? How would you go about getting the landlord off his buttocks to keep me from paying 300/month electric bills? I seriously looking at a way to sabotage the unit so he will "have" to replace it...because it older than dirt anyway!! Anyone ever had a similar situation or can provide some insight?

Thanks!!

Answer 1

to find the capacity of a unit you must find out the sq ft in your apartment and then you will need to know the btu's or tonnage of the unit....most of the time the units btu's are in the last numbers of the model number...so if your model number for example says 000000036 then it is 36000 btu's and this is three tons and will cool about 1500 to 2200 sq ft depending on how well the building is insulated or how many windows you have and the quality of the windows and what direction your apartment faces ...

Answer 2

As a tenant, you can replace the filter every month, and clean the outdoor coils when they get dirty. This will help the unit run more efficiently. Have you asked your neighbors what they are paying for A/C electric this summer? Is your bill way out of line with theirs?
To see if the unit is undersized, take a temperature reading of the air going into the unit at a return duct, and the air coming out of the unit at a supply duct. If there is a 20* difference, the unit is operating at peak capacity. If it does not remove 1 degree of heat from the room/home every 8-12 minutes, it is undersized. During periods of intense heat gain from 10am to 5pm, the unit may not shut off. If it is keeping the home cool, it is doing what it is designed to do; the problem may be with insulation in the home, not the unit. If you live in a very humid area, the humidity will add greatly to the heat load.
Find the make, model and serial number of the unit and write it down. Phone the service company in your area that represents this make (listed in your phone book) and ask what the age of the unit is by the serial number. If it is over 18 years old, it may cost more to repair than to replace. A newer unit will be more energy efficient and less costly to run. However, your landlord won't share in this cost saving bounty: He has to pay for the installation and maintenance of an A/C that won't directly benefit him. I'm not sure of your area, but here a home is not required to have air conditioning. A heater in all homes is a requirement by law, but A/C is a luxury. Most home do without A/C. For your landlord to replace or repair, it must directly benefit him. Are you a good tenant? Do you pay regularly without reminders? Do you have a history of complaints, or are you a tenant that a landlord would like to keep? If you are a good tenant, politely inform the landlord that you need a home that has air conditioning, but you can't afford $300/month to pay for it, and you will be looking elsewhere. If you haven't been an outstanding tenant, this may be your landlord's way of getting you to move on.
I can understand your frustration, but if you sabotage the unit, your landlord may not be obligated to repair or replace; and you will be without cooling. If it is discovered that you deliberately damaged the unit, You may be purchasing a new unit for the landlord. Tight-fisted insurance companies have better detectives than the F.B.I., and will find out.
Best of luck.

Answer 3

If the air conditioner vents are dripping that's a sure sign that the compressor is too small. Not sure how else to tell. Changing the filter can help with the efficiency of your unit, or you can try using portable fans in the house by the vents or positioned toward guests to help you feel more comfortable. Seems to me like the unit needs more than just a looking at. Tell your landlord the problem has to be fixed NOW and that if it isn't it's grounds for you to terminate the lease or he has to help you with the electricity bill. Don't know what resolution you'll find, but I hope that it's a suitable one.

Answer 4

The law says to notify the landlord three times and if he doesnt fix the problem within a reasonable time 1-2 months depending on the circumstances and then file your rent bwith the courts til the problem is fixedor you can get the city building inspectors involved

Answer 5

rule of thumb=500 sq ft per ton lets say your model number reads tygse030786erkl 030=30 thous btu 12,000 btu per ton =21/2 ton ac unit 1250 sq ft cooling capacity luck sounds like you have an air flow problem to me. return air sizexsupply air size. call your own tech pay bill get second opinon then submit to landlord