AboutHoward Livingston Expertise Can answer questions on electrical control circuits, power supply,airflow & distribution, electrical components,refrigerant problems,gas, electric & propane furnaces.No boiler or refrigerator or oil fired furnaces experience.Just HVAC questions please.
Experience 35 years experience in residential & light commercial repair & installation.
Question We have a Trane XL19i Super High Efficiency heat pump that was installed in 2004 that doesn't seem to be working correctly. We have had temperatures in in the high 90's and we were at 101 over the weekend. The outside pipe has developed a very thick coating of ice, and the unit has been running continuously (24 hours a day) for over a week now. It finally did shut off this morning, but that was only because the outside temp finally dropped to 68. We have had the thermostat set at about 76 - 77 for most of the time, and the two indoor thermometers and the thermostat itself has shown that the inside air has gotten up to 80 at times. When I talked again to the service tech this morning, who indicated this was pretty much as expected because of our outside temps of late, but he did admit the outside pipe should not be icing up. His final response was, "Monitor the situation and if it doesn't get any better, give us a call back and we'll try to work you in this afternoon." He did ask if the house was cool, which it is, but only because the outside temp is! The thermometers showed the inside temp as actually being 1 - 2 degrees higher than the outside. I'm worried that as the outside temp climbs today, the unit will come back on but won't cool the house, and it will be too late to get them back out here. It worries me that the crazy thing has been running 24/7 for eight days, and not keeping the house cool. Is this really normal, and if not, what wording do I use when talking to them to get them back out here? Thank you.
Answer Hate to say it but these evaporator coils they make nowdays can start leaking in a couple of years.Its the low silver content of the solder that is the cause. So get them back out to find the leak cause you are low on freon with all your symptons.. They know too whats wrong. In th heat of the afternoon the suction line should be cold & sweaing. Check it out. Doesn't mean its full of freon but tells you it is not too low..
