Air cond blowing hot air..

[enfz]

The temp is around 44.2c here in Perth today. My ducted AC blows out warm air, then the compressor kicks in and then it cools slightly then it blows hot air again. What gives? The AC temp is set at 22c and on NON auto mode (so it's constant).

Anyone has any clue what could be wrong? Is it cause by the extremely hot weather outside that it is exhibiting that behavior?

[memphis]

mine are struggling too....

when it goes warm again is the compressor off, or still running?

[Brickie]

This has been done before, its the air con turning itself off because it gets too hot, stupid huh? :doh:

Do a search for the other thread..:2tsup:

[Buzzer]

Hi there,

I would get the owners manual out and find out it's operating temperature range. I think you may find 44.2 degrees be outside it's range.

The manual in my panasonic split says up to 43 degrees.

[OLDPHART]

Too bl..dy hot they will only work up to 40 deg.Gofor a swim:2tsup:

[Brickie]

Sort of defeats the whole idea of the AC really doesnt it? :?

[sdrob]

my suggestion is check the outdoor coil, if it looks slightly dirty give it a quick wash with the hose, not too much pressure or you will damage the fins.. and make sure you have the power turned off completly too..

[OLDPHART]

I'm sure someone has built an air conditioner that works above 40 degrees Where is it?
Was in Perth last year when temp hit 46 ,nothing would handle it.
This is Australia fellas,lift your act,I've been into clubs to have lunch on some of these days and had to walk out again because their air con couldn't handle the temp.:no:

[enfz]

Thanks for the replies guys. I checked the coil, its pretty clean. Unfortunately I can't find any documentation for the compressor/AC as it is a ducted unit. Brand itself is ARENA, however googling the model number didn't really yield any results.

It's good to know that they have their operating temperature, it shows that my unit is working fine. The downside I suppose is....it sorta defeats the purpose?! *chuckles*. Though it did work fine again when the temp dropped back down to ~40c.

[Smurf]

It's quite possible to build and air-conditioner that works well over 43 degrees. A ground loop heat exchange (or heat exchange to anything that's cooler than the air) is the easy way but it's quite possible to do it with air to air.

It would be interesting to see a chart of Perth electricity use yesterday to see how common the problem was. It ought to have peaked about the same time as the temperature peak. If there's a flat spot on top or even a dip around that time then it would indicate that many A/C units were cutting out.

[Brickie]

It's quite possible to build and air-conditioner that works well over 43 degrees. A ground loop heat exchange (or heat exchange to anything that's cooler than the air) is the easy way but it's quite possible to do it with air to air.

.

Evaporative?
My dont cut out when it gets too hot..:D

[jow104]

Your welcome to send 20C of it over here anytime the next three months:D

[Smurf]

Evaporative?
My dont cut out when it gets too hot..:D
Quite possible with a refrigerated system too but many don't seem to be built to cope.

As for evaporative, I would think it would work quite well in Perth as not too humid etc? Certainly uses a lot less power than refrigerating a house when it's 44 outside and the sun's shining through the windows.

[Smurf]

Your welcome to send 20C of it over here anytime the next three months:D
A few degrees down in Tassie wouldn't go a miss either. 12.6 outside at the moment.

[Timmo]

Quite possible with a refrigerated system too but many don't seem to be built to cope.

As for evaporative, I would think it would work quite well in Perth as not too humid etc? Certainly uses a lot less power than refrigerating a house when it's 44 outside and the sun's shining through the windows.

Evaporative simply wont cut it in 44 degree heat. Assuming the air is dry at 10%RH, a fairly efficient swampy will at best bring the RH of the air passing through up to about 60%, dropping the dry bulb temp down to 26 degrees. this is still just outside the comfort zone, which, for 60% RH is between 22.5 and 25.5 degrees C. Not bad, bearable but not great. For this temperature air to be coming out of a duct we'd be looking at around 1 complete air change of the house every ten minutes, ie a shyte load of air movement to keep the house bearable.

With refrigerated air with at least R 1.0 duct on a short throw, the supply air temp coming out of the duct is typically around 9-11 degrees on a well designed system with ventilated ceilings.

in a house of 44 degrees, supply air of 11 degrees will do more for comfort than damp 25 degree air. At the end of the day, a swampy doesnt remove heat energy from the air.

BTW I am biased towards refrigerated air (I'm a fridgey).

[Timmo]

Further to the last post, when I was in Sydney for the 46 degree new years day of 2006, The cheap and nasty Arlec split system i installed managed to cope.

I did however hose out the outdoor coils and had the gas charge spot on. It was still running a head pressure of 2400 kpa so it was pretty much at the limit but kept going. A little bit of maintenance can go a long way on super hot days.

[Brickie]

is between 22.5 and 25.5 degrees C. Not bad, bearable but not great. .

Still beats 44 when the others have packed it in because its too hot...:hapy::rotfl:

[echnidna]

I'm gunna put in a swampy, at least they work when its really hot

[Brickie]

Ours hasnt missed a beat in over 7 years Bob.

And you get a nice flow of air in the house rather than being shut in..:2tsup:

[Groggy]

I have a small aircon unit that gets used maybe two days a year (40 deg +), usually just before bedtime to bring the indoor temp down to where you can sleep.

The evaporative cooler runs well provided you are sensible and close northern facing windows and drop their blinds and shades. Partly open other windows and doors (ensuring the air is flowing out and not in). Pull curtains and blinds where you can.

Works for me.

Another advantage of the big fan is that when you get home and open the house up it can blast the majority of the heat out within minutes.

[enfz]

The AC seems to be playing up. During the night, it blows normal air, then compressor kicks in..the cool air comes out, after a while it repeats again. Only happens sometimes though. Does my ducted AC need servicing?

If anyone knows if a few ducted AC service contacts and an approximate price as to what to pay, that would be much appreciated.