not a problem , just a question central ac

[wasp]

i have a ruud system, its both gas heat and central air, im pretty handy so i can work on most things, a little while ago the blower fan started making noise, turned out the motor bearings were shot, i pulled it , found one online and was even able to talk to a tech that makes the motors, so it was a pretty simple swap........

 

i should add that the ja that installed it used no sealant on the duct flanges or bothered to wrap the duct with insulation blanket, needless to say i had water leaking out of the duct at the last 90 into the furnace..................so i had to do that as well, other than that and the sub base being shot on the thermostat (unit wouldnt cycle) when i bought the house 4 years ago, thats really all thats been done..................oh yeah, i had to have one of the hvac guys at work make me up some return duct since the intake on the unit was drawing in basement air (i wish i knew who installed it, like to say a few things to them, lol)

i know one day something is going to break down and my dogs are going to be trapped in a hot house until someone gets home.....................is there any kind of preventive inspection i can do to forsee something needs to be replaced b4 that day comes , or is it inevitable

[Rrey199]

 The gas furnace is pretty self-sufficient. Just keep it clean. With the a/c, keep the filter fresh and the condenser and evap coils clean. Also blow out the condensate line and trap each season to keep it from backing up.

If the furnace is a high efficiency model (90+%) make sure the filter is fresh for the winter as well, and that model will also have a condensate trap. Make sure to clean it out every season too.

[wasp]

i do all that, but im not so sure what filter you are referring to when you speak of the furnace 90% +......................i change the intake filter every 3 months, and hose out condensor and coil every spring, i also cover it for winter

[Rrey199]

 A 90% furnace is vented in PVC (Plastic) pipe rather than metal smoke pipe into a chimney. The filter is the same as for your a/c , but more critical to keep clean with a 90% because it has a secondary heat exchanger that is restrictive and will begin to get the dirt before the A/C coil will. It sounds as if your alot more diligent than most of my customers. You should be fine.

[wasp]

oh , mine is metal flue........................and am i correct in that as long as i dont see bubbles in the sight glass my coolant  level is fine?

[Rrey199]

 Sight glasses aren't exact, but if you don't see bubbles, it's either empty or ok. If it's cooling, it's not empty.

On a warm, humid day, you should have:

Cool air from the registers

A cool, sweaty suction line (The bigger one that's insulated)

Water from the condensate drain from the indoor coil.

Hot air blowing out of the condenser outside.

 

If you have all of these, then you're probably in good shape.