Why Is My Janitrol Unit Not Blowing Air?

This is not a job for amateurs or DIY 's , call a professional....

Perhaps you could name and describe your A/C unit.

1. Is it sitting through the wall as a mono bloc?

2. Is it a split system?

3. Is it part of a central air system?

4. Is it part of a chilled system?

Some have a name, and a type.

Its part of a central air system, everything is enclosed in one unit. The problem occured while the a/c was running, it seemed like very little air was coming out the vents and the air was not cold. I went outside and saw the fan had stopped turning and the big line going from the compressor to the accumulator had iced over. I turned the blower fan and it turns freely, changed the dual run cap and now the fan turns but still no air. I'm trying to do it myself because were strapped for cash right now, but if this is something a pro should fix I might have to rethink things.

Save money. Call the man.

pay for a service call, the problem is over your head

AP #1

I can't see or touch your unit so I can't see what the problem is. Neither can I test it, make any adjustment, charge any gases, check the electrical of the complete unit and its components, clean it or another tasks that might be involved with trouble-shooting and adjusting/repairing you A/C unit. Therefor I am not the man to call. Call a local A/C repair/contractor for correcting the problem.

Caution- If someone claims to be able to be able to repair it without being there is a fool to say the least. Maybe also liar, con-artist, a fraud, cognitively challenged, a spy (call the NSA if this is the case), a bigamist, have an IQ of less than half the age of our president at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave., or one or more serious malady that would only make matters worse.

In Summary- get a local A/C repairman in to do the job!

Good Luck, Old Salt

One of the reasons for ice formation is less refrigerant. Or May be the due to dirty filters. Consult the trained service personal to resolve this issue.

Iced lines is a clear sign that you are low on refrigerant.

Refrigerant is not consumed it leaks out.

You need more than a quick fix. You need a refrigeration service dude to have a look and make it good.

Goes also for previous poster:

Ice can also appear when the fan doesn't work. The coil cannot rid the cold to the environment. Since OP 's claims show this, the fan might be just the problem. A good analyst reads and listens to what the OP comes up with.

We do not even know what machine het has, unless Janitrol says it all?

The A/C man might clean the exchangers too and test the system pressures.

Here in the land of the blind, the A/C man charges $70.00 to fill up a car A/C. That is $5.00 worth on refrigerant and $65.00 for 10 minutes of the time of ""THE MAN"" behind the meters.

Heave it outside it is cheaper to get a new one instead of trying to get it repaired.

really now???

nice sticker but that's a nat gas furnace!

Because it Sucks. hahahahahahahahaha

Wow.. I bet it took you a long time to come up with that one.. very impressive.

no very quickly.

Maybe you need to buy her dinner and flowers first. LOL

UFG.

I the process of replacing the cap did you shut it down long. With the lack of air movement though the evaporator it may have ice up also. To point it has restricted the flow.

In that case shut it down for a LONG time and let it all melt out. Then you can evaluate the system in a non- congested state.

GET PROFESSIONAL HELP ( for the AC that is )

In addition to the outdoor fan (condensor fan) there is an indoor fan (evaporator fan). This is inside the unit. Might be a broken belt, bad motor, or bad wire. I can't tell from here.

If you don't know how to find the evaporator fan or check the above items you might want to talk in person to someone that does. The internet is not the best way to troubleshoot equipment. Need to be able to verify what you read.

First note that the "big line" from the accumulator to the compressor is the suction line. I say accumulator to compressor because this is the direction in which the refrigerant flows. The accumulator is to prevent liquid refrigerant from entering the compressor. (Thus "accumulating" it.) NOT to be confused with the receiver tank.

That is, if your system has both these.

I am speaking from the standpoint of general HVAC, and I know nothing specific about your unit.

Having said that;

There are more conditions than low refrigerant that can cause iced lines.

Low suction pressure can cause iced lines. What can cause low suction pressure?

Glad you asked!
Low suction pressure could be caused by:

Restricted evaporator air flow - fan not running (as OP said it's not!) debris in the coil, a damper stuck, return air blocked.

Restricted expansion valve

Restricted suction line or modulation

Yes, also a leak or low refrigerant charge.

I advise finding the evaporator fan. It's the one in your house that you would notice is not blowing. It blows the hot and cold around your house.

The fan outside is the condenser fan. It expels the heat or cold from your house.

Once you find the evap fan, confirm it is not running. Check your primary air ducts and see if anything is blocking them. Check to make sure your filter is not clogged, plugged, totally filthy. Maybe replace it anyway - it's good to change frequently.

After you do all this, you're about at the limit of what an average person can do. If the evap fan is indeed not running, it could be a range of problems.

Most HVAC units have a control circuit board. This board could have gone bad, lost a connection, have a plug that loose, or etc. A technician can and will check it rapidly and affordably.

Do not attempt to mess with refrigerant or refrigerant lines, unless you are EPA certified or whatever your local country (I didn't check your location) requires for certification. You do NOT want to vent refrigerant under any circumstances. It is bad for the environment, and it can kill you by suffocation - a most unpleasant occurance.

Feel free to ask more if you find something and you're curious.

"expels cold".........interesting concept

Scientifically innacurate. I was in a hurry when I typed it.

I know in residential HVAC you typically just burn a fire and blow the heat around.
In transport HVAC, we reverse cycle and other methods to REINTRODUCE heat.

Better?

its all good any refrigeration system (including AC) is a machine that moves heat. you can't create cold!

The fan outside is the condenser fan. It expels the heat or cold from your house.

I made an oopsie.

Note that of everything I said, this is all that is noticed.

No not all...your stated possibilities of icing, are woefully inadequate....any encouragement for the OP to attempt to troubleshoot a complicated system like this, is a disservice to them, that could end up costing much more in the end....

If the compressor Low side is icing up the most likely cause is the unit is trying to reach a temperature that is not attainable because the system cooling capacity is undersized, the evaporator is restricted, the duct work is too small or rstricted, or there are duct leaks adding to much heat load to/on the evaporator/refrigerant or the thermostat is set too low or is faulty.

The lack of air flow is usually either due to ice buildup on the evaporator or there is a restriction such as a collapse, restricted, ruptured duct, and/or insulation trapped against the evaportator coils.

The second most likely cause would be that the refrigerant charge is too low causing the evaporator to ice up and restrict air flow.

If the unit is properly sized and the icing is not being caused by a low refrigerant charge the next likely cause would be a faulty TXV (Thermal Expansion Valve).

If none of this makes sense to you, I would hire a competent refrigeration repair service to troubleshoot the system.

One more small item that can be a very large one that will cause icing of the low side.

There is a flow orifice that must be installed inside the high side refrigerant connection at the evaporator inlet.

This orifice must be correctly sized for your application based on application cooling/heating BTU/tonnage requirements.

In todays high focus on cost savings marketing most HVAC manufacturers use the same size compressor in different cooling capacity rated units.

For instance: You may have a 4 or 5 ton compressor installed in a 3 - 3-1/2 ton unit which will require the proper sized orifice for whatever cooling rating is required for your application.

You need to know exactly what size your application requires and this can only be answered by a trained, competent HVAC engineer/technician.

Once you determine the application size then a call to Goodman Technical Service Support will yield the proper size orifice required however you must have a certified, licensed HVAC technicain perform the needed replacement.

Good luck.

Hope this helps.

The unit outside has nothing to do with the air-flow through-out your house, the air flow to the vents comes from the main unit that is seen in post # 11. It will be a squirrel cage fan, run direct from the motor or is may be belt driven. Belt may be broken or loose, fan is siezed or motor problems. Make sure you disconnect the power to both units before putting your hands in there. Good luck...Rescue

If the fan is truly running but no air is circulating you have air blockage somewhere in the duct sytem or the unit. I suggest you hire a genuine pro to investigate.

Good luck.

Lou Bindner

The problem is that it is a Janitrol system. absolute junk builder's grade (and then only barely) crap.

call the guy and get a quote to scrap that POS and replace it with a real HVAC system.

If the fan is truly running the condenser may be frozen up. Turn the AC Off and the Fan ON and let the ice melt. You should start to feel the air at the registers in an hour or so. Let it run for a bit longer to make sure all the ice is gone. If the problem was caused by a bad capacitor it should be fine. It might be time to replace the blower fan motor. Usually under $100.00 if the cap goes out again.

I have done this several times and each time it lasted a year or two.

If the system is older than 15 years. Save some money and get a new system. The new ones are much more efficient and will save you money on your cooling bill.

There may even be a rebate or energy credit towards a new unit. Even if you figure out what the problem is, you don't have the tools to fix it. If you had the tools, you would know what is wrong.

If you had the tools, you would know what is wrong.

Amen!