Inside temp. skyrockets in the afternoon...

14 years ago

The temp. in my apt is set to 72. From about 2:00 in the afternoon until 7:00 at night the temp rises from 72 to 80. The AC runs continuously from noon until sometimes 2:00 in the morning.

Maintenance has replaced the compressor, coil, blower, a leaky valve, and recharged the system. That made absolutely no difference.

Prior to the "repairs" the temp. at the registers was about 68, after it was the same. Shouldn't the temp. at the registers be about 55? Maintenance has given up and says there is nothing else they can do. (???)

I'm on the 3rd floor, have a vaulted ceiling with the attic directly above, and the sun shines directly on my side of the building all afternoon. It's obvious those factors along with the outside temp. (over 90, Tampa,FL) is causing the temp. (along with my electric bill) to skyrocket. I close all the blinds/curtains and run the ceiling fans all afternoon but that doesn't help either.

I'm not opposed to hiring an outside contractor to at least check the system and make repairs if needed, but would that be a waste of time and money? Is there anything I can do or check other than buying a fan and bag of ice?

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Comments (7)

tigerdunes
14 years ago
tom

the supply temp is definitely too low-should be around 60 tops. this suggests several issues such as dirty filter, dirty evap coil, a leak in system, incorrect refrigerant charge,leaking ductwork.

even at that, you may have poor insulation and/or you might be undersized.

I would start at identifying and solving the poor supply temp issue.

IMO
tom_c_71
Original Author
14 years ago
tigerdunes

Thank you for the suggestions!

I know the filter is new, and 2 different maintenance yahoos have checked/charged the system (properly I don't know?).

I have suggested to them to check the ducts in the attic but they refuse to go up there. I would, but my attic days are all but over (was a cable contractor for years). It does seem air comes from the registers with a good amount of force though.

I think the "evap coil" you mentioned is the same as the coil that was replaced but my knowledge is limited.

I'll pass on the poor supply temp issue to the office. Maybe they can "try" to figure that out. If not, I may have someone at least diagnose the problem and give an estimate.

Thanks Again
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energy_rater_la
14 years ago
what you are experiencing is called stack effect.
lower floors are infiltrating air upper floors are exfiltratng air.
the fact that you have direct sun adds to the effect by radiant heat.
how many stories in the bldg?
shades and blinds still allow heat gain into the room
and are not as effective as exterior shading that keeps heat out.
simply put there is too much heat gain,along with stack effect. adding more hvac isn't the answer.
but is prolly the answer management will put their money into.
best ofluck.
srercrcr
14 years ago
Insist on cold air out of the registers.
retro80s
14 years ago
We live in a townhouse type apartment in the mid-south area (close to Memphis, TN) and are experiencing a very similar problem about which I posted on here last week. Our living room is on the ground floor and the two bedrooms are upstairs. We keep our thermostat set around 70Âº F. Around 2 PM or so, the temp inside starts going up. By around 5 - 6 PM, it will be around 76 - 78Âº F (depending on conditions outside). About a month ago, when we first noticed the problem, the temp inside would get up to 83Âº F. We reported the problem and to make a long story short, they replaced the thermostat, the outside A/C unit, and the evaporator coil. Once they finally replaced the evaporator coil, I finally noticed that the air coming out of the vents felt cold (until then it just felt a little cool). However, this still has not completely fixed our problem as it still gets up to about 77 - 78Âº during the late afternoon. We have a patio door that faces west which contributes to the heat. The hottest room is the upstairs bedroom that has a western facing window. The temp will not come back down to 70Âº F until sometime during the early morning hours. I sent a letter to the office about this and they told me that they are going to contact the main office (I assume they mean the company that actually owns the complex) and ask them what else they can do, I think such as get a bigger unit. However, they said that they doubt they will allow this.
udarrell_2007
14 years ago
"I'm on the 3rd floor, have a vaulted ceiling with the attic directly above, and the sun shines directly on my side of the building all afternoon."
With vaulted ceilings, I would NOT use ceiling fans in hot summer cooling months.

Leave the hot air near the ceiling it acts as an insulator.
Let the air stratify.

Where are the supply-air & return-air registers located?

The indoor temp-split depends on the humidity level.
Very High humidity a 16-F spit; low humidity a +20-F split, depending on CFM airflow. - udarrell

Here is a link that might be useful: My A/C Trouble shooting Chart
srercrcr
14 years ago
Put a roll down bamboo shade outside that glass door.

Inside temp. skyrockets in the afternoon...

Comments (7)

tigerdunes

tom_c_71
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Inside temp. skyrockets in the afternoon...

Comments (7)

tigerdunes

tom_c_71Original Author

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