Help my aircon is possessed!

Forums › Home Workshop DIY › Help my aircon is possessed!

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Awrrr
19083 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 16346

Lifetime subscriber

#1946639 25-Jan-2018 15:00

Haven't followed the whole thread but I just had a thought. Maybe record the audio when the noise starts to play for the tech?

Plesse igmore amd axxept applogies in adbance fir anu typos

DataCraft

173 posts

Master Geek
+1 received by user: 9

#1947185 26-Jan-2018 14:30

DataCraft:

MadEngineer:
MadEngineer:

Is there water coming out of the drain?

MadEngineer:

Good luck. Be sure to ask them what's next if the refill doesn't fix the problem

Does placing the heatpump into heat mode for several minutes clear the issue for the rest of the night?

Haven't tried that will give that a go tonight!

Ok MadEngineer - I tried your suggestion, she started rattling around about 3am this morning so I flicked it onto heat @ 21 degrees it took a while to kick into gear but after about 10mins it started pumping hot air - I let it pump hot air for 5 minutes. I then flicked it back to 19 degrees cooling. It didn't make anymore noise for the reset of the night until I turned her off @ 8am.

What do you reckon?

Goosey

3017 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 872

Subscriber

#1947191 26-Jan-2018 14:47

MadEngineer:

Is there water coming out of the drain?

This^^^

Pays to check the drain hose is workin/clear and then if the condensor has failed (which is common).

DataCraft

173 posts

Master Geek
+1 received by user: 9

#1947194 26-Jan-2018 14:52

Goosey:

MadEngineer:

Is there water coming out of the drain?

This^^^

Pays to check the drain hose is workin/clear and then if the condensor has failed (which is common).

Sorry if this is a stupid question but where would the drain be - is that on the outside unit?

Goosey

3017 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 872

Subscriber

#1947202 26-Jan-2018 15:09

Its a hose that will be in the same conduit as the 'pipe' and no doubt the power running up the wall from the outside unit.

Look in behind the outdoor unit and you should see a hose going nowhere and 'leaking' water. If the outdoor unit is on a deck, it might be under the deck.

***But, in new builds, the drain might have been internally installed in the wall and down into the slab and out the nearest end of the slab or into a drain (if not a back to back install).

Edit, the drain pipe is coming from the indoor unit (not draining the outdoor).

DataCraft

173 posts

Master Geek
+1 received by user: 9

#1947224 26-Jan-2018 16:04

Thanks mate I found it hidden behind the other pipes - it looks like some spider had made its home and it had a living pantry of bugs it had collected inside.

Not sure if its enough to jam it up - I have cleared them out using a soft stick that traveled up the pipe.

Can you spray water up the pipe?

Geekzone

Want to support Geekzone and browse the site without the ads? Subscribe to Geekzone now (monthly, annual and lifetime options).

Goosey

3017 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 872

Subscriber

#1947226 26-Jan-2018 16:10

Hmm I’d be careful about pressure busting the connection at the other end given this is a low pressure pipe.

Perhaps try a vaccume?

blakamin

4431 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 1306
Inactive user

#1947381 26-Jan-2018 23:54

DataCraft:

Can you spray water up the pipe?

I wouldn't. You don't know where it goes. It's basically just a gravity drain in the indoor unit.

I extended my drainage pipe to outside my garage because the drain would nearly flood (exaggeration) my garage floor on a hot day. Amazing how much condensation it will pull out of the air.

MadEngineer

4595 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 2576

Trusted

#1947384 27-Jan-2018 00:11

DataCraft:

Thanks mate I found it hidden behind the other pipes - it looks like some spider had made its home and it had a living pantry of bugs it had collected inside.

Not sure if its enough to jam it up - I have cleared them out using a soft stick that traveled up the pipe.

Can you spray water up the pipe?

Now ask whoever you've had called in to service your heatpump why they didn't check that.

Is the heatpump attached to an internal wall? Is there a condensate pump?

Where does the drain and water go?

You're not on Atlantis anymore, Duncan Idaho.

DataCraft

173 posts

Master Geek
+1 received by user: 9

#1947403 27-Jan-2018 07:47

MadEngineer:

DataCraft:

Thanks mate I found it hidden behind the other pipes - it looks like some spider had made its home and it had a living pantry of bugs it had collected inside.

Not sure if its enough to jam it up - I have cleared them out using a soft stick that traveled up the pipe.

Can you spray water up the pipe?

Now ask whoever you've had called in to service your heatpump why they didn't check that.

Is the heatpump attached to an internal wall? Is there a condensate pump?

Where does the drain and water go?

Hey MadEngineer thanks for your help I feel like we are starting to get to the root cause of the issue.

1. Yes heat-pump is attached to an internal wall split system 3 wall mounts and 1 ceiling mount in kitchen.

2. Condensation pump - don't believe so never heard the pump go, we have 3 units at work and they have pumps so I know what they sound like.

3. Drain goes down the back of the other pipes and is about 3 inches off the ground and just drips onto the ground. I used a vac on low power mode to suck it clean.

Here are 2 photos from yet another sleepless night. First photo is the unit at rest and the other is at 6am.

That is not frost its actually ice the darker smug is where I touched it and it felt like touching a ice cube.

Photo 1

https://www.dropbox.com/s/8kuefvkfuc1qn0g/normal.jpg?dl=0

Photo 2

https://www.dropbox.com/s/uoja52bqz6j5dc3/frost.jpg?dl=0

I ran the unit on 20 degrees auto mode last night, (I have tried cool mode and different fan speeds).

They have recharged the gas it was about 400ml low.

Faulty thermostat? Faulty unit? Bad install?

The unit came with the house but I have records that it was installed in Jan 2015 so just on 3 years old and still under the Fujitsu warranty.

Am I operating this thing wrong? Should it be able to run all night and not frost over on those settings or am I getting to the point where I go back to the installer and start saying the unit is not working and they need to either fix it or replace it...

Goosey

3017 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 872

Subscriber

#1947406 27-Jan-2018 08:17

How far away are any objects (which are in the path of the vent / air flow)?

Dell

Shop now for Dell laptops and other devices (affiliate link).

DataCraft

173 posts

Master Geek
+1 received by user: 9

#1947413 27-Jan-2018 09:04

Pretty close to ceiling and wall. But no physical obstructions.

DataCraft

173 posts

Master Geek
+1 received by user: 9

#1947415 27-Jan-2018 09:09

Here is a photo

https://www.dropbox.com/s/m65kax4hcqx9889/IMAG3107.jpg?dl=0

MadEngineer

4595 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 2576

Trusted

#1947419 27-Jan-2018 09:26

Dig up a manual for the unit, there should be a test procedure where you set it to cool at a temperature, say 18 then check how long it takes to reach and maintain it at the output followed by the same after switching to heat mode at a high temperature

That light frosting in your photo is normal

You're not on Atlantis anymore, Duncan Idaho.

DataCraft

173 posts

Master Geek
+1 received by user: 9

#1950486 2-Feb-2018 08:37

Update:

Ok here is the latest the installers have now escalated the issue back to Fujitsu technicians. They were sent all my recordings and photos. And the response paraphrased:

"That is normal noise from the unit with the plastic expanding and contracting when cooling"

Does that sound normal to you guys? Using web time machine I have found the original brochures and FAQ from 2015 when the unit was sold they state online.

most modern heat pumps are very quiet. The source of noise in a typical heat pump is the air passing over the grill, as it is blows through the unit. This sound is usually only marginally higher than ambient room noise. Fujitsu technology also developed a "quiet mode" on many models, which means that once the room has reached it's desired temperature, the sound is usually less than the sound of a soft whisper. We measure sound levels of all our heat pumps (in decibels) and they are clearly set out in the specs page on our brochures.

So I found the brochure and they give a Dba reading @ 1m of 22 decibels. This noise is enough to wake me and my wife up most nights and would be well over 22 decibels.

Any suggestions of what I should do next?

1 | 2 | 3 | 4