Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with ac

Help! Cat stuck in duct!

holympus — Sat, 26 Sep 2009 22:27:39 -0800

My friend's cat is stuck in her apartment's A/C duct system. What should she do? She picked him up from a shelter today, and within a few minutes of getting home, he jumped into the A/C system and has not come out. It has been 8 hours.

She contacted the shelter, and the shelter put out an email to lots of cat people. Everyone has advised her to open some food near the duct, which she has done, and wait.

My feeling is that she should do more to recover the cat now. If she's going to have to tear up the floor or other parts of the apartment to retrieve a dead cat, why not do it now and have a good shot of getting it back alive?

She does not know the layout of the duct system. She heard the cat as recently as a few hours ago. People have advised her to wait up to three days for him to come out of his own volition.

Reasons for car heater to not blow hot air?

Houstonian — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 12:02:24 -0800

Need help from mechanics! Asking for a friend: On a 2005 Mercury Marquis, the air temperature control does not work. What could be the cause and possible ways to fix it? The air conditioner works fine -- it blows cold air. But, when we adjust the temperature to heat, the temperature stays cold and the heater does not get warm.

This has nothing to do with being in a super-cold environment (today it's in the 80s Fahrenheit).

Finding the right AC adapter.

brenton — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 16:46:03 -0800

Where can I find a 2/3a 700mAh 2.4v AC adapter? I am trying to convert my battery-operated rechargeable beard trimmer into a "wired" trimmer. (The battery was dying, and it wasn't able to run off AC, so it was pretty much useless.

If I can' t find the exact right AC adapter, which numbers can I fudge? Is it ok if the voltage is the same but it's 10 amps? If the amps are correct, can I get away with a voltage of only 1.2?

How can I find the best rebates for home heating/cooling?

amanda — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 08:50:06 -0800

Replacing the AC and furnace -- is now the time to buy? Tell me what you know about rebates! So, our beloved and quaint and possible original (1950s) AC unit passed away quietly in the night. We knew when we bought this place that that thing was existing on a whisper and a prayer but for the Northwest we hoped it would last another couple years. We only need AC about two weeks per year... this week would be VERY nice to have it. So, now we're thinking about replacing it -- minimum quote is $4000.

While we're doing that, we are talking about our furnace. It is very old but works fine. However, we are on an oil tank and the cost of that is staggering and doesn't seem like it's likely to come down much. Last winter it cost us about $2500 for the season. This took us from October to March, so about $400/month for our 900 sf house. And, we kept it off most of the time.

So, we're thinking of switching to gas and replacing the furnace at the same time. Minimum cost, about $12,000.

The guy who came out and gave an estimate (we've worked with them before and like them but we'll be getting another bid) is all hopped up about their current rebates and how they will expire at the end of august and "who knows what'll be coming down the pipe" after that. So, how can I fact-check the current rebates -- is there a single source for this?

Saving $$ on AC

terrier319 — Sat, 25 Jul 2009 18:38:19 -0800

From an energy-/cost-saving POV, is it better to ramp down your AC to a lower temp when you're not in the house or using the space, or turn it off completely and then crank up when you're back? What about, say, if you're away for a week or more. I know this is not like heat where pipes can freeze if you turn off. I should know this by now but I don't. Thanks for any advice.

My filter is getting crapped out

stormygrey — Sun, 21 Jun 2009 10:05:03 -0800

Is genuine best in with the Aprilaire Whole-Home Air Cleaner?I am having trouble sussing out what is best for our situation. I might just have a general air flow issue. Our little old bungalow came with an Aprilaire Whole-Home Air Cleaner. I later realized that its basically just a filter with no electronic or moving parts of its own.

The Aprilaire site says that the media (fancy word for filter?) should last about a year, two if you don't make much detritus. It also says that it gets more efficient with time and there is no benefit from changing it more often.

HOWEVER, we started changing it twice a year and now even more often. We started using the filtrete replacement filters. Of COURSE, the Aprilaire peeps say that the non-genuine have less surface area, aren't as efficiect or long last, yadda, yadda, yadda.

The thing is, we have air flow issues, we can't get the house cool. We smoke, we sand, we do a ton of woodworking stuff, we have three dogs, and two cats...so of course the filter gets congested really quickly. We asked the air guy about putting filters on the returns, cheapies that we could vacuum or change regularly, but he indicated that would be a big strain on the system.

We only had one return for the whole house, but we had three big 12 inch ducts going to that one return. We took one of those down and created a hole for a new return in the living room which seemed to help for a week, but then it stopped being very efficient, so we changed the filter, but now the ducts have lots of drippy condesation!

Oh gracious, this is much longer than I meant it to be, perhaps we just need some freon, but we don't have any money to pay to have someone out right now.

Motor needs some drying and tlc

stormygrey — Wed, 27 May 2009 06:36:46 -0800

We need to salvage an the blower motor in the our ac unit. So, our ac wasn't working so well so we decided to clean the coils and such, unfortunately I think we got the motor wet. It will turn on for a while then it flips the breaker. While being 5 seconds or so. What if anything can I do to dry everything out and if I succeed in doing that, will it still work anyhow?

adding floor fans to a ac

brent_h — Tue, 19 May 2009 17:35:15 -0800

Can a 3ton ac intake be incresed by adding floor fans to the intake? We have a 3ton ac for one of our server rooms that really needs more cooling/ more heat taken out of the room. One of my coworkers believes that by strapping two 6500 BTU floor fans to the hot air return of the ac the 3 ton unit will in essence be supercharged and will pull even more hot air out of the room. This does not make sense to me, and if anything I believe it will slow the return down, as the fans will cover the entire opening of the plenum. I will fully admit that I don't know much about thermodynamics. But I do know that even if it does work, strapping two 6500 BTU fans to a 3 ton unit won't be doing much.

Needed: Laptop Adapter

theichibun — Sat, 28 Mar 2009 20:16:12 -0800

Lost my laptop's AC adapter, time to find a new one. I was an idiot and lost my AC Adapter to my Vostro 1000 at a hotel 10 hours from where I am now. I looked, didn't find it, asked at the hotel desk, they didn't have it. Oh well, so I managed the rest of the time I was there and bummed charges off of friends that had compatible adapters.

But I can't do that anymore, so it's time to get a replacement. I've seen other questions here asking in generalities and specifics for laptops that I don't have.

Specifically for my laptop, what are the advantages of getting a Dell brand over any other brand? Is there any reason to get a new one over a used one?

I'm not going to give links to specific places to buy, but Ebay has some off brands new for around $15 and used Dells for $30. Dell's site has adapters starting at $65 and I'm not sure which one of those I should be looking at, or even if there's any important stat other than how much power is needed by my laptop.

What DC voltage does an average LCD monitor use?

leafxor — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 17:41:54 -0800

What DC voltage does an average LCD monitor use? I'm trying to power an LCD monitor from a 12-volt battery, but I don't want to waste efficiency by inverting it to a 120-volt AC, then letting the monitor turn it back into DC current again.

AC adapter making my speakers buzz -- and it's not a ground loop.

ori — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 19:13:24 -0800

New, generic AC adapter is causing my computer speaker system to hum. I thought it was a ground loop, but a cheater plug (fitted on the jack of the AC adapter) didn't help. (The speaker system itself is not grounded.) I know it's the AC adapter, because if I run my laptop on battery power, the hum disappears. Anything I can do, short of forking out $70 for an original adapter? This adapter has been working fine otherwise.

I'm using an external Sound Blaster Live! 24bit as my sound card, but the problem persists when I switch to the on-board sound card.
The speaker system works perfectly well with other laptops.

In short -- it's the AC adapter. But what should I do?

Help me insulate my air conditioner!

kmtiszen — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 10:17:38 -0800

lI have a through-the-wal air conditioning unit. How do I stop the cold air outside from coming in through the cracks? I have a Friedrich WallMaster through-the-wall air conditioner that's great during the summer, but leaves my apartment exposed to the elements during the winter months. It's one of those sleeve models, so the back is just a grate that lets the cold air flow in with only the structure of the AC to stop it. The unit came with this foam wadding to help seal the edges, but it just doesn't do the trick. Is there some other insulating practice that I just don't know about?

THANKS!

Using Old Laptop Charger?

bytemover — Sat, 20 Dec 2008 09:22:04 -0800

My old laptop blew the motherboard after 3 years of great use (Acer Aspire 5670). I just bought a new laptop (Acer Extensa 5630Z). Can I use the power charger/AC Adapter from my old on my new without doing damage? The new one is rated 19V 3.43A. The old one is 19V 4.4A. (plugs are the same). Long live the hive mind!

Should we get a new furnace/AC?

SallyHitMeOntheHead — Tue, 16 Dec 2008 18:43:56 -0800

Should we replace our furnace and AC and go with this company's maintenance agreement/guarantee? We live in Marietta, Georgia. We have a 20-year old Trane furnace and a
16-year old Carrier AC that heat and cool our house adequately.

The furnace inducer motor has failed. We can replace it for around $500.

We’re also being offered a full furnace, coil, and AC installation -- same
capacity -- for $5000 that includes:

1. Maintenance and 24/7 service contract: first year free, subsequent years $150 (subject to increase every 5 years)

2. Guarantee: Comprehensive, transferable lifetime guarantee if we keep up the maintenance and service contract

The company also estimates we'll achieve a 30% increase in efficiency.

It's a 50-year outfit. The deal is endorsed by two of our neighbors, an
architect and a retired home renovator.

Should we bite?

My HVAC shorted out!

jefficator — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 15:24:40 -0800

What did I do to my HVAC system when I changed my thermostat? Newbie "Green" American that I am, I attempted to change my thermostat to a Digital Programmable model. I neglected to turn off the power to the unit before I made this switch, and the powered "C" wire touched another wire. A tiny, almost unnoticable arc happened. The new thermostat, though wired correctly, will not even turn on the fan. I called the customer support line for the new thermostat. They directed me to touch the G and Rh wires together to see whether the fan came on. It did not. I was told this means I've blown a fuse in the heat pump itself. How do I find and replace this fuse?

The Furnace is a Janitrol A36-10. The AC is a Goodman CPKE36-1. Any thoughts? No comments from the "You idiot, HVAC is not a weekend project. You should have called an electrician" guy, please.

How much electricity is my AC unit using when it's on "fan"?

amro — Sun, 28 Sep 2008 09:58:01 -0800

Does my window air conditioner use just as much electricity on the "fan" setting as it does on the "cool" setting? On cooler days this time of year, I often turn my window AC unit to the "fan" setting to pull in some of that cool air from outside. I have always assumed that if the unit is functioning as a fan, it's not using nearly as much electricity as when I've got it set to "cool." Is that an incorrect assumption? And if it does use less power than when it is cooling, how much less? Is it a negligible difference or is it substantial? Would it be better to just stick a box fan in a window?

Need a new AC company

Ikazuchi — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 05:50:04 -0800

Does anyone know a good residential AC company in Tampa, FL? The company I have been using (Atlas Air) has been out 3 times in 6 months, and with my AC out again (this time for two weeks while we try to fix it ourselves), I'd like to try someone else before calling Atlas out again.

It's gettin' hot in herre...

odayoday — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 08:41:19 -0800

Help me keep cool! Ok, I'm a bit OCD about this I realize. I'm wondering if there's some way to test the AC in my apartment to see if it's working properly. Is there a special thermometer to use to test the air temperature coming out of the vents? If so, what should that temperature be? A little background: I live in Austin, TX. It's very hot. We've been on a tear of triple-digit days so naturally ACs will have to work harder to keep up, but even after the sun goes down it seems to take my air conditioner forever to bring the temp down just a little bit. It seems to run all night. When I wake up it is definitely cold in my place but the AC is still running. It might stop for a couple of minutes and then start up again. When it does catch up and stop it only stops for a couple of minutes before going back on. They recently had to rip up my ceilings to get any air flowing out of the vents in my kitchen/dining area b/c the ducts had been crushed or something. Now there's a tiny amount of output in the kitchen/dining area and a disproportionate amount of air output from the vent in my living room. My first bill was 120 bucks… not great but unreasonable unless you consider I spent half of the month (maybe a bit over half) at my girlfriend's apartment with the AC turned off completely. Extrapolating my utility bill rate over the course of an entire month it would have been over 200 bucks. I think over 200 bucks for a utility bill for a one bedroom apartment (under 700 sq. feet) would be absurdly high, right? My concern is that maintenance, which at this new place is notoriously slow and lazy, will just say "it's working" and do nothing even if there's not enough coolant because what do they care what my bills are? Is there any way to prove that it's not working properly? Anything I can do myself to make it run better? Should I call my own AC guy out to check it out? If the vents aren't blowing cold enough would a simple "charge" of the coolant work to fix it? They did clean the coils but I don't think that did much.

Deep Woods Rockin'

Overzealous — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 19:17:01 -0800

I'm looking for a simple "let's listen to music while we're camping far away from our cars" power solution. I have an iPod and a pair of portable Sony SRS-Z500 active speakers (with a regular old AC plug) that I think could do the trick if I could buy a magical box that would hold a thousand D-Cell batteries and have a regular old AC outlet on the front.

There won't be an outlet (obviously) or any cars around. I don't need it to run for a month...maybe 8 hours of total music playback. I'm not MacGyver and to me the word "Ohms" sounds more like a Buddhist mantra than something from physics class.

Am I looking for a Power Inverter? Or some kind of battery pack? An Uninterruptible Power Supply? Links to specific brands or manufacturers would be appreciated.

[The Sony Speakers say Input: AC 120V 60Hz 20w and Output: DC 9v 1100mA :: Class 2 Power Supply if that helps]

endothermic or exothermic?

phritosan — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 14:19:35 -0800

Apartment filter: I need my apartment to be cool inside! We moved into a very nice 3rd (top) floor, west facing apartment... in March... came home in June and no exaggeration, it was 94 degrees in my living room. The AC has a 20 degree difference and runs nonstop from 4pm to 11pm and its 84 degrees in the bed room till 11pm. We’ve had the maintenance people out three times. There’s a 20 degree difference between intake and output. The filters are new. Everything on the roof looks fine. But more than 2 feet from the vent and you can’t feel it anymore.

All the ceiling fans are going 24/7. The floor fan is on whenever we're home and not asleep. The sliding glass door is covered by UV/light blocking tinting designed for RVs, venetian blinds, and a blanket. The office window has venetian blinds and a blanket. The bedroom window has venetian blinds and very thick light blocking curtains. The AC is always set on 78. We cannot make any modifications that are visible from the outside.

Do you think it’s worth another $100 to tint the other two windows? The heat has to be coming through the walls, right?

I live in the Phoenix area, opening the windows after dark will not help. Moving is not an option till March and we still like everything else about the apartment.

What else can we do?! I’m not looking for stop-gap solutions like a bucket of ice water in front of a fan. I want my apartment enjoyable. There is no reason I should have a $230 electric bill for a 980 sq ft apartment when my parents have a $380 bill for a 5 bedroom house! Our electric bill in April was $76!

Help us mefi, you're our only hope!

Purchasing/installing mini-split ductless AC units in my house

ericbop — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 09:11:11 -0800

The previous question about mini-splits (one type of "ductless" AC) on askMe dealt only with complications of apartment dwellers. So, as a more general question, does anyone have advice on picking a good mini-split unit, and a reliable installer? I know that Mitsubishi is a big player for this type of item, but are they still as evil (environmentally) as they were last time I checked, in the '80's?

Is there a smaller AC adapter out there?

SirNovember — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 19:52:52 -0800

I have a Dell Latitude X300, which uses the same ac adapter that every other Dell I’ve seen lately uses. Is there anything that will work for my laptop that is smaller and easier for me to carry around? My current adapter says:
65W AC Adapter PA-12 Family
Model No.: PA-1650-05D2
Input: AC100-240V 50-60 Hz 133-158VA
Output: DC19.5V 3.34A

My back thanks you!

How to power a Canon EOS from the grid?

lord_yo — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 01:09:45 -0800

Where can I find a AC power adapter (not battery charger!) for the Canon EOS / Digital Rebel series? I've built an intervalometer to shoot time-lapse series with my Canon EOS 400D (Digital Rebel XTi in the US); it works great, but my camera battery goes dead a long way before my memory card is full. Now I'm looking for a way to power the camera via an AC adapter. USB via the digital plug doesn't seem to work, as it blocks the camera's OS.

Are there any AC adapters for the EOS series? Not a battery charger - but a device to plug the camera into the power grid?

DIY solutions are fine too - I just don't want to solder anything into my camera.

What to do with a portable air conditioner that does not cool!

convex — Sat, 14 Jun 2008 11:47:31 -0800

What to do with a portable air conditioner that does not cool! OK, I bought this portable air conditioner about 3.5 years ago, and it has worked perfectly until last night, I woke up cold, I turn it off, today I wanted to turn it on again and the "cool" option won't kick on! The fan works fine, everything lights up fine, just when the compressor wants to kick in, it makes a clicking sound and I can see the light dim in the room, wants to start, does that for maybe a second or 2 and then goes back to just the fan mode.
I opened it up, cleaned it with a vacuum, the circuit board in it does not smell, all the wiring look fine, at this point I have no idea what to do!

Are there people out there than can fix these things without ending up paying the price of a new one?
Can I sell it? Would someone be interested in it in this condition? Maybe it is an easy fix, I don't know, and it is filled with copper piping and aluminum fins, those must be worth something!

Any suggestions? I am in Mountain View, CA FYI.

One USB charger to replace lots of wall warts?

spaceman_spiff — Fri, 28 Dec 2007 02:12:16 -0800

Like most mefites, I have far too many gadgets, and the wall warts to match. I suspect most of them could be replaced with a single USB charger - is this something that already exists? Wall warts are annoying. They take up space, add to the clutter, and they're overly bulky - especially when I'm trying to cram them into a suitcase.

I have a number of devices that all take small amounts of power for charging - small enough that they all (individually, not collectively) could theoretically be charged via USB, if not for the wide range of physical plugs they take. Is there a company that sells a USB charger for these things? Something like the iGo or Zip-Linq, but with more adapters. Those two companies have a lot of adapters that work with Model X cellphone or Brand Y PDA, but none (or very few) of this sort, and they're marked by brand/model, not size.

Ideally, I'd like one brick that I plug into my USB port, and several interchangeable tips. Bonus points if I can plug two or three into the dongle at a time. If the USB-to-DC is all one unit (one for each type of plug) as opposed to a single power supply with interchangeable tips, that'd be okay too - as long as it's all somewhat less bulkier than what I'm dealing with now. My soldering skills are minimal, so the DIY route is not something I'm interested in (right now, anyway).

As an alternative, are there any AC power supplies that would let me travel with just one wall wart, and plug adapters into it? (If it makes a difference, assume North American 110V.)