I have a carrier 38ckc060370 that runs but the air is not cold coming out of the vents. i checked the copper line coming out of outdoor unit and is not cold either. does this mean that i need a recharge, or could there be some other problem? recently, i've had problems getting the unit to turn off, and had to use the breaker because it would not shut down on its own, but other than that, the unit has never had a problem. the unit is about 4 years old
Heating & Cooling - Carrier - 38CKC060 Air Conditioner
Answers & Comments
If the unit is not shutting down, then there is a chance the contactor has gotten stuck. This is not a good thing. If the contactor were to weld itself shut and the outdoor unit were to continue to run without the indoor fan running for an extended period of time, the compressor could be damaged from the floodback of refrigerant to itself.
Feel the air coming out of the top of the outdoor unit, it should feel warm to hot. The copper lines- the smaller of the two should be warm and the larger of the two (should be insulated) should be the cool one...not necessarily really cold....
If the copper lines are both the same temperature, its an indication the compressor is not running. This may be a bad contactor, a failed capacitor, or the compressor itself may have a problem with it.
If you can get the system running, it would still be best to have it checked out and looked over. There may be underlying problems that are creating the problems you are currently experiencing and its always best to find the root cause or problem rather than the smaller issues that just cover up the real problem.
the continuous running may have been due to low batteries in the
electronic thermostat. it now shuts off and on whenever we turn it off
or on. The air coming out of the top of the outdoor unit is neither hot
nor cold. just like i have a really great fan blowing. The copper lines
are basically air temperature although the small one i think was a little warmer to the touch than the large one, also neither hot nor cold, so it could well be as you suggest. Is there a chance that it could be that the system just needs to be recharged with coolant?
The system may need to be recharged. But most likely the compressor is not running. You can typically hear the compressor running and touching the copper lines is a better indication. The larger line will be much cooler than the outdoor temp. The smaller of the two will be warmer than the outdoor temp....If they both feel the same and are close to the outdoor temp, the problem is most likely the compressor is not running.
The compressor may be bad or the start components for the compressor may be weak or failed. Without a multimeter that can check the capacitors, its really hard to determine the actual problem at hand. If you open up the outdoor units electrical panel, you will see the capacitor(s) within the unit. They are cylinder shaped and are typically either silver or black. There is a chance, depending on your specific unit that it may have 2 capacitors, one being a start capacitor and the other a run capacitor. You could attempt to replace the capacitors first to see if the problem is there...but you will need a multimeter to do and involved troubleshooting.