I have just purchased a new Tempstar 4 ton 13 seer, 78 afeu
1410A refrigerant. Model # PGX 348080K01A1.

I had this thing installed in January, the heater worked fine. The ac won't work right.
The guy that installed it has been here 5 times. He is at a loss as to what the problem is.
The air is very humid, very humid. The air is not cool.
Any ideas ?
Thanks for your help!
Rebecca

Is it low on freon? I'm sure he has checked, but I had to ask, there could be many different problems, has it cooled at all?

I hope this guy knows about 410A refrigerant. If not installed properly (lines flow with nitrogen when brazing) lines left open to long (moisture problem) or and poor Vac pulled before charging there will be problems. Also the operating pressures will be different on 410A than R-22. If the guy that sold it to you does not know what is wrong then you should tell him you are going to call another professional to fix it and he will have to pay the bill.

Almost all HVAC business has a one year complete warranty. If I were you I would read all the paperwork that he gave you. Then get it fixed right.

Thank you all for responding to my question.
Yes the guy did check the freon- puron. He added some on the first try to fix it.
The unit has not cooled at all. I tried to use it 3 times before I called him. My complaints were its not cooling and its VERY HUMID in my house.
He has hooked up a lot of gauges and done this for the last 4 days. He is such a nice guy and I know he feels terrible and he would take it out if I ask. He says if this was a R22 he'd know just what to do. Lucky me... :(
He called some rep for the company from my house and they in turn called the factory, who told him to check this and that. But its not improved. That was 3 days ago.
So today from my house he called another installer from the next town over and asked that guy to meet him here at my house and see if he can fix the problem.
Anything I should say??
I printed out the info the second posted here wrote... "If not installed properly (lines flow with nitrogen when brazing) lines left open to long (moisture problem) or and poor Vac pulled before charging there will be problems."
Maybe that will help...
Any other tips would be appreciated.
Rebecca

Rebecca. Unless you are made of money I would recommend you tell him to take it out and refund your money so you can find a company that knows what they are doing. 6000.00 is a lot of $$ to throw away and eventually you will have to start paying someone to get it fixed over and over again.

This person could be the nicest guy in the world but he does not know what he is doing. He lied to you when he told you he could sell and install a system for your home. If I were you I would be mad as heXX right now because I hate to get ripped off.

I have been in this industry for many many years and I hate when this happened. It gives all of us HVAC people a bad name.

Yeah I am already feeling all that your wrote hvac1000, I am worried that I will have problems down the road. I am worried that the 6 thousand dollar unit won't be used to its full potential.
I don't have 6 grand to throw away. In fact I charged this thing and it will take me forever to pay it off.
How does one go about finding someone in the first place who knows how to install this kind of unit ? In other words where did I go wrong? Is there some kind of degree that one has to have ?
If I have this thing pulled what would you recommend I get? I have 2000 square feet that need to be cooled & heated. I have very high ceilings with a open floor plan that need to be heated in the winter. I live in Northern Ca and it snows here and gets cold.
I am thinking about replacing this tempstar with a R22. I had an R22, it was 20 years old and did a wonderful job heating and cooling. It broke down a couple of times and this guy- (same guy that put the new unit in.) said in time I may want to get something more efficient. Last January the heater wouldn't work. I called ' the man' and he tried to fix the problem- which was the heat exchange coils ( something like that) had corroded and he couldn't replace them. He prefers the R22 by far but for some reason he pushed this unit. The cost was 5,625 and that includes labor. I have a no hassle warranty on this 4 ton tempstar- at least that was pitched to me at the time of purchase. I am giving the guy and the man from the next town today to solve this. If they don't I want it pulled out. But now what?? What should I get?? HELP PLEASE!
Thank you so much for your time and your expertise.
Rebecca

Have the installer fix the problem or remove it and replace it with another unit of equal value, at no cost to you.

The installer is most likely insurance and bonded, if he fails to comply file a claim against his bond and insurance.

Reply when the other guys have has a look at it and you have more information.

It's obvious that your service tech doesn't know what he's doing. I believe PGX is a package system with gas heat, (not sure) if so, he shouldn't have had to do any brazing. I would be concerned with what kind of damage has already been done to the compressor.

Ok so the new guy shows up with the old guy... They have been here for 5 hours.
The new guy is baffled by what is going on. He says that the situation is totally unacceptable.
They have changed the air speed a lot. Still its not right.
I hope your not right jack T that the compressor may be comprised. Neither guy did brazing.
The unit was turn keyed I guess you could say.

Ok I have grilled the new guy - asked lots of questions. Here is his response- forgive me if I am not to clear... this is like learning a foreign language for me.
First of all I asked the new guy how many of these things has he put in- he said about 13.
He has stated that all settings including the charge was spot on and the only issue
( although not completely assuring) was that the static pressure was about 0.85 ( how am I doing? I took notes... actually wrote this stuff as he was talking) Then he stated that the return flow was restricted since the 12 ducts in the house ( master quarters has its own separate air and heat system) are only 6 inches and some are 8 inches in diameter and then the cfm air was less then required (? ) (reminder--my tempstar is a 4 ton)
I am dazed and confused- yes I am a blonde but hey we can't all be smart. I am always smart to late...
Any WHO I am not sure how all this relates to the issue of the AC bringing in humidity to the interior of my house??
The guy that sold me the unit is about ready to swap it out. He says he might as well sleep out there next to the unit cause he won't be able to sleep as all he will be thinking about is this problem. I told him " don't make me send the flying monkeys out after him"
So there you have it... by the way the old unit worked great, 6-8 inch ducts didn't matter. Oh yeah the new guy is going to run the specs on the old unit I had and compare them to this unit cause I didn't have this problem with the old unit. I guess he means the 6-8 inch duct work.
What-cha think Mr. hvac1000 and all other experts!
Rebecca

Is this unit replacing one that went bad? If so is it the same size (4 ton)? If the one you had replaced is the same size, air flow shouldn't be a factor unless they changed something. They should be able to figure out the problem using the proper equipment. If they have gauges, amperage meter, and thermometers, it shouldn't be hard to come up with a solution. Is the compressor drawing the correct amperage? Does it have the correct charge? Have they added the correct refrigerant? Did they have to add any refrigerant, this is a package unit so they shouldn't have had to unless there was a leak.

Good Luck...

Hi-JackT
Yes that is right that the last unit went bad - it was all corroded...
It was the same size- 4 ton, R22- almost 30 years old.
Yes there was refrigerant added on day two of trying to fix this thing. The installer thought maybe that was the problem- so he bought some puron and added it- which of course didn't fix a darn thing.
I believe the answer to all your questions is YES... compressor is drawing the right amperage- The new guy told me that today. And the charge is correct. Although I heard the word 'static' being thrown around between the two installers. Something about the static pressure being off.
So now what??
Thank you for helping- I really appreciate it. This site is awesome.
Rebecca

Rebecca. When you have 4 tons of A/C (48,000 BTU's ) you need to draw in a bunch of air and you also have to discharge that air back into the living area. Static pressure is the amount of resistance there is to the air movement of thew system. Usually to small of a return air and or supply air ducts is the cause for a static problem. The newer units are not as forgiving as the older equiptment when it comes to duct size even if they are the same BTU size.

Lets se what happens when they replace the unit and report back. Personally I doupt if a new unit is going to solve the problem. BTW too much air at high speed can also cause moisture problems. The air does not have enough hang time on the coil and the air also strips the water off the coil and into the air stream.

I hope all works out well.

If you replaced a 4 ton unit that worked fine for almost 30 years, there shouldn't be any problem with air flow. This is a package unit with factory matched blower, coil, metering device, factory charge etc. Being a new package system you shouldn't have had to add any refrigerant to the system unless there was a leak. High temperature discharge and humidity could be adjusted by slowing down the blower speed if that was the only issue. I would only guess that you have a refrigeration problem. Even replace the complete unit or recover the refrigerant, pull a good vacuum, replace the filter drier and weigh in the proper charge. If you had a refrigerant leak you may have sucked in air or other contaminates. Air or nitrogen in the system mixed with the refrigerant will cause your symptoms.

Have they inspected the ductwork? Maybe a return collapsed?

Hi Jack. In our testing at the university we found that the newer high efficiency units can use all the supply and return air they can get. As you are aware the new 13 SEER and up use larger evaporators and condenser coils. This in turn increases the need for more CFM over the coils. You can see from various factory recommendations what the situation is. Nordyne and other packaged unit manufactures for the modular/mobile homes have asked and received permission for a delay in the efficiency regulations for some of there products. Some of this is due to duct sizing problems associated with the self contained units.

The ducts were inspected by one of the installers and were very sound. I am a bit confused regarding the high humidity tested by the installer- which was about 66% in the air coming into the house. Is this caused by air moving too fast over the these coils? Or is it too slow?
The guys kept changing the blower speed and this changed nothing.
The unit is not being changed YET. I have been told that the way this works is it has to go through some sort of chain of command, for example the original installer has to talk to the rep for this area, then he has to call in a second installer. This has to be done before the installer can talk to the factory or have the factory guys come out. So now they can talk to the factory. The new guy that showed up today said don't worry we are not going to stick you with this problem, we will get to the bottom of this. This is so freakin ridiculous... what the heck, you can't talk to the factory to and get help with one of their products... I should have just called sears. However after hours of research on line I have learned that these units are practically all made by the same companies, (made by two different companies) and they just slap their lable/logo on them.

What would really help me is if you could tell me what to do and I am sure your not into doing that -therefore let me ask for help in another way, if this was your problem what would you do, and you can't be the experts that you are, you are a regular person who doesn't know much. If you were me what would you do??

If you'd switch it out what would you switch it for and why ?( there will be a grade given at the end of the test... kidding)
Replace the entire duct system??
Rebecca

First off. There has never been a unit made that cannot be fixed. The problem you have with your system is a lack of knowledgeable people to get it fixed. With that said I believe you should get a new unit since they already played around with the one you have now and they cannot get it to work.

Next option is to get you $$ back and shop somewhere else where they have the knowledge to fix what they sell.

I have just spent the last 3 hours reading about heating and ac units.
I am reading a lot of info on correctly matching the unit to the duct systems. There is a dvd that will calculate out what size unit you should have based on duct size, type of home, roof material, insulation and stuff like that. If you don't calculate this out you will end up with poor air quality, especially HUMIDITY. I know these calculations were not done. Shouldn't this be a law??
I am pissed, and your right hvac, I need to get someone more knowledgeable.
Someone who knows about ducts instead of ducks!
Yup I going to set this right...
I 'll keep you posted. Thank you for all your time.

I would give them one more chance to get this right, EVERYBODY screws up once in awhile, even the guys that have been at it for years.Although, many technicians claim to know it all, they DON'T. If after this visit they don't get you an answer I'd request your money back and removal of the unit, ask around and find a legit trustworthy company, you may even get a better deal. There are many steps to properly size a system, very few companys do this on a replacment, it's the sad truth.

Yeah hvacservicetech,
The new guy that showed up today went around and measured all the ducts and wrote a bunch of numbers down and said he had to do come calculations. I didn't know what he meant until I read up on it tonight on line. I am curious what he reports back to me. I think this 4 ton unit is too much.
Don't you think there should be a law requiring the installers to calculate out the size unit the customer needs.

Here is a cool site I found, it's a tutorial- you answer a few questions about your home and it will calculate the size unit you need. Maybe not exact science but it's a starting point for the customer. Check it out here: Central Air Conditioner Sizing Tutorial : ENERGY STAR (http://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?fuseaction=sizing.showIntro)

Man it would save everyone all this grief- installers and customers. I realize installers don't want customers calling them up and complaining they are hot after a new unit was installed so they put a big unit in hoping it will have capacity to freeze the customer out should they want that. But the opposite happens.
There should be a law- these things aren't cheap. Also I have asthma that doesn't do well in humidity. I have been puffin on my puffer for 5 days. I am wheezing pretty bad tonight from being in here for 5 hours.

Never mind that AC sizing tutorial, I measured windows to day and took the test - in the end it recommended that you have your contractor use the Manual J to get the right size equipment. Could this get any more weird?????????

If your old 4 ton unit worked fine, the new one should work as well. If you had to little of air flow you would be freezing up the coil. Too much air can usually be controlled by slowing down the blower. I don't see were a larger supply or return air duct will help with this problem if they can't even make the discharge air cold enough. You have a refrigeration problem that needs to be detected by someone who knows what they are doing.

UP DATE;
The factory recommended that a larger hole is made just before the air goes into the ac. This will reduce the static??

Get that in writing from the factory just to be sure.

Good advice hvac1000 and I wouldn't have thought of it.
Does this seem like something that would work?
Its getting HOT here

Second up date...
Ok so I am sick of all this guess work about what size hvac I need. I used this site and did a rough calculation- its not exact--- just a guideline. It tells me that I MUST hire a company to come in and do this right.
I purchased a 4 ton, and really a 3 to 3.5 is what I need.
Over sized ac conditioners do not run long enough to dehumidify the air, which results in that clammy feeling- then that leads to mold growth and my asthma attacks for me.
I found the blue prints to my house ( from 1980) and on there is the size of walls and other measurements. I did a little measuring... it was all very easy and took about 40 minutes. Then I went to this site:AC Direct - Frequently Asked Questions (http://www.acdirect.com/new_faq/faqs.php?gclid=CNuav8yhvIwCFQXUhgodeUJDVw)

So anyone reading this that isn't an installer of hvac learn from my experience, you must have rather you must insist that documented sizing calculations be performed on your home using ( this is the key to getting right the first time)
ACCA MANUAL J PROCEDURE.
There are many companies that will do this or you can hire a HVAC that does.

If you don't do this and you end up with the issues I have had and you can't swap the unit out there are dehumidifying heat pipes. This is a device that enables an air conditioner to dehumidify better and efficiently cool the air. Most models of heat pumps and central air conditioners can be retrofitted with dehumidifying heat pipes, there is a replacement or add ons. It will take more energy to cool your home and the system consumes more fan power to blow air past the heat pipe- experts know more about this then I do- I only researched stuff on the internet- which we all know we can't always believe! So there you have it... got to love the internet and Google!
Thank you all for pushing me in the right direction- I getting a new unit
Rebecca

If the old unit you replaced was a 4 ton unit and it worked fine, there's no reason the new 4 ton unit shouldn't do as well or better. It may be more efficient and have a new refrigerant but a BTU is a BTU. As long as the new unit is rated at 48,000 btu/hr and has the same cfm air discharge setting, it should cool and dehumidify just like the old one did. You still have a problem with your unit or your service tech. Make sure the new unit is the same size (btu/hr) as the one they replaced. Also keep track of the temperature in your house, the unit shouldn't shut off until your thermostat is satisfied. If you set it for 72 degrees it shouldn't shut off until its close to 72 degrees.

I have just purchased a new Tempstar 4 ton 13 seer, 78 afeu
1410A refrigerant. model # PGX 348080K01A1.

I had this thing installed in January, the heater worked fine. The ac won't work right.
The guy that installed it has been here 5 times. He is at a loss as to what the problem is.
The air is very humid, very humid. The air is not cool.
any ideas ?
Thanks for your help!
Rebecca
If your tec will check the Suction Pressure at and compare it to the suction temp at the compressor he will probably find he has no superheat. This is the likely cause for high humity and low cooling effect. The repair will probably be a replacement of the TXV. If you had a 4 ton unit their before it is probably not the duct system.

FYI, anyone installing a system that uses 410A ( Puron) has to be certified in its use, it is one of the newest refrigerants on the market and was intened to replace R22, which is supposed to be discontinued by 2015, that's not saying it won't be around. I would highly recommend staying with the 410A system, but get a qualified srevice tech to look at it. And yes your duct is undersized. You did not say if this is a variable speed furnace or not, what is the name and model no. Mike

Thanks acetc for your information.
Well nothing has changed. The Tempstar still doesn't work.
The model # on this Tempstar is PGX 348080K 01A. It does have a variable speed. ( 5 speeds I think the book says)

The guy has been here for 2 months almost everyday.
There has been a big wig guy from the bigger city near by that came out twice. He can't figure it out. So he called the factory to get a rep out here. (See if they don't go through the chain of command the factory won't send someone out- so I am told. I think the sales rep for tempstar and the installer don't want to eat the unit and I don't want them to either. Can't we all be winners in this?) So well long story short, The factory has refused to send a rep out. In other words they have left my installer hanging.

The installer is a great guy and he is so dedicated to fixing this thing. He has nightmares about this every night. If I said I am done he would pull it, but I have not and in fact been nice enough to say- just keep trying to fix it. I hate to have it pulled without knowing the problem. I could be in the same boat with a new unit.

I have no bad feelings towards the guy- he is learning and I am OK with that.
Its hot here and I wish the thing worked better and so does he. He has checked everything a million times with a lot of fancy gauges, he brazed a new expansion valve- (?) added a return, drained it and added new refrigerant. He has had 4 people out here to look at it, of course no one wants a piece of this problem~ I am telling you this thing is a dud!!

I am just about ready to have it pulled out of here. I want my R-22 back big time!
My installer is certified to work with puron. He was trained by Tempstar- he has been in the business for 35 years or more.
He says he can't install anything but a Tempstar so he will have to give me my money back. I would never get another Tempstar, the company has not helped in this one bit and if I have this unit pulled and a 3 1/2 ton put in and it doesn't work the company is going say "look lady you had us pull the 4 ton and we couldn't find a thing wrong with it and now your not happy with this, there is nothing more we can do for you" No way would I use this company again and my installer agrees 100% !

He has put in just a few 410A's and so far he's had no problems. He contacted a guy who is like some genius with this sort of stuff
(he doesn't install them though) This guy said that the expansion valve was bad. So a new one was ordered and put in and it worked pretty darn good after that. I even had to put on a jacket in my house- the inside temp was 74 and the outside was 84. I am all happy for about 2 days and then today its 99 outside and I have the new Honeywell thermostat set for 76-- it says its 76 inside but its HOT and muggy again. I hate this figgin thing! I didn't call my installer yet- Its sunday- I 'll call tomorrow. He got some specs from I don't know where and was planning on coming out this next week and fine tune something- I guess to do with that expansion valve. Can a expansion valve go bad in 4 days?

I had a new 20 x20 inch return ( 10x18 " duct) Plus there is 16 inch duct under the house. That's plenty of return... and this did help. I have however found the blue prints for my house -
There was a manual J and manual D run 7 years ago when I had an addition added onto the house. That add on has its own nice little 2 ton Carrier R-22. But the builder had the calculations done I guess cause he thought I was going to use the 4 ton to cool that addition. The calculations say a 4 ton is what this house needs. These calculations did not include the addition.

I am thinking well crap do I have to build a house around this ac or what?? I already got big hole in the side of my house for the new return thingie. Now I have this big ugly custom metal duct from the ac into my laundry room- which I repeat did help.
I got exactly half of the people in this business who say my duct work is fine and half who say it isn't.
The old R-22 4 ton did a wonderful job of cooling this house. I was always turning that other unit off as it was so cold.
I guess this has run its course and the installer will hopefully yell 'uncle'.
I can't believe the company just left him high and dry. 'What say all of you?'

The fact that you have a variable speed furnace means a lot, in this story, the motor in the blower changes speed according to duct static pressure. There are many different ways this furnace can operate depending on how you set it up , You have to tell the furnace how much air you want it to move. This information is in the installers guide, look for section on setting the dip switchs. Mike

Thanks Mike... I 've not heard of this 'dip switch" but then why would I... I am a graphic artist.
I looked in the book that came with the unit and I don 't see the words "dip switch". The book says the unit has 5 speeds... that does mean it has variable speeds?
I will ask the installer about dip switches.
The installer I remember mentioned something about superheat and wasn't happy with it?
Something like that... (Terry a prior poster mentioned this)
What a temperamental piece of equipment... I bet these 410A improve a lot in the next 5 years... I should have waited... The heat part went out in the old unit so I had no choice but to replace it and I was trying to do my bit for the planet. I 'll be in a mental hospital and won't know what a planet is so I should go with a R-22! LOL
love the suggestions... thanks
Rebecca

Most variable speed blowers must be adjusted using a tool that senses the duct static pressure. Then the dip switches or rheostat for for final trim of blower. You just cannot play with the dip switches and guess your best.

I checked you model number and found out that you have a package unit, which means that you do not have a variable speed blower, you may have a multispeed blower in stead. If he said he is unhappy with the super heat, he needs to be concerned with the sub cooling, because you said it had an expansion valve and that means it has to be charged by the sub cooling method. The super heat is important as a diagnosting tool, air flow plays a huge part in the super heat as well as the adjustment of the txv (some are not adjustable). The fan speed is adjustable in all new furnaces and may need to be changed to accommodate the installation, that's why they provide the installer a guide with directions to change the speed, it does sound as though your service person is making every effort and good luck.
A package unit is normally a trouble free installation, plug it in and go for it , factory charged and tested, I would look at the duct system. There is a chance that you just got a lemon, it happens.

Thanks for looking up the model I have Mike. The installer has played around with the speed many many times. (Not since putting in the expansion valve I believe.)
The installer is really a great guy and very honest- Many of my friends use him also. I sent him to two of my friends and he could have put two hvac units at each house but instead he fixed the ones they had. Both wanted new units, one friend wanted a new unit simply because it was noisy but he said no there was nothing wrong with the one she's got and suggested she build up a wall to help block the noise. I told him I thought that was very honest and that he could have put in a new unit for her, as she was adamant about wanting new one- he told me " I have to sleep at night" He makes most of his calls to the distributor and factory right in front of me and I can tell he is very upfront with me and the company.
Hell I told him to lie to the damn company and tell them the coil or something was broken-- he wouldn't do it... He is learning he said and he appreciates that I am not pissed and demanding he remove it. ( after this next adjustment if it doesn't work I will ask him to take it out) He would like to fix this one -he would hate to haul this one out as it has to be moved over little stones therefore he will have to build a wood floor and place the unit on pipes and roll it out, but he will do it. I hate to see him eat the cost of the thing and I think the company should help him. I guess the distributor will take it back so my installer won't have to lose too much on it. I am so curious when they sell it as used equipment if it works in someone else's house.
Of course maybe tomorrow when the installer comes back and tweaks the settings for the expansion valve ( something like that) it may work...

I sure wish this was a plug it in and off you go deal but its not. I am so sick of this.
I had a friend come in my house today and the thermostat says 72 but honest to god it feels 79 and my friend thought so too. She said if her thermostat is set at 72 its freezing in her house.
The thing just won't cool!

UPDATE:
Yesterday around 5 the temperature in the house was 77 and the temperature outside was 85- IT WAS COOLER OUTSIDE THEN INSIDE!
The installer called this morning and said " that unit is not going to cool and I am pulling it on Friday and giving you your money back"
So this morning ( Monday) I called a company that the builder of my house uses and he will be out here tomorrow at 10 to give me a bid on a new unit...
Here we go... R-22 or 410A ?

Since you are having another contractor come in to give you a bid have him look your system (including duct) over to possibly prevent a reaccurance of your currant problem.
Inform him of the problems you have had , it will help him.

I have just purchased a new Tempstar 4 ton 13 seer, 78 afeu
1410A refrigerant. model # PGX 348080K01A1.

I had this thing installed in January, the heater worked fine. The ac won't work right.
The guy that installed it has been here 5 times. He is at a loss as to what the problem is.
The air is very humid, very humid. The air is not cool.
any ideas ?
Thanks for your help!
Rebecca
4 ton is way oversized, causing your high humidity problems

Mistake # 1 was you did not do a manuel J load calculation on the house. I don't give a rats a** what was in there before. Back in the day everything was over sized.
#1 load calculation
#2 measure all ductwork sizes to determine what the duct can handle. I read earlyer you had a static preasure of .8 (unacceptable) proper ductsize and cfm from blower I would want .5. fix the static preasure by lowering fan speed and or enlargeing ductwork.whats the filter look like ?
#3 once the static preasure is FIXED then check the TXV,sensing bulb test to see that it is operateing.
#4#4 remove all refrigerant from system pull vacum to 500 microns to make sure you have no leaks and no moisture in system. WEIGHT IN NEW REFRIGERANT to specs.
#5 MEASURE SUBCOOLING, measure temp at supply,at return. Outdoor temp. measrue electrical high voltage going into unit measure amps to compressor,what are the preasure readings.
Please print and give to your student or installer.
AND IF YOU DO NOT HAVE ANY OF THIS INFO WITH YOU WHEN YOU CALL TECH SUPPORT OF THE MFG. THEY WILL ASSUME YOU ARE NOT QUALIFIED TO INSTALL Their EQUIPMENT.
#6 make sure you do not have air gaps in any part of the packaged unit.ductwork.
Send us some picture of this install.

This is a old thread from back in 2007. Was it resolved or is he still trying to fix it

Your unit is 4 tons . It is too big for 2000 sq. Ft. That is why it does not cool,and why it is too humid. See manf. Spec for 2,000 sq. Ft.

This post is over a year old. LOL

Very interesting

I hate to say this, but after saving for a year or two, we wanted a new ac unit. Living in az, its mandatory. We were recommended a tempstar. I have except for year one, had to repair this unit. 5 condenser motors, 1 blower motor, a host of contactors and other parts, the thermostat control board, etc. 300-400$ each time, for 10 yrs. I would never buy a tempstar again, nor take it if it were free. The old goetl that I took off was working fine, and my neighbors still have theirs, never doing a repair while my "new unit" is a maintenance DOG.

Hi I am a HVAC Tech also
Ask the guy if the pressure on his gages match in PSIG on the low and the high side if they don't and one is lower then the other and won't pump up
then most likley your TXV Valve is not working properly. When dealing with R410A you have steps you must do to install a unit correctly I always use heat sinks
"ie Wet Wrags" and I wrap them around the TXV Valve when brazing the line set to the coil and the condenser it helps keep the high heat from damaging the bulb that is clamped to the suction side line in the coil. The reason I say this is because there is only so much that can be wrong in this case it is only on the cooling stage the heater is not the issue so stop messing with the blower speeds have the guy check to see if any lines are kinked off and try the TXV Valve if the valve is locked in the opened or closed position no cooling will happen. You will know this if your gages are not correct because one will not pump up over 100-150 psig if so change the txv valve and run again. That should fix the problem. Last time I checked they were around $190.00 also before you go out and buy a txv valve do this first.
check your wires from heater to thermostat
Red= Power
White= Heat
Yellow = Cooling
Green = Fan
Blue = Common Ground
They should match
if installing a two stage system don't forget the secound stage wire connections
next
check that you have 27 volts going to the condenser
it should be a
red wire
and a
white wire
attached to the main board red wire goes to the y and the white goes to the c on the board
and the other side of the red and white wire goes to the condenser capasitor " if installing a two stage system there will be 3 wires to the board and condensor"
next
don't forget to pump down the line set before letting out the juice very important
you must pull down three times to get out any moisture in line set
you have to bring system down to 500 microns or under
fill lines with dry nitrogen to 150 psig let sit 10 to 15 min then start your
1st pull down 1500 Microns
fill dry nitrogen 150 PSIG
2nd pull down 1500 Microns
fill dry nitrogen 150 PSIG
3rd and final pull down 500 Microns or below
this takes all the moisture out of line set
now you can let out the juice
all this should be checked and done before system start up
if all that was done already
next
make sure condenser comes on and you here the line set fill with fluid
then blower at heater should turn on.
next
if all wires are correct then that rules out any wire issue all connections must be tight
now onto gages
the pressure range usually on a R410A 4Ton system range from 120 - 150 PSIG on the low side and 350 to 400 PSIG on the high side this should be perfect for a 50 foot line set.
most of the time the manufacture sends all condensors out full of refrigerant for a 25 to 50 foot line set
don't put any more refrigerant in condenser you will over charge unit
next
after checking your gages and if all is OK then you should check for kinks in line set
if none are found
next
check to see if the coil is freezing up with ice with new systems you can take the front panel off and look inside
if no ice then see if the guy got the paper work out of the coil before installing it.

I think that's about it on setting up a R410A System for now its getting late

but let me leave your HVAC Guy a thought
if line is cleaned and juice is flowing through it where does it go but to the coil and the TXV Valve
and if gages are not right and you fill some puron in it and it still don't work your question should be answered by now
does the compressor come on and do you here the juice flowing through the line set to the coil then it should leed you to the What "TXV Valve"

Let me know if this helped

Hi I am a HVAC Tech also
Ask the guy if the pressure on his gages match in PSIG on the low and the high side if they don't and one is lower then the other and won't pump up
then most likley your TXV Valve is not working properly. When dealing with R410A you have steps you must do to install a unit correctly I always use heat sinks
"ie Wet Wrags" and I wrap them around the TXV Valve when brazing the line set to the coil and the condenser it helps keep the high heat from damaging the bulb that is clamped to the suction side line in the coil. The reason I say this is because there is only so much that can be wrong in this case it is only on the cooling stage the heater is not the issue so stop messing with the blower speeds have the guy check to see if any lines are kinked off and try the TXV Valve if the valve is locked in the opened or closed position no cooling will happen. You will know this if your gages are not correct because one will not pump up over 100-150 psig if so change the txv valve and run again. That should fix the problem. Last time I checked they were around $190.00 also before you go out and buy a txv valve do this first.
check your wires from heater to thermostat
Red= Power
White= Heat
Yellow = Cooling
Green = Fan
Blue = Common Ground
They should match
if installing a two stage system don't forget the secound stage wire connections
next
check that you have 27 volts going to the condenser
it should be a
red wire
and a
white wire
attached to the main board red wire goes to the y and the white goes to the c on the board
and the other side of the red and white wire goes to the condenser capasitor " if installing a two stage system there will be 3 wires to the board and condensor"
next
don't forget to pump down the line set before letting out the juice very important
you must pull down three times to get out any moisture in line set
you have to bring system down to 500 microns or under
fill lines with dry nitrogen to 150 psig let sit 10 to 15 min then start your
1st pull down 1500 Microns
fill dry nitrogen 150 PSIG
2nd pull down 1500 Microns
fill dry nitrogen 150 PSIG
3rd and final pull down 500 Microns or below
this takes all the moisture out of line set
now you can let out the juice
all this should be checked and done before system start up
if all that was done already
next
make sure condenser comes on and you here the line set fill with fluid
then blower at heater should turn on.
next
if all wires are correct then that rules out any wire issue all connections must be tight
now onto gages
the pressure range usually on a R410A 4Ton system range from 120 - 150 PSIG on the low side and 350 to 400 PSIG on the high side this should be perfect for a 50 foot line set.
most of the time the manufacture sends all condensors out full of refrigerant for a 25 to 50 foot line set
don't put any more refrigerant in condenser you will over charge unit
next
after checking your gages and if all is OK then you should check for kinks in line set
if none are found
next
check to see if the coil is freezing up with ice with new systems you can take the front panel off and look inside
if no ice then see if the guy got the paper work out of the coil before installing it.

I think that's about it on setting up a R410A System for now its getting late

but let me leave your HVAC Guy a thought
if line is cleaned and juice is flowing through it where does it go but to the coil and the TXV Valve
and if gages are not right and you fill some puron in it and it still don't work your question should be answered by now
does the compressor come on and do you here the juice flowing through the line set to the coil then it should leed you to the What "TXV Valve"

Let me know if this helped

This post is over two years old... and people are still trying to help. LOL

Hey girl you shpuld have this guy/company take back this unit. There is a lemon law that states that after 5 vist the unit should be replace with a new one or you can get your money back.if it was me i will get my money back and call sears the do good work.

HEY GIRL YOU SHPULD HAVE THIS GUY/COMPANY TAKE BACK THIS UNIT. THEIR IS A LEMON LAW THAT STATES THAT AFTER 5 VIST THE UNIT SHOULD BE REPLACE WITH A NEW ONE OR YOU CAN GET YOUR MONEY BACK.IF IT WAS ME I WILL GET MY MONEY BACK AND CALL SEARS THE DO GOOD WORK.




This post is over 2 years old,, waisting the skin off your typing finger

LOL I guess no one reads.

I am also having major trouble with TEMPSTAR - did you ever get your issue resolved? What did you do?
If not - I'd like to start some action against TEMPSTAR.

I have a tempstar 2 stage furnace, the blower always starts in low speed and then goes into high speed right away. The instructions state the unit should heat the house in low speed for 12 minutes and if heat is still needed, it would go to high speed. The dip switch has three switches. The #1 & #3 is off and #2 is on.

Why doesn' it heat in low speed for 12 minutes?
Thank you