[Salliemeta]

I have a 3.5 ton Rheem A/C and heat sealed unit that is 9 years old. Recently noticed that no matter what temperature we set thermostat for it never gets cooler than 79 yet the electric bill has doubled since last month when it was working properly.

When the programmable thermostat is on "auto" not much happens in terms of air movement or noise adjacent to unit just below the roof, even when temperature is way above what it is set for (77 setting, but showing 81 for instance) and when the thermostat is pushed to "On" air is blowing out stronger in some rooms than others and is not very cool - still can't get main floor adjacent to thermostat below 79 during day time.

Changed the filter at air intake area and checked batteries in thermostat which are still good. Reprogrammed dates/times and temperatures which didn't improve anything. There is a little fuse inside the thermostat but cannot tell if it is OK or burnt out. From reading other posts, assuming that if fuse was blown nothing would work since my thermostat controls the fan on/off and also turning unit from A/C to Off, to Heat.

The AC unit is sealed with direct drive motor/no fan belts, fyi.

Is there anything I can check myself before calling in the repair company? FYI, I am not terribly handy - OK with screwdriver and flashlight but do not have any electrical testing gear at home and would be afraid to cause electrical problems if I did have it.

Any suggestions you can share?

[hvacservicetech_07]

Is the compressor running?