Had a contractor came out on 05/24/2022 and replaced the capacitor to the condenser fan due to it not running. (aka. Outside unit) They also added a pound of R-22 to the system.
In the two weeks following that, the AC can barely keep up when/if the compressors has to run for more than 50-60min and takes 5-6 hours to cool ~2F inside at that point, if not longer. Here is a screenshot of the data from my Ecobee thermostats thanks to Beestat from 05/30-06/02:
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Upstairs: https://i.imgur.com/SjD38mK.png
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Downstairs: https://i.imgur.com/4y9ziAq.png
There were periods where cooling was called and either nothing happened or was extremely slow interspersed with how it operates when it is just a little bit cooler outside. The insulation issue isn’t a factor as the house was brought up to R-48 on 04/25/2022 along with the attic being air sealed prior to the insulation being blown-in.
Another contractor had to be called in via my warranty due to issues with the first one. Thanks to the data I showed the new contractor, along with cursory checks to the refridgerant charge and evaporator coil in the garage, he came to the conclusion that the compressor is simply worn out. As the system is 17 years old and using R22, he was able to have the warranty pay replacing the entire thing. All I have to cover to get a new system is about $950 for the lineset, labor for the lineset and some electrical parts. Still a heck of a lot cheaper than if I had to pay it all myself.
Had it not been for Beestat, they might’ve said the issues were in my head or at least taken a lot longer to come to the same conclusion.
I’m going from a 17yo 3ton 11 SEER unit to a brand new 3.5ton 14 SEER unit thanks to Beestat visualizing the data collected from my Ecobee units. (House is 1911sqft which is 111sqft above the maximum suggested for a 3ton unit so the contractor was able to get it bumped to a 3.5ton one.)
