Quote Originally Posted by TheGuy View Post
So, as we came into the warmer months I noticed the AC seemed to be struggling. After our first trip, it seemed like it never turned off. As a result, I took a look through the plenum and saw it was freezing up. That weekend, I got up there and cleaned out the coils. The evaporator was pretty dirty, but not bad enough to significantly impede airflow in my opinion. That didn't help. Before I replace this thing, I thought I'd throw a thread up and see if anyone had additional ideas.

Here's the list of symptoms and checks I've made:

Symptoms:
  1. Poor Cooling Performance
  2. Evaporator Icing only Halfway
  3. Compressor Not Cycling (or Very Rarely)


Observations/Checks:
  1. Airflow at vents seems normal
  2. Output plenum is properly sealed from the return air.
  3. Evap and Condenser Coils are Clean
  4. Thermal Probe is in Place
  5. Evap coil ices top-down to probe; air comes out cooler than ambient, but not sufficient to cool the space.
  6. No signs of kinks in the capillary tube
  7. No oily leak that I can see (like I'm accustomed to with cars)



Since these units are meant to be disposable (disgusting, given their cost) I have to replace it. The dealer says they'll be happy to do it for me... In July. Well, I'm using this as my WFH office for the time-being and we won't last to July. So, this is at least somewhat urgent to fix.

Anything else I can check before I bite the bullet and order a $1500 replacement for my not 4 year-old AC?
Not cycling or rarely is a sign that the freeze sensor is bad. It's a pretty cheap to buy part....maybe $30 to $35 and it would be something to try before you trash the unit for a new one. If you buy one and change it out, make sure to kill all the 120V power to the unit just for safety's sake.