Landlord built a fence around the AC and it broke
When a broken air conditioner leaves your home unlivable during a heatwave, you are left waiting indefinitely for a repair while scrambling to find alternative shelter for a newborn. Meanwhile, DIY attempts to clean the condenser coil with store-bought brushes risk causing major damage that leads to thousands of dollars in professional repair costs.
What people tried
Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.
- 1Changing the air filter
- 2Calling an HVAC technician
- 3removing every other picket
- 4drilling a couple hundred holes
- 5opening the access gate
- 6Using fin combs and brushes to painstakingly straighten the fins section by section
- 7Power washing from the inside out to blow the fins back open
- 8Removing the casing/tins to use a fin knife on every individual fin
- 9Replacing the entire coil or unit
- 10having a reputable company check static pressure
- 11adjusting the blower speed
- 12asking for advice online
- 13Leave the unit turned off and let it sit level for 24 to 72 hours so the oil can settle.
- 14Wait for maintenance to come fix or replace it.
- 15Run it until it breaks and make the landlord pay for it.
- 16Taking the car to a quick-lube shop or professional garage for service
- 17Having the air conditioning system inspected or recharged by a professional shop
- 18Watering down the outside AC unit to help it cool off
- 19Turning the entire AC off at night and running it during the day
- 20turning the unit off and on again
- 21checking the wall plug
- 22checking the outlet voltage with a multimeter
- 23getting a specialty recharge hose with a gauge from an auto parts store to refill the low side port while the car is running
- 24Making a maintenance call to building management
- 25calling the original installing contractor
- 26getting a second opinion on the leak and labor pricing
- 27contacting the manufacturer or dealer to confirm warranty status
- 28letting the technician troubleshoot normally without homeowner guidance
- 29moving clutter away from the air handler prior to the technician's arrival
- 30turning the ac in fan on with the cool setting off to melt the ice
- 31turning the entire unit completely off until maintenance arrives
- 32Checking the unit for vibrating panels
- 33Shut down the unit and call a professional
- 34Check the capacitor
- 35replacing batteries
- 36power cycling
- 37factory resetting
- 38cleaning with canned air
- 39Resetting the circuit breaker
- 40Checking the disconnect switch
- 41Watching YouTube videos to attempt DIY fixes like replacing a capacitor
- 42Checking temperature differences between return and supply grills with a kitchen thermometer
- 43Adding refrigerant from a can to check system pressures
- 44Adding r134a refrigerant
- 45Checking and monitoring oil levels
- 46Buying a larger capacitor online or matching the MFD and voltage ratings.
- 47Replacing the blower motor resistor or rheostat
- 48Keep calling maintenance to add more refrigerant instead of replacing the unit
- 49Ask the landlord or technician to perform a leak search or add leak sealant
- 50Programmed to do so.
- 51Turning off the unit to allow it to thaw and changing the return air filter
- 52Running standalone fans instead of the air conditioner
- 53Turning off the AC unit completely until professionals can inspect and fix the pitch
- 54Calling the emergency service number to have a technician inspect and replace the faulty unit.
- 55Checking the circuit breakers and outside disconnect switch to ensure power is active
- 56Filing a claim through a home warranty
- 57Replacing components like capacitors independently
- 58Cleaning condenser coils
- 59Hiring a professional service technician
- 60calling a professional
- 61checking amp draw and voltage
- 62contacting customer service
- 63weighing the refrigerant charge
- 64Hiring an independent HVAC technician for a second opinion
- 65Requesting repeated repair visits under the builder warranty
- 66Calling a reliable HVAC professional for help
- 67taking things apart to clear ice from the evaporator coils
- 68replacing air filters
- 69cleaning outside condenser coils
- 70calling a technician for a leak check and refrigerant top-off
- 71buying a portable room AC or window unit
- 72checking circuit breakers and thermostat settings
- 73spraying down the outdoor compressor with a garden hose
- 74Shuting off the HVAC unit for a day to allow it to thaw
- 75Drying off the top of the furnace
- 76Using black cork tape to seal escaping air
- 77Checking the air filter and blower wheel
- 78Calling a company out to add refrigerant
- 79Sourcing remaining R410A stock to replace only the outdoor condenser, often offering limited warranties such as one month.
- 80Replacing the entire AC compressor assembly instead of just the individual clutch coil component
- 81Keep a backup capacitor on hand
- 82Taking the vehicle to a different shop for a second opinion or to a specialized local AC shop
- 83Adding refrigerant (Freon) to see if it temporarily restores functionality or detects a leak
- 84turning off the system and letting it defrost naturally for several hours or overnight
- 85switching the thermostat fan setting from auto to on to blow air across the coils and speed up thawing
- 86changing dirty air filters and checking for blocked airflow or closed registers
- 87calling a professional technician to diagnose refrigerant levels and system pressures
- 88Manually spinning the fan blade with a stick
- 89Replacing the capacitor independently
- 90Finding an independent side-job technician
- 91Leaving the switch off for a few hours to temporarily stop the breaker from tripping for about 8 hours
- 92Getting multiple quotes from different contractors
- 93Considering cheaper independent contractors over reputed companies
- 94Weighing equipment costs against imminent house sales
- 95Setting the system to only run the fan with no cooling for a few hours to see if the coil is freezing periodically.
- 96Looking for suggestions on alternative single room AC unit brands or models like Friedrich
- 97Setting the thermostat to 65 and auto
- 98Submitting a maintenance work order
- 99Replace components like the AC condenser and compressor, or check refrigerant levels.
- 100Throwing away the unit and buying a new one instead of paying for a service repair
- 101Having apartment maintenance temporarily fix the unit every time it breaks
In their words
Unedited, most upvoted first, each linked to the thread it came from.
“I made the giant mistake of improperly using a pressure washer on my condenser coil.”source ↗
“I have gotten several different kinds of condenser coil combs and brushes from Lowe’s, but I don’t know if I’m in over my head and I’m gonna have to fork over the probably thousands of dollars.”source ↗
“This thing is a suction magnet. It is SO loud from the air movement alone.”source ↗
“I wanted advice on whether or not I can safely use the unit (its really hot inside the apartment) or if I should leave it turned off. Also, is there any salvaging the unit?”source ↗
“Ok so, my sister was convinced she could do an oil change on my car. But when she was under there she started unscrewing the wrong thing.. it made a hissing sound and a little green liquid came out and she immediately retightened it.”source ↗
“Should I be worried? We ended up taking it to get an oil change at take 5 after that because I was not very confident in her skills after that incident.”source ↗
“Realistically, how long does the repair take? We’re in the middle of a heatwave and I have a newborn. I can make plans to be elsewhere for a day or two but I’d really like to be able to stay home with my baby soon.”source ↗
“Installed a MrCool 24k DIY today… turned it on and everything started right up… gave it 20-30 minutes and air isn’t cold?”source ↗
“Just came home to an 85 degree house with my unit not working and just humming (video included). So far the places I've called the soonest one said they probably wouldn't get to me till Tuesday ish.”source ↗
“Old Capicitor at bottom, replaced with the same sized one (Titan HD), then yesterday at 109* Heat the AC would turn on for 2-3 minutes then shut off, I had gotten the bigger one online and decided to switch it.”source ↗
“Recently spent several thousand dollars on an entire new unit. 2 days later I noticed it is not cooling as it should and there is a lot of condensation on the air handler.”source ↗
“I look inside the cabinet under the unit and see one of the wall is just gone and the entire unit is full of insulation that it sucked into the unit.”source ↗
“What a nightmare, all due to someone not sealing the plenum properly.”source ↗
“I heard a pretty loud clunk noise earlier, some of the fan blades are wedged up against the fins…. And one of them is completely broken off.”source ↗
“When we returned last night, I turned the air back down to 73 and went to bed. Waking up in the middle of the night I noticed the house was still warm after being on for about 4 hours and checked the thermostat and saw the house was at 75 not 73.”source ↗
“I also noticed the airflow from the vents was not as strong so I went downstairs and noticed the copper AC inlet line to the furnace was frozen as shown along with build up of ice in a couple other areas on the inlet line clamps.”source ↗
“the A/C blows cold, then blows kinda warm, then kinda just alternates between ice cold and warm.”source ↗
“Yesterday my AC worked just fine, i parked the car and alldat, an hour later I went to my car to leave for work and my AC was making these sounds when it'd turn it on 1-2-3, now as you can see those don't work AT ALL anymore”source ↗
“our ac had been acting a little off for a while, but the house was still cool so i figured it could wait.”source ↗
“it finally stopped working during a heat wave and i ended up scrambling to find someone who could come out quickly.”source ↗
“So annoyed my outside AC unit when it was really hot about two weeks ago my fan stopped spinning and hot air was coming into the house.”source ↗
“Today it hits 103 fan cuts off again”source ↗
“My AC wall unit is constantly making this noise when off.”source ↗
“Even if I go a full weekend without being home and having the AC on, I’ll come home and it’ll be making this loud humming noise.”source ↗
“It’s incredibly noisy and does not sound like something that should be happening, especially after just sitting there for days.”source ↗
“I am confused what to do now , I missed to register for warranty so I have only 5 year default parts warranty with Lennox now”source ↗
“quoted me for 5k$ to replace coil”source ↗
“I’m lost what to do next , any help and advice to save my situation”source ↗
“come to check it and now there’s ice build up in the vent/coils (?) the part where the filter goes, i turned it back on fan mode with cool off, ice melts down quickly from that part and it’s been at that setting for about 12hrs, now hitting 60f while we’re 95f outside, it is completely in fan mode and i’m wondering if i should just turn off the entire unit until maintenance comes by but scared of ice build up again”source ↗
“maintenance always takes days to come check things up so i’m trying to decide what’s the best way to go over this”source ↗
“At the start of summer (June) I asked our landlord to send someone to service our HVAC because it wasn’t properly cooling the apt.”source ↗
“It’s Sept now. It’s still hot out and I noticed it’s not able to properly cool the apt again.”source ↗
“I doubt my landlord wants to get a new unit, but I’m going to text him anyway that we likely need more refrigerant.”source ↗
“Just closed on a house in Los Angeles, got keys, and the AC doesn’t seem to be working.”source ↗
“The thermostat is reading correctly and says that cooling is on, we can hear the fan being on, but there’s barely any air flow that we can feel, and it doesn’t seem to be cooled air either.”source ↗
“We moved into a new construction house in April this year, and we’ve been having a lot of issues with the AC system.”source ↗
“We’re not happy with how many problems we’ve had in such a short period of time, and we’re worried that the repairs are just getting us past the one-year full warranty.”source ↗
“The entire copper line froze so I shut off the (HVAC) unit for an about a day to allow it to thaw.”source ↗
“The flange that is frosting can get a lot of frost buildup at times.”source ↗
“I just noticed this last this me the water leaking out at the top of the unit”source ↗
“I am on my 3rd unit in 4 years. Each over was covered by warranty but I'm sure this one will not be. Each one failed exactly 1 year after installation due to pinhole leak in the coil at solder join.”source ↗
“Iv hit my breaking point with Frigidaire products and how quickly each one has bit the dust almost 1 year apart.”source ↗
“My primary question is if the portion that i have now circled in red should be turning with the engine running, or if that part is normally stationary.”source ↗
“So now I'm just trying to figure out what I did wrong before I pull everything apart again. This was probably 2 or 3 full days of work, so I don't want to do it all again and have the same thing happen.”source ↗
“The AC stopped working soon after getting the car, it wasn't blowing cold air.”source ↗
“After a month or so, the car would make the same vibrating sound randomly with the AC on.”source ↗
“Took in 3 separate occasions (the initial AC turning off, the vibrating a second time when the AC was not off, and this last time when AC cold air shut off and vibrating was loud) and still no fix to the rumble.”source ↗
“Why is my AC pushing cold air sometimes and sometimes it runs out and goes warm. It’s been like this for 2 months. It’s never freezing cold like it used to be.”source ↗
“She's always had a guy to do it for her, she can't really do stuff like this herself, and she doesn't have the money for a mechanic at the moment.”source ↗
“it’s now gotten weirder?”source ↗
“Woke up this morning freezing it was 62f when it’s set for 70f.”source ↗
“Any advice on what could the problem be?”source ↗
“Thermostat is set to 72 but showing 77 and climbing. This noise happens about every 60 seconds or so.”source ↗
“Our thermostat (Emerson Series 80 non-programmable) was working just earlier this morning, and after I turned the cooling off to clean the unit, I came back to find that the display was weird, half of the display segments were off and the rest of the display was fading.”source ↗
“when I placed the batteries back into it, the display started flashing like in the video and won't respond to anything, no backlight, no factory reset, no power cycling, and it doesn't turn on our air conditioning.”source ↗
“Okay, we do own the house. I’ll try and call someone but I’m not sure if I can get someone to come out this late.”source ↗
“Alrighty, not sure if I’ll be able to pay for it but I’ll try and call someone for a second opinion”source ↗
“Today I noticed it's suddenly fluctuating between 74 and 73 upstairs. The air continues to blow cold, but the house just won't cool down.”source ↗
“We opened a room that is often closed and stays very hot. We left the door open all night. My initial thought was that was the problem. I've since closed that door back. But it's continuing to hover at around 74 even though it's been running all day.”source ↗
“I kept 2 of my zones in my house at 80 last night but woke up to both of them at 72. This means that the AC overcooled those zones last night.”source ↗
“Got home and my unit was struggling to meet SP.”source ↗
“Decided to go outside and check out my condenser and found it froze up.”source ↗
“Technician arrives and has come to the conclusion that the TXV isn’t allowing enough refrigerant back to the evaporator, can someone explain?”source ↗
“Does anyone have any ideas for ways that I can safely temporarily capture the water so that I can run the unit once or twice a day to stay at least a little more comfy?”source ↗
“This year (2026) the inside coils in the furnace froze up during a super hot period.”source ↗
“Then I noticed the unit stopped blowing cold air again.”source ↗
“Its not cooling at all… stats from diagnostics: 81°F room → 82°F indoor coil 77°F outside → 79°F outdoor coil Compressor reporting 57 Hz”source ↗
“Sorry man that's like the worst feeling going through all of that and then it just not doing anything. :(”source ↗
“I do not know how to get the unit open to expose the wires.”source ↗
“I do not feel comfortable when anything that is electrical.”source ↗
“I replaced the 4” filter just before this problem started.”source ↗
“Came home to a warm house. Should I just let it defrost?”source ↗
“Two months later they have replaced the same compressor 4 times now. They can't seem to figure out what's going on.”source ↗
“Every time they replace the compressor about 10 to 14 days later the compressor goes bad again.”source ↗
“why would the compressor start over heating after 2 weeks consistently and not the day after they first install it.”source ↗
“Hi, my current Carrier 2 Ton (10 YO, 2016 model) was not throwing cold air.”source ↗
“1st Technician (local handyman) told me it was bad compressor and gave me quote of $1900.”source ↗
“2nd Technician told me there is a leak in the coolant pipe and he did show me where the leak was.”source ↗
“So I've decided to change the whole unit, I have two option:”source ↗
“when the ac goes out at night it is absolute torture.”source ↗
“Lately, the issue has happening every 2-3 weeks. The maintenance guy at my apartment can't figure it out. He fixes it temporarily every time **but two weeks later, the AC is not cooling again.**”source ↗
“I'm kind of worried I won't be able to help with information since I don't have access to the AC maintenance closet. It's locked due to apartment policy.”source ↗
“It went out "all of a sudden" a couple weeks ago.”source ↗
“When I put my gauges on it there was only 25psi static pressure, so I added most of a 12oz can but the pressures just stay about 100 both high and low.”source ↗
“My AC has been flickering off and on like this for two hours.”source ↗
“Not sure what’s happening and want to know if it’s something my roommates and I can fix before making a call to the landlord.”source ↗
“Could the melted plastic cause arc/shutoff?”source ↗
“My AC is out. It’s 100 & It’s 86 F inside.”source ↗
“My father is ill and bedridden and cannot take too much heat.”source ↗
“Outdoor condenser failed. Indoor coil is original and working. Sub says both have to be replaced together. Owner wants outdoor only.”source ↗
“The problem is that it keeps happening again. The system will work normally for a while, but then I’ll notice the apartment getting warmer.”source ↗
“The thermostat will say “Cool On” and I can hear the system/fan running, but there is little to no air coming from the vents.”source ↗
“somehow i hit something and it started leaking gas. I have no idea if its flammable or toxic, i tried calling dozens of numbers but none of them respond. Is this am actual emergency?”source ↗
“Thanks hoping it's the filter. Missed changing it on the first.”source ↗