TOPIC: Running A/C in cold weather

Drew, My post is not a response to yours.
Lighten up a little, you are not interpreting my post correctly.
I am not saying your wrong. You just scratched the surface, that's all.

The subject (as I am sure you know) reaches way beyond a few lines of text on a message board.  I feel that I can not cover the issue this way and am offering to discuss it with Greg on the phone so we can cover all the issues involved.

I have attempted to discuss this subject in detail in the past it is just too cumbersome to try to do it again and I am sure no one wants to follow a bunch of fragmented links on the subject. I simply do not want to spend three hours writing this subject down.

The subject of this thread comes up often it just gets pushed around in different directions and the subject matter is never really covered or understood, thus questions keep being asked about the same thing.

As on this thread HVAC contractors say there's nothing wrong with running an air conditioner in the wintertime. Then we have the home inspectors did say under some (misinterpreted) temperatures, equipment can and cannot be operated. It is more than outside air temperature. It's about the temperature differential between inside and outside the house. But then I know you realize this. Once you turn the heat on in the house, you generate temperature differential and causes refrigerant migration to the compressor oil. It can happen at 70°, or 65°, or 60°, etc.

The bottom line is that this type of information and testing is not really required by a home inspector. They all seem to have definitive opinions about the subject without knowing the actual facts. I'm simply offering to discuss the situation with anyone on the phone and wants to know these facts so that they can intelligently answer anyone who asks "why didn't you run my air conditioner this winter?".

I will ignore your childish comments and name calling and your opinion on my use of this message board.

If you think I'm trying to make myself sound great at the expense of yourself or others in a public forum, maybe you should reconsider that if I posted the entire subject matter you would still have the same opinion. I can very easily dispute some of the information you provided (which I did not do) as you didn't take the time to fully explain yourself. I am trying to avoid the same situation myself I'm not trying to answer this subject in two paragraphs or less.

I try to answer peoples questions when I can, but I don't have time to make everybody feel warm and fuzzy in the process. I am not sitting around with nothing to do on the message board. I have three computers running simultaneously in my office and I keep an eye on home inspection message boards in case someone needs some help while I'm writing my inspection reports.

I don't spend all kinds of time answering these questions so they may seem blunt. I use voice dictation and do not type so I can cover a lot of ground in very little time. Sorry if you were offended. I'll let you handle it from here.

Please pick up with what happens after refrigerant migrates into the compressor oil and you start the compressor.

A one word answer Greg - slugging.

That should get you started.

A one word answer Greg - slugging.

That should get you started.

Jay, you do the biggest blogs I've ever seen, I would like to see a simple one or two word explanation from you on this subject, (KISS) "keep it simple stupid" I use the "its to cold"  canned comment as do most of us, please tell us the why's and why knots in two word or less. I would love to here the real reason with out the tech info.  no "disrespect David Anderson" other than it's 55 degrees and the A.C. doesn't kick on at that temp.

-Russ

BTW Jay, you are one of the best story tellers I have ever read, keep the blogs coming they are such good reading

Russ - he wanted to know why.  I thought he could look it up.  Slugging is a good word to get that process started. 

Dave's answer is good, but his best answer was to call him.  It IS a long explanation.  Here is a quickie doodle.  Essentially, at cold temps, everything in the system is a liquid.  Slugging is when the compressor is trying to compress a cold liquid into a liquid and it implodes.  It is the biggest reason AC units fail in the spring - people turn them on before it is warm enough, or it was cold the night before and warm during the day.  I tell people 65-70 degrees for 24 hours before turning on the system. 

I also say "It's too cold!  What would it tell us if it blew out cold air?"  And then explain that it could kill the system.

Rule number one on a home inspection - don't break anything!  Rule number two is to pay real close attention to number one...

You'll like my next post Russ.  Did you know you are a placebo?  So am I!

Hey Jay, I like your simple explanation, it’s a lot like Drews, thanks.

OK “I’m rubber your glue whatever you say bounces off me and sticks to you”.

I remember this saying as a kid.

I know I’m a Placebo, but how are you using the word.

-Russ