home ac outdoor unit

I've read somewhere that the outdoor AC unit needs to be leveled. My outdoor unit is a bit slanted due to the floor not being completely flat (pic below). However, I don't see any obvious structural issues. Is this something I need to correct? Perhaps by sticking a small piece of wood on one side? Refrigerant needs to flow through the coils evenly without too much interference from the slope of the unit. A level concrete slab with rubber pads between the unit and the concrete is what the manufacturers recommend. "Mostly level" is probably okay for a residential unit. Get a half-inch thick outdoor rubber mat and cut it into 6"x6" squares. Put single pieces on the high side and stack several pieces under the low side to bring the unit closer to level. Be careful not to kink or damage the refrigerant piping to the unit when you do that. If you damage the lines when you raise the unit to insert the pads, you will wish you had left it alone. It should be as level as possible. The previous posts make good mention of rubber mat 6x6" squares and careful approach to only tip the unit as little as possible not to kink any lines.

If you don't hire a professional and aren't confident by yourself to address the issue, having a second person watch the lines while you tip can save much potential trouble. Previous information from these posts also generate ambiguity over the importance of having the unit level in regards to the compressor. Leveling the unit will terminate any ambiguity. An additional concern not previously adressed is the compressor and/or fan bearings. An off level unit will put additional unintended mechanical stress/strain on these rotating components long-term. Therefore for best performance and longevity of your unit, level it and take special precautions in the process. Outside A/C compressors are typically supported on a concrete pad, concrete blocks, or a vinyl pad such as the one shown in the photo at page top. The air conditioner compressor support pad should be level and secure against movement. Compressors which are badly out of level may fail to function properly and need adjustment.

Tipping and moving compressors can also cause can cause leaks in refrigerant lines, leading to costly air conditioning service calls to evacuate and recharge the system after repairing the refrigerant leak. Do not try to move your A/C compressor yourself as you might cause a refrigerant leak or may otherwise damage the equipment. For slightly-tipped air conditioning compressors we generally leave them alone but we add support as needed to avoid further movement.
ac unit motor price Not being level can cause the oil for the compressor to not lubricate correctly.
how to fix a wall ac unitOver time it will cause the compressor to burn out costing you lots of $ in the long run.
estimate ac unit size For a professional appearance it should not appear to be set without a thought to anything but function as if a war time situation where getting online asap is the priority.

The thought that an AC unit must be absolutely level or its wont work or work well is based on absorption type systems RV's used in the old days that used ammonia and a flame rather than a compressor. Technically speaking, no it matters not if its level or even close to it, it can be at a slant but will look weird. Our unit was off level quite a bit which caused damage that first caused it to perform badly before it quit completely and had to be replaced prematurely. It was installed in 2000. My outdoor a/c fan, condensing unit was making a metal sound when going on and off, that I thought was too loud. The fan blades seemed OK. I checked to see if the unit was level, and it wasn't. In fact it was quite a bit out of level. I leveled it, and now it is very quiet. I have two AC Units. One for upstairs and one for downstairs. The upstairs one works just fine but not the downstairs. So, i did a test by turning both units on and went outside to compare the two units.

The upstairs one works fine and blows out warm/hot air, but the downstairs one seems to blow out cold air compare to the working unit. These two are not heat pumps. They are both AC units. Anyone know what is wrong with my downstairs unit? BTW: I had the HVAC guy come out to check it 3 years back, and he added refrigerant into the system. It worked for a week or two after he left, then it's back to warm air again. Would this be a leak of some sort? Because of the need to capture the refrigerant and licenses to get the refrigerant in most places, this typically isn't a DIY job. The fact that the outside unit is running and air is blowing inside suggests that it's not a problem with the thermostat. Check the breaker, air filters, and any other easy to access components for obvious problems. Beyond that, there are a lot of possible issues: No refrigerant or not enough Controller has failed or wiring has become disconnected Inside coils have frozen over Since the first two are the most likely and either will need a professional to repair, you may as well get one out to diagnose the problem for you.