Apartment air conditioners how to know status?

[Opti]

How do you know if an air conditioner has lost all its freon? I've noticed the A/C is doing a horrific job of keeping the place cool. I have an analogic thermostat and have recently adjusted the kick on point from 80 downward to below 75 just now.

It appears the A/C isn't doing much. My inside tempature basically paces the outside ground level tempature which averages 10 degrees less than what's outside my window. Is it possible I'm just getting outside air temp air pumped in here? The unit is an external one and is old and beat up. It seems to be pushing less than half the waste air off the unit compared to my neighbor's nearer unit near it.
It also is pinned on one side by an evergreen tree. Would that hurt its ability to cool air in any way?

Any suggestions or ideas? Its hard to get things done at 85 to 90 degrees for me and if I did kick it down to 60 or so and it worked, I really don't have the $600/mo I'd need to cool this place to 72-75 F.
Help!

I really wish it was cooler or I was rich enough to afford a place with better insulation and A/C.

[movingforward]

Do you live in an apt complex? Last year my A/C needed freon and I just called my apt office and they came and fixed it.

[Jake 48]

A/C removes heat from a place where it is not wanted (indoors) to a a place where it doesn't matter(outdoors)
Some rules of thumb
20-25 degrees difference between room temp and the temp of the air blowing out into the room
out side about a 30 degree difference between ambient air and the hot air blowing out of the unit
12000 BTU's for 400-450 square feet of space
some quick things to check
Is the filter dirty?
If the evergreen is right up against the unit it will interfere with its ability to reject heat
are the coils dirty, lint, grass clippings etc..
From what you describe though it sounds like it has seen better days

[Peace77]

When was the last time the filter was changed?

Clear away any tree limbs, grass and shrubs.

When was the outside unit last cleaned inside? The power MUST be off to do this.

Do you own the unit or is it a rental? If it's a rental, report the malfunction to the landlord.

[Opti]

It's a rental. We had a nice storm come through and drop the temperature last night so the high was more moderate today than expected, 82 instead of 88 I think. The temperature was down to what it was set at but there's no way of knowing whether the super came by and cranked it low during the day while I was gone and reset it when I returned. I think I had it set higher than what it was when I left, but I'm not positive.

I do wish they'd clean it but its not very likely. I have to remind them every year to take out the hornets nest in the exhaust fan vent every year.

[happyhoix]

In my experience landlords rarely bother to fix AC units unless they completely crap out. They don't care if it's 88 deg F inside.

All you can do is continue to call and ask them to have the unit fixed. Squeaky wheel gets the oil and all that.

[alabamagal]

First step is to replace your air filter. They are less than $5 and are usually the tenants responsibility.

It doesn't matter what temperature you set your AC at, it controls by going on or off. You can tell when it is running when you hear the compressor (outside part) running. When it is running and working correctly, the air coming out of the vents should feel very cool and dry (not humid at all). If the air feels only slightly cool or muggy then there is likely a problem that requires professional attention. It could be lack of freon, other minor issues, or the compressor could be bad.

[Opti]

Georgia, not even sure where the air filter is. Its a unit outside on ground level. My apartment is on the second floor and its not very near my front door. Management has literally fenced in the air conditioners two by two in the complex so if Noah ever needs to save air conditioners of different vintages and manufacturers he'll know where to find them. They can't escape. Because mine's in a place management prefers to decorate there are flowers in front of the fence unlike most of the other air conditioner cages.

[Peace77]

Your air filter should be in or very near your apartment. It is not in or near the outside unit. It might be management's responsibility to change it. Just ask them when was the last time it was changed. If they can't tell you, ask them to change it. Tell them that your AC is not working.