Air Conditioner Condenser

Air-Conditioner

It is well known that refrigerant Systems add to the global warming in many ways. But since a lot of heat gets thrown to the ambient continuously from closed areas, does this also contribute ot not?
Thank you Dawei. I am waiting for such answers in a scientific way and with comparative figures wherever possible, as I am preparing for a presentation to a group of students to motivate them to think outside the normal ways. Thanks to all of you, and to those whose answers I am still waiting for..

I would like to use an old Goodman Condenser fan to blow some air around. It’s a 220 volt, (most are), three wire Black, Brown, Purple. Is it required that I draw from two different 110 phases with a common ground? What about ‘capacitors’? Can I wire these 3 wires to a simple 220 outlet / circuit? Any drawing – details can be sent to ps24244@charter Thanks

It seems that my house isn’t as cold as it should be. Changed the filters and rinsed off the condenser outside.. Had a HVAC guy over and I am good on freon..We called him back to check further and he put some coolant in thinking the compressor may be going bad!? Still temp is 79-80 inside the house (its 98 degrees outside w/ high humidity). I have the it set at 76.. The Unit is approx 8 years old.. The house stayed cool last year and it would freeze your foot to hold it over the vent.. Now its not that cold coming from the vent. Any suggestions would be great. I’m positive the unit is not to small cause it stayed cooler last summer! Thanks in advance

My Ac stopped cooling last night, today I noticed when I turn it on I hear the compressor cycling however the condenser fan is not coming on , I feel heat coming from the unit outside and I’m wondering if I could solve my problem by removing the fan motor and replaceing it.
Its not a heat pump, I will check the elec. going to the fan motor. or pull the motor and bench test it in the morning. I know matching the motor and direction of rotation is important. does anyone know if the motor not coming on would have damaged the compressor? and if it it wired in such a way that the compressor short cycling would have been caused by the fact on the fan motor not starting

Our condenser unit out side was popping the breaker inside the house, we called the HVAC man and to the tune of 0 he stated he fixed the unit by putting in a Hard start kit and replaced the fan motor. Well that worked for about an hour and the breaker tripped again. I waited about 15 minutes and the tried the unit again and it all came on and ran for about 2 hours and the house was cooling nicely. I just happened to be outside and I noticed an electrical pop, waited and heard another, I then noticed the fan was not running again (Remember this is a new fan) but the compressor was still running and sounded normal. It sounds like the motor is going into thermal cutoff but I do not understand how since the capacitor was just replaced. I checked the voltage and it is running at 220 volts. The only three parts that were not replaced were the transformer, compressor, and the contactor. My questions are then:
1. Can a bad compressor cause this behavior?
2. Can a bad Contactor cause this behavior?
3. Can a bad main transformer cause this behavior?

Long story short, we bought a new-construction house 9 years ago and never have lived in a house before items like this are unfamiliar to me. The condenser unit outside has a piece broken that is impossible to fix according to a tech from a reputable HVAC company in the area because of where it broke off. The gas furnace works fine.

How do you go about shopping for central air? Its been hard finding reviews online. I know its always best to find an honest company to help you out but what how do you even do that? I’ve asked around for some names but in all honesty most people only buy this once in their lifetime, how would they know if they were treated fairly?

It also seems that many big HVAC companies carry only certain brands, and where I live (in the Lehigh Valley) each company carries different brands from one another. Cost is not so much of a problem, but being ripped off is.

I know its a bit of a silly and possibly obvious question, but any help would be appreciated!
I should have added:
1) we had the same symptoms last year and
it was repaired. It was then the tech told us about the issue which he said may or may not re-occur. If it did we should get it replaced.

2) a friend of the family is a dispatcher at the firm that came out to fix the problem originally. I would hope he told the tech not to rip us off, that was the plan anyway!

3) I found the repair order from last year. It says "Replaced terminal connections on compressor (rusted away). if problem persists compressor should be replaced. quote 2003.00
Can just the compressor be replaced? ie. can you buy just the compressor? How will that affect efficiency, safety? Is that even a cost-effective way to go?

A new company came out to do a check up on my home A/C. The unit and heater are in the attic. Said the pan and coil were rusted. Went outside and opened the box,( condenser?) and cleaned it with a hose and water. Never saw this done before. Is this correct. The air condition is 14 years old and works fine, cools the house quickly.Of course they recommended a new unit as it was old and due to the rust. How much can I trust these companies. I know it is there business to push for a new system.

I have an Interthern 2.5 ton Central Heat / Air unit . I am usually pretty good at locating the problems but have tested several components on it and still cannot figure the problem out .

A/C unit starts out just fine . Cools ok and then the condenser fan stops . soon after you hear the compressor discharge . Turn it off , wait a minute and it will do the same thing all over again . Tested the capacitor cleaned condenser and evaporator coils . seem to be getting power everywhere .

Any Ideas ?

Thanks and God Bless. Sean

Carrier 38CKS furnace/AC split unit. The air is not cold. The air filter was dirty, replaced. The out unit fan was not running. Manually turn it, it starts running then. The air still not cold. Checked the condenser inside, not cold. Does this points to the compressor problem (in addition to the capacitor for the fan)? How do I check the compressor is running or not? Any help or comment is appreciated.
Thank you Marko for your help. I’ll try what you told me when I go back home tonight and report back the results.
Yes, if I manually turn the outdoor unit fan blade, it starts. However, the next time it needs help to start again. I could hear it trying once every a few(10?) seconds.
Hi Marko, I came back home and followed your instructions. Here is the result: I jumped the r and y behind that themostat panel. A small humming sound came from the outside unit fan, it again needed help to start. The larger copper line still was not cold. Is there any thing I can do to further diagnose the problem?
I ordered a capacitor. I’ll let you know the result. Thanks a lot.
It worked. I replaced the capacitor last night and it started working. Thanks a lot, Marko.

Alright here I go, The car is a 91 nissan 300zx na 2+2. the problem i am having is that my car starts to over heat after about ten minutes of having the air conditioner on. but if i turn it off and i am not in stop and go traffic the car will still stay warm, not hot. it will stay inside the lines about 3/4 of the way up. but if i leave my ac on the gauge will continue to clime but after i reach 3/5 of the way i shut it off and turn on the heater to relieve some of the heat and roll with the windows down. but if i accelorate to rmps above 3.5k it will drop rapidly evan if it is in netral. I have replaced the water pump, timing belt all of the cooling hoses, the radiator, thermostat, alternator, all the drive belts, front oil seals, oil pump gasket, transmission fluid and filter, head gasket, valve cover oil seals, upper and lower plenum seal, fuel injectors and connectors, vacuum lines, upgraded air filter, spark plugs, and ac compressor oring. and that car is still not running right. there is no coolant leaks, I checked it with a Snap-on coiling system tester and held pressure at 15 psi for over night. i cleaned the condenser and removed all blockage. also the only part of the cooling system i have not replaced was the belt driven fan which i will soon replace. so any advice will help alot except some one telling me to get a new car lol. thanks!

I recently changed my condenser fan, but it wasn’t to the correct specification. In fact, the horsepower and rpm was just under par compared to the previous expired part that I had. I’d consulted the air conditioning repair man about it and he told me it should be just fine, as the alternative was much more expensive than I could afford (the original brand name part replacement in addition to labor would of cost me 0) . But now, since it’s summer, my air conditioning runs but doesn’t seem to be cooling efficiently. (I usually set the thermostat at 83, but the house temperature seems to stay constant at 86 and continues to run all day until the evening hits). So, is it my condenser fan that’s insufficient or is it something else, like deficient freons? And also, my electric bill came out to an outlandish 0. I live in phoenix, AZ so it’s expected that the bill would soar during the summer months, but not at that rate. Do you think because the air conditioner is always on, it’s dragging the electricity?

The air conditioner to my apartment is very old, and has stopped cooling. The condenser fan motor has open windings and the condenser was covered with leaves. In addition, the system has no static pressure (it is an R22 system). The compressor turns on, but only produces 25psi an the high side and some suction on the low side.

Does this indicate the compressor is bad….or only that is is not charged? Thanks
Thanks… the fan is not running…i’ve got a motor ordered

I would expect the compressor to generate more than 25psi, even if it were just pumping air….I assume this means the compressor is bad also…or not?

Hi.

Yesterday our AC stopped working on the first floor. We called our AC company and they said that our compressor is "grounded" (I assume fancy word for "dead").

We have a Carrier
Model# 38CMC060300
Serial# 0399E02028
year – 1999

This is what the technician diagnosed:

"The downstairs air conditioner is not working due to a grounded compressor. As a result the breaker trips right away when power is applied to the condenser. Recommend new AC and a new disconnect"

Then they sent out an air conditioning specialist that said we need the following:

"new condenser, furnace, coil, disconnect t-stat, whip filter grill, filter, hanger, flu pipe, iso-pads, ez float, crane for lifting"

Should we get all this or just try and replace the compressor? The unit is about 10 years old but from what I’ve read they should last longer. Then I’ve been told that in the AZ heat that they don’t last very long at all. (FYI, we are contracted with a company for regular maintenance twice a year) We have a split gas attic with 2 ac units (1 for each floor). Our house is 3000 sf and we like to keep the temp between 68/night and 78/day.

With AZ living what would be the best unit to buy?
Which is the "best" brand to go with?
Does anyone know of a good installer in the Phoenix area?

Any other information that you can give me would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you
Where would I read to find out about the do’s – dont’s, can – cant’s…. basically what can I read that will help me to understand the issues while talking with the professionals.

know if that affects the heating system or just the air conditioner?

alright so we have central air conditioning in our house. When we go to turn on the air conditioning the condenser goes on outside with the fan and it blows cold air, about 10 min. later the fan stops spinning and the condenser continues to run, also the air blowing through the house turns to room temperature. What could be causing this ? the fan seems to stop everytime around the same time.

thanks

All the parts are new (that have to do with the ac system); condenser, filter, etc… And if I am driving at 50mph more or less.. Then the ac is fine…. But if Im at a stand still (idling), the ac seems to not work at all sometimes, until I start driving again.
Anyone know why exactly?

I have a 2000 dodge stratus. I replaced the switch because the air only came out on high. Then the air wasn’t getting cold and the condenser was replaced. The air was only cold for a couple days out of the shop. Several times in the shop and it still doesn’t work right. Now not only is it coming back out warm again, but only works on high again too! Whats going on?

Toyota Sienna has a loud, screechy belt when AC condenser is running. Is it a matter of adjusting tension of belt or is belt simply dry. I have sprayed belt lube to no avail.

The fan that turns in the back to blow out exhaust doesn’t work, and the stupid lady who sells the parts has no clue which one is for what I want. Would it be the condenser fan motor or the evaporator fan motor that sends exhaust out the back and into the duct work?

The filter is new as well. Would it be the blower in the handler? Also the outside unit (condenser fan isn’t pushing air up out of the top but is pushing air through the coils? Is the condenser fan spinning the wrong way?

Is this normal for the AC to take A break? I am ok with it, but as long as its not broken.

or is it an air conditioner part?
i am selling a used 4 ton, 10 seer RUUD air conditioner and i was going to try and sell it for 0-900 but someone is selling a 4 ton, 10 seer RUUD A/C Condensor for 0 whats the deal? same thing?

i have replaced my cars air conditioner condenser and have refilled the freon in it 2 times and it keeps blowing out hot air.. what is wrong with my car?

My A/C works fine for the most part. The Fan, Heating, and Cooling all get 24V (actually about 26-27VAC) at the wires connecting to the Thermostat and at the circuit board. The Fan and Heating works perfectly, but when in Cooling-mode, if the A/C has been on for a while and the turns off, the Cooling sometimes won’t come back on and I don’t know why.

Here’s an example of what happens:
My house is at 80 degrees. If I set the thermostat to 75 degrees, the A/C comes on and cools the house down to 75 degrees in good time and then the A/C shuts off. If in 30 minutes, the indoor temperature rises to 76 degrees, the A/C comes on and cools things back down to 75 degrees. However, every once in a while, the A/C won’t come on and will stay off until I turn the thermostat from "AUTO" to "OFF". Once it’s in "OFF" for about 30 minutes or so, if I try again, everything works fine. This typically happens in the afternoon (hottest time of the day).

I tested the Fan with a jumper wire at the circuit board and the blower comes on fine.
I tested the Heater with a jumper wire and the blower and heating coils come on fine.
When Cooling is working, the blower and the condensor come on fine with a jumper wire.
HOWEVER, when the Cooling system is not functioning properly, if I connect a jumper from the power wire to the Cooling wire, the condenser comes on, but the blower does NOT. Additionally, the Green LED turns orange (not "red" like when you blow a fuse, just orange).

**There’s a small button that you can push which makes the LED blink a few times. When it’s pushed, it blinks 4 times and indicates something is wrong with 5 little switches (the exact term I forgot, but you can push these switches in or out to reset them). Resetting these "little swtiches" doesn’t do anything, but if the whole system stays off for a while, the LED turns green and everything works fine.

The A/C stopped working (I get a blinking snow flake on my Honeywell thermostat) and I call the repairman. I turn the A/C off until he arrives a day or two later, but when he gets here, I turn the A/C on and everything works flawlessly. I called him a second time and the A/C "behaves" when he gets here again, that’s how I found out if you let it rest, it ends up okay. BUT I can’t afford these service fees for him to come out only to tell me "things look okay".

1) Could this be an issue with the circuit board?
2) Is this some kind of protection built-in to the A/C system so the cooling equipment doesn’t come on too often? Am I overworking my A/C? (The system is the same as last year when everything worked fine, except I installed a new programmable thermostat 6 months ago, but that shouldn’t matter because even the jumper wire at the circuit board doesn’t turn on the Cooling when the system is not working)

Please help! I can post more observations if anyone needs me to specify anything.
Thank you!
Update:
I do not have a way of grounding the t-stat, but the circuit board is grounded. The blower is not tripped, it just doesn’t want to come on for a while. Could there be a "time-delay" in the relay/breaker for the blower motor?
I can’t test all the relays suggested because the A/C is working properly now and I can’t get it "act up" at the moment. I don’t think there are any loose connections with the wires: Com, Grnd, Red, Yellow, White, Green, Blue. Are there any other wires I should check on?

Also, I don’t know if I still have the installation instructions for the A/C system, but there is a folder of documents taped top of the air-handling unit. There are some electrical schematics in there and some literature, could that be the installation instructions? Is there something in those instructions which I should look for?

Thanks!