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-   -   AC Compressor and Fan off (https://www.askmehelpdesk.com/showthread.php?t=363406)

  • Jun 10, 2009, 07:06 AM
    diehl2008
    AC Compressor and Fan off
    If I set the thermostat to below the room temperature the fan which is set in auto mode will start working, but if I go outside and look the AC unit, it is dead... neither the fan or the compressor work! I have turned the breaker for the unit ON, OFF... but nothing happened. I am trying to find out if there might be a fuse or breaker in the heater or something. The weird part is that is blowing air but I guess because is coming from the heater.

    Any help is greatly appreciate it!
  • Jun 10, 2009, 07:21 AM
    diehl2008

    I also want to mention that this was working during the day but I decided to turn it off instead of letting it go into a higher temp and when I turn it back on the fan and the compressor didn't turn on at all.
  • Jun 10, 2009, 09:54 AM
    dac122

    Your indoor air handler and furnace are on separate circuits from the outdoor unit, so, yes, you blower will run independent of whether the outdoor unit works.

    You need to determine why the outdoor unit is not coming on.
  • Jun 10, 2009, 10:16 AM
    diehl2008
    I noticed that there is a breaker right beside the unit. Maybe when I turn the AC off turn off a breaker or something? I don't know what to check first.
  • Jun 10, 2009, 12:58 PM
    KC13
    Since the system was working before you turned it off, perhaps the problem is in the thermostat. If the selector switches are of the slide type, try moving them back and forth a few times.
  • Jun 10, 2009, 01:20 PM
    diehl2008
    Well the thing is that is digital, I removed it and made sure all the connections were seating properly but everything looked okay.
  • Jun 10, 2009, 01:33 PM
    dac122

    If you have reset power at the air handler, outdoor unit and are relatively certain there is power, or have no other way to determine, you have to break out a voltmeter and start testing power to see where the problem is.
  • Jun 10, 2009, 02:07 PM
    diehl2008
    I haven't reset the power or the breaker on the outside unit yet. Once I get back home in a an hour I will try that to see if that works. Hopefully that fixes the problem.
    Thanks to all for your responses :-).
  • Jun 10, 2009, 03:43 PM
    mygirlsdad77

    Most likely your problem is breaker outside, there may also be some fuses located in breaker outside. Do you here any slight hum at all at outside unit? If you do, this noise is the contactor being pulled in, which means unit is calling for cooling, but there is no power there to make it run. Please let me know if you hear anything at all.
  • Jun 10, 2009, 03:43 PM
    diehl2008
    I tried the pull fuse from outside of the AC Unit, also I can hear the power go of the compressor but the fan is completely dead. Can also hear the clutch oncce in awhile.
    Could this be a compressor failure?
  • Jun 10, 2009, 03:57 PM
    mygirlsdad77

    Are you saying compressor is running, fan is not, and what do you mean by clutch? I find that a lot of time I use different terminology than others, so I just want to make sure exactly what is happening to better assist you.
  • Jun 10, 2009, 04:02 PM
    diehl2008

    Oh no problem, thanks for helping me out with this issue.
    The compressor is humming and the fan doesn't turn on but you can hear a click like every 5 minutes.
  • Jun 10, 2009, 05:31 PM
    Joshdta

    The cluch you are hearing is probably the compressor valving out due to high head pressure
  • Jun 10, 2009, 05:31 PM
    Joshdta
    Does your unit have 2 capasitors or one outside in the units electric pannel?


    http://img.diytrade.com/cdimg/377701..._Capacitor.jpg

    Or


    http://img.diytrade.com/cdimg/377701...itor_CBB65.jpg
  • Jun 10, 2009, 06:05 PM
    diehl2008
    Only one, I don't see a capacitor outside
  • Jun 11, 2009, 08:23 AM
    diehl2008
    So do you guys have any other ideas of what can be causing this issue?

    - Furnace fan blowing when AC on.
    - From the AC Unit outside you can hear a hum coming out of the compressor and you can hear a click coming out of it once in awhile.
    - The Fan of the AC Unit is not moving at all.

    Is there any possibilities that this could be a motor problem?
    The compressor seems to be working but cold air is not moving due to the fan not working.
  • Jun 11, 2009, 08:49 AM
    dac122

    You are close to the problem. You need to get power to that fan, so check the capacitor, contactor and any wiring to the fan motor. If all checks out you may have a bad fan motor.
  • Jun 11, 2009, 09:14 AM
    diehl2008
    Is there a way to test the capacitor without a multimeter?
    How can I make sure the motor(fan) its not working?
    Apparently the Capacitor can give an extra voltage jolt to get the hard-starting motor spinning, right?
    So it could be like you said the capacitor.
  • Jun 11, 2009, 03:15 PM
    mygirlsdad77

    If you don't have a multimeter, just take the capacitor down to any heating and cooling company and they should be able to test it for you free of charge.
  • Jun 11, 2009, 03:40 PM
    diehl2008

    I may sound desperate but I tried to move the fan using a screwdriver and started moving at normal speed, but now the problem is that it's not blowing cold air I still can hear the compressor making noise but it's sounding like a refrigerator if that makes sense? Please advice
  • Jun 11, 2009, 03:53 PM
    mygirlsdad77

    Okay, if you can get the fan motor started with a screwdriver, then I definitely think the capacitor is the main fan problem. Compressor sounds just like a refrigerator, its just the sound a running compressor makes.
    Now, if you got fan running, and compressor is running, and still not cooling, you have other issues. Is condenser coil clean, very clean? If so, feel the large line(there are two lines going from condenser to coil in furnace, one is large one is small) and tell me if its cold. If its not cold, you most likely have a low charge of refrigerant, in which case you would have to call in a licensed tech to service unit. I'm betting you need to clean your outside condenser coils. First get that new capacitor, then when unit is running normally, spray water on the condenser coil, let me know if it cools then.
  • Jun 11, 2009, 04:24 PM
    diehl2008

    Will do
  • Jun 12, 2009, 07:15 AM
    diehl2008

    Im a happy camper thanks to you guys.

    The problem was the Dual Capacitor, changed it and worked just fine.

    Thanks again for all the help :-)
  • Jun 12, 2009, 02:37 PM
    mygirlsdad77

    Good job, come on back if you ever need further assistance.

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