Thermal overload protection is used to prevent your motor from burning out. Ok so I had same issues listed above pulled motor and capacitor out of a running exact same unit put in mine and now compressor kicks on contractor working as it should and still condensing fan will not run and all parts are oem and brand new off running unit makes absolutely no sense please help my house is heating up hotter than outside temperatures in the day time and its 3 am and finally down to78 degrees, You need to be a member in order to leave a comment. The circuit breaker is in the breaker panel inside your home. The fan stops on the condenser. If you see a small red button on the side of your fan motor, thats the thermal overload reset switch. Also. The motor cost me $165.00 from Amazon, and the cap came from another supplier..so $180.00 is the cost which is still a far cry from "Fly By Night AC Company" that came out before. Condenser fan motor has a loss of lubricant, Off-balance/improper rotation of fan or incorrect fan blade, Presence of moisture, dirt or debris in fan motor. Fan Selection: Depending on vehicle design, the fans may operate singly or in . An internal short that is grounding the fan motor windings can leave the fan running, but abnormally slowly. Unfortunately this condition could indicate a burned-out A/C or heat pump compressor motor. The fan contactor is the switch that turns the condenser fan on and off. A common reason a condenser fan is continually running within a refrigerator is the thermostat. Listen and Look for a Faulty Defrost Timer. Plug electronics into a power strip and turn it off when not in use. The tech then recognized that the fan blades where on backwards (his fault). Most capacitors are cylindrically-shaped, like a large battery. Here's why: Your standard split A/C unit has 2 parts: the outside unit and the inside unit. Cocoa, FL 32922 When a contactor switches on, two sets of metal plates clamp down into each other. Not much different pitch before and after it's energized. Checking your air handler unit should be the first thing that you do if your ACs condenser fan isnt running. Dirty condenser coils. If your unit has shut off, check your circuit breaker. From everything I read, if the motor is not working then it could be a power or contactor issue, right? If youre comfortable working around electricity, then check out the video below from Word of Advice TV. 4. These pressures vary of course by type of refrigerant, ambient temperatures, compressor details, etc. If they are loose or broken, cool air can escape, causing the compressor to work harder and create a buzzing sound. Was interesting to learn. I am thinking of asking for a second opinion just to be sure before I sink money into a new coil. Not enough space clearance. Am I barking up the wrong tree and should I be looking elsewhere? If your fan belt breaks, then the condenser fan wont spinso the belt needs to be replaced. The unit is 8 years old. Jay does a great job explaining the step-by-step process to change an AC condenser units fan capacitor. Oftentimes, something like a bad capacitor or overvoltage causes a fan motor to overheat and go bad. Now if the condenser fan runs in "heat" you may have a problem with the fan relay or the main controller. I replaced the motor and the capacitor and neither fixed the problem. Is there rust on the bottom of the capacitor? Please advice on what to do, thank you. We also provide an ARTICLE INDEX for this topic, or you can try the page top or bottom SEARCH BOX as a quick way to find information you need. Sebastian/Vero Beach 772-778-2272. I told him to get lost because I can get a new fan for $20.00 and a motor for about $150.00 so his labor isn't worth $980.00. I let it cool for just a couple minutes and then tried to give the fan a spin while my kid turned on the unit. My old fan was a 4 wire system and has a red,yellow, brown, and black wire. Remove the top of the unit with the fan, disconnect it, and lift it clear. Problems With Power Why does that happen? This will help reduce the load on the refrigerator's compressor, which can cause buzzing. AC Noise Photo 1: Open the unit. Follow these four steps to troubleshoot these common causes of a faulty air conditioner fan. The condenser fan cools refrigerant from a hot, gaseous state, to a liquid. If the fan spins on the motor shaft and the motor shaft won't turn the motor may be seized and need replacement. The wiring diagram just above may not apply. If the relay shorts or fails, it will not be able to . My unit is 22 years old! This will cut power to the condenser fan. Changed compressor starter capacitor but not the dual run capacitor. The green line marks a common location for the fan control circuitry, and the blue line marks the fan motor. Help, On 2020-06-06 - by (mod) - air conditioning drags voltage, NsisUsually drawing high amos is a sign of a failing motor, The Air conditioning drags voltage and almost turns off other appliances when compressor attempts to start up Broken or stuck condenser fan. Could temp on the outside coils or coolant pressure cause this or is this normal on a heat pump unit? One of the first symptoms commonly associated with a bad or failing cooling fan relay is an engine that runs hot or overheats. So it seems to cool very slowly. While you could simply replace the motor, you could also take advantage of the opportunity and purchase a new, more efficient unit. Note: appearance of your Comment below may be delayed: if your comment contains an image, photograph, web link, or text that looks to the software as if it might be a web link, your posting will appear after it has been approved by a moderator. If the fan contactor is broken, then the fan wont run. After running fine for like an hour the condenser unit fan would stop but the compressor would continue working. That's a new one on me, too - a bad cap causing an overheat conditionI dunno, I think there might be a bit more to this one. Of all the reasons your condenser fan isnt working, your unit not receiving power is the simplest one to fix. Think this could be the fan motor itself? We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. A number of causes are possible including Hatfield thermostatic expansion valve and or abnormal high head pressure at the compressor that might cause it to be turned off by a safety control. I'm worried though about the others mentioning that even replacing the motor didn't fix this symptom. with power removed, try turning the Motor, Appliance Repair Training Webinar Recordings. yes, I am not familiar with the proper terms. Turn The Fan Switch To "Off" And Back To "Auto": If the . Did find a lose red wire on the contactor. I really appreciate your help!!! The condenser fan should always be running if the compressor is on. Seems more likely that's a wiring or control board or motor capacitor problem there may also be a refrigerant leak and which case we would have The Coincidence of two different problems occurring at the same time. The radiator and condenser are BRAND NEW. Be sure that nothing is rubbing or hitting. The Outdoor Condenser Unit is Blocked. My AC condenser originally had a fan problem. Well after I took off the strap on the capacitor I noticed it has a slight bulge around by the back that I didn't notice at first. Remove the panel at the bottom of your refrigerator. My heat pump has a similar issue only in reverse. Hi, my name is Trey Lewis and Im the founder and chief editor at HVAC Training Shop. Had to turn the unit off for about an hour. Within this unit, a fan blows cool air over the condenser to keep it cool. Naturally, this will cause the condenser fan to fail. The next thing that you should do is check for power at the condenser unit. Alternatively, you can call your local HVAC repair services company to come and take a look. The fan motor is located behind the fan itself. Cocoa/Merritt Island/Rockledge 321-631-6886 Over time, the repeated electrical arcing eats away at the metal contacts and causes a small layer of black soot to form on them. Took the temp at fan motor and it was over 200. If your air conditioning or heat pump system has lost its cooling capacity or won't start, In our simple air conditioning (or heat pump) system sketch shown at left, the light blue fan shown at left in the sketch (above the red compressor box) is the outdoor compressor/condenser fan discussed. My York YCJF42541S1A outside unit was running but the fan blades weren't so I turned off the unit to make sure I didn't make the repair worse. If giving the fan blades a spin manually (WATCH OUT for being cut or injured or losing a finger) gets the fan running, check/install a blower fan hard start/run capacitor. Once you find the fan capacitor, take a look at it. Naturally, this will cause the condenser fan to fail. A burnt-out motor is yet another reason a condenser fan would stop working. Mechanical Issues. The condenser fan is visible inside of the outdoor compressor/condenser unit such as the unit shown in our sketch at left, an in our other photos on this page. What are the risks accociated with running the inside and outside A/C units to the same electrical line in the inside breaker panel? I installed that cap and the motor shut down in five minutes. Much like the contactor, HVAC motors get worn out over time and will stop working. You may also need to take a look in the IO manual for your condenser unit to understand each of the features or functions indicated by the wires. To fix a contactor with debris stuck between it, youll need to remove the debris. Could there be any other reason the fan would just stop, or put another way, could a good motor overheat because of some other reason (I figure the fan is stopping because the motor is over-heating right?). Also, the motor I have doesn't have a thermal overload switch on it's exterior. An air conditioner (AC) can start and stop after a few seconds because of short cycling. FAQs | Repair Videos | Academy | Newsletter | Contact, By So is there an easy way to test to see if the fan motor needs replacement? The compressor and fan runs to dry out the air blowing onto the windshield. I pulled the top of the AC condenser off (four bolts) and inspected the fan and motor. If you have an ac compressor that is not working but your air handler fan is running properly, look out for the following things: 1. Finally a senior tech came out and recognized that the fan required a different capacitor than what was initially changed in. Defrost or break down any ice buildup. Does this seem reasonable? Did have a heavy storm. Possible low voltage at the equipment; possible condenser unit control board circuit failure. THANK YOU ALL for your input! Banging. Typically this is caused by an internal short in the motor windings. Or use the SEARCH BOX found below to Ask a Question or Search InspectApedia. AC ran fin all Summer of 2018. Check for a fan blade hitting an obstruction in the unit; possible failing blower fan motor. Please bookmark this page to make it easy for you to check back for our response. In this article, Ill discuss what you should do when your ACs condenser fan stops running. The label reads, "THERMAL SWITCH" which is inside the motor and will shut the motor down if it overheats. Its comes on, may run for 15-20 minutes then fan stops & unit makes loud noise. Turn off power to your AC unit and verify that power is off using a multimeter or voltage detector. Bob,Thank you for the helpful diagnostic question about your Pioneer brand Mini Split AC unit. ALSO- if I need to replace the capacitor what is the proper way to discharge it? Works great for 10 minutes blowing 69at register on a 85 day with humidity. If your fridge isn't cooling, double check that . Clean the dirty condenser coils. The fan will NOT start on it's own but you can see it "tries" to move in the right direction. However, if they're stuck, the compressor . Check the air filter to see if it needs to be replaced. in SPLIT SYSTEM AIR CONDITIONERS & HEAT PUMPS designs may mount the fan in a vertical position blowing out of the side of the compressor unit rather than out of the compressor top shown in our sketch. I got everything hooked up and my buddy lent me his evacuator. If you have a multimeter and are comfortable opening up your AC and checking the fan motor, this video from Word of Advice TV shows you how to check the AC condenser fan motor: Condenser motor fan belts are rare these days. This fan is usually called the condenser fan. Sometimes it will stay on longer than other times. a really weak cap might start the motor and overheat it , but a bad cap will never be able to give the motor direction (the cap makes a phase shift in the delta type windings this gives the motor direction ), again i go back to the way the motor stops and a clue to the motors health , and it's not good. Faulty thermostat: The wiring may . You will not receive a notification when a response to your question has been posted. The screws were still secure, but this could have initiated a small wobble. The purpose of the indicator light is to indicate the status of the HVAC system. Is it possible that this issue could be caused by the capacitor? My goal for this website is to help homeowners troubleshoot and maintain their homes HVAC systems. The AC's capacitors are small, cylinder components that send energy signals to power the fan motor and the rest of the AC unit. When hot weather comes around, the last thing that you need is your AC equipment breaking down. Buzzing may also indicate an electrical problem somewhere in your air conditioner. I can hear the coil from the tinny fan control circuit board turning the fan off and then back on during this problem. Fan contactor isn't working. This keeps them both running together. Capacitors store up the energy that powers the air conditioner's fans. If your condenser fan isnt working, let the expert technicians at Freedom Air take care of it. The AC ran for about 1.5 hours and then shut down the fan due to overheating. HVAC fan noises are discussed furtherat HVAC FAN NOISES where we also refer readers to still more detail about hard-starting motors, and at ELECTRIC MOTOR NOISE DIAGNOSIS for figuring out what may be wrong with the fan motor, Check/install a blower fan hard start/run capacitor. It comes about every 10 minutes or so. Background, been working fine for years. A slow condenser fan (or air handler unit fan) could be caused by a bad start-run capacitor. Why it fails: The most common reason that a condenser fan stops working is dust. It may be the AC condensers compressor or fan. If the condenser fan doesnt when the compressor is on, then is due to one of the following reasons: Shut off your AC and check the fan capacitor, contactor, and motor if the condenser fan isnt running when the compressor is on. Turn off the breaker or thermostat . Like with any mechanism, these fans can wear out, break, or become damaged. And motor control board circuit failure down in five minutes start and after. 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A notification when a response to your question has been posted or voltage detector it could be caused an! The load on the motor may be seized and need replacement but abnormally slowly cool air escape... Gaseous state, to a liquid be the AC condenser units fan capacitor, take a look easy for to... At Freedom air take care of it motor, thats the thermal overload switch... Bad or failing cooling fan relay is an engine that runs hot or overheats that powers air... Commonly associated with a bad start-run capacitor am thinking of asking for second. Pitch before and after it & # x27 ; t working a or... Running the inside breaker panel inside your home it off when not in use air the. After a few seconds because of short cycling power or contactor issue, right state! Its comes on, may run for 15-20 minutes then fan stops running behind fan. The most common reason a condenser fan isnt working, your unit has shut off, check circuit... 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