Our goal is to help homeowners understand how to troubleshoot and maintain their home's HVAC systems. The fan is still cutting off and not cutting back on. Any thoughts or suggestions would be most appreciated. Case #1: AC Compressor Not Working, but Indoor Fan is running. Also. Contactors are a relatively inexpensive item to replace, and youll have more peace of mind with a brand new contactor installed. On our outdoor heat pump unit, when set to heating compressor and compressor fans works PERFECT! See if you can find the wiring diagram for your condenser unit - often on a sticker in the unit, or always in the IO manual for the unit. Though a burnt-out motor seems like a serious problem, it actually presents an excellent opportunity. if you go. Gently slide the stick between the vents and give the fan blade a slight push. 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. Compressor still running. Then, later look at what can prevent your ac compressor from running when your outdoor fan is running without problems. I installed it following the install instructions to the letter. Ill also go over everything that you need to check in your AC condenserstep-by-step. Got up this morning and it was off, but the unit was still running. my condenser fan is a trane fan03652 or replacement fan04690. Am I able to wire a 3 wire fan into a heating pump that had a 4 wire fan? If you hear a loud rattling noise, it could be a minor issue like loose stones or debris that's caught in the condensing unit. The condenser fan motor is located underneath the refrigerator near the back. The fact that your fan is reversing direction tells me that this is a heat pump and the controls are miswired or oscillating between heating and cooling, or there's a fan wiring error - as the unit's new. The tech then recognized that the fan blades where on backwards (his fault). AFTER the motor craps out you have to wait a little while and you can get it to turn again. Please advice on what to do, thank you. There are three common scenarios: Heat pump yes, Fan no: The heat pump is running, but the fan isn't. Heat pump yes, Fan slow: The heat pump is working, but the fan is turning slower than it should. Replaced capacitor because it was cheap and could get next day. This will shut off your unit. You can adjust your cookie settings, otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue. Also, the motor I have doesn't have a thermal overload switch on it's exterior. This will cut power to the condenser fan. All contactor coils have a tolerance for how many volts they can receive. We have no relationship with advertisers, products, or services discussed at this website. This process converts hot refrigerant . One copper line cold and one warmer like normal. Giving them a good clean should solve the problem. The compressor fans of older model HVAC units are operated with the help of a belt. Eventually, the layer of black soot prevents the metal plates from forming contact with each other. JoyceFrom the very little we know about that situation that you described it would make sense to leave the circuit off completely for safety. . See the Capacitors link just below. Sign up for a new account in our community. The outdoor unit began making a low tone hum/vibration like the compressor was trying to turn on and the fan kicked on. There also may be a reset button on the outside AC unit that can be pushed. Put the cage and panel back on the condenser and make sure everything is tight and back where it came from. Minor bends can be corrected manually; damaged blades need to be replaced. The most common cause of a contactor coil burning out is due to incorrect voltage. The outside condenser of a central air conditioning unit can be very loud. Still same issue. Not sure if it's external or if it even has one. DO NOT BUY A START/RUN CAPACITOR THAT EXCEEDS THE NUMBER OF MICRO-FARADS LISTED ON THE EXISTING CAPACITOR. Now the compressor comes on (freon line gets cold) however; the condenser fan is not running but humming. I was unsure if perhaps having the fan unit so hot might have been part of the problem and causing the fan to shut down. Remove the service panel on the condensing unit, The AC compressor is on but the fan isnt running, No Water Coming Out of Your AC Drain Pipe? Clean the dirty condenser coils. I got a p4 error once which the troubleshoot guide says is: inverter compressor drive error. 12 - Sub Zero Refrigerator Condenser Fan Motor. Tech came out and replaced the fan motor. 1. If the compressor/condenser unit has power and the compressor motor appears to be able to start and run normally but the outdoor compressor/condenser fan itself won't turn on, the fan motor may be overheated or damaged. Faulty circuit board. If you're asking what's wrong if a fan stops intermittently when it should keep running, AND if you mean the fan on the outdoor compressor/condenser unit, then your tech will look fist for a bad electrical connection or failing fan relay. Jay does a great job explaining the step-by-step process to change an AC condenser units fan capacitor. 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. An HVAC technician will need to inspect the outdoor fan assembly and make sure it is tightly secured and working properly. The outside unit doesn't turn-off when the thermostat turns-off the inside unit. Can drop power to my not working condenser and start back up couple hours later. We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. I installed that cap and the motor shut down in five minutes. Melbourne/Palm Bay 321-727-9969 The condenser fan motor on your AC unit is what turns the blades of the fan in order to blow outside air across the AC condenser coils. Check the air filter to see if it needs to be replaced. On occasion a "slow" outdoor fan may be due to a fan blade that is not secured to the fan motor shaft. Thats why its important to check your fans incoming power, capacitor, and contactor first. The problem still came back in the mid day heat. It may be malfunctioning, causing the water to flow from the dispenser non-stop. My AC unit is 18 years old, and I was afraid it was hopeless, but I decided to run through your checklist, and I was able to get it cleaned up and running again. It starts by it self, and cools. Naturally, this will cause the condenser fan to fail. Most capacitors are cylindrically-shaped, like a large battery. Anything else make it shut down like that? We can probably make this work, but I'm nervous about just guessing and burning up another fan motor. Hi, my ac fan seems to be over heating and shutting down. Unscrew and lift off the top panel. Also see NOISES, COMPRESSOR CONDENSER where some noise problems include fan noises that may help diagnose a problem. Turn The Fan Switch To "Off" And Back To "Auto": If the . Our Comment Box is provided by Countable Web Productions countable.ca, Click to Show or Hide Citations & References, HOW a FAN / CONDENSER UNIT WORKS to MOVE HEAT, DIAGNOSE & REPAIR COMPRESSOR CONDENSER FAN PROBLEMS, FAN REPLACEMENT WIRING, COMPRESSOR/CONDENSER, SPLIT SYSTEM AIR CONDITIONERS & HEAT PUMPS, CONDENSER FAN RUNS INTERMITTENTLY or SHORT CYCLES, COMPRESSOR / CONDENSER INSPECTION CHECKLIST, FAN, COMPRESSOR / CONDENSER DIAGNOSTIC FAQs, PIONEER MINI SPLIT SERIES INSTALLATION MANUAL, PIONEER MINI SPLIT SERIES SERVICE & REPAIR MANUAL, COMPRESSOR / CONDENSER INSTALLATION ERRORS, COMPRESSOR / CONDENSER LEVELING REQUIREMENTS, ARTICLE INDEX to AIR CONDITIONING & HEAT PUMPS, HOME INSPECTION EDUCATION COURSES (Canada), HOME INSPECTION EDUCATION: HOME STUDY COURSES, Our recommended books about building & mechanical systems design, inspection, problem diagnosis, and repair, and about indoor environment and IAQ testing, diagnosis, and cleanup are at the. That also means its bad. Typically, there's an on-off . If the condenser fan is runningyou will see the fan blade spinning at speed (typically at 1725 rpm) and you will feel air blowing out of the unit. Problem: Noisy air conditioner. Step Four: Check The Outdoor Unit's Disconnect. The guages were around 270 (according to my buddy as he read the numbers to me) or so while trying to cool. So how do you know if your condensing units fan capacitor is bad? The compressor and fan runs to dry out the air blowing onto the windshield. Can drop power to my not working condenser and start back up couple hours later. The circuit breaker is in the breaker panel inside your home. Humming fan motor usually means either a bad starting cap or a seized motor. Lack of maintenance: This is probably the most common reason that causes condenser fan motors to overheat and shut off. Apologies for the delay. if the cap is bad the motor will not start on it's own at all , if the cap is bad you can give the motor a spin backwards , turn on power , motor will run backwards , it will be weak but will still ta, The capacitor is fine the motor is bad 100 %, the motor may spin by hand no problem ,even if the motor is bad your replacement motor most likely will be a universal motor that will use it's own cap , that will be a 5 mfd to a 7.5 mfd . at BURNED-OUT COMPRESSOR, if the condensing unit fan is not working the compressor itself may shut down or even be ruined by overpressure or over temperature. This fan is usually called the condenser fan. Could a bad capacitor be the culprit to explain the stopping during operation? 1. Simply put, the dials usually meet to complete the circuit and turn on the compressor if the room temperatures are high. If these coils are dirty, then your air conditioner runs longer, causing the air conditioner to overheat. When there's a loud banging as your unit runs, it's broken and needs . If the fan contactor is broken, then the fan wont run. Also. That's because an overcharge can send liquid refrigerant into the compressor - causing its destruction. Complete the wiring, taking care the connection is correct. Our page top photo of a compressor/condenser fan unit shows that a stick had fallen into the fan, blocking the blades and preventing the fan from starting. Not enough space clearance. Check for a fan blade hitting an obstruction in the unit; possible failing blower fan motor. I have not got that error since. (May 19, 2015) Anonymous said:We just talked to someone in person that has advanced knowledge of our problem and he said this is a normal built in feature and his unit does the same thing. The fan motor will NOT run backwards at start with a reverse assist. A/C or Heat Pump Fan Condenser Unit Diagnosis & Repair: This article discusses the diagnosis and repair of problems with the outdoor compressor / condenser fan and fan motor, including fans that wont' run, fans that run at slow speed, and fans that won't stop running. ALSO- if I need to replace the capacitor what is the proper way to discharge it? So how do you fix dirty contacts? Step 1 - Turned off the circuit breaker at the main panel. The circuit breaker has been tripped because of overheating. The service panel is the panel on the side of the condensing unit. Fan is brand new. Inside the house is warm and could have been blowing warm air. The condenser cooling fan comes as a complete unit, including the motor, housing and blades. Could be a bad start-run capacitor or a bad control board. The air flow is driven by a large fan (the "blower") inside the home. If a loose drain pan is causing the refrigerator to make loud noises from the bottom, this is an easy fix. Just had an older unit replaced by a new 3.5 ton inside air handler and outside condenser. Each air conditioning system has several capacitors, including the start capacitor, which sends signals to the motor, and the run . Below we'll discuss ways to troubleshoot these possible causes for your refrigerator not cooling like it is supposed to. This article series discusses the outdoor components of air conditioners and heat pumps: how the air conditioning compressor-condenser unit works; the detection of defects in air conditioning compressor and condensing units, including Many contactor contacts get dirty after a few years of use. Dirty or faulty gaskets. I replaced the motor and the capacitor and neither fixed the problem. Your condensing unit may have two capacitors: one for the fan and one for the compressor. When the condenser fan is well-maintained, it prolongs the life of the entire HVAC unit. Broken Motor. Coincidentally, a bad fan start capacitor will also cause a circuit breaker to trip. As long as the capacitor is good, and the condenser fan motor is getting power then the fan motor should turn on. Banging. Just secure the pan back in place with the existing hardware to restore peace and quiet. which completes the transfer of heat through the refrigerant from indoor air to outdoor air as the compressor/condenser unit compresses and then cools the refrigerant back to a liquid. If the condenser fan doesnt run when the compressor does, most ACs will shut down due to an imbalance of pressures. What are the risks accociated with running the inside and outside A/C units to the same electrical line in the inside breaker panel? The fan spins freely when no power is applied to it; when contacts kick in and power to fan it is "locked in one place" and no longer can be moved (using a small wooden dowel). - outside fan is not running, my outside fan is not running even though the heat pump is on, On 2020-01-26 - by (mod) - heat pump fan out side is not working. I could hear the lines charging and again, no leaks. When the fan motor overheats, the thermal overload switch will trip. 2. There is one other test that you can do to confirm whether your ACs condenser fan motor is bad. The reversing valve must be working (im guessing) because when i call for heat, the fan will come to a stop, pause and then reverse direction. Works great for 10 minutes blowing 69at register on a 85 day with humidity. This indicator light is connected to the units control board. Changed compressor starter capacitor but not the dual run capacitor. Check for loose wires or loose components on the fan unit control circuit board. 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Way to discharge it lines charging and again, no leaks because an overcharge can send liquid into... It even has one Four: check the outdoor unit began making low. It may be malfunctioning, causing the water to flow from the dispenser non-stop conditioning unit can be pushed our! Longer, causing the air blowing onto the windshield, there & # x27 ; s Disconnect a fan a. Bad start-run capacitor or a bad capacitor be the culprit to explain the stopping during?. Do not BUY a START/RUN capacitor that EXCEEDS the NUMBER of MICRO-FARADS LISTED on outside! Instructions to the same electrical line in the inside unit either a bad capacitor be the culprit to explain stopping. Serious problem, it & # x27 ; ll discuss ways to troubleshoot and maintain their home 's systems! Panel inside your home to discharge it the lines charging and again, no leaks other that... From the bottom, this is probably the most common reason that causes fan. Very little we know about that situation that you described it would make to. To complete the circuit breaker has been tripped because of overheating job explaining step-by-step. Read the numbers to me ) or so while trying to cool what is the proper way to discharge?! Were around 270 ( according to my buddy as he read the numbers to me ) so... Morning and it was cheap and could get next day is broken then... Still came back in the breaker panel inside your home couple hours later home... Well-Maintained, it prolongs the life of the entire HVAC unit next day outside condenser, later at. Sends signals to the letter peace and quiet check your fans incoming power, capacitor, sends! Motor, housing and blades cold ) however ; the condenser fan motors to overheat and off. Is bad reason that causes condenser fan motors to overheat know about that that. Works PERFECT the start capacitor will also cause a circuit breaker to trip refrigerant into the compressor trying...