Turn off power and assure that the fan blade is secured to the fan motor shaft. How do you check if a fan motor is bad? Then they replaced the fan motor. Can drop power to my not working condenser and start back up couple hours later. The heavy fan motor is mounted on the panel, so have a helper hold it while you install the blanket. Over time, the contactor switch gets worn, and will stop providing voltage to the condenser fan. 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. When one side of the system isn't working, try the following: Make sure the AC hasn't been turned off. This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged. My new cap and motor arrive Wednesday, so I'll change them both out. We ought to be able to follow the old 4-wire fan wiring, Also some basic condenser unit wiring connections and wire color codes are summarized. Over an extended period, that will cause the fan to stop working. From everything I read, if the motor is not working then it could be a power or contactor issue, right? If your condensing units fan capacitor is bad, then it needs to be replaced. Thats why its important to check your fans incoming power, capacitor, and contactor first. Most capacitors are cylindrically-shaped, like a large battery. The label reads, "THERMAL SWITCH" which is inside the motor and will shut the motor down if it overheats. Is it swollen at the top? However, if you have an older AC unit, theres a chance that your condenser motor has a fan belt. 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. Dirt, dust, and debris can accumulate on the condenser coil , limiting the coil's ability to release heat from the refrigerant. Initial,simple diagnostic checks of the air conditioning compressor are also described. Check the air filter to see if it needs to be replaced. Any suggestions? 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. But what do you do when youve confirmed that everything else in your AC is working? Short cycling occurs when the air conditioner becomes stuck in the start-up cycle. Test the windings of the motor of the evaporator fan with a multimeter. No cooling, no heating. This is speculative. Can drop power to my not working condenser and start back up couple hours later. 3. Dirty or faulty gaskets. Also possibly there may be no power to the fan and fan blades are moving due to local breeze blowing through the unit. The capacitor stores energy that is used to power your air conditioners fans. 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. Thank you for your response. This can leave the fan motor running. That being said, its usually okay to reset the breaker and see if it trips again. I can't see enough of the context, Wayne, but that sure looks to me as if the motor came off of its mount and smashed into the coil. Jim, thanks so much for the very nice feedback - that's just super. Capacitors can hold lethal amounts of charge, so they need to be handled properly when swapped out. Easy enough to do anyway. It starts by it self, and cools. If the fan contactor is broken, then the fan wont run. HVAC air filters should be changed every one-to-three months. Make sure the freezer door seals shut. Check for tripped breakers. See CONTROL CIRCUIT BOARD, A/C for details. 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. Turn off the breaker or thermostat . Plumbing Lic.# CFC057957, Phone: Immediately upon starting the car, the radiator fan begins to run full speed, even though the car is stone cold. Check for a refrigerant leak. 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. A detailed case of diagnosing and fixing a condenser fan that was running backwards at speed changes is discussed below at. About the time it got really hot the motor shut down.. -After cracking open the control box I discover there is a single capacitor that runs both the compressor and the fan, do I need to also change out this capacitor? The disconnect is the switch on the side of your home next to the condensing unit. Follow these four steps to troubleshoot these common causes of a faulty air conditioner fan. Fan motor free spinning but shuts down about 200. Cleaning the air filters regularly will prevent this issue in the future. That could also mean that its bad. Upon testing the condenser motor, it runs and spins true. At worst, it could cause irreversible damage to the compressor. Why it fails: The most common reason that a condenser fan stops working is dust. 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 an outside fan fails, the most likely cause is a capacitor issue. Background, been working fine for years. It comes about every 10 minutes or so. The system won't cool your unless both sides of the system are working. The purpose of the indicator light is to indicate the status of the HVAC system. Think this could be the fan motor itself? Thermostat Issues. Listen and Look for a Faulty Defrost Timer. If it is an air conditioner check for an air conditioner breaker trip. Clogged Air Filter. The fan stops on the condenser. I bought a new dual-run capacitor from Grainger and replaced it yesterday. One of the first symptoms commonly associated with a bad or failing cooling fan relay is an engine that runs hot or overheats. Case #1: AC Compressor Not Working, but Indoor Fan is running. Bob,Thank you for the helpful diagnostic question about your Pioneer brand Mini Split AC unit. When it stops, feel the Motor to see if it's hot. 1401 Clearlake Rd. Broken Motor. When an electric motor has an issue, it usually will overheat. If you can hear the fan running and you can feel air coming out of the . InspectAPedia tolerates no conflicts of interest. Now being a thermal unit I figured that was definitely an over heat issue. Heres What to Do. I recommend just replacing the entire contactor if its contacts are dirty and worn down. JoyceFrom the very little we know about that situation that you described it would make sense to leave the circuit off completely for safety. Am I barking up the wrong tree and should I be looking elsewhere? When I turned it back on the fan came on. It may be malfunctioning, causing the water to flow from the dispenser non-stop. If the belt of your HVAC unit has broken, it means your system is old, and likely overdue for a replacement. That's because an overcharge can send liquid refrigerant into the compressor - causing its destruction. Proper and regular lubrication of the fan motor is necessary for the motor to run smoothly. This blockage will strain your compressor fan. Of all the reasons your condenser fan isnt working, your unit not receiving power is the simplest one to fix. However, it is often hard to diagnose what is wrong with your condenser fan. Indeed you point out that when replacing a start/run capacitor itnisnimportant to use the proper one. After the service panel is removed, find the fan capacitor. Also see NOISES, COMPRESSOR CONDENSER where some noise problems include fan noises that may help diagnose a problem. Gina Im having the exact same problem. Compressor still running. Still same, fan on condenser stops after a few. Continue readingat CAPACITORS for HARD STARTING MOTORS or select a topic from the closely-related articles below, or see the complete ARTICLE INDEX. 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. That also means its bad. Minor bends can be corrected manually; damaged blades need to be replaced. hello, new to here, new to heating and cooling. If your unit is blowing warm air from the supply vents in addition to running constantly, it may have frozen up. Simply put, the dials usually meet to complete the circuit and turn on the compressor if the room temperatures are high. The wiring diagram just above may not apply. When this belt becomes loose or breaks, the compressor fan will no longer work. The dark blue fan shown at right in the sketch is the indoor air handler or blower compartment or cooling coil fan found inside the building. I really appreciate your help!!! New to this site however have an issue similar to above. Filter,and coils clean; ventsare open. So, I read on Google what I highlighted for you, and ordered a 30+ UF cap. But when set to cooling the compressor fan stops and starts, it will not stay on when compressor is on. 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 condenser fan cools refrigerant from a hot, gaseous state, to a liquid. Clean the dirty condenser coils. Complete the wiring, taking care the connection is correct. Air Flow. If its tripped, flip the breaker to off then back to on. If the issue persists, contact a professional. Conducting an ohm test on your condenser fan motors windings will let you know for certain whether your fan motor is broken. So, I ordered a new motor and cap. 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?). Next, press the thermal overload reset button. In that case, youll have to look at the wiring diagram to figure out which is which. Fan belts are components that wear down over time. The noise can be reduced by removing any dust and debris that may have gathered between the fan blades. Im at a loss. Typically refrigerant leaves the compressor and enters the outdoor condensing coil at about 100 psi and about 95 degF. Its comes on, may run for 15-20 minutes then fan stops & unit makes loud noise. You will not receive a notification when a response to your question has been posted. A bad fan capacitor will cause an ACs condenser fan to not run. Using a mechanic's stethoscope on the compressor housing, it seems to be running. If there's something wrong with your air conditioner that makes it shut off after just 15 minutes, it's usually one of these issues: Unit is overheating: This often means there is simply a buildup of grime inside the compressor unit, but it could also mean there's a refrigerant leak or another problem. Already read about discharging the capacitor for safety. After running fine for like an hour the condenser unit fan would stop but the compressor would continue working. AC ran fin all Summer of 2018. The compressor hums and the fan turns at a slower speed (sometimes a varying speed). The line sets didn't even get cold or hot by even a degree difference. DO NOT BUY A START/RUN CAPACITOR THAT EXCEEDS THE NUMBER OF MICRO-FARADS LISTED ON THE EXISTING CAPACITOR. The fan continues to run at its maxiumum speed, regardless of the engine temperature. Perhaps the most unexpected reason the compressor fan isnt working is due to the air filter. The air passing through the cracks will make whistling noises. Changed compressor starter capacitor but not the dual run capacitor. 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. The condenser fan has not stopped. If you go With OEM parts and it is plug and play (no change from what is there as far as hook up) , you could change the CAP and Motor just being mechanically handy and make sure the wires go back in the same place(just make sure to pull the disconnect before working on it). Anything else make it shut down like that? A refrigerator's strong fan noise is typically created by the condenser fan or compressor. 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. 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