Call us at 321-631-6886 (Brevard), 772-778-2272 (Indian River), or request service online. Then they replaced the fan motor. 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. If so, call in a professional to repair it. A burnt-out motor is yet another reason a condenser fan would stop working. The fan with a little help it gets going, then then craps out after about 10 minutes. A bent condenser fan causes stress on the blower fan motor shaft and can destroy the motor. I'm not sure how refrigerant leak would make the fan run intermittently. Similar to your house's circuit breaker, your outdoor unit has a breaker box called the "disconnect." In case you don't know, it's mounted near the condenser on the side of the house. There is one other test that you can do to confirm whether your ACs condenser fan motor is bad. Engine running hot. Initial,simple diagnostic checks of the air conditioning compressor are also described. Broken or stuck condenser fan. It's free turning when I turn it with a screwdriver (not bound). To fix a contactor with debris stuck between it, youll need to remove the debris. AFTER the motor craps out you have to wait a little while and you can get it to turn again (with assistance) to run properly for another 10 minutes. Remove the screws holding the blower motor assembly in place and carefully slide it out of the cabinet. If either of these conditions exists, then the fan motor is bad. Blower Relay Switch has Malfunctioned. 4. Inside the house is warm and could have been blowing warm air. If you get infinity readings coming from any of the connections, the motor is faulty and . It could be due to one of the following issues: In any case, its better to get your local HVAC professional to take a look at your condensing unit if the fan motors thermal overload keeps tripping. The fan continues to run at its maxiumum speed, regardless of the engine temperature. Over time, the repeated electrical arcing eats away at the metal contacts and causes a small layer of black soot to form on them. I've included pictures of the schematic as you suggested.Really hoping this new fan is able to be used. Coincidentally, a bad fan start capacitor will also cause a circuit breaker to trip. Im at a loss. Any suggestions? My AC condenser originally had a fan problem. Sorry taken so log to reply, I work a lot of hours. Change the setting to "auto" to ensure it is only running when your air conditioning unit runs. Is the fan blade assembly secured to the fan motor shaft? Fan stopped after an hour, and it's really hot to the touch. Got lucky and looks like the cheapie fix was the right fix. Sebastian/Vero Beach 772-778-2272. It's easy! 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. The fan stops on the condenser. Capacitors store up the energy that powers the air conditioner's fans. 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. Conducting an ohm test on your condenser fan motors windings will let you know for certain whether your fan motor is broken. Read further to diagnose the issue. Shut off your AC and check the fan capacitor, contactor, and motor if the condenser fan isn't running when the compressor is on. The guages were around 270 (according to my buddy as he read the numbers to me) or so while trying to cool. 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. If the fan contactor is broken, then the fan wont run. Its comes on, may run for 15-20 minutes then fan stops & unit makes loud noise. Plumbing Lic.# CFC057957, Phone: Possible low voltage at the equipment; possible condenser unit control board circuit failure. Dirty condenser coils. 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. The contactor should spring back up into place when you remove pressure from it. A dirty filter prevents air from crossing the evaporator coils, which means that all that cooling power . Please bookmark this page to make it easy for you to check back for our response. This is to check for continuity. I was expecting it to not turn as freely -Motor is definitely hot when motor shuts down. (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. FAQ 1. Thought that AC wasn't cooling 100%, and low and behold went outside and condenser fan was not turning and fan was hot as well as entire unit. 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 could hear the lines charging and again, no leaks. All air conditioning systems have a fan that blows air over the evaporator coil to cool it. These pressures vary of course by type of refrigerant, ambient temperatures, compressor details, etc. I replaced the motor and the capacitor and neither fixed the problem. Had to turn the unit off for about an hour. The screws were still secure, but this could have initiated a small wobble. On the wiring diagram see component FSC - Fan Speed Control - I'll post an excerpt from your photo to help you find it. The fan is still cutting off and not cutting back on. Titusville/Mims 321-264-7255 I adjusted up the temperature setting from 0-37 to 0-40 yesterday. Step 2 - Removed the quick disconnect connector. You'll know this is the problem if your inside fan runs and you hear the buzzing noise coming from the outside unit. A couple days ago the fan stopped while I was out in my pool next to it. I think it is a 13k but unit. 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. When the fan motor overheats, the thermal overload switch will trip. Typically, there's an on-off . Eventually, the layer of black soot prevents the metal plates from forming contact with each other. Next, press the thermal overload reset button. When the compressor cycles on, it also feeds a line to the condenser fan relay, running the fan. Heres What to Do, Outside AC Unit Making Noise? Step 3 - Removed the access panel on the . There are a few AC condensing unit fan motors that have a manual thermal overload reset switch. Why does a condenser motor fan break? 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 take off backwards, the motor cap you have in your unit is not a start cap , it's a run cap, the way you said that the motor ran and then stopped quickly tells me a bushing / bearing problem , not a bad capacitor problem. The label reads, "THERMAL SWITCH" which is inside the motor and will shut the motor down if it overheats. Fan in putside unit stops running in a halo hour. During that process, a short arc of electricity forms between the metal plates. ALSO- if I need to replace the capacitor what is the proper way to discharge it? The AC ran for about 1.5 hours and then shut down the fan due to overheating. If there is no continuity or the blades of the fan are stiff, replace the motor. Rapid fan on-off cycling certainly is likely to indicate an electrical or control problem worth investigating. After running fine for like an hour the condenser unit fan would stop but the compressor would continue working. A blower fan may run for a brief while after the compressor motor has stopped but if the outdoor fan never stops check for a problem with the control board wiring or circuit. I've bought nothing but Amrad caps for 3 years now. This keeps them both running together. In this article, Ill discuss what you should do when your ACs condenser fan stops running. Contactors are a relatively inexpensive item to replace, and youll have more peace of mind with a brand new contactor installed. Turn off electrical power to the indoor unit. I recently installed a 3-wire Protech 51-100999-03 condenser fan motor (1/6 HP, 1075 RPM, .73 A, CCW rotation) and a 24" dual blade, 28 degree pitch, CCW fan blade. 1401 Clearlake Rd. 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. So is there an easy way to test to see if the fan motor needs replacement? I am not convinced the fan was fixed either the first or second visit. Step 4. Air Flow. Your might ask for an explanation and let me know what you're told. In looking at the posts it seems like folks are being pointed in direction of capacitor or fan motor. My unit is 22 years old! Figured I'd revamp all the cheap parts. Apologies for the delay. On 2020-06-17 - by (mod) - Humming fan motor. When a contactor switches on, two sets of metal plates clamp down into each other. When the voltage applied is lower or higher than the coils rated voltage, the coil runs the risk of burning out. The condenser in your AC is the unit that converts the refrigerant into a liquid. Whats thermal overload protection used for? It comes about every 10 minutes or so. The Outdoor cooling fan (the subject of this article) moves outdoor air across the condensing coil to cool it and assist in condensing the high pressure, high temperature refrigerant gas back into a liquid.It is this process Cleaning the air filters regularly will prevent this issue in the future. If you can hear the fan running and you can feel air coming out of the . Last winter I had a peerless high efficiency fry because my filler valve malfunctioned. Air Conditioner Making a Humming Noise. with power removed, try turning the Motor shaft by hand..using your fingers Can you give it a twist, and it will continue for a few turns ? 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. See CONTROL CIRCUIT BOARD, A/C for details. This indicator light is connected to the units control board. The fan stops on the condenser. (May 30, 2020) Jeff said:I have a heat pump unit where the condenser fan motor has burned up. Then, later look at what can prevent your ac compressor from running when your outdoor fan is running without problems. I pulled the top of the AC condenser off (four bolts) and inspected the fan and motor. That identifies what each of the wires are. To know for sure you would have to have a clamp amp meter around the motor wires and watch if the amperage starts climbing above its rating around the time the motor is shutting down. Mechanical Issues. No cooling, no heating. So, I read on Google what I highlighted for you, and ordered a 30+ UF cap. This is because when you pushed the blade with the wooden stick, you were performing its function. Follow these four steps to troubleshoot these common causes of a faulty air conditioner fan. After the power is off, use a screwdriver or small tool to remove the debris from the contactor. Condenser Fan stops running- Fan or capacitor? This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged. I notice the red on the unit is coming off of a small circuit board that says low. Guest horn4life I think I'll try checking the ohm load on the motor. In a central air conditioner, nothing causes more problems or is more easily repaired than air flow. Filter,and coils clean; ventsare open. Thats a surefire way of knowing that a capacitor is bad. The final solution was for a separate capacitor that matched the fan's requirements to be installed. Same day I noticed the fan blades were not always running when the unit was running (unit was running but fan blades were not-they would come on some but not each time the unit kicked on). Fan is brand new. Fan control circuit board is brand new. This can leave the fan motor running. Other compressor units such as those used. Turn the power back on and make sure everything works. This will shut off your unit. In that case, youll have to look at the wiring diagram to figure out which is which. Think this could be the fan motor itself? Checking Motor Windings. Unscrew and lift off the top panel. More subtle would be a mis-adjusted or debris-clogged expansion valve or reversing valve.Note that Pioneer's mini split units come pre-charged with R410A in a volume sufficient to ccommodate refrigerant line lengths up to 25 ft. per circuit. One of the most common reasons fans stop spinning is because of a dead capacitor. thank you, My AC suddenly started having the same issues mentioned in this thread. Also possibly there may be no power to the fan and fan blades are moving due to local breeze blowing through the unit. This Q&A were posted originally at FAN, COMPRESSOR / CONDENSER DIAGNOSTIC FAQs. It turns fairly easily, but seemed to come to a stop abruptly. Freedom Air and Heat, Inc. I don't mind paying for both the capacitor and the fan motor, but of course do not want to spend more than necessary. Or should I just replace fan and see what happens? Replaced capacitor because it was cheap and could get next day. Reader Question: (May 18, 2015) Aubrey said: when set to cooling the compressor fan stops and starts. The next thing that you should do is check for power at the condenser unit. -OK opened up and spun motor by hand with shaft and it actually spun freely (fan blade still on). When the thermal overload switch trips, the fan motor will stop running to protect it from burning out. yes, I am not familiar with the proper terms. Here's how to do it: Turn your refrigerator off at the wall or unplug it. That also means its bad. 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. If the compressor and condenser fan motor are not running then you likely have a power problem. I installed it following the install instructions to the letter. Hi, my name is Trey Lewis and Im the founder and chief editor at HVAC Training Shop. Case #1: AC Compressor Not Working, but Indoor Fan is running. Cocoa/Merritt Island/Rockledge 321-631-6886 You can check the fan setting on your thermostat. Stephen. If the motor hums but has trouble starting but can start and run if you give the fan a push with a stick (keep fingers out of fans or risk losing a finger) check/install a blower fan hard start/run capacitor. Whether its changing an air filter, troubleshooting a blower motor, or just buying a new humidifier, I want to make sure that youre covered. Burnt Out Motor. I had a similar problem, fan ran for either 15 seconds, 2 hrs or a day or so but each time it would seem to die but yet the fan looked like it was very controlled, not binding, no bad noises,really confusing. Powered by Invision Community. Homeowners often report a heat pump fan not spinning. If you have exhausted your options, and still dont know why the compressor fan isnt rotating, take a hard look at the fan itself. Here are a few reasons: As you can see from my list above, fan motors rarely go bad by themselvesits usually an external factor or another component in the AC that causes the motor to go bad. Check to see if the fan starts spinning. not an electrical genius but pretty handy. If they are loose or broken, cool air can escape, causing the compressor to work harder and create a buzzing sound. If your indicator light shows that everything is functioning normally, then read further. Secure the Drain Pan. Cleaned coils because I had what appeared to be enough hair to make a medium sized dog on them. Remove the panel at the bottom of your refrigerator. If I wait until way later (hours), the fan will start with the unit and run another 20-25m before turning off (while the unit is still running). Or see FAN, COMPRESSOR / CONDENSER DIAGNOSTIC FAQs for diagnostic questions that can help get the condenser fan working. Easy enough to do anyway. Much like the contactor, HVAC motors get worn out over time and will stop working. Or use the SEARCH BOX found below to Ask a Question or Search InspectApedia. If the contactors coil is burned out, then the contactor wont turn on your condenser fan. 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 -. The indoor blower continues to run but no cooling refrigerant is being presented in the indoor cooling coil. The condenser fan should always be running if the compressor is on. my condenser fan is a trane fan03652 or replacement fan04690. 1. Listen and Look for a Faulty Defrost Timer. October 4, 2012 in DIY Appliance Repair Help. FAN, COMPRESSOR / CONDENSER UNIT at InspectApedia.com - online encyclopedia of building & environmental inspection, testing, diagnosis, repair, & problem prevention advice. My guess is no low speed, but we need to know all circumstances in which that speed is used to assure dropping it is ok. Bob:I would leave the system OFF entirely until at the very least you're sure that you put in the proper charge of refrigerant. 7. Read on to find the best solution based on the cause of the problem. The easiest way to tell whether your ACs condenser fan motor is bad is to test if its getting power. Jim, thanks so much for the very nice feedback - that's just super. An HVAC technician will need to inspect the outdoor fan assembly and make sure it is tightly secured and working properly. The compressor and fan runs to dry out the air blowing onto the windshield. Vacuumed out the bottom of the unit with about ten years of crud in it since I had the thing apart. Unfortunately, most contactors today arent made to be easily cleaned. I have not got that error since. One of the first symptoms commonly associated with a bad or failing cooling fan relay is an engine that runs hot or overheats. I say that because mine is 30 UF +0.3 cap and I bought a 50+ UF cap at 470 volts. Could a bad capacitor be the culprit to explain the stopping during operation? So I'm unclear why you had to charge your unit, though perhaps you followed what I'll describe below as a vacuum then charge procedure.IF the refrigerant charge were lost, the service tech would have pulled a vacuum on the system for 24 hours or longer, then put in the measured charge of refrigerant of the proper type, and would have confirmed proper operation, perhaps measuring temperatures in the refrigerant lines and in the air in and out of the condenser unit or the indoor cooling unit.Below is an example - for other readers, of a Pioneer mini-split AC system.If you don't have all of the manuals for your system you can download them from Pioneer or directly here at InspectApedia.com atPIONEER MINI SPLIT SERIES INSTALLATION MANUAL [PDF]PIONEER MINI SPLIT SERIES SERVICE & REPAIR MANUAL [PDF]PIONEER MINI SPLIT SERIES USERS MANUAL [PDF]I'd contact Pioneer directly at their tech support department to ask for further help with that P4 error.Contact Pioneer at(800) 919-0150https://www.pioneerminisplit.com/. 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The SEARCH BOX found below to ask a Question or SEARCH InspectApedia efficiency fry because my filler valve.. Guest horn4life I think I 'll try checking the ohm load on the motor down if it.! Of these conditions exists, then the fan is running and spun motor by hand with shaft and actually! Thermal switch '' which is which to ask a Question or SEARCH.! To cooling the compressor cycles on, two sets of metal plates, thanks so much the. Turn as freely -Motor is definitely hot when motor shuts down shaft can. Screws holding the blower motor assembly in place and carefully slide it out of the connections, coil. Contactor should spring back up into place when you remove pressure from it lines and... Hair to make it easy for you to check back for our.. The right fix started having the same issues mentioned in this thread homeowners often report a heat unit... Fixed the problem initial, simple diagnostic checks of the air blowing onto the windshield reason condenser! Quot ; to ensure it is only running when your outdoor fan is a trane fan03652 or replacement fan04690 in. Energy that powers the air blowing onto the windshield wiring diagram to figure out which is inside the.! Indoor fan is able to be installed mod ) - Humming fan motor has burned up originally fan! Test to see if the contactors coil is burned out, then the fan is able to enough.