MickBurke on Nostr: Learned a WHOLE lot about central air conditioning today. Previously had a problem ...
Learned a WHOLE lot about central air conditioning today.
Previously had a problem with the compressor not firing up, replaced the capacitor and that seemed to have fixed it. Last night it did it again, the compressor buzzed and the air handler blew, then stopped, then blew again.
I replaced the 'contactor' in the compressor this morning to no avail but after five hours in the 100° attic, and troubleshooting the entirety of the 24V system, I found that the pan sensor had failed. That sensor protects it if the condensate doesn't drain from the unit properly and fills the pan. Normally it passes the 24V connection, when it triggers, it 'opens' and shuts off the circuit (0V), when it failed it instead just passed 10-16V which would trigger the 24V relay, but then it would switch off again causing the blower to go and stop and go and stop. Also 16V isn't enough to engage the 'contactor' (240V relay) in the compressor.
I took that sensor out of the loop and it appears to be working fine now. I'll get a replacement at the supply house on monday.
Got to say, don't make friends exclusively for the 'benefits', but it is great having friends in the trades who don't mind answering questions when you have problems!
I'm a good troubleshooter, but out of my element here, so just a little specialized knowledge made all the difference and saved me easily a grand. Also got me into the unit so I can see that I should probably start saving for a replacement over the next couple years...
#GrowNostr
#GrowKnowledge
#GetShitDone
Published at
2024-07-01 01:44:00Event JSON
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"content": "Learned a WHOLE lot about central air conditioning today. \nPreviously had a problem with the compressor not firing up, replaced the capacitor and that seemed to have fixed it. Last night it did it again, the compressor buzzed and the air handler blew, then stopped, then blew again. \nI replaced the 'contactor' in the compressor this morning to no avail but after five hours in the 100° attic, and troubleshooting the entirety of the 24V system, I found that the pan sensor had failed. That sensor protects it if the condensate doesn't drain from the unit properly and fills the pan. Normally it passes the 24V connection, when it triggers, it 'opens' and shuts off the circuit (0V), when it failed it instead just passed 10-16V which would trigger the 24V relay, but then it would switch off again causing the blower to go and stop and go and stop. Also 16V isn't enough to engage the 'contactor' (240V relay) in the compressor.\nI took that sensor out of the loop and it appears to be working fine now. I'll get a replacement at the supply house on monday. \nGot to say, don't make friends exclusively for the 'benefits', but it is great having friends in the trades who don't mind answering questions when you have problems! \nI'm a good troubleshooter, but out of my element here, so just a little specialized knowledge made all the difference and saved me easily a grand. Also got me into the unit so I can see that I should probably start saving for a replacement over the next couple years...\n#GrowNostr\n#GrowKnowledge\n#GetShitDone\n\nhttps://m.primal.net/JDti.png https://m.primal.net/JDtj.png https://m.primal.net/JDtl.png https://m.primal.net/JDtn.png https://m.primal.net/JDto.png https://m.primal.net/JDtr.png https://m.primal.net/JDtw.png https://m.primal.net/JDtx.png https://m.primal.net/JDuA.png ",
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