1. 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. 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. Everything seems to run fine (cool air/no odd noise) when both units run simultaneously. Occasionally the fan stops altogether and just hums, but starts when assisted. A bad fan capacitor will cause an ACs condenser fan to not run. 2. Unscrew and lift off the top panel. Not much different pitch before and after it's energized. Minor bends can be corrected manually; damaged blades need to be replaced. 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. 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. That also means its bad. It comes about every 10 minutes or so. Condenser coils are refrigerant-filled tubes running through your air conditioner's outside unit. A condenser fan that won't start when power is turned on, but whose blades will spin easily when power is off may have a worn fan motor shaft bearing. For most people, I recommend calling a local HVAC professional to change the capacitor. Straight AC or HeatPump? Dirty contactor contacts are another reason why an ACs condenser fan doesnt turn on. If your circuit breaker trips again, then there is something wrong with your condenser unit. Also possibly there may be no power to the fan and fan blades are moving due to local breeze blowing through the unit. 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. Also see NOISES, COMPRESSOR CONDENSER where some noise problems include fan noises that may help diagnose a problem. On our outdoor heat pump unit, when set to heating compressor and compressor fans works PERFECT! New to this site however have an issue similar to above. The final solution was for a separate capacitor that matched the fan's requirements to be installed. 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. Anything else you can think of to ask about this situation? An ohm test involves measuring the resistance across the fan motors windings to check for open or short circuits. I've bought nothing but Amrad caps for 3 years now. I notice the red on the unit is coming off of a small circuit board that says low. The service panel may have some labels or stickers on it. Condenser fan motor runs backwards. Thanks in advance for your input- sourcing parts now that's a dual Capacitor .. two sections .. one for Fan, one for Compressor, OR just a replacement for the (smaller section) Fan Capacitor .. about $ 5, If replacing the Fan Motor, install a new Capacitor (matched to the rating needed for the new Motor), I'm not a HVAC master, but if the run Capacitor was bad (or nearly 0 MFD). We can probably make this work, but I'm nervous about just guessing and burning up another fan motor. Aubrey I doubt that outdoor temperature would explain the problem you cite. And the AC compressor stops prematurely. Fan in putside unit stops running in a halo hour. Faulty electrical signals. Why does that happen? This fan can also have its mounts loosen due to general wear and tear, resulting in it hitting other parts and causing slamming noises. Last winter I had a peerless high efficiency fry because my filler valve malfunctioned. Just secure the pan back in place with the existing hardware to restore peace and quiet. Here Are the Top Causes, Heat Pump Pros and Cons What You Need to Know, Thermostat Not Turning On AC? Thank you for your response. 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). The capacitator losing its charge. That could also mean that its bad. See COMPRESSOR / CONDENSER INSPECTION CHECKLIST for a simple checklist for the outdoor compressor/condenser unit. Contactors are a relatively inexpensive item to replace, and youll have more peace of mind with a brand new contactor installed. I replaced the motor and the capacitor and neither fixed the problem. Is it possible that this issue could be caused by the capacitor? document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Hi, my name is Trey Lewis and Im the founder and chief editor athvactrainingshop.com. In looking at the posts it seems like folks are being pointed in direction of capacitor or fan motor. if you go with a oem motor it will connect to the cap already there, you do not need to discharge this cap , it's mfd's are to low to be of any danger , but be aware if you have a black plastic cap in there too (compressor start cap) you will need to discharge that one before you stick your hand in there, regus: newer caps do not get weak , its a good or bad with them , really old caps can dry out and get weak but this is not the case in this case . You will not receive a notification when a response to your question has been posted. Check that power is on to the outdoor unit and that the indoor thermostat is calling for cooling and set to cooling mode. The fan stops on the condenser. 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). Call us at 321-631-6886 (Brevard), 772-778-2272 (Indian River), or request service online. JonI think you are describing the case in which the outdoor compressor condenser unit is shutting down shortly after startup. 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. Blower Relay Switch has Malfunctioned. Most AC condensing unit fan motors have an automatic thermal overload reset. Other compressor units such as those used. Dirty condenser coils. Heres What to Do, Outside AC Unit Making Noise? While you could simply replace the motor, you could also take advantage of the opportunity and purchase a new, more efficient unit. What would be the risk in not connecting the red wire to anything and just connecting the brown, black and yellow wires? The screws were still secure, but this could have initiated a small wobble. AC unit (old) has been running fine until couple days ago. 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. Finally a senior tech came out and recognized that the fan required a different capacitor than what was initially changed in. You have a bad condensor fan. If they are loose or broken, cool air can escape, causing the compressor to work harder and create a buzzing sound. Step 1 - Turned off the circuit breaker at the main panel. Possible low voltage at the equipment; possible condenser unit control board circuit failure. I don't mind paying for both the capacitor and the fan motor, but of course do not want to spend more than necessary. If the compressor and condenser fan motor are not running then you likely have a power problem. Also. A stuck contactor could be the reason why you outside ac fan won't turn off. ugh, I mean I did those 2 tasks separately hehe. When the thermal overload switch trips, the fan motor will stop running to protect it from burning out. Turn off power to your AC unit and verify that power is off using a multimeter or voltage detector. Note that blower fans found in the indoor air handler unit of air conditioning and heat pump systems often support two or even more run speeds, but the outdoor compressor/condenser fan unit usually runs only at a single (high) speed so low speed on the outdoor fan would be unusual. Contact us if you have suggestions. Check to see if the fan starts spinning. The best solution to this issue is to install a newer, more energy efficient HVAC unit. Stuck dials (relay switch) might be the reason why your air conditioner keeps running when turned off. The problem came back. I pulled the top of the AC condenser off (four bolts) and inspected the fan and motor. A burnt-out motor is yet another reason a condenser fan would stop working. First, make sure that the fan motor has cooled down to ambient temperature. Insert the test probes in the connector on the fan motor leads . 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. Is it damaged? The condensing unit circuit breaker may be labeled as AC, Condensing unit, or Outdoor unit. ALSO- if I need to replace the capacitor what is the proper way to discharge it? 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. On the wiring diagram see component FSC - Fan Speed Control - I'll post an excerpt from your photo to help you find it. (May 30, 2020) Jeff said:I have a heat pump unit where the condenser fan motor has burned up. It may be the AC condensers compressor or fan. Step Four: Check The Outdoor Unit's Disconnect. If these coils are dirty, then your air conditioner runs longer, causing the air conditioner to overheat. Cleaning the air filters regularly will prevent this issue in the future. Fan motor free spinning but shuts down about 200. If something is blocking it from pulling in, then the contactor wont switch on. Can drop power to my not working condenser and start back up couple hours later. Any thoughts or suggestions would be most appreciated. 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 When an electric motor has an issue, it usually will overheat. I kept hand on motor most of the 16 minutes the fan ran and right up until the end it was hot but not too hot to touch. An internal short that is grounding the fan motor windings can leave the fan running, but abnormally slowly. An easier way of checking your capacitor is to use a voltmeter. Initial,simple diagnostic checks of the air conditioning compressor are also described. Upon testing the condenser motor, it runs and spins true. 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. Fan stopped after an hour, and it's really hot to the touch. See CONTROL CIRCUIT BOARD, A/C for details. Our central A.C. compressor sketch at left shows the condenser fan blades in the top of the unit (red line). That's because an overcharge can send liquid refrigerant into the compressor - causing its destruction. It is now August 19th. When hot weather comes around, the last thing that you need is your AC equipment breaking down. Turn off power and assure that the fan blade is secured to the fan motor shaft. The tech then recognized that the fan blades where on backwards (his fault). Ensure power to the unit is turned off. InspectAPedia tolerates no conflicts of interest. Now the compressor comes on (freon line gets cold) however; the condenser fan is not running but humming. I was expecting it to not turn as freely -Motor is definitely hot when motor shuts down. Jay does a great job explaining the step-by-step process to change an AC condenser units fan capacitor. Thanks for the great step by step instructions to troubleshooting. Dirty or faulty gaskets. The motor may continue to run, even with the run capacitor disconnected, due to the short. 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. 3. On 2020-07-22 18:15:33.595128 - by (mod) -, JoanneOn most units that would be backwards, I had a new comparator and fan motor put on my Trane compressors/condenser outside. Additionally, the cooling from this AC unit is not very good even when the fan is running - there's only about a 9-10 degree difference between the intake and out vents. This will only directly affect your condenser fan. I guess that was what I was asking, can you go from fan not working properly to coil leak? 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. The condenser fan motor is located underneath the refrigerator near the back. Could be a bad start-run capacitor or a bad control board. Freedom Air and Heat, Inc. If your unit is blowing warm air from the supply vents in addition to running constantly, it may have frozen up. -OK opened up and spun motor by hand with shaft and it actually spun freely (fan blade still on). Compressor still running. Still same issue. After the service panel is removed, find the fan capacitor. Check the air filter to see if it needs to be replaced. The outside unit doesn't turn-off when the thermostat turns-off the inside unit. 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. Turn off power, visually inspect fan and fan blades: are blades cut, bent, or damaged? But when set to cooling the compressor fan stops and starts, it will not stay on when 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. I can hear the coil from the tinny fan control circuit board turning the fan off and then back on during this problem. The disconnect is the switch on the side of your home next to the condensing unit. But it is indeed also normal for the fan on-off cycle to sometimes be different from the compressor motor on-off cycle. There also may be a reset button on the outside AC unit that can be pushed. 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. Case #1: AC Compressor Not Working, but Indoor Fan is running. One of the two swept blades was very damaged and embedded in the spine fins of the 3/8" coil tubing. Why does my condenser keep running? In addition, I installed a Protech 50 + 3 F dual run capacitor and a . Im at a loss. There's A Rattling or Buzzing Noise Coming from the Condenser Unit When the Fan Is Turned On. But when it turns off it will come back on 1-3 min later (best guess). Is there fluid leaking out of the capacitor? Then, later look at what can prevent your ac compressor from running when your outdoor fan is running without problems. This sensor takes readings from the refrigerator (and freezer if you have one . Condenser fan won't stop running. A simple problem like this can also burn out a fan motor. If it is an air conditioner check for an air conditioner breaker trip. This is speculative. It had gotten down to 62 degrees. 2. I though at first that I just needed to replace the start assist capacitor, but now I am wondering if maybe the fan is crapping out. In this article, Ill discuss what you should do when your ACs condenser fan stops running. The tech's writing is hard to read. The circuit breaker is in the breaker panel inside your home. The green line marks a common location for the fan control circuitry, and the blue line marks the fan motor. If there's no outside reset switch, use the indoor system to reset both AC units. Naturally, this will cause the condenser fan to fail. 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