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Thread: 10+ More Days In The 90s - Bad Time for the AC to Die

  1. #1
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    10+ More Days In The 90s - Bad Time for the AC to Die

    My head was buried in a computer related project all day. No physical exertion. Yet toward the end of the day I felt hot spots in the house. Hey, the AC will get us cool again, right?

    Around 10PM it seemed a little too warm. Checked the stat - 82 but set for 78. Looked at the easy things first. All good.

    Ya know, it's late and I'm tired. But I can't live in this place without AC. I have Irish blood. So out comes the Flukes. Got 240v from the panel. Got 24v out of the transformer. The stat looks good. But the capacitor on the fan motor gets no reading. The heat pump breaker at the outdoor disconnect isn't tripped (didn't check the line or load voltage because of the alligator staring at me ). There's a relay inside the air handler but I haven't figured out what it does yet. The schematic on the motor is hard to read.

    I installed a Honeywell digital T-stat a little after we moved in. When things started getting warm, I saw, "Change Filter". It's been a couple of months but I tend to make a mess. So I changed the filter and hit the reset on the stat. Still nothing.

    Any ideas? It's getting hot here.
    “Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness..." - Mark Twain

  2. #2
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    There should be a contactor that starts and stops the heat pump. Is it pulling in and do you have voltage on the load side. Also check the load side of the circuit breakers at the outdoor disconnect. I recently had a breaker fail closed on my heat pump, with no voltage on the load side.
    Lee Schierer
    USNA '71
    Go Navy!

    My advice, comments and suggestions are free, but it costs money to run the site. If you found something of value here please give a little something back by becoming a contributor! Please Contribute

  3. #3
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    Thanks, Lee. I have to get out there and check it out.

    I woke up this morning and the temperature read 78. I thought the stat had reset itself. A few minutes later it read 80. I tried to turn the fan on but nothing happened.

    About 10 minutes after that it read 82. No cooking or anything this morning. Then I pulled the stat and replaced the batteries. The backlight flashed on and off then the screen went blank. I plugged it back in and screen turned on for a few seconds then went blank again. Nothing. I pulled it out, rechecked the batteries and put it back in. Still nothing. Did that once more and the screen came back on. The temp was at 82. A few minutes later it went down to 81. Of course the fluctuating temperature may mean nothing.

    I keep hearing clicks but again, nothing. I'm going to finish checking voltages out. The system is 13 years old. Someone in the house just blew $5K on a toy and that will be looming large if we have to replace the system. Gulp!
    “Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness..." - Mark Twain

  4. #4
    My heat pump did that last year. It wasn't getting power to anything, the fan wouldn't even turn on. Luckily it was an easy fix. The drain line had clogged and evidently there is a float in the drain pan that shuts off all power.
    Hope your fix is as easy.

  5. #5
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    Seems to be a common problem, Daryl.

    I was going checking the voltages in the stat lines and everything was good at the terminal in the air handler. But when I went to the stat - nothing. So I went back to the air handler and followed the wiring coming off the low voltage terminals. The wires going to the safety switch that monitors condensation fill in the pan were reading open. So I thought the drain line was clogged.

    There's two PVC fittings coming out of the condensation pan. One is the drain line that goes outside. The other is an elbow that dead-ends at the safety switch. I noticed the elbow was running downhill. Water goes in and can't get out. I lifted the elbow to level and heard some water trickling out. Then I checked the voltage across the safety switch wiring and guess what?

    That elbow needs to be tightened. Put it on the list! But I'm glad this was an electrical problem and not something I had to call in for service or replacement. The JP has been removed from the target list, for now...
    “Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness..." - Mark Twain

  6. #6
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    10 more days in the 90's? I would choose early 1990 when Stevie Ray Vaughn was still alive and go to one last concert. Oh, wait- you meant temperature. Disregard. :-)

  7. #7
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    Quote Originally Posted by Julie Moriarty View Post
    Any ideas? It's getting hot here.
    Move to the Catskills? I had a fire going last night.

    image1.jpg

    Fall is here!

  8. #8
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    I know when I lived in Chicago I believed I'd never say this but, I miss the cold.
    “Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness..." - Mark Twain

  9. #9
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    Quote Originally Posted by Julie Moriarty View Post
    I know when I lived in Chicago I believed I'd never say this but, I miss the cold.
    Ha, you say that now.

    September 14 I was in Calgary, I had to borrow a snow brush for my rental car............It was +27 at home...................Rod.

  10. #10
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    Quote Originally Posted by Malcolm Schweizer View Post
    10 more days in the 90's? I would choose early 1990 when Stevie Ray Vaughn was still alive and go to one last concert. Oh, wait- you meant temperature. Disregard. :-)
    Too funny. I would be right there with you. Still miss the guy.
    Steve

  11. #11
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    Look at the bright side no big fires turning the air brown now. Of course that could change anv time.

  12. #12
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    Quote Originally Posted by Malcolm Schweizer View Post
    10 more days in the 90's? I would choose early 1990 when Stevie Ray Vaughn was still alive and go to one last concert.
    My neighbor was a roadie for Stevie Ray Vaughn. Has nothing but good to say about him.

  13. If y'all wuz borned down heah, you'd know ladies don't sweat, so 90+ is nothin' to fret 'bout.

    Since "Someone in the house just blew $5K on a toy ...." I figure he can just sweat it out. Some hippy chick once tol' me that's something called Karma.
    Fair winds and following seas,
    Jim Waldron

  14. #14
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    Quote Originally Posted by Julie Moriarty View Post
    I know when I lived in Chicago I believed I'd never say this but, I miss the cold.
    Julie, your outlook will change in about a month so just hang in there. Down here we suffer through June through September only to make it to October through April.

    -Ken

  15. #15
    Julie, glad you found the problem. With a 13 year old system, it would be hard to justify anything but minor repairs, especially if it's an R-22 system. R-22 is crazy expensive, but there are "drop in replacement blends" available. Because they are blends, all existing R-22 have to be removed from system, and if a leak should occur, system would have to be evacuated, and a new charge weighed in. A new 410-A system will almost pay for it's self in savings on electric bill. My heat pumps, both of them, died a year ago. During last two summers, we ran three small window units, which surprisingly kept house cool. During winter switched over to gas furnace. Finally last week of August got one of the new heat pumps working. Other one is sitting on back porch awaiting installation, which will occur first week in November.

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