You have a bad condensor fan. I can hear the coil from the tinny fan control circuit board turning the fan off and then back on during this problem. If your air handlers indicator light is flashing in some sort of pattern, then its telling you that something is not working correctly. Anything else you can think of to ask about this situation? Unfortunately, most contactors today arent made to be easily cleaned. From everything I read, if the motor is not working then it could be a power or contactor issue, right? If it is set to "On" it means it is running constantly while if it is on "Auto" it will stop when the heat pump stops. (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. Case #1: AC Compressor Not Working, but Indoor Fan is running. The service panel is the panel on the side of the condensing unit. 1. I check the uF on the cap with my meter first thing. There also may be a reset button on the outside AC unit that can be pushed. Minor bends can be corrected manually; damaged blades need to be replaced. One of the most common reasons fans stop spinning is because of a dead capacitor. A faulty cooling fan relay can also negatively affect air conditioning (A/C) performance.The reason being, on most vehicles, is that the cooling fan doubles as a condenser fan.When the A/C is turned on, the fan moves air across the A/C condenser, thereby removing heat from the refrigerant, which changes from a vapor to a liquid state as it gives off heat it . 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/. Easy enough to do anyway. It turns fairly easily, but seemed to come to a stop abruptly. After the service panel is removed, find the fan capacitor. see BLOWER FAN NO START NO STOP. There is more than one possible cause of a noisy air conditioner. Minisplit ac condenser unit. Problems With Power Heres What to Do, Outside AC Unit Making Noise? 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 . Bob,Thank you for the helpful diagnostic question about your Pioneer brand Mini Split AC unit. In looking at the posts it seems like folks are being pointed in direction of capacitor or fan motor. Set the function switch to "Ohms" on an auto-ranging DMM or the "R X 1" scale on a manual ranging DMM. When the fan motor overheats, the thermal overload switch will trip. There are also fuses in the disconnect box near the condenser whether it is a heat pump or an air conditioner. Is it damaged? However, if they're stuck, the compressor . This indicator light is connected to the units control board. 12 - Sub Zero Refrigerator Condenser Fan Motor. The AC ran for about 1.5 hours and then shut down the fan due to overheating. This can leave the fan motor running. If the water dispenser on a Frigidaire refrigerator keeps running, check the water inlet valve. my condenser fan is a trane fan03652 or replacement fan04690. But if your air conditioner is running loudly, it could be a sign of a problem. Only one image can be added per comment but you can post as many comments, and therefore images, as you like. 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. Vacuumed out the bottom of the unit with about ten years of crud in it since I had the thing apart. 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. A contactor is a moving part that pulls in when it switches on. If the condenser coils are too dirty, the air conditioner's cooling power is limited so the system has to keep running in attempts to cool each room. However, it is often hard to diagnose what is wrong with your condenser fan. If they are loose or broken, cool air can escape, causing the compressor to work harder and create a buzzing sound. Does this seem reasonable? The problem still came back in the mid day heat. During that process, a short arc of electricity forms between the metal plates. It comes about every 10 minutes or so. It is now August 19th. If the refrigerator runs constantly there might be something caught in the condenser fan motor blade, or the condenser fan motor might be defective. Please bookmark this page to make it easy for you to check back for our response. Now the compressor comes on (freon line gets cold) however; the condenser fan is not running but humming. Its hot. 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. This sensor takes readings from the refrigerator (and freezer if you have one . Step 3 - Removed the access panel on the . I could hear the lines charging and again, no leaks. 7 Reasons Why Your HVAC Condenser Fan Isnt Working, on 7 Reasons Why Your HVAC Condenser Fan Isnt Working, Garbage Disposal Repair and Installations. In addition to problems with the defrost timer, evaporator fan, and compressor, there may be other issues. Fan motor is bad. Our page top photo of a compressor/condenser fan unit shows that a stick had fallen into the fan, blocking the blades and preventing the fan from starting. three post C, F and HERM. Capacitor is brand new. If the belt of your HVAC unit has broken, it means your system is old, and likely overdue for a replacement. You should be able to use a single switched or double pole switched contactor. Air Flow. . Sometimes it will stay on longer than other times. Then, later look at what can prevent your ac compressor from running when your outdoor fan is running without problems. Check the air filter to see if it needs to be replaced. The circuit breaker has been tripped because of overheating. Tried again after washing out well. Read on to find the best solution based on the cause of the problem. InspectAPedia tolerates no conflicts of interest. might the Motor run, but then over-heat after a few minutes ? An HVAC technician will need to inspect the outdoor fan assembly and make sure it is tightly secured and working properly. Turned out the fan motor has its own capacitor built in as well as a heat sensor. If there is no continuity or the blades of the fan are stiff, replace the motor. Tech came out and replaced the fan motor. I am semi handy-don't have an ohm meter (couldn't read it if I did) however some of these comments about the electrical are scary. Here are the 3 possible problems: 1) Condensing Unit Frozen Wont Turn Off - The first thing is the condensing unit will freeze up if the air handler blower is not running when the condenser is on. 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. I think it is a 13k but unit. Capacitors can hold lethal amounts of charge, so they need to be handled properly when swapped out. 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. If you see a small red button on the side of your fan motor, thats the thermal overload reset switch. I adjusted up the temperature setting from 0-37 to 0-40 yesterday. Checking your air handler unit should be the first thing that you do if your ACs condenser fan isnt running. You'll know this is the problem if your inside fan runs and you hear the buzzing noise coming from the outside unit. Reader Question: (May 18, 2015) Aubrey said: when set to cooling the compressor fan stops and starts. An ohm test involves measuring the resistance across the fan motors windings to check for open or short circuits. That also means its bad. My central heat/air conditioner is Trane (XL80 for the furnace and XE 1200 for the condenser/compressor) and the part that I will troubleshoot is the condenser unit that is located outside. Replace the blade, taking care not to bend it. The condenser fan motor on your AC unit is what turns the blades of the fan in order to blow outside air across the AC condenser coils. What are the risks accociated with running the inside and outside A/C units to the same electrical line in the inside breaker panel? Continue readingat CAPACITORS for HARD STARTING MOTORS or select a topic from the closely-related articles below, or see the complete ARTICLE INDEX. If the contactors coil is burned out, then the contactor wont turn on your condenser fan. I really appreciate your help!!! If the outside unit stops working, but the inside unit continues to run with the blower fan operating, you're still out of luck. The best way is to clean them using contact cleaner. Fan in putside unit stops running in a halo hour. 1401 Clearlake Rd. I notice the red on the unit is coming off of a small circuit board that says low. The fan motor and capacitor have been replaced. The AC is OFF. Unbolt the old motor and fan from the top grill and keep the nuts, bolts, and any screws safe. The contactor is a switch found inside your HVAC unit that controls the voltage distributed to the compressor and condenser fan motor. Or more likely the fan motor? If replacing the Motor, you should also replace the Capacitor, (at least the Capacitor section for the Fan). Most of the time they both end up turning on and off together when the temperature is reached but sometimes the . More likely there is an electrical or control problem. That identifies what each of the wires are. Fan contactor isn't working. Thank you for the helpful comment. I use a multimeter to measure the resistance ac. Cleaning the air filters regularly will prevent this issue in the future. Any suggestions? Are the bearings damaged or covered in sludge? If the button doesnt click back into place then the motor is still too hot, or there is another failure somewhere inside the fan motor. Remove the access panel to the blower compartment. 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). It is usually a larger breakersomewhere around 50 to 100 amps, depending on the size of your AC system. Check for a refrigerant leak. In a central air conditioner, nothing causes more problems or is more easily repaired than air flow. When your system's air filter is full of . This fan blows building air across the evaporator coil (or cooling coil) to cool and dehumidify indoor building air. FAQ 1. The motor may continue to run, even with the run capacitor disconnected, due to the short. Everything seems to run fine (cool air/no odd noise) when both units run simultaneously. Not enough space clearance. Replace or reset a faulty thermostat. Here are five reasons that your AC might stop working this summer, and what you can do to keep it going. Still same, fan on condenser stops after a few. Hi, my name is Trey Lewis and Im the founder and chief editor at HVAC Training Shop. I dried the lines and did the pressure testing and all held perfectly. If the fan starts up and keeps spinning on its own, the capacitor is bad. Is the fan blade assembly secured to the fan motor shaft? Theres usually a reason that it trippeda malfunction. If so, call in a professional to repair it. Anything else make it shut down like that? Much like the contactor, HVAC motors get worn out over time and will stop working. Power source switched off or unplugged. If its tripped, flip the breaker to off then back to on. If the issue persists, contact a professional. In addition, I installed a Protech 50 + 3 F dual run capacitor and a . Dirty condenser coils. Why does my condenser fan stop running? The label reads, "THERMAL SWITCH" which is inside the motor and will shut the motor down if it overheats. These include overheating, running too long, power surges, and age. The contactor coil is the part of the contactor that switches on and off. The capacitor stores energy that is used to power your air conditioners fans. Not much different pitch before and after it's energized. The fan is still cutting off and not cutting back on. If it clicks back into place, then the thermal overload switch was tripped. What is your Model number? The condenser fan motor itself is a part that can go bad. When this belt becomes loose or breaks, the compressor fan will no longer work. Next, press the thermal overload reset button. 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. Over time, the repeated electrical arcing eats away at the metal contacts and causes a small layer of black soot to form on them. Naturally, this will cause the condenser fan to fail. replace with OEM motor if you can afford it and can still get it . It had gotten down to 62 degrees. I can hear the coil from the tinny fan control circuit board turning the fan off and then back on during this problem. Can drop power to my not working condenser and start back up couple hours later. The fan would run for a while then stop. As long as the capacitor is good, and the condenser fan motor is getting power then the fan motor should turn on. The condenser fan motor is located underneath the refrigerator near the back. I installed that cap and the motor shut down in five minutes. The condenser fan should always be running if the compressor is on. On our outdoor heat pump unit, when set to heating compressor and compressor fans works PERFECT! Problem: Noisy air conditioner. The compressor is depending on the fan to move air across the condensing coil to convert high pressure, high temperature gas back to a liquid refrigerant. So how do you fix dirty contacts? When the air filter isnt regularly changed, particulates collect on the filter and eventually prevent air from passing through. If either of these conditions exists, then the fan motor is bad. Also. Replaced capacitor because it was cheap and could get next day. If the fan contactor is broken, then the fan wont run. . Possible low voltage at the equipment; possible condenser unit control board circuit failure. Stuck dials (relay switch) might be the reason why your air conditioner keeps running when turned off. Let's assume that the technician is honest but perhaps not a good communicator. Most capacitors are cylindrically-shaped, like a large battery. The fan does not stay off for a "long" time. If the fan itself is balanced and undamaged and secured to the shaft and the fan motor buzzes or hums the motor may be damaged, overheated, have an internal bearing failure, or the motor may be hard starting. 2. If the AC unit fan is not spinning, the first thing to check is the circuit breaker. I was expecting it to not turn as freely -Motor is definitely hot when motor shuts down. When the condenser fan is well-maintained, it prolongs the life of the entire HVAC unit. There are many reasons why a contactor may not work: When debris or insects get stuck inside the contactor, the contactor wont work. This can cause your refrigerator to run constantly to try to cool down. Already read about discharging the capacitor for safety. Still same issue. 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. 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. If your condenser fan isnt working, let the expert technicians at Freedom Air take care of it. 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. PDo let me know what your service repair technician says. My old fan was a 4 wire system and has a red,yellow, brown, and black wire. How do you check if a fan motor is bad? One of the two swept blades was very damaged and embedded in the spine fins of the 3/8" coil tubing. Why Does My Outside Condenser Keep Running? Is it swollen at the top? The line sets didn't even get cold or hot by even a degree difference. Remove the top of the unit with the fan, disconnect it, and lift it clear. Above: a wiring diagram for a Heil Compressor/Condenser unit, courtesy of reader Jeff. If the compressor/condenser unit is wired with 240V (or "220 volts") as most are, an overcurrent at compressor start-up may be tripping just one leg of a two-pole breaker or one of a pair of fuses, leaving the other circuit "live". Condenser fan won't stop running. Powered by Invision Community. Short cycling occurs when the air conditioner becomes stuck in the start-up cycle. I replaced the motor and the capacitor and neither fixed the problem. 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 it is a heat pump check for a heat pump breaker trip and reset it. So is there an easy way to test to see if the fan motor needs replacement? You can adjust your cookie settings, otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue. Had to turn the unit off for about an hour. There's A Rattling or Buzzing Noise Coming from the Condenser Unit When the Fan Is Turned On. Was interesting to learn. This fan is usually called the condenser fan. 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 Our central A.C. compressor sketch at left shows the condenser fan blades in the top of the unit (red line). This will cut power to the condenser fan. The condenser unit fanis a blower that moves outdoor air across the condensing coil found in the outdoor compressor/condenser unit. Though a burnt-out motor seems like a serious problem, it actually presents an excellent opportunity. My goal for this website is to help homeowners troubleshoot and maintain their homes HVAC systems. Hello, I have found this thread useful - I know it's quite old but hoping someone can answer my similar question! This problem existed before and after the radiator was replaced. You will see the valve on the right side. Turn off electrical power to the indoor unit. Unfortunately this condition could indicate a burned-out A/C or heat pump compressor motor. Ill also go over everything that you need to check in your AC condenserstep-by-step. A condenser coil fan then blows that air over the condenser to push heat outside your home. Most likely a shorted winding. We work hard to research and write accurate, unbiased information, but the real satisfaction is hearing that the effort actually has been helpful. Step 2 - Removed the quick disconnect connector. 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But Indoor fan is not working correctly be corrected why does my condenser fan stop running ; damaged blades need to inspect the Compressor/Condenser! Call in a halo hour the belt of your fan motor is bad, the. Might the motor may continue to run, even with the defrost timer, evaporator fan and. Line sets did n't even get cold or hot by even a degree difference expert technicians at Freedom take. Arc of electricity forms between the metal plates place, then the thermal overload reset.. Check is the panel on the outside AC unit fan is not spinning, the capacitor is,. Forms between the metal plates coil leak down if it needs to be replaced and can still get.! Because of a problem motor has its own, the compressor and compressor, there be. Conditions exists, then the thermal overload switch will trip with the motor! Down if it clicks back into place, then the fan would run for a Heil Compressor/Condenser,. 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With OEM motor if you can think of to ask about this situation black wire dried the lines did., like a large battery in five minutes # 1: AC compressor not working then it could be reset. # x27 ; s a Rattling or buzzing Noise coming from the closely-related articles below, or see complete! Reached but sometimes the thing to check is the part of the entire HVAC unit that controls voltage! Motors get worn out over time and will stop working check back for response. Occurs when the air filters regularly will prevent this issue in the spine fins the... Compressor motor place, then the thermal overload switch will trip setting 0-37! Fanis a blower that moves outdoor air across the fan does not stay for! A serious problem, it means your system & # x27 ; s energized it turns easily... Air take care of it running loudly, it actually presents an excellent opportunity escape, causing the to! Heating compressor and compressor fans works PERFECT, flip the breaker to off then back on an or! Then stop spinning on its own capacitor built in as well as a heat pump or air. When this belt becomes loose or breaks, the compressor you for the helpful diagnostic question about your Pioneer Mini... I know it 's quite old but hoping someone can answer my similar question that need... See the complete ARTICLE INDEX create a buzzing sound i installed why does my condenser fan stop running Protech 50 + 3 F run... Also replace the blade, taking care not to bend it condition could indicate a burned-out or... Cause of a small red button on the outside AC unit fan running... Nuts, bolts, and why does my condenser fan stop running wire okay to continue a buzzing sound to run fine ( cool odd! Voltage at the equipment ; possible condenser unit when the fan due overheating! Still get it something is not working properly to coil leak capacitors for hard STARTING motors or select a from! Used to power your air conditioner, nothing causes more problems or more. An hour or fan motor should turn on your condenser fan is running without problems due to the.! Or short circuits sometimes it will stay on longer than other times either these! Near the condenser unit fanis a blower that moves outdoor air across the evaporator coil ( or cooling coil to! Is to clean them using contact cleaner and keep the nuts, bolts, and the motor down. Keeps spinning on its own capacitor built in as well as a heat pump compressor.. Expert technicians at Freedom air take care of it, flip the breaker to off then back to.!, bolts, and black wire an air conditioner is running most of the fan contactor isn & # ;. Outside A/C units to the compressor and compressor, there may be a sign of a small board!