Paging any HVAC knowledgeable folks

[2kwik4u]

Having some HVAC issues at the house and need some help.

About 6 times now I've had to "reset" my air conditioner. Basically I realize it hasn't run in awhile or seems absurdly warm in the house and I go check the temp. Set to 71, and usually it's around 75-77 when I notice. I turn the thermostat to off. Then go and turn off the breakers on the unit. Then turn off the breakers in the house panel. Wait 5 min. Turn on the house breakers, turn on the unit breakers, and turn the thermostat back to cool. Wait about 2 min and it kicks back on. Once running again it will go for 3-5 days before it does it again.

Things I've checked.

• Filter is clean and fresh.
• Vents in basement are mostly closed
• Vents upstairs are mostly open
• Condensate overflow switch is operational, and drain is clear
• Return air ducts have been cleaned (as far as my shop vac and lint lizard can reach anyway)
• Outdoor portion (condenser?) is clean and clear of debris. Insulation around the line looks a little chewed up, but not terrible. Electric disconnect out there is clean and working as intended.

Today was the hottest day of the year so far in Louisville. High of 97. It was working great when I got home. Went in the basement at 7 for a Zoom meeting, came back up at 8 and it was kicked off and hot. Did the reset, and it's back to cooling again.

I've called the company that installed it (left a sticker on the unit), but they aren't calling back. I don't mind paying someone to come look at it and check it out.

Hoping someone here has some insight. Any thoughts?

 

[mark_m]

Having some HVAC issues at the house and need some help.

About 6 times now I've had to "reset" my air conditioner. Basically I realize it hasn't run in awhile or seems absurdly warm in the house and I go check the temp. Set to 71, and usually it's around 75-77 when I notice. I turn the thermostat to off. Then go and turn off the breakers on the unit. Then turn off the breakers in the house panel. Wait 5 min. Turn on the house breakers, turn on the unit breakers, and turn the thermostat back to cool. Wait about 2 min and it kicks back on. Once running again it will go for 3-5 days before it does it again.

Things I've checked.

• Filter is clean and fresh.
• Vents in basement are mostly closed
• Vents upstairs are mostly open
• Condensate overflow switch is operational, and drain is clear
• Return air ducts have been cleaned (as far as my shop vac and lint lizard can reach anyway)
• Outdoor portion (condenser?) is clean and clear of debris. Insulation around the line looks a little chewed up, but not terrible. Electric disconnect out there is clean and working as intended.

Today was the hottest day of the year so far in Louisville. High of 97. It was working great when I got home. Went in the basement at 7 for a Zoom meeting, came back up at 8 and it was kicked off and hot. Did the reset, and it's back to cooling again.

I've called the company that installed it (left a sticker on the unit), but they aren't calling back. I don't mind paying someone to come look at it and check it out.

Hoping someone here has some insight. Any thoughts?

Check the capacitor that kicks on the compressor outside . You might be on the verge of it failing.

 

[FSH 210 Sport]

How old is the unit?

Based on my limited knowledge it sounds like the refrigerant could be low, there are low pressure cut off switches and it is possible that the refrigerant is just low enough that after a while it causes it to shut off.

Or, your thermostat could be bad. Do you have a WiFi thermostat? Are there batteries in the thermostat?

See if you can get an AC person to come over and check the refrigerant and or charge the unit.

 

[FSH 210 Sport]

Check the capacitor that kicks on the compressor outside . You might be on the verge of it failing.

My friend just had the capacitor go bad on the condenser fan which in turn took out the fan motor.

 

[mark_m]

My friend just had the capacitor go bad on the condenser fan which in turn took out the fan motor.

Yep. I caught the failure of the flux capacitor before it killed the fan for our unit. It’s running a little low on coolant, I’m trying to limp along.

 

[2kwik4u]

Thanks for the tips. @FSH 210 Sport and @mark_m

I'll google up how to check the capacitor.

Thermostat has new batteries, and is just a 5/2 programmable unit. We don't even use the programming, just pick a temp and press hold. I've literally gone over a year before without touching it. Set on 70 usually.

Unit was installed when the house was built. We moved in November of 2015. We're the only owners. Change the filter monthly as best we can remember to.

 

[mark_m]

Having some HVAC issues at the house and need some help.

About 6 times now I've had to "reset" my air conditioner. Basically I realize it hasn't run in awhile or seems absurdly warm in the house and I go check the temp. Set to 71, and usually it's around 75-77 when I notice. I turn the thermostat to off. Then go and turn off the breakers on the unit. Then turn off the breakers in the house panel. Wait 5 min. Turn on the house breakers, turn on the unit breakers, and turn the thermostat back to cool. Wait about 2 min and it kicks back on. Once running again it will go for 3-5 days before it does it again.

Things I've checked.

• Filter is clean and fresh.
• Vents in basement are mostly closed
• Vents upstairs are mostly open
• Condensate overflow switch is operational, and drain is clear
• Return air ducts have been cleaned (as far as my shop vac and lint lizard can reach anyway)
• Outdoor portion (condenser?) is clean and clear of debris. Insulation around the line looks a little chewed up, but not terrible. Electric disconnect out there is clean and working as intended.

Today was the hottest day of the year so far in Louisville. High of 97. It was working great when I got home. Went in the basement at 7 for a Zoom meeting, came back up at 8 and it was kicked off and hot. Did the reset, and it's back to cooling again.

I've called the company that installed it (left a sticker on the unit), but they aren't calling back. I don't mind paying someone to come look at it and check it out.

Hoping someone here has some insight. Any thoughts?

You could also take off the panel above(?) the heat exchanger for your furnace and check out the coils and see if things need to be vacuumed out. Could be junk there that is interfering with the efficiency there too. Make sure the condensation can drain out of the pan and exit the system. I had a situation where it was overflowing and it caused me to replace the (gas) venting motor.

off topic: have a spare igniter and flame sensor. Those items and the capacitor (and the refrigerant) seem to be the consumables in the system. Check your furnace panel and see if it’s throwing any “blinking” led light codes at you.

 

[FSH 210 Sport]

Thanks for the tips. @FSH 210 Sport and @mark_m

I'll google up how to check the capacitor.

Thermostat has new batteries, and is just a 5/2 programmable unit. We don't even use the programming, just pick a temp and press hold. I've literally gone over a year before without touching it. Set on 70 usually.

Unit was installed when the house was built. We moved in November of 2015. We're the only owners. Change the filter monthly as best we can remember to.

Have a look at the capacitor, if it looks swollen or misshapeNed it is probably bad or on its way out.

During the summer I used to hose off the condenser coils with a hose once a week.

 

[Acard7]

We just had an issue with our AC a couple weeks ago.. We bought it a year ago so obviously still under warranty. Did my own basic checks with no success so we had the HVAC guy come over. Ended up being a loose wire in the exterior unit which then fried part of the motherboard on the condenser. The good news was that part of the motherboard was more of the efficiency side so he was able to unhook it until he got the replacement part so we had AC but it wasn’t very efficient with the refrigerant pressures or however the hell it works lol. If that’s what could possibly be wrong with yours then it would probably just cost you a service call for the HVAC tech to come fix but who knows with every system.. Good luck and hopefully you get it fixed soon!

 

[mark_m]

Have a look at the capacitor, if it looks swollen or misshapeNed it is probably bad or on its way out.

During the summer I used to hose off the condenser coils with a hose once a week.

Yep. Just be careful and turn off your power to the compressor and discharge the capacitor before you disconnect it. Use an insulated screwdriver and short the leads.

I just watched a hilarious guide to how to replace your ac capacitor on YouTube.

 

[AZMark]

I have this exact same issue. AC is from 2014 and a couple times per year it does that where everything but the compressor motor itself is running. The compressor won’t even try to start, just clicks once on startup & then nothing.
I’ve had several ac companies out, they tell me everything looks fine and they can’t duplicate it. One charged me a couple hundred dollars to change the capacitor 2 years ago. Last time the problem happened was about a month ago and I opened up the condenser panel and looked at the capacitor - it’s dripping fluid & labeled 2014 so I’m pretty certain the AC company that was supposed to change it screwed me. I purchased a new one locally myself for about $40 but I haven’t had the problem again yet so haven’t swapped it out. It seems very simple - the place I bought it said a regular plastic handled screwdriver will be fine for discharging the old one and that I wouldn’t need an insulated one. I’ll wear a rubber glove too to be safe.

 

[FSH 210 Sport]

I have this exact same issue. AC is from 2014 and a couple times per year it does that where everything but the compressor motor itself is running. The compressor won’t even try to start, just clicks once on startup & then nothing.
I’ve had several ac companies out, they tell me everything looks fine and they can’t duplicate it. One charged me a couple hundred dollars to change the capacitor 2 years ago. Last time the problem happened was about a month ago and I opened up the condenser panel and looked at the capacitor - it’s dripping fluid & labeled 2014 so I’m pretty certain the AC company that was supposed to change it screwed me. I purchased a new one locally myself for about $40 but I haven’t had the problem again yet so haven’t swapped it out. It seems very simple - the place I bought it said a regular plastic handled screwdriver will be fine for discharging the old one and that I wouldn’t need an insulated one. I’ll wear a rubber glove too to be safe.

@AZMark a friendly suggestion.. change out that capacitor as soon as you can. If it fails the compressor will follow suit in short order.

 

[Ajdouts]

Along with the capacitor. Check your air filter if it's dirty the outdoor unit will turn off due to frost issues.

 

[seanmclean]

Another vote for the capacitor, I think your power cycling is probably just discharging it and then it works for a while. Caps are super cheap and easy to replace, but most HVAC companies will charge you a couple hundred bucks for it. I waited too long on mine and it ended up killing the fan motor, so I changed both at the same time. Pretty sure I ordered everything from grainger so I'd have it the next day.

 

[2kwik4u]

Along with the capacitor. Check your air filter if it's dirty the outdoor unit will turn off due to frost issues.

I'll check the capacitor tonight. Filter is about 4 days old at this point.

Once I cleaned the vents, shut off the basement, and changed the filter the "reset" procedure would last a few days. Before it was a few hours.

Another vote for the capacitor, I think your power cycling is probably just discharging it and then it works for a while. Caps are super cheap and easy to replace, but most HVAC companies will charge you a couple hundred bucks for it. I waited too long on mine and it ended up killing the fan motor, so I changed both at the same time. Pretty sure I ordered everything from grainger so I'd have it the next day.

Sounds like the capacitor is the culprit. Lots of people mentioning that. Youtube videos show it being pretty easy to check/address. I'll inspect tonight, and most likely just order another one and replace it. Looks like they're under $50, and that's a cheap part to try.

 

[jeffrt]

Not a house unit, but just had this exact issue with the unit at my work. It was the capacitor. All good now.

 

[anmut]

Capacitor x 100.

 

[drewkaree]

Have you tried hitting it, like the old TV's that were having picture problems?

I know it won't help in the least to get it started, I'm just looking for things that'll help YOU!

 

[Murf'n'surf]

Have you pulled the panel off of your air handler to see if the main board has an LED code flasher? If so, the code chart should be on the panel or easily found online.