HVAC Guys

[zzmoore]

Our AC was working fine until 3PM yesterday. Now when I turn it on. I hear a clicking noise from the outside AC unit. The fan in the house comes on, and blows air through the vents, but the AC unit does not produce any cool air.
The unit is about 6-7 years old, and has a PG&E smart meter controlling it. I have contacted PG&E, and I am waiting for one of their techs to get hold of me.
Anything I can do.? I do not see a breaker in our panel that is marked AC. There is a fuse box outside at the AC unit. It has a little pull bar on it. I pulled those fuses and checked them. They seem fine at 0.80 Ohms.
Is it possible the smart meter is not allowing my unit to power up, and that is why I hear the clicking.? Or is it more likely I just have a problem with my AC that needs a HVAC guy to take a look at it.?
Thank You

[scottlr]

How long has it been since you changed the filter? Ours was not cool much at all. Called the HVAC guy that installed it, and all he did was replace the filter and voila, AC again.

[ACfixer]

If you are hearing a "click" at the outside unit and nothing else happens, you have an issue with the "line voltage" ie; fuse or breaker or perhaps a bad contactor. Why the fuse or breaker may have tripped is another story.

Good luck, gotta run 105 here today. First customer is hearing a "click" at the outside unit. ;)

[zzmoore]

If you are hearing a "click" at the outside unit and nothing else happens, you have an issue with the "line voltage" ie; fuse or breaker or perhaps a bad contactor. Why the fuse or breaker may have tripped is another story.

Good luck, gotta run 105 here today. First customer is hearing a "click" at the outside unit. ;)
I am thinking there is a problem with the smart meter, which can shut the AC off at peak times.
I did not trip a breaker, I was looking for a breaker to see if I could "reset" something. I do not see a breaker in our panel that is for the AC. I only see the box outside with the giant, copper, fuses in it. As I said, the fuses measure fine.
Guess I just have to wait for PG&E to call me on the "Hottest Day" of the year.

[Gitarman]

If you're hearing a clicking noise from the 'outside' unit (condenser), it could be as simple as a stuck/ failed relay. Also, don't rule out a tripped breaker just yet; there's usually a dedicated one near the condenser itself in addition to your regular panel.

[rob2001]

I am thinking there is a problem with the smart meter, which can shut the AC off at peak times.
I did not trip a breaker, I was looking for a breaker to see if I could "reset" something. I do not see a breaker in our panel that is for the AC. I only see the box outside with the giant, copper, fuses in it. As I said, the fuses measure fine.
Guess I just have to wait for PG&E to call me on the "Hottest Day" of the year.

Well, there has to be a breaker on the inside panel somewhere, but if you don't see any that are tripped then i'd suspect it might be something to do with the smart meter. Is there a secondary panel anywhere besides the one outside? Sometimes a sidecar panel is installed if there isn't enough room on the main panel. Can you trace the line?

[randombastage]

Check line voltage at the contactor to see if it is a voltage supply problem. If you have 208/230 volts then see if the armature of the contactor is pulled in. If you have voltage passing through the contactor I'm betting you have a bad dual capacitor...the condensor fan quits and overheats because of the capacitor failure and then the compressor either fails to start due to the capacitor being bad on it's part of the cicuit or it overheats from running without the condenser fan and shuts off on thermal overload.

capacitor failure is probably tied for the number one nuisance call this time of year.

if you have line voltage but the contactor isn't pulled in then my bet is condensate float switch holding control voltage off due to clogged drain backing up tripping the float switch. Look for water in auxiliary pan. Some guys wire the float to only interrupt the call to the contactor instead of all low voltage calls...dumb...

[playsarobin]

Our's did something VERY similar at our rent house a few years back. Contact went out and wouldn't engage the voltage to the unit itself. Didn't know this until our buddy (HVAC guy) swung by and checked it out.

[edwarddavis]

Don't be offended but for you safety and the units safety call somebody who knows what their
Looking at. If I could I would but I am too far. Remember the guy who got his arm stuck in the boiler.
Now call a Hvac company

[Blues Power]

the breaker aint too hard to miss. its going to be one of the big ones that say 30 or 40 amps and it will be tied together with a black clip. (if it was done right)

just go to the panel and mannualy trun it on and off even if it looks like its not tripped hit it any way, youll be surprissed sometimes that the power will come back on.

[zzmoore]

the breaker aint too hard to miss. its going to be one of the big ones that say 30 or 40 amps and it will be tied together with a black clip. (if it was done right)

just go to the panel and mannualy trun it on and off even if it looks like its not tripped hit it any way, youll be surprissed sometimes that the power will come back on.
I could not find the breaker because it was outside at the main shut-off. Reset the breaker and there is a faint buzzing at the motor and then nothing.
Seems like I have a bad motor, or bad cap.? According to PGE, everything else is working properly. The cap "looks" fine, I wonder if it is just the motor that is a gonner. My kid just started Wyotech HVAC school. I am going to have him ask his teacher about getting us a motor/cap.....and the cost.
Thanks

[jyantzer]

randombastage knows of what he speaks. Trust his diagnosis. How do I know? My brothers:

http://www.yantzerbrothersair.com/

[FFTT]

The capacitor failed on my unit last year on a 100 degree day.
Very affordable and as long as you are cautious handling the capacitor,
it is not something you can't do with a generic replacement.

It's about the size of an energy drink can and if yours is gone, you'll
notice the top is bulged out like a ruptured soda can top.

I also found out my outside unit coils were suffocating from
a build up of pet hair, grass clippings, dust, pollen etc., all stuck to the coils which
was bogging down the outside unit.

[Dickie Fredericks]

Im starting at the contactor.

[RCM78]

OK, so here's the series of events as I see them from my keyboard.

Dual cap goes bad, condenser fan shuts off, compressor continues to run overheating the compressor and tripping breaker. Homeowner calls utility that installed peak load device, they say everything is OK... Obviously they're wrong. BTW, have the peak load device removed!!! They suck!!!

Have your son replace the dual capacitor with one of the EXACT same ratings. 208/230 motors can survive a cap failure just fine. Caps go bad all the time.

My suggestion is based on the compressor continuing to run, which tells me the contactor is fine (unless you have a Trane or American Standard, they wire the contactor differently). If nothing runs, and you still hear the click outside when the indoor unit turns on I'd look at the contactor...

[zzmoore]

I removed the fan motor and the capacitor. Gave them to my kid to take to school. The cap says 5 Mics. My DMM measures .683 nF.
Maybe there is thermal protection on either or both the cap and motor.?
I don't know. Hopefully my kids teacher can diagnose it from here.
Thanks

[Aaron Smith]

I removed the fan motor and the capacitor. Gave them to my kid to take to school. The cap says 5 Mics. My DMM measures .683 nF.
Maybe there is thermal protection on either or both the cap and motor.?
I don't know. Hopefully my kids teacher can diagnose it from here.
Thanks

Ummm... you do know that capacitors can kill people if they're not properly discharged, right?

I think you've gotten good advice about the capacitor being the issue. I think you've gotten bad advice to do it yourself if you're handing out heat pump capacitors to children to take to school. There's a reason you can't just go down to Lowe's and buy those things...

[zzmoore]

The meter said there was no voltage across the cap, is it dangerous.?