A/C question // Residential condenser unit [SOLVED]

[KnowAir]

And fire ants are attracted to the current & the copper in the relays. GOOGLE:ants attrached to copper relays ac
''People also ask
Why are ants attracted to my AC unit?
In some cases, ants may use the outdoor components of an HVAC system as a way to invade a home, as they're often attracted to electrical currents. This sort of invasion is more than a simple nuisance—it can cause the entire HVAC system to stop working if too many dead ants accumulate in the outdoor components.''

Suicidal ants?! That's how "bad" things are getting.. LOL

 

[Tex Koder]

Rained for most of the day yesterday so I Didn't want to go messing around with the A/C unit..


Today the weather was better & clear..
After digging around the wires, I found this...

I have no idea how that happened and for how long it was like that..

Ran to Lowe's right quick and got a variety pack of wing twisty caps..

Got it buttoned up.

While I'm at it.. removed the old cap for a better look..

Other than some slight rust on the surface, it looked fine.
(since I just replaced it back in Sept 2020)

I decided to just go ahead and get another one.

 

[332_RC]

You may have found the issue! Cool. Well I hope so! Cooling AC!

 

[Tex Koder]

This time I'm going to be a bit more proactive and give this cap a few coats of paint on top to prevent rusts from developing so easily..

 

[Tex Koder]

I had a similar issue three times on the home I rented for ten years: it turns out each time the capacitor was bad. The capacitor starts the motor on the compressor, and if the capacitor is bad, the compressor won't start. The bad capacitors didn't physically look bad, but when the HVAC guy tested them they were bad. New capacitors solved the issue three times.

I would place a vote for the capacitor as well. I have done this a few times over the years and it fixed the problem all until the very end of the unit. My death blow ended up being the coils in the unit in the attic (just like yours) had rust that caused a freon leak & caused those coils to leak. Unit was so old we could not purchase replacement coils. I won't go into the details of the niagra falls of water when the coils decided to defrost....

For my unit, the capacitor was only like $75. I was willing to roll the dice & try that before a service call, much cheaper. One time our downstairs unit went out in the middle of the summer while I was gone for a work trip. My wife called a service person to come out. Ended up being the capacitor & they charged like $300 to replace, which as you know from taking it apart is a super simple job.

Got the new capacitor installed and the A/C fired right up and have been humming along like normal for the past couple of hours.

You guys were right about it being the cap.

The old one looked "fine" - No mushroom top, no leaks, no cracks,etc.
and allowed the fan in the condenser to kick on like normal..
But obviously there was some sort of failure in it to not start the compressor.


House is now a cool 70°.
So, my girls are Happy and wife is pleased..
All is well.

Thank you to everyone who gave feedback and insight into A/C symptoms and solutions.
Definitely helped.

 

[KnowAir]

Get'R Done Tex!

 

[LibertyMKiii]

That is great @Tex Koder and you got it all fixed for around $20

 

[Tex Koder]

Get'R Done Tex!

That is great @Tex Koder and you got it all fixed for around $20

Yes sir.
Guess That's about the actual DIY cost -to get the Condenser back up and running - Properly.
(if you want to add in the price of gas and a can of Clear paint, which I already had anyways.)

Not bad at all.


Pics of everything installed, system turned on & running, cover put back on -from yesterday.

 

[LibertyMKiii]

Yes sir.
Guess That's about the actual DIY cost -to get the Condenser back up and running - Properly.
(if you want to add in the price of gas and a can of Clear paint, which I already had anyways.)

Not bad at all.


Pics of everything installed, system turned on & running, cover put back on -from yesterday.

View attachment 360463

View attachment 360468

View attachment 360469

View attachment 360464

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Nothing stops a TRANE

 

[Tex Koder]

Nothing stops a TRANE

Except for some moisture that leads to rust on top of the capacitor... Then everything stops.

 

[gv21]

This is like AC porn for the HVAC guys.

Glad you got it all sorted out @Tex Koder

 

[Tex Koder]

This is like AC porn for the HVAC guys.

Glad you got it all sorted out @Tex Koder

My wife was so Happy when she saw me put my dirty hands on that Only Fan and got her to work..