Came home tonight and noticed the house was not cooling down. Went outside to look at the unit and noticed the fan was not turning, but there was a hum coming from the unit. Any ideas on how to avoid getting jail raped when calling someone to repair it? I'm leaning toward Hallmark, but am open to other options.
Do you remember the cost to fix it? Who did the repair. Doing a little web research (which can be dangerous) I'm hoping it's a capacitor and not the compressor.
The Hum is from your compressor which is a good sign... Now the BAD... It can be one of 3 things or a combination of.. 1. Contact Switch $5-$10 2. Capacitor $15-$45 3. Fan Motor.. $75-$125 Now Labor wise is a whole different story... Get a Wooden spoon long enough to put it through the top fins and try to help it turn with the unit kicks on... So when you hear it HUM push the Blades.. If it does start then 75% of the time it's the Capacitor that needs changing.. The other 25% it's the fan motor. *WARNING* If the blades are not turning and you leave the A/C then the compressor will be blown (Overheat).. Then your looking at a lot of $$$. Turn the unit off until you get it fixed.
I fix my own stuff.. Sort of a DIY kind of guy.. Believe me when I tell you changing the Capacitor is like changing the batteries in a remote control Car. It's so frigin EASY!! And the majority of A/C calls are Capacitors and Contact Switch problems.. I'm thinking of changing professions because it's so EASY money.. Just watch Youtube videos and they will show you how... If it is the capacitor just remember to get the right one.. Take out the old and bring it with you to the A/C parts store.
Is there a surefire way to tell if it's the capacitor? I'd love to be able to change it myself. Can they be bought at a Home Depot?
I'm sure they carry them, AC supply stores will have them for sure. Like everyone said it's most likely your problem.
If you have a multimeter there is a way to check but I don't have one of those.. Also looking at the top of the capacitor is another way. If it's flat then it's probably ok, but if it has a slight bubble then the capacitor is most likely bad. I will tell you though my capacitor had a flat top but was still bad. Nope you can't buy them in Home Depot type of stores.. I go to this place.. <iframe width="425" height="350" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" src="http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=embed&hl=en&q=A%2FC+Repair&aq=&sll=29.710792,-95.574875&sspn=0.04853,0.104713&ie=UTF8&t=h&st=115703629269948245352&rq=1&ev=p&split=1&radius=3.77&hq=A%2FC+Repair&hnear=&ll=29.720984,-95.537066&spn=0,0.104713&z=14&iwloc=A&layer=c&cbll=29.72097,-95.536986&panoid=3riT5fKFP4hQgGXAMsJW9A&cbp=12,38.37,,0,-1.64&cid=7418653097138624214&output=svembed"></iframe><br /><small><a href="http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=embed&hl=en&q=A%2FC+Repair&aq=&sll=29.710792,-95.574875&sspn=0.04853,0.104713&ie=UTF8&t=h&st=115703629269948245352&rq=1&ev=p&split=1&radius=3.77&hq=A%2FC+Repair&hnear=&ll=29.720984,-95.537066&spn=0,0.104713&z=14&iwloc=A&layer=c&cbll=29.72097,-95.536986&panoid=3riT5fKFP4hQgGXAMsJW9A&cbp=12,38.37,,0,-1.64&cid=7418653097138624214" style="color:#0000FF;text-align:left">View Larger Map</a></small>
Yeah, did a youtube search and they showed an example of what a bad one might look like. I'll check it out in the morning after a sweaty night (and not the good kind). Thanks for the quick replies.
Took the capacitor out today. Definitely looks like it might be bad...top bowed a little and there's a greasy feel around the top as well which apparently is also another sign. Now I just have to track down the part.
Good grief guys, be careful changing out capacitors. Even little ones can store plenty enough juice to kill you!
Actually Hill what rhadamanthus was trying to say and I forgot to convey, was that the capacitor even though bad can hold a significant charge to cause serious harm. Just be careful and if you have been reading the several 100+ articles on the web you probably already know that.. So did pushing the blades jump start the motor?
Now you tell me. No, didn't test the blades. All looked fine and when the capacitor did show the signs of being bad visually I took it out.
Seriously...... turning off the breaker will not discharge a capacitor. I highly recommend you read a bit and proceed with caution. EDIT: youtube has some handy vids on how to handle capacitors.
Funny...just called this guy. Started talking fast and said, "yeah, when do you need it, we got it, got plenty of people here already..."
You should not have to worry too much about the installation of a new capacitor (other than the usual precautions). But yeah, be careful with them when they have been in use - they can store charge for a long time, and lots of it.
