A/C outside fan not running

But you notice that AMPS are not discussed at all when dealing with SEER...therefore, your arguement is pointless, and misguided.

BTW, volts in the real world are NOT a constant. You will be amazed at how often you will have 215VAC one day, and 235VAC the next..what happens then to the wattage, or amperage? :) Edison Electric of CA showed me that one...its all in how they need to fill the coffers that month...

Notice you cant make a statement on those low RLAs....figures...

Reply to
*CBHVAC*
Loading thread data ...

This is Turtle.

Now look Don't complex the fellow here with them strange words like Watts. Stay with Amps and RLA things.

TURTLE

Reply to
TURTLE

Reply to
mike92105

I hate to say it, but some of the most careless people I've seen around electricity were professional electricians and HVAC mechanics, and I've seen a few test for voltage on 480V circuits with their finger, even when they had their meter with them. The most safety conscious tended to be electronics techs who, ironically, worked almost exclusively on low voltage equipment.

Don't buy a meter that isn't UL or CSA approved, and don't trust Europe's CE mark because they'll pass almost anything (exposed jack metal close to the surface, 250V fuses for 600V).

Reply to
do_not_spam_me

Low resistance for voltage measurements isn't a problem with with items like motors, lights, and transformers only with transistors and chips and automotive exhaust oxygen sensors (ruins them). I've seen cheap analog meters rated for as little 1,000 ohms per volt (i.e., the

10V scale will give 10,000 ohms, the 50V scale 50,000 ohms), but you wouldn't want those anyway because they can be notoriously inaccurate in any case. Better analog meters are rated for at least 10,000 or 20,000 ohms/volt (lower figure for AC, higher for DC), but the worst digital meter I've seen was rated for 1 megaohm, with 10M being far more common, even among cheap models.

Still, don't use one around a gas leak.

I don't know of any meter that will do that when set to "volts," unless the voltage is so high that it arcs over internally and turns into a short.

They mean 300V AC + DC, period, even if one end of the wire is connected to the voltage source and the other end just dangles in free air.

You measure 480V only with high quality equipment rated for at least that much voltage, and you make sure that your meter probes and cables have not even the tiniest damage in the insulation, and you use only meter leads that both fit securely in their sockets and can't expose a tip if one pulls out accidentally -- that's why manufacturers went to insulator sleeves around banana jacks.

Reply to
do_not_spam_me

Better chicken out than electrically fried out. Chicken outs stay alive.

Reply to
Stormin Mormon

That's only the theoretically best possible performance.

For various reasons, the actual performance savings are typically half of what SEER figures would suggest.

There's a lot of wishful thinking when it comes to AC efficiency. Thermodynamics is unforgiving.

Reply to
Richard J Kinch

I'm curious when new 7 or 8 SEER systems were last typical. Seems like 10 has been the minimum back to the late 1980s, if not before.

Reply to
Richard J Kinch

This is Turtle.

You got me here. How do you test a 480 volt service with your fingers? Also did you go to the funeral or visit them in the hospital when they got their hand blown off. I would like to know about this one.

TURTLE

Reply to
TURTLE

This is Turtle.

Rheem made a Builders 8 SEER up to around 1991 or 1992 and the 10 seer was the super high efficent model. The 10 seer was the bottom after this time.

TURTLE

Reply to
TURTLE

Thanks for all the responses. Just to clear a point of contention. When the A/C unit is switched on, I do hear the clicking sound outside but nothing gets switched on in the outside unit. I guess thats what you guys were asking when you said whether the condenser and/or compressor were running. The only thing running is the inside blower.

I am guilty of doing what one of the posters has suggested- switching off the A/C and switching it on without giving it enough time (just couple of seconds time difference between the two). I have mistakenly done this a couple of times.

The handyman guy never showed up but he basically said that if he figured out that the compressor was the problem, he recommends replacing the entire unit rather than just the compressor. When asked the approx. price, he said "couple of hundred dollars" and won't go into specifics. Now I am thinking maybe Home Depot won't be a bad idea. At least they are reputable + hopefully I won't get fleeced + they will stand behind their work. What do you guys say ?

Reply to
Kamal

"Kamal" wrote

I say again, find a reputable licensed air conditioning contractor in your area and have your unit properly diagnosed. If you don't have any friends that have recommendations, try the yellow pages.

- Robert

Reply to
American Mechanical

Have you looked closely at the outside unit? There may be a button somewhere called "high-limit reset". Give it a push. Someday, it'll all be over....

Reply to
Tom

First, dump the idiot that you have working on the unit. Thats the simple thing right there.

Second, Home Depot is NOT a dealer. Home Depot is a third party outsourcing partner with Trane. If you want to put a few hundred EXTRA into the pockets of a company that will do nothing but contact a local Trane rep for you and have them come out to install a new unit, then go ahead...if you want to save a bit, call around and find yourself a a local, licenced, and insured company that can properly diagnose your equipment...not some jackleg wannabe handyman.

I had a call last night, Home Depot had a quote in, as did 4 other companies...said that the compressor was toast...the unit was shot...etc...

No one had diagnosed the ants in the contactor....a $45 part and a good service later, the unit was running like new... hey..its your money..you throw it at what you want..

Reply to
*CBHVAC*

Thanks for the advice everyone. Looks like I am not as "handy" as I would like to be and I will end up calling the local HVAC contractors.

Thanks again,

Kamal

p.s. The advice on Home Depot was an added bonus

Reply to
Kamal

mechanics,

Those people were "pretty sure" those circuits were dead, but I always cringed when I saw them do it. Also one of them had a habit of turning on any breaker that was off, without first asking around the job site.

Reply to
do_not_spam_me

This is Turtle.

You touch 480 volt with your finger one time and the next person you see is the Lord.

TURTLE

Reply to
TURTLE

I say try and find an AC guy who has more experience than your handyman. I'm not there to meter it, but it is very possible that your problem is as simple as a $50 contactor. Or a bad connection. Or a bad......

Reply to
Stormin Mormon

HomeOwnersHub website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.