Hello all. I'll try to make this brief, but I doubt such a thing is possible.
I have a Whirlpool 24,000 BTU window unit that cools my whole house. I've had it for a couple of years, and it's worked brilliantly up until now. About a month ago, it started blowing fuses; it's an old house, still have old electrical system, fuse boxes, etc. At the time, the temp outside was mid-80's, so it's not like it was having to work overtime to cool things down. Anyway, I replaced the fuse, and about a week later, same thing happened. The problem escalated over the next two weeks, finally had to call a repairman.
He checked it out, said he couldn't find anything wrong with it either mechanically or electrically--the unit has its own 20 amp circuit, and at peak operating time was only drawing maybe 12 amps. Thought that the unit was having to come off/on too frequently, that might be the cause. He suggested I switch to power-saving mode, where the fan stays off until the compressor kicks in--in PS mode, compressor doesn't alternate quite as often. If all else fails, he suggested I have them install a "hard start device."
Unfortunately, PS mode is not an option; when the unit runs, it's loud, but it's white noise, so I get used to it being on. Having the fan alternate, especially at night, wouldn't work because the silence wakes me up (plus I'd stay awake, wondering if the unit was working still or had blown a fuse). That, and I've found that when the unit is off, bugs find their way into my house (another issue).
My only solution thus far has been to bump up the thermostat, which has worked for a couple of lukewarm weeks. But now it appears my cranky AC doesn't like that, either.
What do I do now? Do I call him back, have him install the hard start device? Could the problem be electrical, and if so, do I call an electrician? Or should I just empty my bank account and throw cash at the unit until it starts behaving again, like every other bleeding thing in this house?
Any/all advice is appreciated. Thank you for your time.