Problems with air conditioner

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I have 3 year old Goodman air conditioner. One ton. It is used for a bonus room. Went upstairs for the first time in a few days. It was very hot. Air was blowing through vents but not cold. The condenser outside was kind of buzzing but the fan was not turning. Eventually finally the buzzing went off. With a screwdriver I was able to turn the fan blades very easily. Could this be the fan motor? I have a multimeter and know how to use it. Is there a way to diagnose this problem myself. I have two kids and money is tight right now. I saw no obvious leaks. I have a leak checker but it will be the morning before I can. But wouldnt it be making no noise and shut off if it was out of refrigerent? My guess was the fan is not working and it caused the unit to kick off as a safety measure and that the "buzzing" i heard was the bad fan motor but I dont know. I have not worked with home air conditioners too much just cars. Any help is appreciated!

Reply to
stryped
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Might be the capacitor.

Reply to
Mike

Sounds like the starting cap on the fan motor gone away. Hopefully, when the buzzing went away, the motor didn't leave with it. Try the cap. Respectfully, Ron Moore

Reply to
Ron Moore

Yea..you got a problem alright....

goodman didnt make, nor do they make, a one ton AC unit.

yea....its out of refrigerant..yea..thats it..thats why the FAN quit..damn...how f****ng simple is that?

Reply to
aka-SBM

Problem with your fan motor. Some have start and run capacitors. Some only have a run capacitor (ie. permanent split capacitor motor). I had the same problem with my home a/c 2 years ago. I ordered my motor from arnoldservice.com (no affiliation, just a satisfied customer).

Reply to
AL

Which part was very hot? The outside part, or the indoor part?

That's because it was very hot.

Could what be the fan motor? You just said you were turning the fan blades with a screwdriver. A screwdriver is not a fan motor. It's used for turning screws, not fan blades. A fan motor is what turns fan blades.

What kind of leak were you looking for? If you are trying to say that it's not cooling, then likely, you won't see condensate leaking. If on the other hand, you were trying to see a refrigerant leak, you won't see that either. As far as having a multimeter, and a leak checker (and that could mean anything from this

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on up to
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) what difference will that make for you? If there's an electrical issue, someone will need to come fix it for you. If you think you found a leak, you can't fix that either. If you didn't need to go in the bonus room for several days, it can probably wait until you can get someone to come figure out what's up.

A home air conditioner is not the same as a car (or a car air conditioner, for that matter). A car is not going to electrocute you. In a car, you are dealing with 12 volts, and maybe 30,000 volts pulsed. Get your fingers in the wrong place, and it WILL knock you on your ass - the injuries come after the shock, not from it. Home AC, 240 volts, all in the open. It won't knock you back. It will grab you, and hold you. As for your theory of shutting off with no refrigerant, remember, you said Goodman. Cars are required to have high and low pressure cutoffs because of safety issues. Goodman probably isn't gonna have that. The consequences of burning up a home AC compressor are not the same as putting chunks of car AC compressor through the hood at highway speeds.

Safety lesson over.

Aside from anything else, you have not even begun to provide any information (and don't bother, just call someone to see if anything is wrong) that would allow someone to take a guess as to what the problem might be. Well not quite enough (start and run in one.... never mind) We don't know if this thing is split or package.

One other thing...... try replacing the thermostat.

Reply to
Mo Hoaner

Reply to
stryped

Look for bulges in the housing, or visible leaks (mineral oil if new, PCB's if old). They do sell capacitor testers, but they are very expensive. If in doubt, replace. Capacitors are cheap.

Reply to
AL

Goodman doesn't make a 1 ton split..... but you can make me a liar by posting the model and serial numbers The buzzing went off when something else tripped or burnt up so by not turning it off immediately, you have compounded your problem(s). Hopefully you didn't fry the fan motor or the compressor with your screwing around. If the motor and compressor are ok, it will be a simple, inexpensive repair. Your problem has *NOTHING* to do with the refrigerant system, and has everything to do with Goodman being the cheapest made POS around. There is no comparison between a car a/c and a home comfort system. I have a couple of customers that still haven't learned that what might work on a car a/c will destroy a home comfort system.

*Most* competent HVAC techs will immediately know exactly what your problem is and have the parts on the truck.

FWIW, poor mouthing won't work... nobody cut me any slack when I had 2 households (one with child support), and a business to support.

Reply to
Noon-Air

Grab it with the power applied.

Reply to
Al Moran

So why did she leave you? She couldnt stand your bad attitude or the drinking and beatings?

And yet you went and started another family you couldnt afford.

Way to go Ace.

Gunner

The aim of untold millions is to be free to do exactly as they choose and for someone else to pay when things go wrong.

In the past few decades, a peculiar and distinctive psychology has emerged in England. Gone are the civility, sturdy independence, and admirable stoicism that carried the English through the war years . It has been replaced by a constant whine of excuses, complaints, and special pleading. The collapse of the British character has been as swift and complete as the collapse of British power.

Theodore Dalrymple,

Reply to
Gunner

Probably a bad fan capacitor. Goodman is noted for bad caps. Just replace it, and be happy. Replace both of htem to be sure. Compressor caps go bad, also.

Reply to
Stormin Mormon

Quoting: "Could this be the fan motor? I have a multimeter and know how to use it. Is there a way to diagnose this problem myself."

Use the ohms scale. Spotting an obvious open or short isn't all that complicated. Some VOM also have a scale for farads.

Reply to
Stormin Mormon

Sure, take the cover off and see if there is voltage on the fan motor terminals.

That buzzing, does it seem like the compressor is running?

Poke around with a multimeter and you will likely have your answer soon.

If you have a clamp on ammeter, you can try to find out how much current g goping through the wires, that would also help answer a question whether the compressor pump is running.

Be careful, but not fearful.

i

Reply to
Ignoramus18860

Replace *BOTH* of them??? ROFLMAO

Reply to
Noon-Air

Hey. He's not in a profit situation; he wants a reliable unit. If one cap has failed, the other is probably drying out, and might need replacement soon. They are inexpensive, compared to the effort and time of pulling the unit apart. Why NOT change both while you have it apart?

The only thing I'm confused over concerning this post was the size of the unit vs its configuration. It's only a one ton unit, but it's a split (not window unit). I'm not familiar with your locale, so this may be geographical bias. But the smallest unit we can buy around here (Florida) in split configuration is a two-ton.

Condenser fans are prone to failure for a number of reasons -- often motor installers (even the original manufacturers) will forget to take out the weep plugs, and they corrode from accumulated rain water. But usually if anything else but the cap goes bad, the shaft will get sticky or seize. The outside fan relay might also be bad -- or one of the crimps on wiring from the control board to the motor, or from the motor to the cap(s).

LLoyd

Reply to
Lloyd E. Sponenburgh

If it's not a window unit, it's a split?? I still don't get what a split is.

There's a compressor just like mine in the trash right now. 27 years old. Should I go to the trouble to take out the condensor, the fan motor, the "contactor" or anything else? Normally I would just do so, but it's alreay about 98 degrees and I don't feel like it.

Reply to
mm

Replace it.

Reply to
B-Hate-Me

Oh man! I've got tears coming down my eyes.

Damm, the internet (I invented it) is f****ng funny.

This mormun is a hoot!

Reply to
B-Hate-Me

Gooman's don't have 'start caps' on the fan motor..

Reply to
HeatMan

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