Ok, I'm cool with that and we can go back to being friends :)
In the hopes of helping Jan, here's a schematic I found which is apparently for the same model, but smaller.
Kind of hard to read, but if you try you can make out most of it. The part on the right is fairly easy to follow. Any thoughts?
Yes, please.
That is the 19,000 BTU version instead of 31,000, but otherwise the model number is the same (coded in the model number). I can't interpret that - maybe someone can.
I'd say then and others might agree there might be a problem with the fan/ fan control especially if the indoor temp is considerably higher than the thermostat setting. In this scenario the demand for cooling would still be high and I see no reason for condenser fan cycling on/off unless the motor has a built in thermal shutoff that is acting up. Also if the fan isn't pulling enough heat out of the refrigerant it's not going to condense enough back into liquid and your cooling will suffer. I'd get someone to have a look that services that make of unit.
I see the pressure switch for the condenser fan and under a low charge condition with a warm outdoor temp, the condenser fan may go on and off. The way a low ambient control,(the pressure switch) the symbol that looks like a little bell is hung under a slash labeled "LAC", works is the pressure in the condenser drops when the fan runs during cold weather which will cause the pressure switch to open the circuit turning the condenser fan off. When the pressure builds back up, the fan comes back on. This ensures a pressure differential at the metering device at the evaporator so the unit will operate properly. If you understand this cycle, GROK what will happen during warm weather when the Freon charge is low. The pressure switch is open because of low pressure caused by low refrigerant and then builds as the compressor runs until it becomes high enough to trip the pressure switch turning the condenser fan on. The running fan causes the high side pressure to drop thus tripping the pressure switch off which in turn cuts power to the condenser fan and the cycle starts again. So you see, the fan will cycle when pressure drops in cold weather or when the pressure increases with a low Freon charge during warm weather. I hope I explained it well enough.
TDD
When it is doing it, the fan motor runs for about 40 seconds then off for about 15 seconds, etc. The compressor is on all of that time.
If it does this in warm weather, it could be an indication that the unit is low on Freon because of the way the LAC pressure switch works. :-)
TDD
I'm going to try to get A/C maint to come next week.
That's cool (no pun) so let us know what they find. :-)
TDD
I have a repairman coming tomorrow (Tuesday). Talking to him on the phone, he suspects the defrost sensor (defrost indicator?)
The problem was the defrost unit (defrost indicator, defrost sensor, whatever it is called). He had one of these on hand but used it recently and had not received the replacement yet. So for the time being he bypassed it, waiting for the part to come in.
Yes, and thank you all.
I think this was the cause of the problem that I had two years ago when it was putting out hot air (not just room temp). Another repair place came out 5 times, replaced several things, and never seemed to get to the heart of it. I disconnected the heat strips at the thermostat and at least that kept it from putting out hot air.
This guy said that it sounded like the defrost thing over the phone, and he went right to it. I lowered the thermostat to make it come on, it started that cycling, and with his electrical meter after two cycles he said "that's it".
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