My Air Conditioner -- I don't think I goofed up....

[Clay Harryman]

Short version -- I ran a new wire from the blower to the compressor. My blower used to work but now it doesn't. Ideas?

Long version -- A couple of months ago, our air conditioner compressor quit working. The blower would come on, but only hot air came out. We called a professional (ARS) who showed me the problem. A

2-conductor wire that connects the blower to the compressor had a break somewhere down the line on the ground side. He said he could run it for about $300, or I could do it myself for less than $10. I chose the second route. In the meantime, he grounded the return wire to the compressor body and everything worked fine.

To be honest, I was content to leave it that way, but my wife insisted I fix it the way I was shown.

Today, I finally had the time to try to fix it. First I turned everything off at the thermostat. I got 50' of 3-conductor intercom wire from Radio Shack. If one of the conductors breaks, I have a redundancy to fall back on. It was just enough to reach from the blower to the compressor. I attached the red conductor to the red wire on the blower. I attached the green conductor to the white wire on the blower. I then went to the compressor and plugged my red wire into the wire nut that held the red wire from the original wire. Finally I connected the green conductor into the wire nut that held the white wire from the original. Got all that? I'm not sure I do.

Ok. I made sure all the connections were tight. Wire nuts outside. Butt connectors inside. Electrical tape over all the connections. (Yeah, I live in Texas. Tape does it all! :). I went to the thermostat and turned it on, now the blower won't even come on.

Any ideas on what might have happened?

Thank you, Clay Harryman [e-mail]

[American Mechanical]

Clay,

There is no guarantee that your unit is wired according to a specific color code. It sounds as if you have incorrectly wired the unit and depending on what will or won't work, may have burnt out a fuse or transformer. At this point, you should call a professional to properly wire the unit since no one here can see where the different colored wires are connected on your specific installation.

- Robert

[m Ransley]

Did you turn the power off while working on it , and running your connections. Maybe you fried something. Are you getting power everywhere. Try reseting both fuses.

[CBHVAC]

Funny how that works...doing things wrong...like taking the common and making it a ground... Just because it works, does not mean it will forever..nor that it is right. The common, unless its a grounded common in the system, should NEVER be run to ground. Thats what he did. And $300 for a stat wire? Out of his damn mind.

Or let the guy that had a clue repair it...

You get the cheap crap? What gauge is it? Thermostat leads need to be 18g or better to work right...

I keep about 600 feet of 18-4, 18-6, 18-8 and 18-10...just in case... That way we never have to worry about...just enough..

I got it, but not knowing your color code or unit, its hard to say...but you screwed up, or you have a bad transformer, or too small a gauge wire, or you pulled a connection out.. If you actually, really, honestly connected your wire to the red wire on the blower motor...well...kiss more than your transformer bye..

I know one thing....all makes of air handlers and furnaces, dont use white wires for blowers..the green lead, also called the G lead is.

No one used butt connections are thermostat wire..they come loose. Wirenut with a proper nut.

Yea...you didnt wire it right.

You also didnt give enough information for anyone to knowwhat IS right, unless YOU know what each lead does, and its clear you dont. But... At the sake of being called an ass for NOT letting you in on it, here goes...and its VERY simple.

Wire COLOR is normally the color listed below..if yours isnt, I cant help that.

R lead-Red, 24VAC C lead-Blue, or black, 24VAC common G lead-Green, fan blower relay W lead-White, HEAT lead, either for gas valve, or heating control Y lead- Yellow, COOLING lead.

Since you only had two wires going out to the condensors contactor (not the compressor) They would have been red and white normally. AT NO POINT should any of those been to ground.....like your so called pro put the one lead. One lead from the contactor will go the the C wire, and the other to the Y lead.

With me so far? IF you didnt shut off power to the furnace, or air handler, whatever you may have, the R lead is hot all the time, and should IT go to ground at ANY time, you will automatically blow a fuse, if the unit has a board with fuse protection, or you have shorted, and killed, the transformer.

The butt connectins...need to GO. No one in their right mind uses them in thermostat wiring. You use wirenuts, so that if you DO have a wire go bad, that you have to cut and reuse your 3rd wire, you dont shorten the wire..and since you claim its JUST barely making it....well...you figure out what happens if you have a bad connection in a butt connection... The electrical tape was not needed, unless you didnt trust how tight you had the wirenuts...and even then, its a waste since they are not to be messed with during the course of normal operation...this isnt 110 here..its 24 volts.

BTW...unless your original wiring went through a wall, down a stud, and was impossible to pull another wire in the same location...the normal cost around here for a standard AC only unit...that would be 18-4 wire, would be about $75, -$100....with labor, fees, and materials....

[TURTLE]

This is Turtle.

When you tell us what type system you have.We could begin to give you a answer. Until then forget a good answer.

Is it Central air Heating & Cooling , Heat Pump, Window unit, Mini-Split, Wall hanger with remote condenser, or 6 other type system sold today.

Is the wires your running control wire 24 volt service or 120 volt service or 220 volt service or what type wire are you dealing with ?

Now if it is 120 volt service to the fan and condenser unit being grounded to the compressor shell and making it work. Well this is very damgerous and should not be done.

Let us know what your dealing with and then someone may be able to answer with some good answers.

TURTLE