no AC

[mm]

I finally turned on my AC this morning and it doesn't seem cold.

Checking the compressor outside, all quiet and nothing is happening. There is a breaker there so I turn it off.

Then I turn it on and it clicks and the fan barely starts and coasts to a stop after half a revolution. Turn it off and on and again, it clicks and coasts to a stop after a half a revolution. No other sounds.

Any suggestions? The contactor?

I wouldn't ask for help at this stage, but it is so hot out there.

[gfretwell]

Sounds moe like a siezed up compressor or a bad start capacitor.It may be time to call the HVAC guy

[Tom The Great]

If it was my AC unit, I would check the presures.

I'm guessing, that there is a leak, and your system dropped enough to cause the low pressure switch prevent the compressor(and whole system) from operating. Dont' keep 'trying', get a qualified person to check your system. Use the BBB to find if a contractor has a bad rep. Kindof tired of hearing customers complaining about getting robbed, and there were warnings about 'em on the BBB site.

hth, imho,

tom @

[mm]

OK, thanks to you and gfretwell. I'll try to let you know what the actual problem is.

[Arclight]

[Tom The Great]

Thank you, and I mean that seriously.

Many people post questions about something perceived wrong, but never post a followup so we can hear what the actual problem was, or its solution.

later,

tom

[mm]

Well, I'm not positive what the answer is. But I guess it is the power company that had remotely disconnected my compressor. I'd forgotten about that possibility. Hmmm. Maybe the fan starts to spin because the radio receiver isn't entergized until the AC control board calls for cooling, and it takes a split second after the power comes on before the radio-controlled unit turns off the fan. Maybe the click I heard was the contactor making and breaking (although in my amateur opinion, I only heard the first half.)

I waited two hours yesterday before posting my problem, and air was coming out of the registers but it wasn't cold and the compressor wasn't running outside. After I posted I remember that I had signed up for this plan. I tried to find out if the power company had turned off my compressor.

I had signed up for a plan where the power company has radio control of my compressor, but afaik they hadn't done this for years and nothing reminded me and it seemed like they hadn't done so yesterday. They used to announce this on the broadcast radio when they were doing this sort of thing, and it wasn't on the website either (though their website is nothing to brag about.) I also thought they had said they would only turn off the AC for an hour at a time, but maybe it was 2 hours. I tried to call them but the phone book next to my computer is, I see, 6 years old, and the numbers were disconnected!

But at 3 1/2 hours I was outside again and the compressor was running. Even at midnight, 11 hours later, it wasn't that cool here, it was 99 degrees yesterday, and the house was 88 inside two days ago. And today it is fine inside...well 76 (and the thermostat downstairs is set at 72) but it seems cooler than that. Well today it is only 87 and I really should turn off the AC and open the windows. Maybe tomorrow. At least I learned that the AC still works, and I won't expect them to announce this like they used to.

[JimL]

I signed up for the plan too. Mine quit working and I found the receiver box was full of rainwater. I didn't tell them, but I disconnected the box control and hooked the unit back up bypassing it.