Oh, sweet A/C...please never leave me again

[Adam]

Your breaker is not taking the turn on current. Have your electrician install a delayed break, breaker, yes they do make them. I had to put one in my studio, as the breaker to the amps driving the left and right mains would trip a standard breaker on turn on.

TLS, do you think that his run capacitor(s) might be undersized? My impression (which could be wrong) is that they are supposed to limit the current coming from the main electrical feed while still supplying a higher turn on current to the compressor and fan. Just a thought on something that could be checked, although I'd be surprised if the installers put in caps that were undersized.

 

[chadnliz]

Wow I am glad you got it taken care of, thats insane heat!
2 weeks ago in Ohio the temps spiked to 95 for a few days in a row sorta catching us off guard as the week before we had frost at night, usually we install by July 4th. With a disability and the fact we use window units because our home is heated with water I was without AC for 2 days before friends could get over to help me out so I understand exactly what you went through, glad to hear you got it all fixed! The only unit I have not had installed yet is in the home theater, this is first summer in this home and seeing how the basement is a walkout I can install a mini unit into door that leads out to yard from HT, its never really used for access but it swings inward so it will still be usable once installed. I have an extra 8000 BTU unit that we no longer use so I think that should work for part time use in HT when needed, bonus is it will help with humidity in basement aswell as temp.

 

[Adam]

2 weeks ago in Ohio the temps spiked to 95 for a few days in a row...I was without AC for 2 days before friends could get over to help me out...

Ouch! 95 degrees in Ohio is no fun at all with your humidity out there. I can remember those times back in the midwest, and I feel for you. Glad that you made it through okay!

 

[jamie2112]

I sure am glad you got it back on. That is no fun at all. Same thing happened to me and my family a few years ago and it was for 24 hours and it sucked!

 

[chadnliz]

Yea the Dewpoint was 69.......that means miserable! My folks were just in your neck of the woods on vacation and my mom laughed at how it could be so hot but as we all say "yea but its a dry heat"!

 

[TLS Guy]

Yea the Dewpoint was 69.......that means miserable! My folks were just in your neck of the woods on vacation and my mom laughed at how it could be so hot but as we all say "yea but its a dry heat"!

Without a run cap, it would trip any breaker. Even with a cap, there is still a significant increase in the starting current.

 

[Adam]

BTW, on the off chance that anyone here is interested in (or in the future in need of) instructions on replacing a run capacitor, the website here was a real savior for me. Pictures and step-by-step instructions. Guy is my hero...well, for today.

 

[sparky77]

Just think about what we go through in North Dakota, our temps range from -40f in the winter to +115 during the summer with 90% humidity or higher. The only real advantage is that in July when the highs hit 90 or better we still get low temps at night around 60 down to 50 if we're lucky.

 

[Adam]

Just think about what we go through in North Dakota, our temps range from -40f in the winter to +115 during the summer with 90% humidity or higher.

Ummm...so why do you live there?

Just kidding. I have the impression that it's beautiful land up there. I've thought once or twice about maybe moving up there because it's less populated, but with temperature ranges like that, now I'm not so sure...

Tucson gets hot, but it doesn't get very cold. We'll get a hard freeze a couple of nights a year, but nothing like 40 below.

 

[MDS]

Knock on wood but I haven't had the AC go out yet. However, in the three years I've owned this house, I've replaced the igniter on the furnace twice already. The HVAC tech told me that the Carrier unit I have is a poor design that keeps the igniter in the flame at all times and they burn out easily. I watched him replace it the last time and it is simple, so next time (probably again this year ) I'll try to find the part myself and save the service/labor charge.

I can deal with heat having grown up in FL but cold I cannot take very long. When the furnace went out, right in January when I returned from vacation, I had to bundle up with multiple shirts and fleece and even wear shoes until the next day when I could get the tech out to fix it. That year we had an ice storm and it was really cold (for me); we had solid sheets of ice on all the roofs and the streets, and I even had stalagmites hanging down from my roof.

Of course 'roughing' it for a day and a half really isn't so bad.

 

[Rickster71]

My wife called the other day and said we are having A/C problems again. We've had problems ever since we bought the house. It would work for awhile then it would flip the circut breaker. We've had two different techs look at it and said everything was find. The last tech tighten the wires connected to the break saying they were a bit loose but here lately it is causing the breaker to flip again.

I think we just need an additional unit as we supposably have the biggest residental a/c unit sold but our 2200sq/ft house is just too much for it when it gets really hot.

Matt, also have him check it with an Amp Probe. It may be drawing too much while running, due to the compressor going bad.
If the label calls for fuses, there MUST be a fuse, as the disconnecting means, not a circuit breaker. If the label calls for a "HACR" type breaker (Heating, Air Conditioning and Refrigeration), then that is the type of breaker that must be used. Both as TLS mentioned will be a 'slow blow' type.

The NEC rules for protection of motor circuits are different than for circuits with simple resistive loads. When a motor first starts , it draws a higher amount of current than it does after it is running. The high "inrush" current can exceed the rating of a breaker or fuse sized to protect the wire. The inrush current lasts a second - less time than it would take to damage the wire or its insulation. However, if the overcurrent device is sized to protect the wire against overloads, the device might trip, and the motor would not be able to start.

Motor circuits get around this problem by dividing the two separate functions of an overcurrent device. "Overloads" are currents that can damage a circuit if allowed to continue for a sufficient time, whereas "short circuits" and "ground faults" are high currents that can cause immediate damage. Large motors and air conditioners separate these overcurrent functions. The breaker or fuse ahead of the air conditioner only protects against short circuits and ground faults. Overload protection is built into the compressor itself. The wire to a condensing unit must be large enough to allow the equipment to start. The device is therefore not sized to protect the wire against overloads.
Good Luck,
Rick

 

[sparky77]

If it's an older unit that doesn't have the delay timer and it cycles again within about 20 minutes the compressor may be trying to start under a high pressure situation which would cause it to draw significantly more current for up to 2 minutes which will trip any breaker and could have lead to the premature failure of the starting capacitor.

As for North Dakota, where else can you rent a two story 5 bedroom house with a garage on a half acre for 325 a month....

 

[Sheep]

When I want AC I just kick a block out of my igloo.

SheepStar

 

[Audioholics]

Years ago my compressor fan motor went out and we had to mist a water hose over it to cool down the air. Worked like a charm...

 

[Adam]

Years ago my compressor fan motor went out and we had to mist a water hose over it to cool down the air. Worked like a charm...

Are you talking about cooling down the compressor after it went into thermal shutdown? I sure tried that, too! I was hosing that bad boy down for a few minutes. With the bad cap, I think the fan didn't start up one time, and then the compressor got too hot and shut down. However, it just wouldn't start back up again with the bad cap even when I manually started the fan.

If you're talking about misting the air to cool your house down, a number of people out here have "swamp coolers" that do that same sort of thing. The humidity is normally so low that evaporation is a great (and less expensive) way to cool down the house. However, come monsoon season when the humidity goes way up, those people are hurting.

 

[Rickster71]

Years ago my compressor fan motor went out and we had to mist a water hose over it to cool down the air. Worked like a charm...

You were Going Green, before Al Gore even thought of it.

 

[Adam]

When I want AC I just kick a block out of my igloo.

SheepStar

Brag it up, my cool northern brother.

I was telling my parents on the phone about the A/C being out, and they mentioned how the high temps there had been in the low 80's with it getting down to 60 at night. A real mental pick me up as my pooch and I sat sweltering... It was great for them, though, because Illinois in June is not normally that mild.