AC unit bad capacitor

Damn.
Fan is spinning and house got cool.

And now it has started blowing super hot air.
I surrender.
 
Was there insulation around one of the copper pipes that you may have disturbed? Put your hands on the two pipes coming out of the unit. One should be cold, and one should be hot. If they aren't a different temp, you've got further problems. Time to call The Guy.
 
SixPapaCharlie said:
Damn.
Fan is spinning and house got cool.

And now it has started blowing super hot air.
I surrender.
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Hmm, I am under the impression that hot air is probably normal at your house. :rofl:

If I had been in the vicinity of your repair right about now my wife would have knocked me in the head and suggested you check to see if perhaps your furnace was now on <big air quote>accidentally<big air quote>.

Any of your progeny recapitulating their ontogeny?

But yeah, probably call The Guy.
 
JohnF said:
Hmm, I am under the impression that hot air is probably normal at your house. :rofl:

If I had been in the vicinity of your repair right about now my wife would have knocked me in the head and suggested you check to see if perhaps your furnace was now on <big air quote>accidentally<big air quote>.

Any of your progeny recapitulating their ontogeny?

But yeah, probably call The Guy.
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I think there may be multiple issues. These units are builder models and probably don't have a lot of years left in them anyway.

Maybe time to replace / upgrade.
My elec bill has been insane the last 2 months probably a clue that something is amiss
 
SixPapaCharlie said:
what's that?
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It's the relay that switches the unit on and off. It has contacts in it that pull in when the thermostat turns the unit on. They get fried and can cause intermittent problems. Take a look at the contacts, if they are burned up it could be part of your problem. A volt and ohm meter goes a long way in trouble shooting these things.

There's a picture of a contactor in the link below.

http://www.myhvacparts.com/store/contactor-order.php

There are lots of videos on youtube on how to fix, once again, be careful lots of juice around there.....
 
All brands and customer service in the past 15 yrs have gone to $ h i t. I have switched brands three times with no better luck. Find a reputable, licensed hvac company to troubleshoot. It is a 10 hr RT for me in the RV, so you are talking $700 svc fee. I would do it in a heartbeat! I do eat a lot and enjoy a brewsky or two after work. Once troubleshot, ask them your options and cost. Ask them to peak at the indoor unit to tell you its condition too. PM if you want to talk. I would consider the existing system condition, SEER rating, cost to repair/replace, my finances and my sweetie's desire for flying lessons. Whatever you do, do not let them talk you into a new outdoor unit by itself that is not matched to the indoor unit. If you provide model and serial of both inside/outside units, it will help before chatting. Sorry for any bad grammar!
 
If the unit has gone TU then my warranty will replace it with the same model for $100 or I can upgrade and pay the difference.

This is a small unit that cools 2 rooms we never use and the kitchen. The kitchen is ok because it is getting cool air bleeding over from the other unit. If this one goes out, I will just let them replace it.

If the bigger unit goes out, I will see about getting something larger, variable, and more efficient.

I am declaring defeat at this point. Even if I could fix it, it is a hundred degrees outside and a $100 is how much I will pay to not be out in it guessing. Time for the pros to come out.
 
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Bryan;

We have used Work Environmental (http://www.hotorcold.net/) at our office and homes for years and can recommend them highly.

Solid Denton local company with quick response times and reasonable costs.
 
AggieMike88 said:
Bryan;

We have used Work Environmental (http://www.hotorcold.net/) at our office and homes for years and can recommend them highly.

Solid Denton local company with quick response times and reasonable costs.
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I appreciate the reference but I have to use whomever American Home shield sends out. They have agreements with these companies so I am at their mercy.
 
Make sure the fan is turning the right direction. Turn it OFF after that and do not run it until troubleshot. A small issue can turn big quick. Ask your copilot to have some cookie's and milk ready. You can have cardboard or foam under his knees ready. Don't stand over his back while he is working. Don't tallk too much until he is finished working...remember the sterile cockpit rule. Keep screaming kids or licking dogs put away. Have a nearby window open and stay in yelling range to turn things off or on as needed. Beach umbrellas and fans are nice too. I love customers like this. He may ask you when finished where you got these ideas. I promise you, your repair price will reflect this!
 
SixPapaCharlie said:
I appreciate the reference but I have to use whomever American Home shield sends out. They have agreements with these companies so I am at their mercy.
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AHS...very few of the good hvac guys like myself work for them. Well, knowing this...good luck. Just declare and yell MAYDAY three times as you begin your emergency descent. There has been nearly 4200 complaints in the last three years with most unresolved.
 
Ahh... existing home warranty thing...

You might still call and ask them about the service and a quote. Could be quicker and similar price to the warranty company.
 
RV10flyer said:
AHS...very few of the good hvac guys like myself work for them. Well, knowing this...good luck. Just declare and yell MAYDAY three times as you begin your emergency descent. There has been nearly 4200 complaints in the last three years with most unresolved.
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I have heard so many bad things about them but I am the one lucky S.O.B that has them

So prior owner of this house treated it like crap.

Last year we had to have replaced
hot water heater
microwave
pool pump motor
pool filter motor
Garage Door Spring
capacitor in the large AC unit

Had to have repaired:
ice maker,
dryer
stove top

The top 4 are all brand new for $100 trip fees
and they let us combine the bottom 3 for 1 trip charge.

They have probably saved me a grand after accounting for the monthly payment.

no complaints here
 
Wow. House haunted?

I have clients who do AHS work; they have to be extremely efficient to make money at it, but the good ones can do so.

Also, exists the opportunity to make money on upgrades to code (ie, the system being repaired does not meet current building code standards, so the AHS portion covers the repair, but not the additional work required to bring the system up to code - which can be significant.

Not a scam at all, but you should be well-informed to yield the best result.
 
SixPapaCharlie said:
If the unit has gone TU then my warranty will replace it with the same model for $100 or I can upgrade and pay the difference.

This is a small unit that cools 2 rooms we never use and the kitchen. The kitchen is ok because it is getting cool air bleeding over from the other unit. If this one goes out, I will just let them replace it.

If the bigger unit goes out, I will see about getting something larger, variable, and more efficient.

I am declaring defeat at this point. Even if I could fix it, it is a hundred degrees outside and a $100 is how much I will pay to not be out in it guessing. Time for the pros to come out.
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Sounds like a smart move, up here we have 2 or 3 month season and it is impossible to get someone to come out quickly. So I pull the panels off and go at it myself. The last time I had to fix one was my Lennox at my summer house. I called every company in a 50 mile radius, including the one who serviced it for me in the spring, and they all told me at least two weeks, no promises. Turns out it was the contactor was gone, next issue was finding a replacement part, my oil man at my regular house bailed me out on that, had it up and running that day. I'm sure there are many more HVAC guys in Texas since you get a little warmer down there. good luck..
 
SixPapaCharlie said:
I appreciate the reference but I have to use whomever American Home shield sends out. They have agreements with these companies so I am at their mercy.
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My sympathies. They ****ed me over on several counts on an HVAC issue in San Antonio. Never, ever again with AHS. So much so that I told the real estate agent here in DC to not get AHS at any cost when I bought here. Good luck getting them to pay up.
 
I had AHS when I bought my home, tried to use it once, got ****ed off, and fixed it myself. No way in hell I'll take it on the next house I buy. I'd just make the seller put that towards the down payment or otherwise knock it off the total price.
 
this is what I hear from people all the time.
I can show the receipts.

Maybe because I am in the dfw metroplex where there are tons of businesses close by or something?

They always get someone here within a couple hours and never more than $100
I dunno. They have done right by me.
 
Dad had the AHS stuff on this place so we kept it. They seem dodgy. They were dumb enough to write an add on for the well pump and labor to replace it, so if... that actually ever goes and if... they pay out on it... That'd pay for 22 years of premiums at the local going rate for our well depth. Otherwise, I'll fix stuff myself if they're annoying.
 
Bad motor.
He gave me a new one. Not sure I could have replaced that for $100.

Also I guess he is a salesman for his company.
He asked what my elec was running. I said about $600/mo

He says "I can cut that in half for you easily"
He runs the numbers and comes back with an estimate for $28,000.

No deal Howie.
 
SixPapaCharlie said:
Bad motor.
He gave me a new one. Not sure I could have replaced that for $100.

Also I guess he is a salesman for his company.
He asked what my elec was running. I said about $600/mo

He says "I can cut that in half for you easily"
He runs the numbers and comes back with an estimate for $28,000.

No deal Howie.
Click to expand...

If you wanna upgrade the AC let me know. I have The Guy that will do it for much much less. I just upgraded my Houston place for about $3600 to a more efficient system.
 
SixPapaCharlie said:
Bad motor.
He gave me a new one. Not sure I could have replaced that for $100.

Also I guess he is a salesman for his company.
He asked what my elec was running. I said about $600/mo

He says "I can cut that in half for you easily"
He runs the numbers and comes back with an estimate for $28,000.

No deal Howie.
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$28,000?

Sounds like he was trying to sell you a smaller house.
 
He was pushing it too man.

When I said "Not interested" I thought that conveyed that I was in fact not interested.

"But we have great financing!"

"Not interested"

"60 months no interest?"

"Not interested"

"Well I can even do a 10 year financing plan!"

"Whoa Really? 10 years?"

"yup"

"Not interested"

I finally just walked away which annoyed me because I wanted to learn more about how the unit he was repairing worked.
 
You saved $200 on the motor replacement. You mean they did not pull the, "Oh, I see you have never had preventive maintenance done." "Once you pay just $299.00, then I can fix the motor."

Glad you got it fixed again. It is so cool outside like here, we don't need A/C.
 
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SixPapaCharlie said:
He was pushing it too man.

When I said "Not interested" I thought that conveyed that I was in fact not interested.

"But we have great financing!"

"Not interested"

"60 months no interest?"

"Not interested"

"Well I can even do a 10 year financing plan!"

"Whoa Really? 10 years?"

"yup"

"Not interested"

I finally just walked away which annoyed me because I wanted to learn more about how the unit he was repairing worked.
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You should've asked him to figure out how long it would take you to pay back the $28,000 with your electricity savings....
 
SixPapaCharlie said:
He was pushing it too man.

When I said "Not interested" I thought that conveyed that I was in fact not interested.

"But we have great financing!"

"Not interested"

"60 months no interest?"

"Not interested"

"Well I can even do a 10 year financing plan!"

"Whoa Really? 10 years?"

"yup"

"Not interested"
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Sounds like he borrowed a script from either the credit card retention specialist, or the folks with who you try to cancel your XM weather subscription.
 
Did he detail what did the 28k included? No way that was just the outside unit.
 
RV10flyer said:
You saved $200 on the motor replacement. You mean they did not pull the, "Oh, I see you have never had preventive maintenance done." "Once you pay just $299.00, then I can fix the motor."

Glad you got it fixed again. It is so cool outside like here, we don't need A/C.
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This was one of the scams they pulled on me - except that they claimed maintenance had not been done by former owner and not under my control because I couldn't provide any receipts for same from the prior owner (that's why I buy the "warranty", DUH), and therefore they were refusing coverage on all the HVAC stuff in the house. Went back to them with the home inspection report that showed all equipment in *excellent* condition, with no signs of neglected maintenance. Not good enough. And not enough money to justify hiring a lawyer, though I would have quickly joined a class-action.

AHS is to be avoided at all costs.
 
RV10flyer said:
You saved $200 on the motor replacement. You mean they did not pull the, "Oh, I see you have never had preventive maintenance done." "Once you pay just $299.00, then I can fix the motor."

Glad you got it fixed again. It is so cool outside like here, we don't need A/C.
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Yesterday it was 95. Today it is 68. Fixed just in time.
Actually i told him I replaced the capacitor and he just goes "you didn't tell me that otherwise this is not covered"

At least he was cool about that part.
 
SixPapaCharlie said:
2 outside variable 16 seer units 14k a piece he said.
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YGTBSM, were they gold plated?

So much money is made off of people buying high efficienty stuff that don't run the numbers behind it.

In my case, new furnace and AC ran about $4k and was more efficient than what I had. Their HE quote was more like 7 or 8k.

I analyzed my utility bills closely and it would take 15 years for the HE to save me money. No thanks.
 
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SixPapaCharlie said:
2 outside variable 16 seer units 14k a piece he said.
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14 SEER 3.5T I can get you for ~$2200 plus install. My Guy will do the job for around 1400 which is what he charged for my unit. If you want to go above ~14 SEER, you need to get that variable air handler, and the condenser is somewhat different. It will seriously lower your bills.

Depending on the style of house, I'm looking at going to a split mini system at my home. Some of them are getting +20 SEER, but the calculation is a bit different depending on the zone of country. In TX we are in the high zone of course, and the split mini just puts AC where you want it.
 
wsuffa said:
This was one of the scams they pulled on me - except that they claimed maintenance had not been done by former owner and not under my control because I couldn't provide any receipts for same from the prior owner (that's why I buy the "warranty", DUH), and therefore they were refusing coverage on all the HVAC stuff in the house. Went back to them with the home inspection report that showed all equipment in *excellent* condition, with no signs of neglected maintenance. Not good enough. And not enough money to justify hiring a lawyer, though I would have quickly joined a class-action.

AHS is to be avoided at all costs.
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That's so weird. I even told the HVAC guy that. I said I have not heard one good thing about AHS but they have saved me many thousands of dollars. Only thing that cost me out of pocket was hot water heater. I had to pay half for the replacement.

I honestly expected them to cancel me by now for so many claims.
I am the exception to the rule I guess.
 
Thanks to you tube and common sense, I fix all sorts of stuff at the house. An HVAC capacitor is seriously like changing a battery and costs less than $20.
 
teethdoc said:
Thanks to you tube and common sense, I fix all sorts of stuff at the house. An HVAC capacitor is seriously like changing a battery and costs less than $20.
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I bought #151 dental pliers for $20 and pull my own teeth too.
 
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