The air conditioner condenser

by Tee
(TAMARAC, FL)

The condenser unit is making a loud noise and the fan and the compressor is working. The inside unit is blowing. Also cold air is blowing inside the house.

But, the outside unit is making a loud noise by the contactor area. Could you tell what could this possible be? Could it be the contactor gone bad or what? Please help me out this matter. TEE,

Dadan Here:

Hey, guy. I make it easy for everyone by bring this to one spot. All HVAC condensers (outside) question will here. As all way, we stay always from DIY question.

Such question as: “how to replace HVAC condenser fan motor” - Thanks for understanding.

Before I continue, I’ll answer Tee question first.

When contactor is getting bad, sometime it does make sound. The contactor also makes a sound when an object is in-between the plate or moving contactor. In some situation the contactor produce sound, when the coil is about to go bad.

I’m visual person, so I upload a picture of the contactor above. I hope it explains the situation better. I think the contactor life span should be within 10 years and in some NOT normal condition, the contactor will rust and it shorts the life span.

Is the condenser fan supposed to spin all the time?

No, the condenser fan NOT supposed to spin all the time. It supposed to spin whenever the central ac unit is ON. If the fan is running nonstop, it means small electrical part has gone bad and we need to turn the outdoor unit breaker OFF and call Tech.

What direction should the fan rotate?

The fan supposed to push the air out to the top of the condenser. I’m not sure which direction that is, but it needs to suck the air from the side of the condenser and push it upward.

Could I run the central ac unit without the condenser fan?

No, we should NOT turn central ac ON without the condenser fan, even for short period. Without the condenser fan, we will short the compressor life span or even damaging the compressor. To get new compressor install, it will cost us 1500 to 3500 dollar. I wouldn’t risk it.

Condenser motor price

The original manufacture condenser motor is expensive than the generic motor. The condenser motor price will range from 80 to 450 dollar.

Does it matter if we have the original motor or the generic motor?

If the new motor meets the original motor requirement, it shouldn’t matter. These requirements are: amperage, frame, horsepower, voltage, shaft size. This information is on the original motor label.

Why does condenser motor OVERHEAT?

If someone installs the wrong H.P, RPM, Amperage then the motor will overheat. The motor internal thermal will shut it offs.

How easy should a condenser fan motor spin?

The condenser motor should spin REALLY easy. If we try to spin and it does not make a complete 360 rotation or stuck. The condenser motor is bad or about to go bad.

Condenser motor capacitor

Whenever, we replace the condenser motor, we should also have the capacitor replace.

Condenser shuts off and blows a circuit breaker

When I turn my central air units on at first everything turns on, my condenser unit will than turn off and trip a breaker to shut off and sometime it will run alright and lower the temperature properly?

Answers:

“It appears that your compressor is drawing too many amps. This could be caused by an open run capacitor, a loose connection, a very dirty outdoor coil or a malfunctioning outdoor fan.

A clogged outdoor coil or malfunctioning fan will cause the condenser pressure to be extremely high causing the compressor to work harder. On mild days it may not be a problem, but on warmer days the problem appears.

If cleaning the outdoor coil does not fix your problem you should call a qualified HVAC technician to diagnose the system. There are no consumer serviceable parts in the condensing unit.“ Chester

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