A/C problems

[youmyboyblue]

Anyone know about A/C's? My inside unit is running but not cooling. When I went outside the unit is making a clicking noise. What could it be and how much will I be looking at?

[Gerald]

New outside unit would be about $ 2500 - $ 3000 for a 4 ton unit.

Sounds like you may have an electrical problem.

Maybe Ray will respond.

[Ray]

Does the outside fan run or not?
Does it hum like the compressor is running?
Inside the control box area, there is a round or oval silver metal device called
a capacitor. It is for starting your compressor and/or fan. Some have just one
that starts both, some have one for each. If it is bad, the compressor or fan
won't start. It will usually looked swollen if it is bad. Or oil leaking out.
The outside coils may be dirty or have a lot of grass in them causing a high
pressure shut down or cause the compressor to get hot and shut down.
Sometimes ants get under the contacts. This prevents electricity from getting
to the fan and/or compressor.
You also may have a tripped breaker for the outside unit. The inside unit and
thermostat will still make the contactors pull in but no electricity to run the high
voltage stuff outside. That might be the clicking noise.
You also may have a low or high pressure switch that is knocking out the control
voltage.
You may have also hit the thermostat wires outside with a weed eater. It should
be a small brown coating over a white and red set of wires, if it is not a heat pump.
If it is a heat pump, it will have 7 or 8 wires in it.
Or you can have a burnt wire somewhere on the breaker, contactors or compressor.
If you open the control panel on the any part of the a/c, be sure to turn the breaker
off first.
Those are the cheap fixes.
If the fan is bad, it will cause a high pressure shut down, or on an older unit, cause
the compressor to get hot and shut down.
If the compressor is bad, Mr. Big Bucks is gonna have to visit you.

Those are just off the top of my head. It is hard to tell if you are not there to hear
what kind of clicking noise it is and to see what the voltages are and the freon
pressures are.

[hardball]

Ray-that was atleast 75.00 for that answer. A service tech would have charged a service call for that. I have to say it was all right on point.

One more question, was the click just a click or was there a hum then a click?

[youmyboyblue]

Fan motor and capacitor was bad. $300.00

[cricket]

mine has broken so many times that im almost a pro at fixing it. i could use someone to come see if im low on freon. Ray do you do house calls.

[Ray]

Originally Posted by youmyboyblue

Fan motor and capacitor was bad. $300.00

That was my second to last answer. One of the ones I said would be
more expensive...

[Ray]

Originally Posted by cricket

mine has broken so many times that im almost a pro at fixing it. i could use someone to come see if im low on freon. Ray do you do house calls.

I could hook a brudder up, but I am offshore for 2 more weeks.

But to help you out a little, make sure the filter and both inside and
outside coils are clean.
While running, if possible, put your hand on the inside coil. If it is cold
and sweating all the way to the top, it is full. If it has an area up high
that is not cold and sweating, it is not full. It is not an accurate check,
but it is best you can get for free.

[Gerald]

Something I thought about late last night.........

Like Ray said......several things can cause the A/C to get hot and trip. Sometimes if you turn the A/C off for about 10 minutes [maybe longer if it is 95 deg outside] it will cool down enough so that you can restart it. The A/C will probably trip again, but you might cool the house some.

With a bad fan motor......getting it repaired was your only option.

[Ray]

If you can't get an a/c man till the next day, you can turn the breaker off, remove
the motor wires from the contactor and capacitor, then hand a water sprinkler in
the unit to where the water hits the coil fins only. That can get you thru the night.
Be sure to put the minimum water needed so the ground won't be soaked the next
morning.

[youmyboyblue]

Originally Posted by Ray

If you can't get an a/c man till the next day, you can turn the breaker off, remove
the motor wires from the contactor and capacitor, then hand a water sprinkler in
the unit to where the water hits the coil fins only. That can get you thru the night.
Be sure to put the minimum water needed so the ground won't be soaked the next
morning.

I am better off being hot. You lost me at contactor.

Thanks for the help!