Keeping your A/C operating and not getting ripped off

[Tex1001]

Okay, what about all those capacitors up there, from teh size of a roll of coins, on up? I guess they help boost the juice needed to cycle the unit back on?Had an honest tech replace one of mine and get me running for $ 25

I don't want to go into too much detail on run caps. It has to do with inductive reactance and capacitive reactance inside the motor itself. When the motor is starting up, it sort of provides a "Phantom pulse" to get it turning in the right direction. When the motor's rotor approaches speed, it then creates sort of a "Supercharger effect" and lets the motor to run on less current (30% to 60% less). That represents a significant lowering of motor run current. That seems like a free lunch, but it really isn't. If you have a 120v split capacitor type motor up to proper speed and you check the AC voltage across the capacitor, voltage will read 150v to 175v.
At this point I usually have at least someone say "So if we just double capacitor value (uf), we can make it run on even less current".
To that I say: DON'T DO IT! DON'T DO IT! DON'T DO IT! DON'T DO IT! . You WILL over stress motor windings and burn out the motor.
The motor must have a capacitor of the proper size, no more, no less, no none. There are meters to measure capacitance and the A/C tech will have one. You should let him check that stuff out. Class dismissed.
_______________________
I don't have Alzheimer's- My wife had me tested.

 

[BrianE]

I misread.. I thought I saw low suction pressure..... I apologize.

 

[Tex1001]

I misread.. I thought I saw low suction pressure..... I apologize.

That's OK. I reverse my unfriend of you>
_______________________
I don't have Alzheimer's- My wife had me tested.

 

[regalsc]

My unit is from 1970 & still works. Not as good as it probably should but I have been here since 2002. I know I'm super lucky so far for never having it serviced.

 

[EugeneNine]

I tried to find a proper picture online to arrow up for you, but I couldn't. Give me a day or two to pull one of my motors out of stock and make pictures. I'm in the middle of a lumbar disc flareup. Please be patient with me.
BTW: A lot of factory motors don't have oiling ports. Most replacement motors do. .

Its probably original

GE R462 motor

 

[Tex1001]

I don't see any way to oil this motor. Sure I could pull it out and dribble a little around the bearing on the shaft side but I don't see any way to get to the other side.

I've attached photos of the 2 basic motor types

#1 is called "Open frame" and is used inside in the furnace. I've pointed out the 2 oiling ports. They are yellow plastic and are easy to see and remove.

#2 is called "Enclosed frame" and is always used outside (Weatherproof). The oiling ports are harder to see because they are aluminum, just like the end plates. The plugs in this picture are slightly buggered because they have been removed for oiling. If the plugs have never been removed, they will appear as though they are part of the motor plate.

You will probably have to remove the motor to oil it. The plugs can be removed with a small set of diagonal pliers (wire cutters. Regular pliers, even needle nose don't work well.
Grab the head of the plug with the diagonal cutter and GENTLY rock from side to side to remove the plug.
With the plug out and tha oil galleries facing up, fill the oil gallery with all the oil that it will hold. Wait 5 or 10 minutes for the oil to drain into the packing and fill it up again. Repeat once more if you want. Tap the plugs back in and reinstall the motor.
I use my gun oil (Mobil1) for motors, but you can use any medium to light viscosity oil. Do not use CLP or any oil that has a solvent in it.

 

[EugeneNine]

Thanks, just looked at mine and I see the oil holes. Once it cools off some I'll pull it out and oil it. I guess the A/C place would rather sell a new one than a few drops of oil.

 

[MK]

My system is thirteen years old and the unit outside is a Goodman and keeps the 1600 square foot house comfortable. Here is the problem that has just started. Every so often the blower will not come on and the pipe that brings the coolant into the house will get frost on it at the compressor and where the pipe inters the furnace. Monkey with the blower switches on the thermostat and give the furnace a whack and a way we go.

Going to have to call someone who knows what to do to fix it.

Could be a weak motor or a cap going bad.. The run caps they
make these days are junk compared to years ago.
But it could also be a flaky fan relay on the furnace control board.
When it acts up, if you hear the motor try to start, and hum or make
any noise at all, the fan relays are likely good and it's a bad cap or motor.
The motor will usually be hot in a case of bad motor or cap if it's been on.

But if the motor does not make a bit of sound, and is cold to the touch,
it could be a flaky relay and no power to the motor..
You would need to measure the voltage to the motor from the board.
IE: most are white common, black high for cool, blue and red for lower
heat speeds, with one usually parked on an empty slot.
You can use any VOM to measure the voltage. You can also use the little
voltage sensors with LED's to check for voltage. I've got one that you
hold the tip across the wire to check. You don't have to make a direct
connection to the wiring using one of those so they are handy in tight
spots. It's red for no power, and lights green if hot.

If it's on "cool", you would want to check the black high fan lead to the
motor, as it will be the speed being used.

Lucky for you, many Goodman control boards are fairly reasonable if
it came to that, if it's a Goodman furnace.
Or at least compared to some companies that charge out the wazoo
for them.

 

[redlevel]

Here in rural S Georgia a good AC man that you can trust and a good, honest well guy are nice. I have both. My AC guy isn't the cheapest in the county by far, but he has never taken longer than 24 hours to respond to a call for help, and usually, he has it back up and running in 5-6 hours. I keep filters changed, and he does the rest. I have three central units in two houses, one of them a rental, and prompt response is a must.

Many of the people in my area who are in businesses such as auto repair, tire sales, LEO, etc., are people I taught over the years. This is the case with my AC guy. I always tried to treat my students just as good as they would let me, and it has paid off immensely.

 

[dcxplant]

Is aircoaire still a good brand?

I've read some reviews that were evenly split between 5 stars and 1 star.

Complaints were noise, vibration, and product support (parts). Also that some product lines were bought from other manufacturers that aren't the same quality as the aircoaire products.

We are replacing a roof mounted package unit in Phoenix AZ. I am looking at Arcoaire and Lennox, thanks to the OP for a timely thread!!!

 

[Tex1001]

dcx:
The last time that I installed an Arcoaire was April 2008 and it's going strong. Go with Lennox if you have the opportunity.
_______________________
I don't have Alzheimer's- My wife had me tested.

 

[MK]

Dunno.. To me, they are all basically the same, except some have
fancier cases, and some add stuff you don't really need.
All have basically the same warranties. So I wouldn't really be too
worried about any particular brand.
It's probably more important to have a good installer that doesn't
take shortcuts or do sloppy work, vs one brand vs another.

 

[Tex1001]

Bump to top instead of starting a duplicate thread.
_______________________
I don't have Alzheimer's- My wife had me tested.