So yesterday it got up into the 80's was really warm in the house. Decided to turn on the AC to cool things down and make sure it worked before the real heat shows up.

It started blowing cold air and then at some point I realized it was warm in the house and checked all I had was house temperature air coming through the vents.

A little investigating and I found the fan for the condenser wasn't moving. Turned it off for awhile. Stuck a small ruler through the grates and it turned freely. Turned the unit on and still no movement. Blower motor inside the house was working and moving air.

Stuck the ruler through the grates and gave it a spin and it started moving on its own. Turned the ac off and it will not start moving without a little push.

Looked for a starter or something on the motor and didn't see anything. Raining on and off here today so I haven't taken and grates off the top to access and get a better look. Would like to get this fixed before I really need it.

What so the experiences HVAC folks here?

You are looking for a start capacitor
Usually in a side panel near the motor contactor

We had the same kind of problem last year.

Check the start capacitor for the condenser fan! You have exactly the same symptoms as we had.

ISTR, the cost of the new capacitor was about 20 bucks. Turns out that in our system (relatively new) they have one capacitor with multiple terminals so they can have all the capacitor circuits in one "can".

Easy enough to replace.

Just make sure to plug any wires from the old one to the same terminals on the new one.

Found it after taking off a side cover.



is this the same one.

https://www.amazon.com/Genteq-...7F9834/dp/B008OJRHJG

Yes, that is the same part.
However, you'd be better off purchasing a 440v model. It will normally have a longer lifespan.

Titan Pro
https://www.supplyhouse.com/Ti...CEAUYAiABEgIgH_D_BwE

Titan Heavy Duty
https://www.supplyhouse.com/Ti...n-Capacitor-440-370V

Goodman/Janitrol unit, eh?
You'll want to inspect the contactor points as well, they are probably pretty pitted.
As an extra bonus, inspect the compressor wiring terminals (at the compressor) to insure they're not in dismay.

quote:

Originally posted by Excam_Man:
Yes, that is the same part.
However, you'd be better off purchasing a 440v model. It will normally have a longer lifespan.

Titan Pro
https://www.supplyhouse.com/Ti...CEAUYAiABEgIgH_D_BwE

Titan Heavy Duty
https://www.supplyhouse.com/Ti...n-Capacitor-440-370V

Goodman/Janitrol unit, eh?
You'll want to inspect the contactor points as well, they are probably pretty pitted.
As an extra bonus, inspect the compressor wiring terminals (at the compressor) to insure they're not in dismay.

Thanks

Yes its a Goodman

I will check everything out.

In the meantime, you should be able to spin the condenser fan by hand to get it running and keep your house cool until the part arrives.

quote:

Originally posted by Balzé Halzé:
In the meantime, you should be able to spin the condenser fan by hand to get it running and keep your house cool until the part arrives.

Not no, but HELL NO!!

That cap is blown apart, its for the compressor and the fan.

I did this for a little while as I was testing stuff yesterday. Not going to do it again after seeing the capacitor.

Temps have cooled back down anyway so I should be good for now. Glad I tried the AC yesterday when it got warm. Figured it would be a good idea and seems it was.

Part is ordered and will be here mid-week.

quote:

Originally posted by Excam_Man:

quote:

Originally posted by Balzé Halzé:
In the meantime, you should be able to spin the condenser fan by hand to get it running and keep your house cool until the part arrives.

Not no, but HELL NO!!

That cap is blown apart, its for the compressor and the fan.

Didn't realize it was for the compressor too

quote:

Originally posted by Excam_Man:

quote:

Originally posted by Balzé Halzé:
In the meantime, you should be able to spin the condenser fan by hand to get it running and keep your house cool until the part arrives.

Not no, but HELL NO!!

That cap is blown apart, its for the compressor and the fan.

I did this on my old A/C which had separate capacitors ran it until the house was cool, then pulled disconnect. I can understand on dual, but for separate ones, can it hurt something?

quote:

Originally posted by Skins2881:

I did this on my old A/C which had separate capacitors ran it until the house was cool, then pulled disconnect. I can understand on dual, but for separate ones, can it hurt something?

Hurt, not really for short term, but it can shorten the life of the motor.

The run capacitor is there for two reasons:
First, to create a phase shift to get the rotor spinning.
And secondly, to allow for efficient operation.

If the capacitor isn't there and you spin it to get it running, the first is no longer an issue.
However, the motor is no longer running efficiently. So now it'll be pulling more current, which is heat. Most HVAC motors have a very low service factor. So any additional current (heat) will lead to premature failure of the coatings on the windings.

Always keep a spare contactor and a set of capacitors . They will save your ass on some Sunday afternoon when one of them fails .

quote:

Originally posted by selogic:
Always keep a spare contactor and a set of capacitors . They will save your ass on some Sunday afternoon when one of them fails .

And a set of fuses, if your condensing unit has them instead of a breaker.