I finally turned on my AC this morning and it doesn't seem cold.

Checking the compressor outside, all quiet and nothing is happening.
There is a breaker there so I turn it off.

Then I turn it on and it clicks and the fan barely starts and coasts
to a stop after half a revolution. Turn it off and on and again, it
clicks and coasts to a stop after a half a revolution. No other
sounds.

Any suggestions? The contactor?

I wouldn't ask for help at this stage, but it is so hot out there.

On Tue, 18 Jul 2006 15:43:43 -0400, mm
wrote:

I finally turned on my AC this morning and it doesn't seem cold.

Checking the compressor outside, all quiet and nothing is happening.
There is a breaker there so I turn it off.

Then I turn it on and it clicks and the fan barely starts and coasts
to a stop after half a revolution. Turn it off and on and again, it
clicks and coasts to a stop after a half a revolution. No other
sounds.

Any suggestions? The contactor?

I wouldn't ask for help at this stage, but it is so hot out there.


If it was my AC unit, I would check the presures.

I'm guessing, that there is a leak, and your system dropped enough to
cause the low pressure switch prevent the compressor(and whole system)
from operating. Dont' keep 'trying', get a qualified person to check
your system. Use the BBB to find if a contractor has a bad rep.
Kindof tired of hearing customers complaining about getting robbed,
and there were warnings about 'em on the BBB site.

hth, imho,

tom @ www.FreelancingProjects.com

On Tue, 18 Jul 2006 16:53:48 -0400, Tom The Great
wrote:

On Tue, 18 Jul 2006 15:43:43 -0400, mm
wrote:

I finally turned on my AC this morning and it doesn't seem cold.

Checking the compressor outside, all quiet and nothing is happening.
There is a breaker there so I turn it off.

Then I turn it on and it clicks and the fan barely starts and coasts
to a stop after half a revolution. Turn it off and on and again, it
clicks and coasts to a stop after a half a revolution. No other
sounds.

Any suggestions? The contactor?

I wouldn't ask for help at this stage, but it is so hot out there.


If it was my AC unit, I would check the presures.

I'm guessing, that there is a leak, and your system dropped enough to
cause the low pressure switch prevent the compressor(and whole system)
from operating. Dont' keep 'trying', get a qualified person to check
your system. Use the BBB to find if a contractor has a bad rep.
Kindof tired of hearing customers complaining about getting robbed,
and there were warnings about 'em on the BBB site.

hth, imho,

OK, thanks to you and gfretwell. I'll try to let you know what the
actual problem is.


tom @ www.FreelancingProjects.com

http://forum.doityourself.com/forumdisplay.php?f=126

http://ths.gardenweb.com/forums/hvac/?9981


"mm" wrote in message
...
On Tue, 18 Jul 2006 16:53:48 -0400, Tom The Great
wrote:

On Tue, 18 Jul 2006 15:43:43 -0400, mm
wrote:

I finally turned on my AC this morning and it doesn't seem cold.

Checking the compressor outside, all quiet and nothing is happening.
There is a breaker there so I turn it off.

Then I turn it on and it clicks and the fan barely starts and coasts
to a stop after half a revolution. Turn it off and on and again, it
clicks and coasts to a stop after a half a revolution. No other
sounds.

Any suggestions? The contactor?

I wouldn't ask for help at this stage, but it is so hot out there.


If it was my AC unit, I would check the presures.

I'm guessing, that there is a leak, and your system dropped enough to
cause the low pressure switch prevent the compressor(and whole system)
from operating. Dont' keep 'trying', get a qualified person to check
your system. Use the BBB to find if a contractor has a bad rep.
Kindof tired of hearing customers complaining about getting robbed,
and there were warnings about 'em on the BBB site.

hth, imho,

OK, thanks to you and gfretwell. I'll try to let you know what the
actual problem is.


tom @ www.FreelancingProjects.com

On Tue, 18 Jul 2006 17:46:14 -0400, mm
wrote:

On Tue, 18 Jul 2006 16:53:48 -0400, Tom The Great
wrote:

On Tue, 18 Jul 2006 15:43:43 -0400, mm
wrote:

I finally turned on my AC this morning and it doesn't seem cold.

Checking the compressor outside, all quiet and nothing is happening.
There is a breaker there so I turn it off.

Then I turn it on and it clicks and the fan barely starts and coasts
to a stop after half a revolution. Turn it off and on and again, it
clicks and coasts to a stop after a half a revolution. No other
sounds.

Any suggestions? The contactor?

I wouldn't ask for help at this stage, but it is so hot out there.


If it was my AC unit, I would check the presures.

I'm guessing, that there is a leak, and your system dropped enough to
cause the low pressure switch prevent the compressor(and whole system)
from operating. Dont' keep 'trying', get a qualified person to check
your system. Use the BBB to find if a contractor has a bad rep.
Kindof tired of hearing customers complaining about getting robbed,
and there were warnings about 'em on the BBB site.

hth, imho,

OK, thanks to you and gfretwell. I'll try to let you know what the
actual problem is.

Thank you, and I mean that seriously.

Many people post questions about something perceived wrong, but never
post a followup so we can hear what the actual problem was, or its
solution.

later,

tom




tom @ www.FreelancingProjects.com

On Tue, 18 Jul 2006 23:05:21 -0400, Tom The Great
wrote:

On Tue, 18 Jul 2006 17:46:14 -0400, mm
wrote:

On Tue, 18 Jul 2006 16:53:48 -0400, Tom The Great
wrote:

On Tue, 18 Jul 2006 15:43:43 -0400, mm
wrote:

I finally turned on my AC this morning and it doesn't seem cold.

Checking the compressor outside, all quiet and nothing is happening.
There is a breaker there so I turn it off.

Then I turn it on and it clicks and the fan barely starts and coasts
to a stop after half a revolution. Turn it off and on and again, it
clicks and coasts to a stop after a half a revolution. No other
sounds.

Any suggestions? The contactor?

I wouldn't ask for help at this stage, but it is so hot out there.


If it was my AC unit, I would check the presures.

I'm guessing, that there is a leak, and your system dropped enough to
cause the low pressure switch prevent the compressor(and whole system)
from operating. Dont' keep 'trying', get a qualified person to check
your system. Use the BBB to find if a contractor has a bad rep.
Kindof tired of hearing customers complaining about getting robbed,
and there were warnings about 'em on the BBB site.

hth, imho,

OK, thanks to you and gfretwell. I'll try to let you know what the
actual problem is.

Thank you, and I mean that seriously.

Many people post questions about something perceived wrong, but never
post a followup so we can hear what the actual problem was, or its
solution.

later,

tom

Well, I'm not positive what the answer is. But I guess it is the
power company that had remotely disconnected my compressor. I'd
forgotten about that possibility. Hmmm. Maybe the fan starts to spin
because the radio receiver isn't entergized until the AC control board
calls for cooling, and it takes a split second after the power comes
on before the radio-controlled unit turns off the fan. Maybe the
click I heard was the contactor making and breaking (although in my
amateur opinion, I only heard the first half.)


I waited two hours yesterday before posting my problem, and air was
coming out of the registers but it wasn't cold and the compressor
wasn't running outside. After I posted I remember that I had signed
up for this plan. I tried to find out if the power company had turned
off my compressor.

I had signed up for a plan where the power company has radio control
of my compressor, but afaik they hadn't done this for years and
nothing reminded me and it seemed like they hadn't done so yesterday.
They used to announce this on the broadcast radio when they were doing
this sort of thing, and it wasn't on the website either (though their
website is nothing to brag about.) I also thought they had said they
would only turn off the AC for an hour at a time, but maybe it was 2
hours. I tried to call them but the phone book next to my computer
is, I see, 6 years old, and the numbers were disconnected!


But at 3 1/2 hours I was outside again and the compressor was running.
Even at midnight, 11 hours later, it wasn't that cool here, it was 99
degrees yesterday, and the house was 88 inside two days ago. And
today it is fine inside...well 76 (and the thermostat downstairs is
set at 72) but it seems cooler than that. Well today it is only 87
and I really should turn off the AC and open the windows. Maybe
tomorrow. At least I learned that the AC still works, and I won't
expect them to announce this like they used to.

On Wed, 19 Jul 2006 13:15:38 -0400, mm
wrote:

On Tue, 18 Jul 2006 23:05:21 -0400, Tom The Great
wrote:

On Tue, 18 Jul 2006 17:46:14 -0400, mm
wrote:

On Tue, 18 Jul 2006 16:53:48 -0400, Tom The Great
wrote:

On Tue, 18 Jul 2006 15:43:43 -0400, mm
wrote:

I finally turned on my AC this morning and it doesn't seem cold.

Checking the compressor outside, all quiet and nothing is happening.
There is a breaker there so I turn it off.

Then I turn it on and it clicks and the fan barely starts and coasts
to a stop after half a revolution. Turn it off and on and again, it
clicks and coasts to a stop after a half a revolution. No other
sounds.

Any suggestions? The contactor?

I wouldn't ask for help at this stage, but it is so hot out there.


If it was my AC unit, I would check the presures.

I'm guessing, that there is a leak, and your system dropped enough to
cause the low pressure switch prevent the compressor(and whole system)
from operating. Dont' keep 'trying', get a qualified person to check
your system. Use the BBB to find if a contractor has a bad rep.
Kindof tired of hearing customers complaining about getting robbed,
and there were warnings about 'em on the BBB site.

hth, imho,

OK, thanks to you and gfretwell. I'll try to let you know what the
actual problem is.

Thank you, and I mean that seriously.

Many people post questions about something perceived wrong, but never
post a followup so we can hear what the actual problem was, or its
solution.

later,

tom

Well, I'm not positive what the answer is. But I guess it is the
power company that had remotely disconnected my compressor. I'd
forgotten about that possibility. Hmmm. Maybe the fan starts to spin
because the radio receiver isn't entergized until the AC control board
calls for cooling, and it takes a split second after the power comes
on before the radio-controlled unit turns off the fan. Maybe the
click I heard was the contactor making and breaking (although in my
amateur opinion, I only heard the first half.)


I waited two hours yesterday before posting my problem, and air was
coming out of the registers but it wasn't cold and the compressor
wasn't running outside. After I posted I remember that I had signed
up for this plan. I tried to find out if the power company had turned
off my compressor.

I had signed up for a plan where the power company has radio control
of my compressor, but afaik they hadn't done this for years and
nothing reminded me and it seemed like they hadn't done so yesterday.
They used to announce this on the broadcast radio when they were doing
this sort of thing, and it wasn't on the website either (though their
website is nothing to brag about.) I also thought they had said they
would only turn off the AC for an hour at a time, but maybe it was 2
hours. I tried to call them but the phone book next to my computer
is, I see, 6 years old, and the numbers were disconnected!


But at 3 1/2 hours I was outside again and the compressor was running.
Even at midnight, 11 hours later, it wasn't that cool here, it was 99
degrees yesterday, and the house was 88 inside two days ago. And
today it is fine inside...well 76 (and the thermostat downstairs is
set at 72) but it seems cooler than that. Well today it is only 87
and I really should turn off the AC and open the windows. Maybe
tomorrow. At least I learned that the AC still works, and I won't
expect them to announce this like they used to.

I signed up for the plan too. Mine quit working and I found the
receiver box was full of rainwater.

I didn't tell them, but I disconnected the box control and hooked
the unit back up bypassing it.