I have central heat/air and my compressor appears to have died. It does not kick on anymore and the A/C is not producing cold air. My questions are: (1) is replacing an A/C compressor a diy or pro task? (2) how much should I expect to pay to have one replaced + refrigerant recharge (if necessary)?

Thanks,
Chadd

 

Has someone come out and told you the compressor is "dead"? it maybe something else that cause the compressor not to run..

If you need a new one, it needs to be left w/ the Pro who can handle the Refergant in the eystem.. Must have a EPA lic to handle it.

 

No one has been out to check it, yet. I am trying to troubleshoot the problem before I call someone. I do not want to get screwed over by an unscrupulous repair guy.

The A/C just stopped cooling a week ago and I noticed the compressor does not kick on anymore. What could be the cause if it is not the compressor?

A buddy of mine told me to check the voltages at the compressor which I plan on doing this evening.

 

If your capacitor was swollen and wires burnt off the compressor, replace all that 1st and see what happens.

 

The capacitor looks fine, but could still be bad, right?

Here is some info on my heat pump: 2.5 ton Carrier model # 38BYC030310. The house was built in '97.

I turned on my A/C yesterday to check voltages. The condenser fan did not come on for about 3-4 minutes and I never heard the compressor kick on. Anyone know why there is a delay?

I tried probing the contactor, but got an overload reading on my crappy Radioshack DMM. It still works, I think. I am going to the hardware store tonight to get one of the clamp-on meters so I can read the current and voltage.

After running the A/C for a while, I looked down into the condensor unit to view the compressor and noticed a smaller cylinder next to the compressor that had some kind of liquid that had collected on its top side. After a few minutes it had evaporated. What is the smaller unit and what could the liquid have been?

Thanks,
Chadd

 

the liquid that evaporated sounds like that was freon. are the contacts to your compressor disconnected and they show on the outside?

i had a similar issue. in my case, the capacitor puffed up...when i looked at the contacts to the compressor, they were disconnected and were burnt out. Also the freon had leaked out and there was oil residue on the floor of the unit. essentially a compressor meltdown...its a 17 year old Payne unit. to get all this repaired was costing me abt $1600 (partly bcoz parts are harder to find) and 1yr warranty. and to replace the whole thing is abt $2400-2600 (three quotes).

i think i am gonna replace the whole thing. good luck to you.

 

OK, I can not get a good look at the compressor contacts without removing the fan assembly. I did discover (1) the tstat and contactor are working properly and (2) I definitely have some kind of leak.
Here is a picture of where I saw leak(s). Ice is not accumulating on any of the coils or pipes. Can this only be a refrigerant leak? Can it be fixed?

Thanks,
Chadd

 

I doubt very seriously what you saw was a refrigerant leak. Freon (R-22) boils at -41ºF. It would evaporate so fast you would not likely see it. What you saw was probably water from condensation. If it was, the compressor is, or had been, running unless you saw it early in the AM.

 

Your question about the canister what is it and what is the liquid ?
The Canister is called an accumulator and the liquid that you see is condencation.
This tells me that the compressor does start. but it may not run long.
This is going to take multiple reading done at once.
First what is the suction pressure and the amp draw of the compressor.
Then what is thr RLA for the compressor according to the nomenclature.
The pressure should be 65-80 psig when running if it is lower then it is low on ref.

Check these and then post back or get a pro to check.