Tempstar CA5536VKA1, condenser fan not spinning.


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Old 05-16-13, 07:40 AM
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Tempstar CA5536VKA1, condenser fan not spinning.

I have a Tempstar CA5536VKA1 that's about 10 years old.
When the control unit calls for cold air, the house circulating fan turns on but no cold air.

I checked outside and the condenser fan was not spinning. No buzzing or clicking.
The fan motor spins freely. I have intentions of replacing the fan and capacitor given their age.

But, how can I tell if the issue is the condenser itself? Also, I have a multimeter, but am not sure how to rule out an electrical issue...
 
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Old 05-16-13, 08:56 AM
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It sounds more like a contactor problem. You will need to check for 240 VAC at the disconnect on the side of the house. Then you will need to check for the same 240 VAC at the contactor.

The contactor should click loudly when your thermostat calls for cooling. If you don't hear that then the contactor coil could be bad or a safety sensor in the outdoor unit is open. You could also have low freon causing the same issue.

The pic below is just a representative view of the contactor. Yours should be similar.
Be very careful inside the condensor unit...... 240 VAC is present.

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Old 05-29-13, 03:06 PM
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So, I just installed a new fan motor, capacitor and contactor relay. Fan still does not spin when the thermostat calls for AC. Can we conclude that it needs a freon recharge?
 
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Old 05-30-13, 12:52 AM
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Can we conclude that it needs a freon recharge?
No....we can't.

Can we assume you used your voltmeter to check for 240 VAC at the contactor ?

The next step would be make sure you have 24 VAC on the two wire thermostat cable that comes into the unit from the house. If it's there then it must be traced thru the safety sensors in the condensor.
 
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Old 05-30-13, 06:26 PM
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Do you have a voltmeter and know how to use it?
 
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Old 05-31-13, 06:09 AM
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Push the contactor button in to see if that start the fan..
 
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Old 05-31-13, 11:20 PM
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It looks like the cause of a low voltage situation confirmed by an HVAC tech that came out to see it. He suggested it was my capacitor or a loose connection at the contactor. My original capacitor was mounted sideways. It was relocated it so it could be mounted upright (oil in capacitor decreases its life if mounted sideways). In addition he cleaned off the wires going to the contactor and pushed it in manually to confirm that the fan was working. The fan has been working ever since. Not sure which action remedied the situation, but now it works.
 
 

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