I think I shorted something out in my Central Air Unit?
#1
08-17-14, 12:58 PM
Join Date: Aug 2014
Posts: 3
Upvotes: 0
Received 0 Upvotes
on
0 Posts
I think I shorted something out in my Central Air Unit?
My central air unit stopped blowing cold air. I did some research and decided perhaps I just needed to clean the dirt off the "fins" After using a hose to clean everything out, I was screwing the top back on when a few sparks shot out from where I was screwing in. No wires near the screw itself. Surprise to me, I didn't pull out the breaker ahead of time... The unit still buzzes and I can feel cold air blowing through the vents in the house but the fan wont work. I tried spinning it with a stick and got nothing. The blade does spin freely. It will start smoking after a minute of turning it on and the unit gets very hot to the touch. Is it just a short somewhere, or did I really screw something up?
#3
08-17-14, 01:19 PM
Join Date: Aug 2014
Posts: 3
Upvotes: 0
Received 0 Upvotes
on
0 Posts
From over looking the unit from my porch the smoke appears to be coming from by the fan blade itself. I'd have to let it run again and get down there to get a better look. As far as what gets hot, just the outside of the housing unit of the fan.
#4
08-17-14, 02:50 PM
Forum Topic Moderator
That is a strong argument not to remove the top from the outdoor unit to clean it.
If you feel that this is only an electrical short, turn off the breaker to the outdoor unit and remove the top again to inspect for the short.
If you shot a screw into the coil and caused a refrigerant leak you must now call a professional to repair the leak, replace the filter drier, pull a vacuum and recharge your system.
If you feel that this is only an electrical short, turn off the breaker to the outdoor unit and remove the top again to inspect for the short.
If you shot a screw into the coil and caused a refrigerant leak you must now call a professional to repair the leak, replace the filter drier, pull a vacuum and recharge your system.
#5
08-17-14, 02:55 PM
Member
Sounds like the condenser fan motor,did you soak it with water when you were cleaning the coil?if that fan isn't running the unit will heat up especially the compressor.with the power off remove the cover and see if you can see any arc marks inside.
Geo
Geo
#6
08-19-14, 04:22 PM
Join Date: Aug 2014
Posts: 3
Upvotes: 0
Received 0 Upvotes
on
0 Posts
Thank you for your help gentlemen. We had a service man come out and check it out. Fan motor went bad (not sure but I think I'm at fault for that) and the compressor is bad as well.
#7
08-19-14, 10:56 PM
Group Moderator
I doubt your shorting caused any kind of damage to the compressor. Ask your tech what the problem is with the compressor. I smell a little smoke here. 
