AC using Power While off
#1
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jun 2018
Posts: 3
Upvotes: 0
Received 0 Upvotes
on
0 Posts
AC using Power While off
Hello,
So my power bill spiked and was using a lot of power. The bill went from $40 to $240. Eventually we tracked the issue down to the AC using the breakers. However, the ac was off the whole time we hadn’t turned it on in months. I’m not sure what could be causing this much power usage although the AC is off? Any ideas would be appreciated.
Thanks
So my power bill spiked and was using a lot of power. The bill went from $40 to $240. Eventually we tracked the issue down to the AC using the breakers. However, the ac was off the whole time we hadn’t turned it on in months. I’m not sure what could be causing this much power usage although the AC is off? Any ideas would be appreciated.
Thanks
#2
Did you turn off the outside unit (compressor/condenser) or the furnace/air handler (inside unit)?
#3
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jun 2018
Posts: 3
Upvotes: 0
Received 0 Upvotes
on
0 Posts
I turned off the breakers for the outside unit. The furnace breaker is on and doesn't use any considerable amount of power during idle. When I turn the breaker on for the outside unit, that’s when I see a spike in electricity use, although the actual unit isn’t even on.
#4
Some compressors have a crankcase heater for use in colder climates. If your compressor has a crankcase heater and it's "stuck" on, that could be the source of the current drain. Another possibility is the condenser fan motor having a winding shorted to ground, particularly if you have a single pole contactor (not a problem with a double pole contactor). This would apply 120VAC to the fan motor rather than the normal 240VAC. The voltage would probably be too low for the fan motor to start, however it would still be drawing current. If this is the case, I would expect that the fan motor would be warm or hot even though it's not running.