Hello everyone! I'm new to this board and I hope that someone can help me. I have a Carrier heat pump model 38BYC048320 that is having a problem with the compressor kicking on or, sometimes, off. I've tried 3 different thermostats but they didn't help so I don't think that it isn't a thermostat problem.

A little while ago, the thermostat turned the system on to heat the house. I noticed that the blower kept running for a long time and I went and felt a vent and it was blowing cold air. I went outside and sure enough, the outside unit wasn't running. I turned off the thermostat and the blower quit after about a minute. I then shut off the breaker to the outside unit.

Next, I took the electrical cover off and found the relay or switch. I don't know what it is called but it has the "plunger" that sends the juice to the compressor when it is down. I moved it with a screwdriver. Then, I switched the breaker back on and had my wife turn the thermostat back on. The plunger worked great and had a nice click and the compressor turned on and started heating the house.

I've had this problem off and on for several months but now it is happening much more frequently. Sometimes the compressor won't kick off . The blower stops because the house is up to temp but the relay's (or switch's) plunger is still down sending electricity to the compressor. That can't be good for the unit and its terrible for my wallet!

Does this sound like the relay/switch is the problem or could it be that electronic circuit board that the thermostat wires go into first on the outside unit? Hopefully I can buy whatever it is and replace it myself. Thanks for your help in advance.

Danny

 

I've been doing a lot of reading of old posts trying to see if anyone else has had the same problem and thought that I'd better clarify this:

The thermostat wiring is correct because the heat system works right most of the time. It warms the house just fine and then shuts off.

The first replacement thermostat was an exact duplicate unit from my upstairs air system so I only switched the face and not the backplate with the wires so I know that the wiring was perfect. The second replacement was total but the system works fine the vast majority of the time but the compressor will "stick" once in a while and not go to the commanded position (on or off.)

Danny

 

dannyual767,

so i'm guessing you drive a 767 for united? well that is beside the point.
at first glance i would say that the contactor at the heat pump is going to it's
final farewell(the switch, relay as was mentioned). what these guys do is when you call for heat(or cold) they pull the contactor in to supply power to the heat pump (240 volts). they are just a electrical coil that makes a magnetic field
to make the contacts connect. if you are associated with any thing related to aircraft, you know what a solenoid is, same basic principle. these are normaly 24
volts. the price to replace them yourself isn't too bad 15.00-30.00 but trying to get someone to sell you one unless you are certified is another question. try a ccdicksons or a fergusons in your area, or where ever you fly. but before you do all of this make sure all of the connections to the heat pump are good and tight, as well as the thermo and air handler(furnace).you did'nt mention the age of the system(the whole thing heatpump/ air handler, thermostadt and the models, except the heatpump, you got that) just in case i did'nt get this right this will help others, as well as me to help fix the problem.

barry

 

Yes Barry, I fly 757s and 767s for United. I'm based in Washington DC and commute from northern FL. I used to be Miami based before we closed that domicile after the 9/11 attacks .

Thanks for the information! I was thinking that it was the contactor that was at fault. It was stuck in the "on" position about a week ago. I had to switch the breaker off to turn the compressor off. I took the panel off of the outside unit, tapped the contactor and moved the plunger with a screwdriver. Maybe I shouldn't have done this but I did shoot just a tiny bit of aerosol silicone spray into it as well. I figured that it would keep it from sticking.

It worked pretty good but my wife said it did mess up one time while I was away on my last trip. It messed up again in the "off" position earlier today.

I hope that I can find a place in Jacksonville (about 40 mins) that will sell me one. I'm planning on making some calls tomorrow.

Danny

 

I forgot to mention that the entire unit is just over 5 years old.

Danny

 

I found this data sheet for it online:

http://relays.tycoelectronics.com/da...100_series.pdf

It is the one on the left, the single pole. Actual Carrier specific part number is 3100-15Q228. It looks like the universal part number is 3100-15Q2999. Anyone have any idea where I can buy one of these? Thanks!

Danny

 

dannyual767,

just a note to everyone out there: i do not work for ccdicksons or ferguisons
i just find that they are some of the most accomodating for finding the parts that i need for the several properties that i'm responsible for.
o.k. that being said, mr. dannyual767, the best places that i have found what i needed is mentioned above. i know that they will have a simple contactor
for your unit. if they won't sell you one even though you walk in there with your flight uniform on, see if one of the maintenance guys can pick one up for you.
they are not that expensive, give the dude a fifty and tell him to keep the change. when replacing make sure you get the wiring right and to turn off all power to the heatpump and air handler(we don't want to blow the transformer)
ps, try to stay away from ever spraying any oil based lube on electrical devices.
they attract dirt and/or can gum up the works( not to mention that most are
flamable) use contact cleaner (radio shack, lowes, home depot).
speaking of contactors, this maybe of some interest to some, i had a
slew (more than one but less than twenty, for ya'll not from the south)
of ants getting into the contactor points and, as we all well know, ants are not a very good conductor of electicity. the contactor would pull in, but nothing happens. seems that they are attracted to the residue that the arc/spark that happens when the contactor is made. clean the contactor
she's up and running again.
hopes this helps danny. tell me when you get to flying to hawaii, i've been there and would love to go back, heck i'd be a bum living in a cardboard box.
but between you and me i think i could find a job.

barry

 

Barry, I actually flew a flight from San Francisco to Kona, on the big island, over New Year's. The waves were huge and there were quite a few surfers. Temps in the mid 80s. Very nice!

I had more trouble witht he contactor today. This time, it wouldn't come on. The air handler came on but I only got cold air out of the registers. I went outside and sure enough, the compressor was not on.

With everything still powered up, I carefully removed the cover so I could look at the contactor and the plunger. I could hear a faint hum so I knew something was going on inside. I saw that the plunger was down and electricity should've been flowing to the compressor but wasn't. I reached up to the breaker and turned it off. When I turned it back on, there was a slight spark and then the compressor started right up.

If I haven't already mentioned it, the contact points look real bad. Black and pitted. I found a exact replacement contactor (Products Unlimited 3100-15Q2999) online from a company in NY (Authorized Parts) and they are next daying it to me for delivery tomorrow. I'm real worried that the contactor will stick in the on position, as it has before, and burn my compressor up. I'm planning to leave the unit off tonight as we sleep. Thankfully it is only supposed to get to the low 50s tonight .

 

danny,

i actually went to oahu, maui, and the big island of hawaii, on a three
week vacation when i was married to my first wife, and we took a flight
with ual, messed up on the big island, and saved some blacksand from
one of the volcanic beaches, which the locals say the fire god palu, would
rain down bad luck to anyone that removed it from the islands, whitin the year i lost my job of five years, and her, but worst of all wrecked my '69 firebird
convertible, damn, i miss that car.... but anyway, when you get the contactor,
(i know you are not a idiot, but there may be others who read this that might need a little more instructions) make sure all the power to the entire system,
heatpump and air handler are turned off at the breakers or fuses. there are
capacitors in the heatpump that hold a serious amount of voltage even though the power is off, these are round or oval and have wires that plug in at the top,
what a capacitor does is help start the fan that is on top of the heatpump and to start the compressor . they normally have the markings: herm, com
and fan on the top. if you don't have to, don't mess with it, unless it is deformed like a coke can that has been left in the freezer, it will need to be replaced. o.k. danny this is what i teach my pups (a/c rookies), take the new part and make sure that it matches up to the old part,then just replace the wires one at a time until it is complete(remove the old contactor which should be free of wires) then mount the new contactor to
the unit. you may have to cut the zip ties that hold the wires to allow
you some working room. just make sure that the 24volt wires are in their proper place and the 120v(times 2 =240) are where they are supposed to be.
check the wiring....... then check it again, kind of trace where everything is supposed to be. when you feel comfortable with what you've done leave the
heatpump unit with the breaker off ( what i mean is to leave the disconnect switch on the heat pump off, or the fuse pulled or whatever form of power to the heatpump that should be located at or around the heatpump outdoors).
(remember i'm writing this not only for you, but for anyone who might read this). set the thermo to off fan, off auto, just make sure the thing won't turn on when you flip on the breakers. alright, flip the breakers on, both of them,
assuming that there are breakers for the heatpump and air handler,
go to the thermo, and switch it to fan to see if the inside blower works,
cool,if it does(some may be on a timer up to 5 mins) . leave the thermo set at it's lowest posistion.
when the fan comes on turn it off. make sure it shuts down. go to the heat pump and turn it's power on, switch, fuse, pull type disconnect,
go back to the thermo, everything should be energized, all it is waiting for
is a command from you (felling powerful arn't ya?). set the thermo into the heat mode, and slowly turn the thing up. it should come on(remember the timing delay that some systems incorporate, around five mins.) i mostly(is that a word?) turn the thermo to it's highest setting to test the new install.
fan should come on,maybe, if your system is equipped, the aux/emerg light may come on, but don't worry, the heat pump should fire right up. set the pain in the a** to your comfort level, and let her fly.

alrighty then, hope that these directions may have helped solve your
problem, posting the results may help others and are welcomed.

ps: i was a student pilot when i was in germany in 1976(giving up my age?
couldn't follow up because of mom((the ol'e you'll fly into a mountain, stuff.
if she only knew, i buzzed the house that we lived in while over there ,she would first killed my dad, then maybe me. one of these days i might rit a
bouck.

barry (ithink i spelled it write)

start at killing my dad who knew but did'nt tell her

 

The contactor arrived via UPS and I installed it this afternoon. I did just as you had mentioned except I took pictures with my digital camera before I started . I got the exact contactor so it was pretty easy. I was scared of the small yellow wire that went to the silver capacitor since I know that thing packs a charge. I wore a leather glove and used a rubber coated pair of needle nose pliers to remove that wire. All power was turned off so I was comfortable with the other wires.

I stayed out by the outside unit while my wife turned the thermostat back on. The outside unit kicked on just as I hoped that it would. There was no big spark like the old contactor had. The only thing different was that my thermostat was blinking "emer." We had never seen that with our new thermostat and we've been staring at that stat quite a bit this last week!

We reread the instructions for the thermostat and found that it was just giving us the option of manually turning the emergency heat on. Just for an experiment, I went to the electric meter and had my wife switch the emergency heat on and the meter almost spun off the spindle ! I hope I never have to use that heat!

It looks like everything is working normally. We're happy about it and hope that we don't have any more trouble. It's supposed to be warm for the next 4 days so our heat pump probably won't run much.

Barry, I'm real sorry to hear about that Firebird! That really sucks! Yeah, you don't want to be removing any of that black sand from the big island!

Danny

 

danny,

great job, mainly for not getting jolted( i guess you would'nt have wrote back if you where flat on back seeing the bright light and seeing long lost family members).

barry
ps wouldn't mind to keep in touch but i don't really know how to use this private stuff?