Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
My home A/C blower motor runs for a few hours, then will not start again after reaching set temperature.
I can turn the A/C switch off at the thermostat and wait a while (about an hour, then turn it on again and the blower will work again.
When the blower motor is not working and I turn the temperature down at the thermostat, I can hear buzzing at the breaker panel as if the motor is pulling power but doesn't start.
Would this be the blower motor starting to go bad?
Could be, but it also could be ice building up on the coil and freezing the motor into position. That might mean something as simple as adjusting the charge of refrigerant, or as bad as replacing the coil or more.
You should probably have it checked out by a professional, since no one on this forum can really tell you whats wrong without seeing it in operation. Its all just guesswork.
That said, there are a few things you can do to maybe get an idea of what could be wrong.
1. When it is running, the air coming out of the top should be warm to hot. That will tell you that there is something going on.
2. If the outside unit coils are icing up, then its probably low on refrigerant and you need a professional to re-charge it.
3. You can get a rough idea on how well its running by feeling the refrigerant lines after its been running 20 minutes or so. If you look at the bottom of the outside a/c unit, you will see two copper pipes. One is 3/4" diameter and is usually covered with black foam insulation, the other pipe is much smaller, about 3/8" diameter and not covered with the black insulation. Feel the large pipe while the unit is running and it should be very cold and maybe even a little moist. The smaller pipe will be much warmer and might even be hot to the touch. If the large pipe is NOT cold after the unit has been running about 20 minutes, then you are probably low on refrigerant or have a problem with the compressor.
There are lots of things that can cause the loss of refrigerant.
In my area a/c units last about 12 - 14 years, so if the unit is fairly old, it may just be worn out.
Whatever you may find out on your own, you will still need a professional to fix it. You might as well just call them now.
I'd like to thank you both for your advice! It is not the outside unit blower fan that is stopping, it is the inside unit blower fan that turns off (air handler). The starter capacitor is new - I just changed it during the winter.
Do you think it could be the air handler blower motor?
"Do you think it could be the air handler blower motor?"
Not being smartazz, but my response is the same.
Could be, but it also could be ice building up on the coil and freezing the motor into position. That might mean something as simple as adjusting the charge of refrigerant, or as bad as replacing the coil or more.
Breaker in electrical panel buzzing???? Might be a bad breaker.
If you turn the thermostat to FAN - ON instead of AUTO, will the fan continue to run without stopping?
If it does, but then quits when you turn it back to auto (and running a/c), then it could be....
1. Stuff we talked about earlier
2. Thermostat and or wiring, or controls
I have the EXACT same problem and the experts have been out three times so far and haven't been able to correct the problem. The last time they came out, the unit was iced over. So far, we've replaced the thermostat, the blower fan motor and a time delay module and the problem still persists. How can I locate someone who knows how to properly troubleshoot the system without just guessing and replacing parts? Also the unit is only 6 months old....... If we are able to get to the bottom of the issue, I will post the findings.
I have the exact same issue. First time out, our guy replaced the capacitor because when he saw it it looked like it was about to explode. Next time out, we have a brand new unit outside b/c our compressor was going bad. Then, it still would kick on and run, but once it got to temp it would shut off and then never come back on again. So, we left it in the on position. Then, everything would run fine and about 4am the fan would kick on and off multiple times within a minute, finally to shut off and not come back on at all. The compressor outside would still run though.
We replaced the thermostat yesterday and again, about 2am, it shut off and turned on multiple times and then finally shut off. The compressor ran all night and when I went down to check this morning, it was iced over outside and inside (we have one small portion that the insulation is not covering). This happens b/c blower isn't blowing warm air over it to keep the A coil from icing over. Any ideas?
I had this same issue where my upstairs air handler blower would run fine for like 2+ hours, cool to desired temp then after shutting off, the next time it would cycle off and on every few minutes. The compressor would stay on so I constantly had to monitor the blower and manually shut it off at the t-stat. At first I thought it was the control board, so I swapped it out with the downstairs unit but still the same behavior. I then turned the manual fan to on without cool and it ran straight with no problems so then I thought it might be the high speed windings. Sure enough it was. Most control boards will have terminal markings that say cool, heat, park etc. I switched the high speed wire with the parked medium speed wire and it works like a charm. I'll replace the motor when it gets a little cooler and I can deal with not having upstairs ac for a few days. Btw, the manual fan without any temp is usually the slow speed which is used by the heater.
I HAVE the exact same problem..while mine is running it lags at times..I am looking into the resister.if that goes out.it disrupts the thespeed.ofthe motor.if you havehad any success plz let me know.thx)
Quote:
Originally Posted by RC_0852
My home A/C blower motor runs for a few hours, then will not start again after reaching set temperature.
I can turn the A/C switch off at the thermostat and wait a while (about an hour, then turn it on again and the blower will work again.
When the blower motor is not working and I turn the temperature down at the thermostat, I can hear buzzing at the breaker panel as if the motor is pulling power but doesn't start.
Would this be the blower motor starting to go bad?
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
A quick way to rule out the windings.
