central air problem?
i have a nordyne central air system. we tried to use it for the first time this year and first it blew the fuse thats in the house. we reset and tried again. the fuse in the house blew again. so we tried one more time and i heard something pop outside by the air conditioner. what do u think could be possiblity blowin the fuse? is it shot and should we buy a new one or do u think its repairable? ty for answers.
Update:ty all for ur input...i have an a/c man comin out tomorrow. i will update than.
Comments
It is most likley shot. The windings in the compresser have grounded out against the casing. This is an educated guess. If you are considering a new one, fnd an honest contractor and have him check it out before you make a decision.
It sounds like an electrical problem.
You need to call an AC repair man (yes, that is going to be expensive) to determine if the AC has enough power to operate. If you are running it on the 120v line and it is drawing more than 20 amps then it is going to pop the circuit breaker every time. Most homes are wired with 120v and 240v for high energy use items like electric stoves.
There could be a short in the wires, it could have been installed wrong and the short circuit is blowing your fuse. In that case the AC could be damaged, and the short could even be in the AC unit itself. You need to have a service call from an AC repair man or from the company that originally installed the AC unit.
The original installer should warrantee their work and they should have made sure you had the right power supply to operate the AC. It sounds like the AC tried to draw too much power and the fuse blew rather than cause a fire hazard in the electrical lines. It doesn't sound like the AC unit itself is damaged. If it got too much power then it would be damaged, but your problem sounds like the opposite case. Or the circuit could have a short and the fuse blew because of that.
You need to check the documents that came with the AC to find out how many watts it uses.
You can assume that your line voltage is 120 volts, and that you have 20 or 30 amp fuses.
Watts = volts X amps. Volts is constant so Watts/120 = max amps. If the AC is rated over 2400 amps then you don’t have enough power (frankly, I think a short circuit is more likely).
mr.obvio... has a good point if the fan can't rotate then that could cause a problem. Trying to run a fan that is stuck will cause the windings in the motor to heat up and that could create a short circuit, in that case the fan has to be replaced and again it is an electrical problem that needs a professional to check it. You can try and rotate the fan yourself and if you meet a lot of resistance then you know where the problem is.
This is really impossible to diagnose without having a pro come and look at it. Call around and get some quotes for someone to come look at it and give you a repair estimate. More than likely it can be repaired for less than the cost of a new unit. This is especially true if it is a newer unit. A central air unit can be very costly to replace. Most reputable A/C repair places will tell you the same thing, repair it, rather than replace it.
"POP" and a tripped breaker means a short, likely a dead short.
I AGREE WITH GIZMOE!
First use after all winter and you have a dead short that wasn't there before? I suspect critters right off.
For some reason they like to eat the insulation off the wires. Sometimes the critters will still be there with their teeth buried in the wires.
But I guess if you haven't seen it enough times some people have trouble believing it.
Mice love an A/C control box for some reason.
Turn power off and remove corner cover to reveal the electrical components. You can usually see any unusual electrical short.
Other than that call a qualified repair person. Don't think the worst!
It could be that the fan is stuck, with the power off, remove to cover and turn the fan blade by hand until it spins freely, replace the cover and reset all the breakers, make sure no leaves or debris is in the way. be sure the outside unit switch is on too!