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Heating & Air Conditioning Electrical Wiring

Is this a bigger wiring problem other than my AC being shot?

last year

I went to turn on my AC units this year by switching the breakers on. One of them went on no problem, but when I switched the other breaker on I heard a hum that I think was coming from the panel or possibly the AC unit itself, so much so that my wife heard it from the kitchen. The breaker tripped almost immediately and I was never able to get the unit up and running. While I didn't realize it at the time, my initial attempt also caused my pool breaker to trip as well, which is on a separate panel.

I had an HVAC technician out and after troubleshooting it for several hours and changing various parts, to no avail. Their final conclusion was that there must have been a power surge and most of the AC's components, capacitor, fan motor, etc. are shot and I can either replace them individually or install a new unit.

Does this sound reasonable, and could there be a bigger problem? I'm concerned because of the feedback I was hearing on the wiring panel and that it was tripping multiple breakers, not just the specific on to the bad AC unit.

Comments (3)

Andrew
last year
last modified: last year
How old is your system? Sounds like your issue could be your electrical panel which would require an electritian if the hvac company is not dual licensed. You said the hvac guy replaced parts to no avail but then gave you the option to replace more parts or replace the unit. That makes no sense. Individual parts can be tested seperately and replaced or ruled out. If he is just replacing parts to hope to get it running, he is guessing. #1: have an electrician check your breaker panels and verify everything is ok. #2: get a new hvac guy.

If the humming was coming from the hvac, sounds like it could have been a locked up blower motor, bad capacitor, or both. If your electrical is whacky, board could have been fried or if the board has a fuse on it, could have burnt the fuse out. Are any lights showing on your board? All these items are fairly easy to troubleshoot and shouldnt result in parts being replaced for no particular reason.
tedd1001 thanked Andrew
Elmer J Fudd
last year
I think you first have a bigger problem to address. Competent HVAC techs don't randomly replace parts hoping to fix problems. From what I've seen, problem solving to determine what's wrong - which components are functioning and which aren't (and need replacement or adjustment)- isn't a guessing game. What you're describing sounds like someone who's inept.

Drop this one and replace him with a competent tech to assess the situation and offer alternatives.
tedd1001 thanked Elmer J Fudd
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@Ray Austin I went into detail regarding aluminum branch wiring - which is hazardous vs aluminum feeder wires - which are significantly less hazardous when installed properly. Not everyone can (or should) rewire just because they have aluminum feeders, for example. If you are replacing things anyway, do it with copper. It's worth noting that the overhead residential service drops installed by the power company are aluminum - and they aren't bursting into flames. I understand exactly what a breaker is there for. A breaker prevents overcurrent conditions that last for more than a fraction of a second. They don't protect against overheating due to undersized conductors or high resistance connections. Those conditions can (and do) start fires without the breaker ever tripping because there isn't an overcurrent situation. Sometimes the overheating results in a short circuit and the breaker tripping before a fire, not not always. The photos were a very good example of what appears to be bad workmanship causing high-resistance overheated connections with a very high likelihood of fire and the breaker not intervening until very, very, very late in the game. The first line of defense against hazardous conditions (and HVAC failing) is knowledgeable workers who adhere to code and practice good workmanship - which is why I wouldn't let these HVAC installers off the hook. They almost burned the house down.
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sktn77a
last year
"I had an HVAC technician out and after troubleshooting it for several hours and changing various parts, to no avail."

The guy would not appear to know what he is doing. Find someone else.
tedd1001 thanked sktn77a

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