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HVAC /heat pump not cycling

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Harold Tuttle:
well gee,

after a fun weekend camping at a local state park with the family,
we returned to a warm house

i turned on the AC and the thermostat switched on the fans and main blower but 15 minutes later

no cool air


the condensor unit is getting power

and i noticed that if i press in this contact:


i get the external units fan to switch on

do i have a bad starter relay?

it looks like there is a coil on the back side that must pull the contact shut...
the company that installed the unit can get someone out here tomorrow
but that will eat into my ammo fund



befuddled Tuttle

280plus:
Unfortunately Harold it could be a number of different things. When you hold in the contactor for a couple minutes does the compressor run and the big line with the insulation get hot or cold? If so it may be in the controls. If not you may have the compressor not running for one reason or another. If I was there I'd have you an answer in just a couple minutes but I can't do it long distance. FWIW I don't SEE a starter relay or start capacitor in your control box. That shiny cylinder thing is a RUN capacitor for both the fan and the compressor. The fancy electronic board looks like a time delay / fan speed / defrost logic module. Sorry I can't help you much further.

280plus:
Oh, that thing your pressing in on is refered to as a "contactor" is that what you mean by "starter relay" ? If everything runs when you press it in then

A. Yes, it could be the contactor

or

B. The contactor coil is not receiving a signal to pull in.

If you have a meter you could check for 24V across the contactor coil terminals while the thermostat is calling for cool. If you get a signal then the contactor is bad. If there's no 24 V then you have something else going on. Are there any red buttons to push? If pushing a red button gets it to work then the finned coil is dirty and needs a good but gentle hosing down.

Ah well, again, sorry I can't help you directly.

Harold Tuttle:


while i wish the unit had a red button

no joy

i am about to head for home and attempt to multimeter out a solution

when i tested it this morning holding in the contactor did not seem to make the compressor run
but i did not engage it for longer than a minute...

Harold Tuttle:
ok
i held the contactor in for over a minute
the compressor kicked on and started pumping

bad news
my install company can't get here till monday

time to go freelance

wheres my 27b/6 form?

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