Yet another air conditioning question

[davek]

My A/C is acting strangely this year.
We had a tech come out and check it, all was working fine while he was here.
Sometimes (but not always) during the hottest part of the day it seems like the compressor stops running.
This afternoon the fan inside was running. I went outside to check the heat pump. Fans were running, but I didn't hear the compressor. I checked the copper tubing, both were at ambient temperature so that seems to confirm the compressor isn't running - if the compressor was running I'd expect one to be hot and one to be cold.

We have a load shedding control from the power company in the circuit to the heat pump. Since the fans are running I don't think it's cutting off power... but does it work that way? Could it just be cutting power to the compressor? How do these work exactly?

The outside unit is in the shade so the sun isn't heating it up excessively.
This spring I did clean out the coils outside using a hose.
And yes, it's really old (24 years, "new" compressor 9 years) , but I'm trying to nurse it though one more season before replacement.

Any thoughts?

 

[John6185]

Do you have one of those "Smart" OG&E thermostats?

 

[eaglerjs]

IF YOUR CONDENSER FAN (OUTSIDE) IS RUNNING, YOUR COMPRESSOR SHOULD BE RUNNING. iF YOU WANT , YOU CAN CALL ME AT 918 940 0826. jOE

 

[davek]

No OG&E, it's VVEC.
talked to Joe, got some advice that sounds promising. Thanks!

 

[saddlebum]

Hard start kit? Is your coil dirty ? Compressor over heating and tripping the over load maybe?

 

[davek]

Today I learned:
My Voltmeter isn't working anymore.
The electronics part of the heat pump had become a retirement home for many spiders. All dead and crispy.
No bulged capacitor.
I worked at all the spade lug connections and made sure they were tight.
And.... the coils that I had cleaned this spring looked dirtier than I had ever seen them before - even when I hadn't cleaned it in years it never looked so filthy. Washed 'em off again, maybe that was the problem.
At least it all started back up when I put the fuse block back in
I also set the thermostat in the house up a few degrees to reduce the duty cycle on the compressor.

 

[TerryMiller]

We had an a/c compressor quit in one of the lodges at the retreat and reunion center where we served as hosts. The a/c guy came out and we had similar problems. Only ours was ants getting into the switches and shorting things out. Checked around the area of the outside unit and ants were everywhere, including all over in a tree-like plant (tree sized with multiple trunks) nearby. Got some Spectracide Bug Stop and sprayed all around the outside unit and in the tree. After getting permission, I then went back there and cut that stupid thing down. The last thing I thought we needed was something drawing the ants.

 

[chuter]

We've had the ants-getting-on-the-circuit-board problem; cost about $400 to get it fixed.
Now I try to spray bug spray around the unit every week or so.

 

[bigfug]

I noticed even though I don't have, nor seen cottonwoods near our property, that when I was blowing grass etc off the walk near my A/C unit, that it was covered in cotton. Hit it with my blower, and it look like I murdered a teddy bear.

 

[TwoForFlinching]

I noticed even though I don't have, nor seen cottonwoods near our property, that when I was blowing grass etc off the walk near my A/C unit, that it was covered in cotton. Hit it with my blower, and it look like I murdered a teddy bear.

My neighbor has three big cottonwoods on the fence line. Wonderfull shade trees, but murder on ac coils. This past Spring, I bought some aluminum window screen and magnets from HomeDepot, trimmed to fit, and stuck that thing around the unit. Now I just take the screen off, spray it clean, wash the dirt out of the unit, and put it all back on. Makes a tough job much easier.