Redford

My heatpump started throwing a breaker when we tried to turn on the AC. I found an exposed wire in the wiring on the indoor unit. I resolved that and the fan would come on, but not the outdoor unit...condensor. I have also tried crossing the R and Y wires at the thermostat...nothing. The contactor outside on the condensor appears to be stuck "in", yet still nothing. I tried to push it in with a stick and could only get contact on one side. I had to use a lot of pressure to push it in any farther since it seemed to be stuck.

A friend (works for heat and air company!) looked at it early on, messed with the wiring, and I believe he made things worse! I don't seem to be getting the 24 volt signal from the inside unit to the compressor. I have a wiring diagram, but not being an HVAC person, I'm not sure what everything is in the unit in reference to the diagram..i.e. sequencer, fan delay relay?

Any ideas of where to go from here in my troubleshooting would be greatly appreciated. We reached almost 100 degrees today!!!

glennjanie

Hello Redford and Welcome to the Forum:
The 24v systme is there to make the contactor pull in. If the contactor is stuck, you may need a new one (take the old one with you). Also a stuck contactor means either a blown fuse or breaker, or the compressor is dead. Since the contactor is cheaper than a compressor, I would start with a new contactor, then make sure you have the high voltage and push the new contactor in to see if the compressor runs.
To test the compressor independently; disconnect all wires from the compressor, use an ohm meter, you will notice three spades sticking out from the compressor. Touch your ohm meter lead to one of the spades and the other lead to mechanical ground, record the reading. Now, repeat the process with the other two spades, writing down the reading on each one. If one of the readings is equal to the other two readings added together the compressor should be good. If that is not the case its time for a new compressor, and that means its also time to call the qualified repariman in because he has the equipment to remove the refrigerant ecologically.
Glenn