A/C is misbehaving. Compressor/condenser is throwing the 50amp breaker at the house panel. It runs for about 8 minutes then breaks. If I immediately flip the breaker on, and re-start, each time the run time shortens steadily down to a minute or two. Let it sit for an hour and I'm back up to 8 minutes or so.
There's a dangly black start booster that a previous tech had installed a few years ago under the cover too.
Ok, call for help. Ask a neighbor who they use for A/C. Man shows up, puts an ampmeter on something under the removed cover plate, shows me the number steadily rising, through 22.xx, 23.xx, 24.xx etc.
Man says the amperage is going up and shouldn't be -- it started at 20. Didn't see the number when it finally shut off (wish I had) maybe in the 35 range? but for a 50a breaker?
Anyway, man says the compressor is bad. To replace the compressor, $2800. Its a freon comp and they're not normally stocked because of the fed phaseout of freon so it'll take some time to get one.
Goes on to tell me: Or you can replace the entire unit with a Carrier Puron unit -- but the kicker is because the HydronicA/H is freon too -- it'll have to be replace also. We can get it all installed next week.
A little 'net searching and I come to believe the amp meter was attached to the run capacitor. It seems that $25 item is a good candidate as the failing piece.
Does anyone agree?
While writing this, I also thought, (now that I'm just a teensy bit suspicious), maybe the A/H doesn't care what kind of coolant flows through its pipes. True?
Just how big an adventure am I being invited to take? Am I going to Fantasy island after I hit the bank for some cash? Or am I staying home with an undepleted credit card?
I'll hold off on reporting what the cost for an all new A/C system is going to run me until I hear back from you guys. Thanks so much in advance!
There's a dangly black start booster that a previous tech had installed a few years ago under the cover too.
Ok, call for help. Ask a neighbor who they use for A/C. Man shows up, puts an ampmeter on something under the removed cover plate, shows me the number steadily rising, through 22.xx, 23.xx, 24.xx etc.
Man says the amperage is going up and shouldn't be -- it started at 20. Didn't see the number when it finally shut off (wish I had) maybe in the 35 range? but for a 50a breaker?
Anyway, man says the compressor is bad. To replace the compressor, $2800. Its a freon comp and they're not normally stocked because of the fed phaseout of freon so it'll take some time to get one.
Goes on to tell me: Or you can replace the entire unit with a Carrier Puron unit -- but the kicker is because the HydronicA/H is freon too -- it'll have to be replace also. We can get it all installed next week.
A little 'net searching and I come to believe the amp meter was attached to the run capacitor. It seems that $25 item is a good candidate as the failing piece.
Does anyone agree?
While writing this, I also thought, (now that I'm just a teensy bit suspicious), maybe the A/H doesn't care what kind of coolant flows through its pipes. True?
Just how big an adventure am I being invited to take? Am I going to Fantasy island after I hit the bank for some cash? Or am I staying home with an undepleted credit card?
I'll hold off on reporting what the cost for an all new A/C system is going to run me until I hear back from you guys. Thanks so much in advance!
