Trane AC not cooling after being turned to heat mode for a couple days

[zannej]

Well, the repair guy found it. He went to take the cover off and had to hit it. There was a hissing sound of air escaping. The tech said it was the reversing valve and was puzzled. He then had me turn the ac on and it was kicking on and then off and he examined it more closely & found the loose wire. Pushed it back in. Said he'd never seen that problem before. Didn't know if original installers messed up or if the molex came from the factory w/ one loose wire. Super easy fix though. He ran tests to make sure everything was good, said no charge bc it was under warranty. I gave him a bottle of cold water & he headed off. Really nice dude though. Everyone I've dealt with from that company is very nice.

 

[PJB12]

I am happy your system is up and running!
Oddly, a friend called me for help just the other day & it was the same thing- Connector on the reversing valve's solenoid coil.

For the future, if system replacement is ever needed:
I've only worked industrial and limited commercial for temperature management (and family freebies), but Trane is by no means "user friendly". At work had to pay big dollars to get the special Trane diagnostic software and equipment. Also, the parts are nutty-expensive. From people who service residential Trane, I've heard the same thing.

To me; the more generic it is, the easier it will be to service.
When last I installed for friends & family freebies, Goodman was about as generic as one could get. Parts are inexpensive and they last forever. One of my brothers lives at the tip of Michigan's Keweenaw Peninsula & gets 2-direction icy wind from Lake Superior in crazy-cold temperatures. He loves his Goodman furnace. It's never failed.

I have A Haier only because it was a promotional item when they came to U.S. It's also 100% USA brand name components inside, including a Bristol compressor. It's been reliable.

 

[zannej]

Thanks for that info, PJB12! I'll have to keep that in mind. The outside unit has a 10yr warranty on part (1yr warranty on labor). Not sure if we will still even be in this house in 10yrs but we'll see.

 

[PJB12]

The 10 years on parts warranty sounds very good. Perhaps when the 1 year labor warranty expires, your local utility might offer a protection plan that is inexpensive. Sometimes a credit card with extended warranty coverage is useful for big-dollar purchases.

In my post at #42, I forgot that Lennox & their owned trade names are also proprietary. (Special parts, special diagnostic software.)

I have no idea if Trane and Lennox are reliable enough versus the competition to justify the limitations and extra costs.
As far as I know, they are well built, it's just the proprietary parts and diagnostics that mess things up.

 

[zannej]

My local utility company doesn't offer jack squat. Can't even get a live person on the phone. They pretty much only supply power for rural areas so they have us over a barrel. Frequent power surges and outages. They pretty much suck. If I could feasibly go off-grid and have solar and/or wind I'd do it.

I've heard good things about Trane.

 

[PJB12]

My local utility company doesn't offer jack squat

That's crummy about your local utility. They don't sound proactive at all about helping people save energy and use less carbon based fuel.

Someone from our local electric supplier told me that utilities get funding from the federal government to offer customers incentives to save energy in the form of rebates for efficient equipment and home insulation upgrades.

Our gas & electric utilities here offer incentive rebates for all kinds of stuff, even if you let one send an insepctor to do an energy audit and give you a bunch of free stuff. They both also have on-line stores with light bulbs, thermostats and all kinds of energy stuff really inexpensively.

Hopefully, if you buy a new unit, it will meet the SEER rating for an Energy Tax Credit on your income tax return. Something's better than nothing.

 

[zannej]

Not sure if we even get that option on our income tax returns here. Mom handles the tax paperwork (well, she does the stuff online). I'll look into it though. Is SEER a federal or state thing? If its state, we don't have it. They don't want to encourage anyone to get away from fossil fuels here. State ranks dead last in environmental.

 

[PJB12]

Not sure if we even get that option on our income tax returns here. Mom handles the tax paperwork (well, she does the stuff online). I'll look into it though. Is SEER a federal or state thing? If its state, we don't have it. They don't want to encourage anyone to get away from fossil fuels here. State ranks dead last in environmental.

The SEER number is the result of manufacturer's or outside agency's testing for efficiency. The SEER number is generally what will dictate whether or not you qualify for various rebates and income tax credits. You find the SEER on the yellow sticker that comes with the unit &/or in the appliance's paperwork.

The income tax credit is a federal credit. If you qualify, it does not matter in which state, territory or protectorate you live. Some states have credits of their own, too.

The federal credit is an "Above The Line" credit. You do Not have to itemize deductions to receive this credit.

Here are two sites you may find helpful:

Federal Income Tax Credits and Incentives for Energy Efficiency

Information updated 12/30/2022 The Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 provides federal tax credits and deductions that empower Americans to make homes and buildings more energy-efficient to help reduce energy costs while reducing demand as we transition to cleaner energy sources.

www.energystar.gov

Home Energy Tax Credits | Internal Revenue Service

Energy improvements to your home such as solar or wind generation, biomass stoves, fuel cells, and new windows may qualify you for credits expanded in 2022.

www.irs.gov

I think that I read above that your home is in Florida. If it is, maybe these sites will help you get another rebate:

Which utility companies in Florida have energy efficiency rebate programs

List of utility companies in Florida that offer energy efficiency cash-back programs for homes and businesses.

rebates.energy

Residential Electric Rebates - Florida Public Utilities

Florida Public Utilities offers residential electric rebates for home to help offset the cost of making energy-efficiency upgrades.

fpuc.com

Page 3 of the attached article shows Heat Pump Rebates up to $2,000.00 in Florida.

If you live in a different state, simply use a search engine to type something like your state's name and "rebates" or type the gas and electric utilities' names, plus the word "rebate". A bunch of stuff will show up. (Sure beats trying to get a real person on the phone at a utility. When they do get to the phone, they generally don't care to help.)

I hope something, somehow lets you get some money back!
Paul

 

[zannej]

Thanks. We didn't get any paperwork with the outside unit. I'll have to look up the info or ask the seller. I live in Louisiana-- the absolute worst state in the entire country. Not even exaggerating, they did a ranking of states, its' the worst.

Power went out again and the compressor wouldn't come on. I cycled through the settings reset the breaker, etc. Fan worked at least. I turned it off and reset breakers again. Then went to the store, unloaded groceries, and turned it back on. Fortunately it worked. Have to let it sit a bit after a power outage I guess.

Edit: Found the model # Trane 4twr4060g1000AC. From a google search it is 14 SEER. It's a 5 ton system. Not sure if that matters or not. I didn't see anything about seer on the linked websites but my vision is a bit blurry today and my brain is only half-working.

 

[PJB12]

Zannej, I stumbled on this web site while searching for something & thought of you: Entergy Solutions: A Louisiana program

I explored a bit and saw lots of rebates & low priced energy saving stuff. If Entergy isn't your supplier, maybe yours has a similar program.

Paul

Quote: Power went out again and the compressor wouldn't come on. I cycled through the settings reset the breaker, etc. Fan worked at least. I turned it off and reset breakers again. Then went to the store, unloaded groceries, and turned it back on. Fortunately it worked. Have to let it sit a bit after a power outage I guess.
This may be normal. The unit probably has a purposeful time delay relay to protect the compressor from short-cycling.

Boring Details:
When the compressor shuts off, there is very high pressure on the discharge side and lower pressure on the suction side. If the compressor were to try to start against the high pressure, it could open a fuse, arc contactor points or strain the motor's windings. Also, the suction side might pick up a slug of un-evaporated refrigerant and that liquid may damage the compressor valves.

Leaving the compressor off for several seconds to several minutes allows the pressures to equalize. Delays are usually found in capillary tube units, such as most residential & small commercial machines. Some heat pumps with certain reversing valves don't need the delay.

 

[zannej]

Thanks, PJB12. I think that leaving the unit off for a bit after a power outage and then turning it on is probably what we'll have to do in the future.

 

[PJB12]

Thanks, PJB12. I think that leaving the unit off for a bit after a power outage and then turning it on is probably what we'll have to do in the future.

That's a very good plan!

Opening the circuit breaker or turning off the disconnect would be ideal protection for the unit. The reason is that when the power is restored there is usually a voltage spike, then a dip as everyone's refrigerators, air conditioners, furnaces, lights, etc. come on.

We unplug all things with electronics (refrigerator, laundry machines, modem & router, etc.) and all things with motors (air conditioner, boiler, etc.) during outages for protection. I've connected my recording meter many times. The typical restoration spike is about 380 volts. The dip can be in the 80 volts-to-neutral range for up to 15 or 20 minutes. That wrecks motors.

We also have a whole-system surge suppressor and surge suppressors at all items with electronics. They help, but before they can clamp, the spike gets through. It's just shorter in duration. Dips can't be stopped without a whole house inverter (Costing $$$$$$$$$)