How to Test an Overheated Compressor (Diagnosis & Causes)

[@paulrozinski1488]

Another informative video. It flows a lot better with 2 people because the “weight” isn’t all on one person. 👍 The two of you work well as a team. One tiny nit pick ....... Most multimeters have a time out feature ( unless disabled) so you might be waiting for a continuity beep that never happens because your meter shut itself off. That could ruin your afternoon😖. Again guys, great job.!!!👍

[@NorCal-refrigeration]

Eric M is a real super tech. No BS.

[@truthmatters6719]

I just wanna say a big thank you to both of you for helping me understand a topic that I was wondering about for a long time. I'm glad there are amazing people like you who teach techs worldwide. I want to enter the trade as an independent tech with my own van and tools so I can live a better life and create a family. Thank you for helping me make my dreams come true, God bless both of you gentlemen.

[@michaelsoto7167]

I love that you guys are raising the standard in hvac by your training videos. Thanks guys keep up the good work!

[@sivasubramaniansksabapathi2587]

Real time OJT, good to see the explanation for OLP Tripping.Hats off.

[@samuelfigueroamartinez209]

Very very good help guys. Excellent video with slow explanation and good camera position. Thanks again

[@ramzg5402]

Eric is very knowledgeable guy, I had this problem on domestic fridge where a compressor was not pumping gas. Thanks Brian and Eric

[@michaelcostello6991]

Guys , this was a real educational video with so much technical information presented. I love the electrical tips also. Thank you. I worked for a small family company for a few months that would not share any information even though i was a newbie and i laugh now when i look back.

[@eronrasor6393]

youre the man my guy! combining these videos with my classes is making this stuff easy ass pie!

[@franciscoflores2718]

I just put my hand on the compressor, if I can't keep my hand on it more than 2 seconds over heating.. throw some cold water on it turn it back on. and check amps and subcool and superheat . Bad system and replace. But hey this video showed me how to test it properly 👍👍👍

[@mobilecommunicationsnetwor5268]

Compressor thermal overload would it work the same with a hard start kit installed? Did you every have the Hard start kit overheat the compressor?

[@ospuddy]

To more quickly reset the thermal overload without water, you can cool the compressor using the fan, just disconnect the power to the compressor and let the fan run.

[@averyalexander2303]

That's a great idea! Perhaps not as quick as water, but no risk of damage from rapid cooling and running water isn't always available.

[@Samlol23_drrich]

Or swap the wires and run the fan in reverse

[@come_on_now]

When tripped on thermal OL... add a little liquid refrigerant while you're ready for compressor to start and run... that'll getter done a lot faster than water.

[@davejohnsonnola7908]

Would be nice if manufacturers made an access panel to the compressor plug area without removing the condenser fan.

[@chrishoogenboom3082]

Loved the video, watched the whole thing looking for the one piece of information that was never mentioned. What is the typical operating temperature of a compressor? In other words, how do we know we "fixed" the cause of the overheat? What if we just reduced the compressor heating by a few degrees such that the thermal breaker no longer trips. Is that "fixed"? I doubt it. So there must be a target temperature of a healthy system's compressor? Ambient air + XX degrees? What is XX?

[@MoonRambo702]

Did you figure that one out yet?

[@khalilbouhaja1676]

Awesome vid!!! More of these please! Maybe how to diagnose a board next? 🤷‍♂️ Thank you!

[@stanleykania7184]

Nice job. Had a old bee hive short wiring to a condenser causing a main fuse to pop for a home. Bees got in because there was no wire connectors and the lid was open

[@Samlol23_drrich]

Im not doing all of this. "Sorry folks, i hope you budgeted for a new system " But seriously very well done and thorough. Thank you

[@flhvacrfossil2124]

Copeland rep advised us @ a scroll compressor class, to never cool a scroll with water. Can cause warpage. And cause a a/c not keeping up in afternoon heat complaint. Ok @ early mrn or night.

[@averyalexander2303]

Thanks for sharing. I could see that happening on a scroll compressor since the outside of the scroll is the inside of the shell, but I don't see that happening on a piston compressor since the actual compressor is a separate assembly that isn't in contact with the shell. However, I have heard stories of the terminals blowing out of compressors from rapid cooling because the rapid contraction can apparently dislodge the terminal assembly. Not sure how true that is, but it sounds plausible to me.

[@Captain_Kdawg]

Lol I can tell you a funny story… hard lesson learned… I changed a compressor and started it up and bam lock rotor compressor not starting… check the capacitor, contactor, voltage…. And I ended up pulling the compressor out and labeld it as bad from factory 😂.. got the other compressor installed it started it up and bam drawing lock rotor at that point I’m lock yea nahhh compressors good no way I got two bad compressors… sooo then my dumb self actually checks for continuity on the compressor wires between the contactor and the compressor plug… sure enough the damn start wire was broken in half …. It was a package unit trane gas pack about a 90 model…I pulled the entire wire all the way out and by looking at the start wire you could not see a spot in the wire that looked like it had gotten hot or burned.. sure enough it was broken within the jacket… hard tuff lesson learned check your compressor wires as well …. And that was on my own time not company time 🤣 😂 won’t ever do that again I promise you !!!

[@nakiapringley5391]

Great video brothers , Yal keep it 💯💯💯💯💯always. I appreciate it.

[@ia9562]

Loved this I mostly due ice makers and coolers but every now and then I get family friend calling me can you check my AC these videos help out a lot keeps me on it , to keep my knowledge fine tuned thanks again.

[@igorc3989]

You guys are definitely doing a great job ! Thank you for sharing! Do you have any videos on York screw compressors ?

[@cyberstar251]

my ac is suffering this same problem, we can hear it trying to turn over with that characteristic buzzing sound it makes, we just checked it with a laser thermometer and it was hovering at 150 degrees give or take, we also found the capacitor was a bit puffy as well but the relay still worked, everything got power but the compressor would not start, i believe this might be the issue wer'e having, we're letting it cool down now to see it that helps. edit: we found the problem, it was a blown capacitor that kick started the compressor.

[@afghvacr]

I go and buy Ice bag from the gas station to cool down the compressor.

[@chrissauter7501]

How do you deal with a condenser that has one of those Copeland interlock mechanism? I had a compressor not running the other day, the interlock was tripped so I reset it (by pulling the 24v wire for more than 10 seconds - error code went away), tried a new capacitor, cooled the compressor, wires were good, compressor still wouldn't run. Cam you do a video on those interlocks. I learned later that it wasn't the compressor. I want to understand what I did wrong so I can fix myself

[@jpenn727]

Great video.

[@mohammadyadegar4413]

Sorry at the end I didn't understand what was the problem and how can I fix it...would you please help me?!...l have exactly the same problem in my ac system.

[@lynncomstock1255]

You need the tools and knowledge to fix this problem. Call a Pro.

[@hvacjohnnie]

Very nice video. Loaded with info.

[@jamminwrenches860]

I just did one where the evap coil had 2 sections restricted causing a high head pressure and cycling on really hot days. It looks like someone put a new compressor on but didnt catch the restrictions and almost burnt out another one.

[@garypoplin4599]

10:55 - You won’t hear the continuity tone If your meter’s auto-shutoff is shorter than the time needed for the compressor to cool. JAT

[@Dawgs1983]

How hot should it be when running

[@grapeshot3462]

Won't most units have pressure switches that will shut the unit off before the compressor drops out on thermal overload?

[@gregmercil3968]

I actually had to cool off a compressor in a residential Goodman a few weeks ago that was off on thermal. No hose bib available so I just poured a bucket of water over it. When I kicked it back on, the compressor started running backwards (it was a scroll). This system is only about 5 years old, but these people pretty much ran their AC into the ground.

[@aphil4581]

Can you hurt the compressor if a fan was hooked up wired with the common and hot wire reversed spliced into the wires from the mag switch to the compressor?

[@danielcarrera125]

Brian you are a bad ass sir

[@lostinthewoods3918]

4:37 can someone further explain what he’s talking about here, I’m confused. If I pull the plug on the compressor I can dump the charge?

[@chrissauter7501]

Sometimes the compressor can be so hot that the seal melts/comes loose thar the compressor leads come out when the pigtail is removed which cause a major leak

[@aa-ron1596]

Question, Compressor was replaced in January 2022. Fast forward to first hot 95 day in May, the entire day the A/C struggled to keep the house cool it ran all day both zones and ultimately the temp in the house kept rising to 76f degrees. At that point called HVAC folks who installed the new compressor in January...I expressed to them that it felt like there was not enough refrigerant and therefore could not properly cool the house..the air was cool but not cold, the copper pipe was cool but not cold as expected. Anyway that evening when they finally came out, the heat pump disconnect shorted out and they went on their way as I said I would replace the disconnect for $15 myself and 2 days later, same behavior they sent someone out, and finally they checked and agreed, the compressor was not properly charged and they added freon and the 25 year tech said you can't properly add freon in January because too cold out and the original tech from his company should have come out in warmer month to properly charge it...yah no kidding!!! Anyway, my argument to them was the disconnect shorted out because the HVAC was working overtime because it was not properly charged by them! I am trying to get them to refund my initial visit where they showed up and said the disconnect needed to be replaced... I believe the disconnect shorted because they did not properly charge the compressor with Freon in January....thoughts????

[@cannadaincowboy]

When you say the disconnect is it fused and your fuse blow or are you talking about the main breaker and it tripped?

[@Tony.Bennett340]

The first thing I would check is the capacitor.

[@realestateservicessaleshea99]

I can watch these videos all day long ! I hope you don't mind?🤯😁😂🤣😂🤣🤣🤣😂🤣😂🤣😅😅🤔🥃🥃🍺🍺🍺🍇🏌 Stay safe. Retired(werk'n) keyboard super tech. Wear your safety glasses.

[@joep4143]

Because you’re lonely

[@realestateservicessaleshea99]

@@joep4143 lonely is a state of mind Joseph!🤣😅 Divorced once. Five kids. Two marriages! Two jobs and my own business since I was 19🤣😅 LONELY😐😁🥃🥃🍺🍺🍺🍇🏌 Stay safe. Retired(werk'n) keyboard super tech. Wear your safety glasses.🤣

[@donnierobertson3088]

Nice job and video like always

[@royalserviceairconditionin2703]

Hello Bryan Have a question! I have watched most of your videos and I have not got clear answer yet. I am working on Day & Night Package 3 phase unit with Scroll compressor that is not working. All the test conducted at the compressor terminal. I have checked for power present at the terminal. I have checked wires leads at the compressor terminal good condition. Unit comes on condenser fan starts but compressor will not work! I have Touched compressor it is not worm or hot. Check Continuity, No continuity no sound. Check Ohms, No ohms no value. Check Ground, No ground no Sound the only thing I did not test on is Supco M500 insulation tester. because I did not have the tool. I just order it from amazon. I will test it soon. What do you think the problem is with the compressor? Thank you very much for your hard work and contribution of your time and effort to make us better technician. I love your work. Good Luck

[@coronel1975]

Which app you had for your Wireless tools???

[@metchkarov1]

Hi guys, what is the app you use to read your Fieldpiece wireless instruments? I have the probes and I’m using Fieldpiece app but yours look cooler.

[@SubStrykerSCR]

What case is on your phone? Antigravity or magnet? Could prove to be very useful & efficient while in the field. TIA

[@mattalexander8919]

Are most outdoor units like these in America? Seems annoying to remove the fan etc and then have to lean down into the unit to do any form of testing.

[@thembones12]

YES, in America, mostly HVAC split system, compressor, condenser and condenser fan are outside/outdoor. (We are not mentioning about Room AC, which are inside) Matt, what country are you residing?

[@mattalexander8919]

@@thembones12 I was referring to the layout of the outdoor unit. In Australia we can access most components by simply removing one cover.

[@thembones12]

@@mattalexander8919 Not that easy to access the compressor and other components. Most, you have to remove the condenser fan and deep down to access the compressor. Condenser coils surround the compressors. The easy ones to access are the contactors and capacitors.......

[@lyndonlakhansingh]

Hi Brian,do you do private school or just youtube ?

[@ralphnabozny8494]

hi brian geting the heat out?

[@ptaweston]

Audio would be nice from the tall guy.

[@roberthaggerty5720]

great info. thx.techs.

[@RitinPali]

Daikin 1.5 ton inverter split ac. 5yrd old. R32 gas running pressure 150psi. Current 6.3amps Both indoor and outdoor coils have been cleaned. Service Technician says it's ok. But it's not cooling. Temp in the indoor blower showed 16'c or 60'My brand new split AC showed indoor temp at 6'c or 43'f Previously compressor would heat up and trip. So got the outdoor pcb repaired . Last year it ran fine. Eventhough the discharge line had a bad pinch on it. Which was fixed when the pcb was repaired. Now it doesn't trip but keeps running. And does not cool the air. Am out of ideas any help greatly appreciated. TIA

[@jooeee23]

Hello, I changed the capacitor on my unit and it work great, than the next day it stopped cooling again, any ideas?

[@brianmcdermott1718]

Great tips .

[@resurgensix]

Best practices in action!

[@toupsclassroomtoupsclassro9557]

question: ok, bad transformer in heat pump. However the wire on the com. is red, so I'm assuming I connect this one to the white wire on the univ. transformer. Is this correct? Also, the white wire is on the 240 of the old one so I would connect the white wire to the orange for 240 the sec'd wires don't matter in orientation. Is all of this correct? ty

[@cannadaincowboy]

There should be a schematic on the panel with the wire colors to each connections..

[@eliascastro6744]

What could it be if the condenser unit goes to pump down mode by itself??

[@j.lmonestime2097]

Hi , Is that an App you have on your phone to measure the subcool or your phone in connected to the system?

[@Arethusa09]

the app they showed was mQ HVAC it connects to the field piece probes and clamps

[@gnaneshsiva9193]

Thanks you for sharing

[@kennethlobo4420]

I think even a quick ground test on the compressor is needed

[@davidgibson9781]

If the breaker isn't tripped why is that necessary?

[@kennethlobo4420]

@@davidgibson9781 I am not saying U are wrong,but u don't loose much.

[@phillipjoy8191]

Great videos 😜

[@soloch69]

Love it 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼

[@JesusRomero-lp6zt]

I've been following and learned a lot from your videos and I'm really thankful for that, but I have a question, what's the difference between a thermal overload open and a locked rotor ? I thought that a locked rotor was caused by an open thermal overload for trying to start for a long time I might be wrong I will really appreciate an answer

[@officerkrupke4966]

The very high current or amperage a motor draws when power is first applied, due to low counter emf. It is usually five to six times the running load amperage. You wont see this with a clamp on ampmeter if it doesnt have the feature to capture the starting current which only occurs in about a tenth of a second on start up. A thermal overload is a physical switch that is normally closed and mounted on motor windings, if there is a overload current that causes the windings to heat up to the trip point, switch will open and it will take a while to close as in this video.. If a compressor is at or over the locked rotor amp draw on start up, it would tell you to check for a weak capacitor, or burnt contacts, burnt wire, poor wire connection, low voltage in the power supply, lots of things. If you cant find a cause, try a hard start before you condemn the compressor. Three out of ten condemned compressors have been found to be just fine.lol.

[@H750S]

So low charge or stuck closed txv could cause the low side to either ice up or overheat?

[@tshokaphiri8381]

Hi guys, im a service technician in Botswana and love the great work y'all are doing with the videos! Coincidentally i had a similar problem just the other day with a Maclaren 12000 btu packaged unit! The compressor was heating up and much like in the video the thermal overload kept it from starting! I did an ohm test, continuity test and ground test to the compressor and everything checked out! I also tested the capacitor and also did a visual test and still everything seemed legit! I then took the decision to remove the thermal overload to see whether the compressor would start (big mistake) long story short the compressor overheated and shutdown! Can you help on what could have been the problem and what could i have done different

[@joshsaboorperry7027]

Did you check the refrigerant charge?

[@jobertpage-et1349]

Number one...👏🕊👍

[@dannymilne4681]

You guy's in the States using inveter AC unit's as opposed to fixed speed ? I see alot of single phase Carrier / Lennox (flower pot units) that US Havc guy's work on and not inverter unit's.

[@pes19soccer4]

Thank you sir , indonesia

[@ultrafaga1947]

Absolute gold

[@abdulhvac2395]

I would disconnect the power to the compressor and Keep the condenser fan running to cool the compressor

[@marcusmitchell95695]

That’s how it’s done 💪🏽

[@AARONJL92]

Why would be only 1 ohm? If the fan is still in circuit when everything is ok, wouldn't you still have the 86 ohms from the fan? 3:23 what am I missing. (Is it because once the path of lower resistance is introduced, that is what it will read?)

[@DavidHarsant1]

cant specify how important and seemingly lame checking the leads is. Ive come across a few units where the compressor leads had a break in the wire and it wasnt picked up on from the previous techs.

[@moonahmad550]

To checking the amps draw was too fast and did not see where your leads goes on?

[@thembones12]

Using Clamp-On amp meter - clamp to contactor black wire connected to compressor. There are 2 contactor line out wires, the black and yellow wire, each one of them are connected to the compressor.

[@Asalcido-x9l]

I want to work for kalos i live in texas how coukd i get hired to work for kalos

[@titogaray5224]

why not turn on the condenser fan and let it cool the over heated compressor?

[@randybethune5854]

Internal thermal overload

[@tinymanthebeast]

If there's too much oil in the system . That will create the problem also.

[@danieldelano9892]

Where is this extra oil coming from?

[@neilvestervictor180]

Just a question I did not see you check the capacitor that could be a cause

[@thesetruths1404]

What is the typical operating temperature of a common kitchen refrigerator compressor? A modern one, less than 10 years of age. Mine is running 125F when not running, and up to 170F when running a lot to restore fridge and freezer temps. Is this fine? Thanks.

[@pablolito9641]

wrong condenser blower wheel orientation

[@LloydNeal-p9i]

Difficult to hear Eric. He needs to have a mic also. Good info though!

[@kabalbasisla1871]

Hire compressor always locked up same unit

[@eliascastro6744]

It's a 2 ton Rudd

[@RobertELee-uc7em]

the wrong guy has the mike

[@jasonshearer1870]

ERIC!!!

[@mybikevlogs6670]

Watching

[@gyrgrls]

If I see evidence of rapid contractions I charge extra for labor.

[@gusc6785]

👍👍

[@donnieboy123]

I managed a restaurant and I called service regularly . Techs wouldn’t spend this much time on one job.

[@ManuelMartinez-os5wb]

Good information, however sometimes I wonder if the the bald guy try’s and intentionally makes people feel stupid. I don’t like when others try to make you feel stupid, but this might be or might not be be the case.

[@mariomartinez4143]

ok what you just said was stupid

[@tiddiboy4075]

Guy with the tools can be more specific about what he is doing .

[@DennisHeller-p7y]

I have a new 323 that is dead.

[@ranakeen9884]

I didn’t really get to see what settings were on the tool nor get to see exactly where you were touching it to which wires BUT MY GOSH the sudden LOUD LOUD MUSIC was JARRING!!!!😢. I just couldn’t watch this video anymore because of the LOUD JARRING MUSIC 😮

[@desertxr8859]

Just call one of these guys so they can rip you off, at least get that crap up and running.

[@emanueldauphin9990]

Put water on the top to cool the compressor you talking to much

[@uhNomad]

Or you can just touch the compressor and find your answer lol

[@josecruz3237]

😁😁😁🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@leamercatwild3354]

Too hard to hear.

[@gero195]

Bag of ice

[@Stuart68505]

Having studied electronics over the years I don’t like the expression “ohm it out.” You check the resistance or measure the resistance. Ohm is a unit of measurement not a verb. You don’t amp something out when you’re checking the amp draw and you don’t volt something out when you’re checking the voltage. It strikes me as slang from people that don’t understand electronics. The video has lots of useful ideas however.

[@thekinginthenorth989]

Womp womp

[@narkahtiks3578]

Sorry to hear that

[@skylee5029]

There’s a lot of slang in this trade. A lot of flat out wrong wording. Like saying the coil is shorted when in actuality it is shunted. Saying something is “shorted” implies a short to ground.

[@damianfox247]

FIRST 🤣

[@matthewrogers9745]

This is BS a experienced hvac guy to much time to fix a problem that will more than likely be a shit compressor or a leak high compression means a bad compressor no need to cool with water it's overcharged or bad compressor

[@davidgibson9781]

Are you sure you're an experienced hvac guy? You barely sound experienced in English.