Outside Air Conditioner Not Turning On! Explained!- Voltages, Contactor Troubleshooting

[@acservicetechchannel]

Tool List- www.amazon.com/shop/acservicetech Support- www.patreon.com/acservicetech For those that are looking for the tools used in the videos: (Linked Below) Here is a link to the UEI DL389 Multimeter used in the videos- amzn.to/2av8s3q Here is the link to the Fieldpiece SDMN6 Dual Pressure Testing Manometer with Pump-amzn.to/2jyK5Ka Here is a link for the Supco Magnet Jumpers amzn.to/2gS4h6z Here is the link for the Irwin Wire Stripper/Cutter/Crimper amzn.to/2dGTj2V Other tool links can be found in the video description section. ACSERVICETECH is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.

[@kianleon2383]

you probably dont care but if you're bored like me during the covid times then you can watch pretty much all the latest series on InstaFlixxer. Been streaming with my brother these days xD

[@malcolmluca7893]

@Kian Leon Yea, I've been watching on InstaFlixxer for since november myself :)

[@ba177ba18]

Great Video as always and Thank you so much for posting. Learning so much from AC Service Tech

[@redgreen5831]

Best explanation. Thanks!

[@acservicetechchannel]

Glad it was helpful!

[@bettershooter]

You forgot one more cause for your case, very easy one, most tech would ignore, check the fuse. I had a case exactly like yours, no power, but has 25 volts on plunger, it takes me half day to figure out it is such an easy problem.

[@yasarmunir8975]

Thanks for helping me determine what part to swap out. I had a defective contactor. Had 27v but was twitching on and off when I wiggled the wires off. Probably should have turned the thermostat off prior to removing the wires. The unit is working now

[@acservicetechchannel]

Thanks Yasar!

[@demetriosa7646]

My current contactor is Fla 25. I can only find then with 32FLA. Will this work

[@efman2k3]

Phenomenal video. Great explanation of a contactor. Thanks for posting!

[@acservicetechchannel]

Thank you!

[@dartmouthlights7627]

What does it mean when the ac unit is still working after the thermostat reaches its target temp ?

[@Gotham_City_collectibles]

My AC clicks when I turn the thermostat on and clicks off when the thermostat off but the unit itself is not humming or turning on. Do you have any idea where I should turn to for a resolution. Thank you very much hope you have a great day

[@Pretzel114]

Nice video! On the normally closed side of the contactor, I was wondering if the leads went to a crankcase heater?

[@ChristopherLogan-jf8zx]

I have a unit that isn't getting 24 volts to contactor but it is making this weird noise like it's trying to pull in I am getting 24 on tstat

[@lileo5009]

Hi sir what the problem for this AC,no 240 V come in the contractor and no 240 in the fuse box,check the electrical break is on so what’s the issue if like this?

[@xcrazyhorsex13tiger35]

always take your rings off when working with electric or climbing up and down ladders, safety first:)

[@brettRaper1996]

unless you have a qalo(rubber) ring!

[@officerkrupke4966]

Rings Smrings. Number one is to shut off power and Numver two is to double check power is off with voltmeter. The longer you work with electricity, the more you get lazy. Don't get lazy.

[@grimreaper7862]

Ours cuts on when I push it in then cuts off when I let go we had a storm and lost power in the basement and unit stopped working but upstairs unit is working fine

[@15901111]

Amazing video bro !!! A good contactor coils will be between more than 0 ohms ( for example 4 ohms) to 20 ohms ?

[@sasanhassani2322]

Fan and Compressor were not kicking in. Replace Capacitor, Contactor, Control Board and still did not start. Replaced Low pressure switch and Air Condition (Fan and Compressor) start working.

[@vikg3228]

Thank you for these videos. My outside unit will run for 30-60 seconds and then the plunger on contactor releases and unit turns off, but the inside unit is still trying to cool. Is that a bad contactor or something else? For replacing the contactor can the FLA be greater than the FLA on the old one? Thanks

[@Alex-jo2oi]

Could be a worn contactor struggling to hold its contact down due to pitting.

[@mikemc8495]

how do you like meter i was looking at getting one of those instead of a fieldpeice what do you think?

[@acservicetechchannel]

The dl389 used in that video along with the dl479 does everything I am looking for it to do so why pay more is my thought but fieldpiece is good too. I do really like the fieldpiece st4 dual temp reader though. It is fantastic, thanks. Here is a link to the UEI DL479 Multimeter with temp sensor amzn.to/2jtsUbJ and Fieldpiece ST4 Dual Temp Meter amzn.to/2wc1ME3

[@rocker8692]

I have 27 volts and a new contactor but it still wont pull in,why?

[@jericosha2842]

I've been told by some techs that you can get away with a typical contactor without worrying about FLA. Is that a danger to the compressor?

[@acservicetechchannel]

Uh oh. The fla rating is for the amperage across the contacts and the force holding the contacts together. A lower rated fla will cause a higher amperage unit to fail quicker at the contactor. Size the contactor for max amps of the unit, thanks!

[@electricboogie709]

Thank you

[@acservicetechchannel]

Thanks Electric Boogie!

[@tonitiawilson4466]

I have 240v but no 24v on side terminal to pull in contactor. No visable codes, all thermostat and circute board wires has 24v. Can jump fan motor from circuit board and thermostat but when i try to jump the condensor i can hear coils in furnace come on but outside condenser will not come on

[@acservicetechchannel]

Maybe you are loosing the 24v signal on the way to the outdoor unit, thanks!

[@wildman8601]

So even if the contactor is pulled in but the fan ain't moving and no bulging on the capacitor... it can be the contactor done where it wont send the juice to cap to send to the fan ?? I was at a customer's and found out the condenser stopped running I checked the drain pan it was full of water I drained it but during that the safety float switch triggered on n off I heard the condenser turn on n off but once I got done clearing water out pan and went out side thr contactor was pulled in but wasnt given the fan any juice to run. Now before I drained pan contactor wasnt pulled in I pushed in and the fan spun and compressor was making normal noise I let go then went to drain pain but some how from the safety switch float triggering on and off the fan wasnt spinning at all .... could it be the cap or the contactor??

[@acservicetechchannel]

You would need to follow the voltage through the contactor to determine if it is making it across the contacts. There may be a 5 minute delay on the outdoor unit board or delay control if equipped, thanks!

[@wildman8601]

@@acservicetechchannel u know what it was the safety switch In pan tripped thee breaker there was no cut off switch in attic so as was draining the pan the float kept triggering off the unit n caused breaker to trip ... was emergency call late night and when the brain on guard mode cant let customer interfere w thoughts lol I kind of let the guy say all breakers on when he went to check but when I went myself I seen they tripped lol

[@acservicetechchannel]

Ok thanks for letting me know!

[@wildman8601]

@@acservicetechchannel yea fatigue sometimes and relying on another person's words is a no go lol

[@utoobfan7203]

hi. I have replaced the contactor and the capacitor. When i turn on the AC through the thermostat i see the contactor suck in the little plunger/switch thingy but the fan nor the compressor dont turn on at all. can you please help me?

[@acservicetechchannel]

Did you check your breaker to see if it is tripped or off? It would be a double breaker.

[@utoobfan7203]

Thank you. Thing is. 1 of my 2 buses on my electric panel is working so I have the ac hooked up to 2 20 breakers but they are on the same bus. I tested with a multi-meter on each breaker and it shows 110 or so but could that be the problem. In order to correct the bus issue I need to replace the main breaker on top of the panel which i tried removing but seems to have welded itself to the electric panel. One of the screws connecting to the panel will just not budge. Will you please advise?

[@utoobfan7203]

does what i wrote make any sense? could the bay issue be the problem?

[@acservicetechchannel]

It won't work if they are the same buss because the sign wave is not different. Sounds like you need to have the panel professionally replaced or the breaker somehow pulled and replaced, thanks

[@jamesrockford5145]

my system won't come on. I get a reading at the contactor at L1 and L2 of 0.196V and at T1 and T2 0.000V, coil resistance 16.9, and I got 0 volts at coil or I wasn't pressing hard enough. If I remember the contacts were open. May I ask what you think? Thanks.

[@acservicetechchannel]

At L1 and L2 of the contactor, that is typically stated as the beginning of where the voltage enters the unit at meaning the your breaker or fuse must be open shutting power off to the unit, thanks James!

[@jamesrockford5145]

I have an switch on switch off at outside breaker and measured 240 volts. So I guess no power is getting to L1 and L2. I don't see any tripped breaker in the home either. So replacing contactor is not the problem?

[@jamesrockford5145]

It is an older thermostat. I changed the batteries, when I turn it on, it just makes a clicking sound, could the thermostat have gone bad?

[@acservicetechchannel]

Hey James, here is a video on verifying if the tstat is good- kzbin.info/www/bejne/iZWWenlphr58gbs - Are you saying that you read 240v at the disconnect outide but where the wires connect to the inlet of the contactor, there is no power? Are there fuses in the outdoor disconnect that don't read 0.0 ohms when testing their resistance with the fuses disconnected?

[@jamesrockford5145]

yes that is what I am saying. Don't know if there is a fuse behind the breaker on off switch, there was 4 wires going into it, two wires gave me 240v. Maybe i'll check it out. funny i decided to look into my panal never had it looked at, it is old and always ran, I cleaned out the condenser coil, vacced out the leaves, then took out the leaf blower and blew out the panel area, and after that it never came on, and never had a prob. before that. I guess little by little it will be trial and hopefully I will get it figured out. Ill check out your vid. Thanks for your assistance. Ill let you know how I made out.

[@lakotapride7370]

What happens if I don’t have any volts on my contractor?

[@acservicetechchannel]

The unit will not turn on if there is not 24v on the side of the contactor or the high voltage at the taps, thanks

[@omarrangel7180]

hello what else could it be if voltage 24 volts not reaching contactor? any other switch?

[@RoyJ2012]

@@omarrangel7180 what was your problem?

[@nick41601]

ive got a first time seen problem, and need HELP figuring out... Everything working great, new fan, new cap. BUT every now (sometimes 1 hr, or 5 hrs) and then fan (only outside fan) stops working. I try to free hand spin it, and nothing. After waiting (sometimes 20 mins, or 2 hrs) turn it back on and everything working great again. Extreamly confused and would love some feed back if anyone has seen this problem before. Thank you!

[@acservicetechchannel]

Is this a heat pump or just an ac condensor?

[@UNKAGLEN]

It could be a power saver switch installed by your power ompany. kzbin.info/www/bejne/fqWoeHt7edKkpqM

[@jamesrockford5145]

great job of explaining things. :-)

[@acservicetechchannel]

Thanks James!

[@eazypaid8311]

Question I've been stuck for 2hours

[@godbluffvdgg]

Sounds like someone is playing a didgeridoo in the background... : )...

[@acservicetechchannel]

yeah ha, that is the mic trying to diminish the background noise of the blower fan and compressor!

[@wildman8601]

I was at a heil gas furnace the ppl had a Power surge I believe the guy before added a carrier a.c. coil customer had some meat head come and try to fix it but he kicked him out then call me I show up to to test transformer on the 120 v side was dead but giving resistance on the 24 v side so i got a new transformer put it in but then tested the contactor and wasn't getting 24 v to it but was getting the 240 v it's a 28 year old heil gas furnace w the old style furnace t stat strip can I jump 24 v from the transformer on to that old t stat strip to get the 24 v going to the contactor ??

[@acservicetechchannel]

If it has two transformers then you can't jump but if there is just one then yes you could jump it to test it temporarily, thanks

[@OttawaMale43]

Common mistake new techs do is they test the 120v at the contactor incoming on both side but NEVER test for the 220v between them. 120v on either side is great but you might have back feed on the other side and think that you have 120 on either side but you dont have 220v total.

[@acservicetechchannel]

Thanks ChuckYouFarley!

[@bigbusiness6067]

What does it mean when you have 120 each leg but don't have 240 across both is the a contractor problem

[@ffllaakkii]

Commercial rooftop Ac question, Couple weeks ago i noticed that one of my Ac wasnt cooling , i went up on the roof and the fan wasn’t spining, i turn off the braker and right back on , the fan works perfect. I got a new Capacator and it did the same thing also i changed the fan motor , today the temperature was not going down, went up there and the fan was not spining again. Is there anything else that i can do , also will riplacing the contactor will fix this? Any suggestions will help , thank you!

[@acservicetechchannel]

Is the fan being powered right from the contactor along with the capacitor but not with control or defrost board? Thanks

[@ffllaakkii]

AC Service Tech LLC the new motor cables were short to reach the capacator, i just cut the old cables and conected them with the new ones , I have the cables connected to rhe capacator just like they were before

[@acservicetechchannel]

I just meant, is there something else in line such as a control board or defrost board relay that may be stopping power going to the motor?

[@ffllaakkii]

AC Service Tech LLC I don’t know i’m not familiar with that stuff i took a picture of all connections in there but I don’t know what part is what, and i don’t know how can I upload that photo in here, Model is Carrier 50hj 006

[@acservicetechchannel]

[e-mail]

[@bernieclement3373]

A few summers ago I got a call from a person I was helping out as a side job, I found the problem to be ants in the contactor with a huge dirt pile of them beside the condenser. I just cleaned up the contactor Got it running and told him to take care of the ant problem. gave him a small bill for my time. few weeks later he said his unit went out again and a company said he needed a new compressor, So I went out again and checked the compressor and found inside the compressor cover was full of fried ants shorting it out. Few minutes later cleaned it up and used a terminal repair kit one of the wires were fried and burned the wire off. gave him a little bill and told him again take care of ant problem. Few weeks later same problem with contactor, full of ants, fixed it again and gave him another small bill. Sorry for the long topic, Would you take care of his ant problem the first time? I cant stand the lazy home owner that just wants his A/C fixed. Should We be the exterminator also for a home owner when he has been told what the problem was? And I was just helping him not a business call.

[@acservicetechchannel]

Oh wow, yeah the "tawny crazy ants" are the ones known for colonies set in and near electrical connections. Are you in Mississippi, Texas, Louisiana, or Florida where they have been reported or in another state?

[@bernieclement3373]

Im in SC but ants love the buzz of a contactor or "anything" they can get into lol.

[@rigel4379]

My contactor was visibly burnt. I replaced it. It worked great for a day. Then it stopped working with same symptoms (wont start). Any ideas anybody?

[@acservicetechchannel]

If you are an hvac tech just because you really need to be careful, did you test for 24v on the sides of the contactor? Did you try pushing in the contactor with something rubber or plastic (not metal)? Is the new contactor a large enough of a fla "full load amp rating" for the unit's amp draw. If the new one is burnt then that is likely the cause or the unit is drawing too many amps and the fuse or breaker is sized too high. Thanks and I hope this will help!

[@obetordaz8244]

i replace the capacitor and when i installed the new one and pushed down the contacts down the three cables in the compressor burned and sparked and the kill braker burned and melted i re install the old one back and it did the same thing have any ideas

[@acservicetechchannel]

Sounds like one of the hot wires is grounded or the two hots are touching somewhere. Did you take a picture of what wires go on the C, Fan, and Herm terminals before replacing? Before turning the unit back on, the compressor terminals should be checked and resistance should be read with a multimeter to find where the problem is. If you are unfamiliar or are not a tech then I would say it is best to call a company maybe that a neighbor refers, thanks

[@obetordaz8244]

acservicetech yes i think whats what happend when i tool the cover from the compressor the cables were burn i thought ot was from a short but they were already bad i replaced the disconect put new plughs on compressor and is now runing fine thanks

[@acservicetechchannel]

Oh good, thanks for letting me know

[@OttawaMale43]

LRA

[@johnlupo3919]

OK ALRIGHT OK ALRIGHT OK ALRIGHT OK ALRIGHT OK ALRIGHT OK ALRIGHT OK ALRIGHT (sounds like a Peggy Lee recording from the 1950's)!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[@wildman8601]

Big question for you bro are you ready

[@acservicetechchannel]

Did you have a question?

[@UNKAGLEN]

I had been messing with my A/C trying to figure out why my compressor kept cutting out for weeks. Come to find out it was due to a "power saver" box installed when the A/C was new by the former home owners. This video explains the hows and whys of the "power saver" box. kzbin.info/www/bejne/fqWoeHt7edKkpqM

[@andrewr439]

How did you fix the issue? Called my provider and they said power saver isn’t on. Don’t think they know anything about whether the wiring is faulty

[@johnmcphaul1]

my unit will not power on........can someone help me.....i checked the contactor and replaced it,,,same results,,,,i then push the piece on the contactor in...unit came on......when i let go unit shut off

[@acservicetechchannel]

It sounds like you are not getting a low voltage signal from inside. I would ask for referrals from neighbors as to what company they can recommend, thanks!