Question:
I have 3 year old Goodman air conditioner. One ton. It is used for a
bonus room. Went upstairs for the first time in a few days. It was very
hot. Air was blowing through vents but not cold. The condenser outside
was kind of buzzing but the fan was not turning. Eventually finally the
buzzing went off. With a screwdriver I was able to turn the fan blades
very easily. Could this be the fan motor? I have a multimeter and know
how to use it. Is there a way to diagnose this problem myself. I have
two kids and money is tight right now. I saw no obvious leaks. I have a
leak checker but it will be the morning before I can. But wouldnt it be
making no noise and shut off if it was out of refrigerent? My guess was
the fan is not working and it caused the unit to kick off as a safety
measure and that the "buzzing" i heard was the bad fan motor but I dont
know. I have not worked with home air conditioners too much just cars.
Any help is appreciated!
Answer:
A home air conditioner is not the same as a car (or a car air conditioner,
for that matter). A car is not going to electrocute you. In a car, you are
dealing with 12 volts, and maybe 30,000 volts pulsed. Get your fingers in
the wrong place, and it WILL knock you on your ass - the injuries come after
the shock, not from it. Home AC, 240 volts, all in the open. It won't knock
you back. It will grab you, and hold you. As for your theory of shutting off
with no refrigerant, remember, you said Goodman. Cars are required to have
high and low pressure cutoffs because of safety issues. Goodman probably
isn't gonna have that. The consequences of burning up a home AC compressor
are not the same as putting chunks of car AC compressor through the hood at
highway speeds.
