It only got to 94 today.... Thank Goodness!!!

Ever had one of these days??? You wake up and after a short while you realize something is bothering you but you can't quite put your finger on it? Well... today was that day for me. It didn't take me too long to put my finger on it, however. One of the airconditioning units had been running non-stop since I woke up. At 05:30, if the air conditioners (I have two, one for upstairs and one for down) usually don't come on and stay on for very long. I didn't feel any air coming out of my vents, (our room is on the first floor) so I went up stairs. I didn't feel any air up their either... The thermostat was not calling for air on either floor. So, I thought maybe I was hearing a neighbor's machine but I decided to walk outside and check it out. As it turns out, it was one of my units. The upstairs unit was on and running. So, I returned to the attic to see if I could firgure out why there was no air blowing if the air conditioner was on.

Below you will see a photo journey that will save a couple thousand words explaining what I found. For you "do it your selfers", you may find some helpful hints to air conditioner repair.

One word of advice. If you are going to tackle the repair yourself, be prepared to fight stiff resistance getting parts. The first couple places I called flat out told me that it was against the law for them to sell parts to me! I had to be licensed before I could buy the parts. When I tried to find the parts at wholesale outlets that were not directly related to the HVAC industry, they didn't have the parts. When they asked what I needed them for and I told them for my air conditioner, they told me I'd have to get them from an HVAC supplier! What a raquet! Get the legislature to pass a law that says you can only work on an air conditioner if you are a licensed contractor. Then you can charge whatever you want because you know the home owner is at your mercy!

I'm sorry, but I'm fixing my own air conditioner. Here's my plan. I'll put on my Cypress shirt, wear my Cypress employee badge and go to the HVAC places I know Cypress has accounts and do my business... neglecting to mention I am working at home today and that the "boss" is also know to many as "Mom"...

So, follow along for the fun;)

The first place I went was up to the attic to look at the condenser unit. When I got there, I found a pan full of water and condensation dripping steadily down the sides! What a mess. The drain on the pan had malfunctioned and was leaking by... What a disaster! Whose room is below this unit??? 

So, I went to Spencer's room and sure enough... I knew I had a BIG problem! 

Here are the main breakers to my house. The two air conditioners have breakers in this box. I first came out here in the dark this morning and flipped off what I thought was the breaker to the upstairs unit. When the unit stopped running I was satisfied. However, when I returned to the house, I had no electricity anywhere.... I had turned off the main breaker to the whole house! 

Often ice forming on a compressor or on the condensor is an indication of a leak in the system. Since my system is over 10 years old, a leak is a realistic possibility. However, I don't think a leak is what is causing this problem. I need to look further. 

It has been a while since I've had anything that remotely resembled snow in my hand. It was 74 degrees at 06:30 this morning when I took this picture. Needless to say, the ice didn't last long. 

This contactor looks okay. The other componants do as well. The downstairs unit has not been a problem, it is the upstairs unit, but, since I have two, I like to compare so I can see any differences. 

Okay, now we are getting somewhere. See all the black powder below the compressor contactor? This is an indication that there is a problem. Let's take a closer look. 

Alright... This is the culprit!!! This contactor, for the upstairs unit, looks like it is "welded" in the closed position. This jives with the symptoms I am seeing, namely, the thermostat is completely off and yet the compressor is still running. Since this one failed, I am also going to replace the one on the downstairs unit as a preventive measure. 

In all, there are 4 parts that I would like to replace: The Run Capacitor, the Start Capacitor, the Start Relay and the Compressor Contactor. Hopefully I will be able to locate all these and, while wearing my Cypress shirt and employee badge, will be able to purchase them! 

I went to Grainger first. They siimply ask you what company you work for and If you have an account. Cypress does have an account and I do work for them... I have been in and out of a few places that wanted to see my contractor's license, which makes it very hard to get the parts I need! 

We'll see if Johnstone has the rest of what I need. This is also a wholesale house, so I will have to "pose" as a Cypress employee on company business again.... Well, I did get the start relay, but not the run capacitors. I've decided to go with these items and continue to run the old "run" capacitors. I will see if I can get replacements on line and install them at another time. The relay's are the parts I've been most worried about. 

Well... here are the parts. This little line up cost me ~$65.00. The cheapest I could get an HVAC repair person to come out to the house for an assessment is $75.00. Any service at all will require the technician to get parts and come a second day. (They don't stock parts or carry any kind of inventory.) A typical repair, like the one I am going to do on two machines would run in the $500.00 neighborhood! So, I stand to save a bundle if these fix the problem!!! 

I couldn't find a matching start relay, so I had to subsitute something that met the orriginal specifications. Here is a pic of the old and new side by side. With the help of the new relay's diagram and the air conditioner's schematic, I'll be able to transfer the wires correctely. 

To ensure I get the parts in correctly, I've decided to orient them side by side and then transfer one wire at a time. Any mistake in the wiring could cost me $2000.00 for each unit. 

Aye!!! I am so glad I saw this problem before I got the the "smoke test"!!!! These contactors look almost identicle, but have their labels on the opposite sides. I oriented the parts based on the label, which was backwards! So, I had to undo what wires I had transfered, rotate the unit and start again. 

Alright, I now have the new componants installed and ready to test. I hope I got it wired up right! 

Well, after getting all the parts swapped and the wiring completed, I decided to give the machine a "bath" inside and out. Here is look at the compressor, the heart of the air conditioner. 

And there you have it... The whole sorid story... And here are my two "Tranes", once again chugging away at this oppressive Texas heat & humidity! 

The Mitchell Family Trip to DQ

We really had a great time at DQ for FHE this week. We read Grandpa and Grandma Hastings testimonies about the Book of Mormon, then, with the DQ dollars that Grandpa Hastings sent us for completing our reading of the Book of Mormon by the end of the year, we went and had a blast... no, make that a Blizzard!!!

It was a cold day for a Blizzard! The high today was only 65! Here we are all bundled up at the local Dairy Queen ready for a Blizzard. 

This is what we are here for! Lead the way, Carly!!! 

Here's Heather and Carly talking with some of the locals. These two were matching in every way! Can you tell which one is Dick and which one is Jane (hint: Don't let size mislead you... Think about Kip and LaFondah)

Here's the gang, enjoying their Blizzards. Thanks Grandpa! 

Julie is a real dairy Queen! 

Spencer hasn't been this cold in ages. We are in the middle of a real cold snap down here. The high today was only 65! 

When we started, it felt like a tropical paridise!