AC Fan Not Working

[njbchbum]

Hubs sez compressor goes on but no fan. And of course Chuck Farrell’s office is closed til Monday. Anyone got any suggestions what to do other than turn on room fans and wait til Monday?

[Nucky]

Hubs sez compressor goes on but no fan. And of course Chuck Farrell’s office is closed til Monday. Anyone got any suggestions what to do other than turn on room fans and wait til Monday?

I'd say come over but that ain't gonna work at this moment :1rotfl:

Just for a laugh if your thermostat has batteries change 'em and if it isn't something as simple as that Chuck has a phone number on his answering machine that a guy on my street used and they were reasonable.

I'll bet it's The Flux Capacitor. Check your PM in a minute. :clap2:

[retiredguy123]

If you are referring to the supply fan in the furnace unit in the garage, I would check two things. One, look at the electric panel to see if the circuit breaker is tripped. Two, check to see if the condensate line in the furnace room is clogged. If it is, the condensate drain pan will fill up with water and a float switch will prevent the fan from running. If you can unclog the condensate drain, it should start working. The only other thing I can suggest is to call Munn's because they can probably come out tomorrow. Good luck.

[Topspinmo]

My guess, Most likely the capacitor? utube it, if you are mechanical inclined takes about 10 to 20 minutes change it. $15 to $30 dollar part.

[John_W]

My fan blower went out last year when the unit was 8 years old. I called Chuck's number and they were here within 2 hours. He got on the phone and ordered a new blower, said he would have it in a day or two. Then he had had a loaner fan, which installed and the A/C came right on. Two days later, they called and came out and removed the loaner and put in the one he ordered. Total price for two visits and parts was $175.

I had a capacitor go out when it was about 4 years old, the fan continued to blow but the air was hot. If you have no fan, it's probably what you suspect, the blower.

[billethkid]

My guess, Most likely the capacitor? utube it, if you are mechanical inclined takes about 10 to 20 minutes change it. $15 to $30 dollar part.

If they mean the fan on the outside unit....I agree....most likely a capacitor.

[retiredguy123]

If the compressor is working, the problem is not the capacitor.

[billethkid]

Last summer our outside fan stopped working....compressor would run short time and kick off.
Replaced a capacitor and all was well again.
My only experience with it.

[HiHoSteveO]

Very common problem.
I think you'll find that it's the run/start capacitor. Easy and cheap fix. About $12 for new capacitor on Amazon and maybe 15 minutes of time.
Watch the replacement on this video below.
Run start capacitor replacement - Google Search (https://www.google.com/search?client=firefox-b-1-d&q=Run+start+capacitor+replacement#kpvalbx=__OykXt3 CLcbs_Qbuq4SwCA41)

A post here reminded me. The Carrier systems have (last I knew) a 5 year warranty parts and labor, 10 year parts only.

When my system did the same as yours, I spun the fan manually with a long screwdriver to get it going. It cooled the house fine until it was time to restart. Service technician was angry that I did that as he said could cause the fan motor to burn out. All is well after a couple of years. I keep a spare capacitor now for the next time.

[new peeps]

If it is the outside fan, with the a/c on stick a pencil in the outside fins and spin the fan blade. If it takes off it will cool the house down but the capacitor is bad. Cut the a/c down to cool the house down cooler than normal. When the house gets cooled down and shuts off automatically. Go ahead and shut off the unit as the fan will not start with out helping it get started again. This might help until Monday. Capacitors are cheap, but the labor is not.

[John_W]

If it is the capacitor, Chuck replaced mine when the unit was 4 years old. Even though there was large sticker on the unit that said installed by Munn's, the tech from Chuck Farrell said the capacitor was guaranteed for 10 years. After checking the freon and brushing the inside coils, he replaced the capacitor and charged me $77 for the service call.

This was my first call to Chuck Farrell, it was about 2015. I remember the week before that someone posted on Talk of the Villages that they called Munn's and their 3 year old unit capacitor had gone out, and Munn's charged them $315. So by reading this board I saved about $250 and learned, you don't have to call the place on the sticker and that Chuck Farrell is an honest dude.

Here's a capacitor, $18 on Amazon and free shipping.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B06XQQBRPW/?coliid=I32HAOPUTPHV6J&colid=3OBESSY9EMXC7&psc=1&ref_=lv_ov_lig_dp_it

[DARFAP]

The capacitor needs to be replaced. Had to do it twice on our Carrier. You Tube it.

[elevatorman]

This is the one I used. Robot Check (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01NAZJYWA?psc=1&ref=ppx_pop_dt_b_product_details)

[noslices1]

It’s the capacitor. $30.00 retail for the part, but if you call an AC guy it will cost $200.00-250.00.

[CWGUY]

It’s the capacitor. $30.00 retail for the part, but if you call an AC guy it will cost $200.00-250.00.

:ho: NOT if you call Chuck Farrell

[stadry]

everyone's a GREAT resource,,, THANKS !!!!!!!!!!!!

[Sunnies]

Hubs sez compressor goes on but no fan. And of course Chuck Farrell’s office is closed til Monday. Anyone got any suggestions what to do other than turn on room fans and wait til Monday?

The A/C control panel has a Large dual capacitor. One side provides the boost of current for the compressor motor and the other side is the for the fan motor. It’s a $17 item and can be bought online and installed easily in a few minutes using YouTube videos. You can buy the Capacitor at the hardware store or Home Depot also. An A/C company will charge $100 to $1,000 - depending how honest they are.

If your A/C unit is over 10 yrs you should replace it anyway. If you take out the 3 screws on the A/C panel cover you will see the round capacitor and can get the numbers off it - to buy a new one. It’s a good practice to keep a spare on hand.

[rlcooper70]

Sunshine AC came to my house at 10:30 PM when our condenser quit .... I called them at 9:40 PM and they were right there. Best AC people in the area. Get an account.

[ts12755]

Typically its the $10 capacitor. Keep spares for the indoor unit and the outdoor unit at your house.

[catman]

12 ruler, give fan a spin, sounds like mine, a starter switch bad

[ekback]

If the compressor runs and the condenser fan doesn't, That means that you have power for everything in the system to work. First thing to check is, do you have the proper voltage to the fan motor terminals? If so, the run capacitor is defective or the motor is defective. Shut the power off and try to turn the fan blade with a long screw driver or stick. If it spins freely, it could as simple as a broken wire ( or not ) If it doesn't spin freely, Replace the motor and capacitor. Good luck.

[Joelack99]

Just so you know, there are 2 capacitors, one on the fan on the outside compressor, and one on the air handler. If no air coming out but the unit outside is running it’s likely the capacitor in the air handler in the garage. If neither is running, or it runs once in awhile, look for the clogged drain. Could be other stuff, but these are most likely.

[bragones]

The same thing happened to me during a very hot summer night. As people have attested here, Chuck Farrell was expedient and reasonable with a capacitor fix. But to get through the middle of the night, I opened the unit and was able to access the area where the fan blew air. I cut a hole in a piece of carboard and but my electric leaf blower through it and then placed it into the vent openning. I received a lot of giggles from folks when I showed them the pic, but it worked!

[OhioBuckeye]

My guess, Most likely the capacitor? utube it, if you are mechanical inclined takes about 10 to 20 minutes change it. $15 to $30 dollar part.

I think you’re exactly right! The Capacitor is bad. Easy to change, first trip the AC circuit breaker then take small cover off the side of AC. You’ll see a round cylinder with 2 or 3 wires on top of it. Take a screwdriver & lay it across 2 of the post that wires were hooked to then lay screwdriver across the 3rd one but make sure your screwdriver touches one of the other post while touching 3rd post. Pull capacitor out & put new one in, new capacitor cost $25. If you do it yourself, if you call someone to do it, it’ll cost you $180. Instructions might sound hard but it’s as easy as changing a light bulb. If you hire someone to do it, watch them change it, it only takes them about 10 mins.or less. I changed mine in Mar. of 2019. ONLY change it yourself if your a handy man, & not afraid. Or google it & you’ll see it’s easier than how I explained it, seriously, & you’l be glad you saved yourself $150.

[brakey]

I had a similar problem with our A/C unit. After a storm the fan would not run on the unit outside resulting in no cooling. With a multi meter I found the fan motor was not getting any power. The Relay was visibly burnt as were the wires. I ordered a relay from Repair Clinic and it corrected the problem. I did not replace the capacitor but it would have been a good idea to do so.
If you do this make sure you pull the fuse or breaker that supplies current to the outside A/C unit

Repair Clinic has a troubleshooting section that has helped in the past to find and correct these problems.

Its RepairClinic. com

Good Luck :coolsmiley:

[Carene7]

My fan blower went out last year when the unit was 8 years old. I called Chuck's number and they were here within 2 hours. He got on the phone and ordered a new blower, said he would have it in a day or two. Then he had had a loaner fan, which installed and the A/C came right on. Two days later, they called and came out and removed the loaner and put in the one he ordered. Total price for two visits and parts was $175.

I had a capacitor go out when it was about 4 years old, the fan continued to blow but the air was hot. If you have no fan, it's probably what you suspect, the blower.
Do you know what size you're unit is?
Everyone is showing the dual capacitor of 45/5 microfarids. The 45uf is for the compressor, the 5uf is for the fan. If you have a larger ac unit you will need a higher cap.

[dennisgavin]

anyone have a number for Chuck Farrell? I want to save for future.
TIA.

[erojohn]

I live in a cyv villa complex of around 50 units at least 10 have had problems like your describing. Use a paint stir stick or pencil to give the fan a boost. If it takes off. The capacitor is bad. Ours wenT out on a holiday weekend. I ordered one on amazon but after I ordered I found one one locally. They are ordered by a number ours was 45/5. I believe it is a two section capacitor 45 for the compressor 5 for the compressor fan. If one section goes bad the whole capacitor needs replaced. I think some ac units have 2 capacitors one for each section of the outside unit. Be careful on diy capacitors store electricity. And could give you a jolt even if the 220 is shut off. The part on amazon was less than $20. I now have a spare as do at least 5 other neighbors. Never know whose will go out next. Of course ours went out on one of the hottest weekend s of the summer and on a long weekend. Good luck.

[Nordy]

Don't waste your time with the float switch or drain system. The float switch if your drain is plogged will turn off the outdoor unit(compressor and outdoor fan) or both indoor and outdoor unit completely, depending on how the installing contractor wired it. And you can have a bad fan capacitor and the compressor will still run for a little while until a safety(high pressure or thermal protection) shuts it off. Then the compressor may come on again, but this could severly damage your compressor. Best to shut it off at the t'stat or outdoor electrical disconnect and call an a/c company that has weekend service. But if you want to try spinning the fan blade when the compressor is running might work. Even if it doesn't continue you might still have a bad fan capacitor.
But remember if the fan continues to run your system will cool but once the thermostat is satisfied and stops your unit the fan will not restart by itself. Both the fan and compressor have a capacitor sometimes they are seperate and sometimes they are a combination. if seperate they will have two posts or terminal connections . If combination type the capacitor will have three posts. Some units have a start capacitor(DO NOT MESS WITH THAT CAPACITOR). It will be round, black and probably have a plastic housing. They hold an electrical charge even when removed from the unit! That being said, still50/50 chance you have a bad motor or other problem.

[Bridget Staunton]

Hubs sez compressor goes on but no fan. And of course Chuck Farrell’s office is closed til Monday. Anyone got any suggestions what to do other than turn on room fans and wait til Monday?
My hubby, air conditioning business 40 years, said it’s the capacitor and every house should have an extra one

[MaryHealey]

Who is Chuck Farrell and what is his number please?

[cherylncliff]

I believe Munns is open. I assume you mean the compressor fan on the outside unit. Do NOT run the AC as the compressor will overheat. This happened to me an it is a capacitor. You can order them from Amazon and it does not look to hard to replace although I had Munns do it as there is some danger involved since the old capacitor may be holding a high voltage charge.

[Anne17]

Who is this Chuck and what is his phone number? Everyone seems to know him and like his work.

[gatorbill1]

Make sure you have a large credit line on credit card before calling Munn's. They are the most expensive repair company in area.

[John_W]

Chuck Farrell's A/c & Heating
39475 County Road 25
Lady Lake, FL 32159

(352) 787-9497

[Rango]

If the compressor is working, the problem is not the capacitor.

There is a capacitor for the fan motor

[LI SNOWBIRD]

I'd say come over but that ain't gonna work at this moment :1rotfl:

Just for a laugh if your thermostat has batteries change 'em and if it isn't something as simple as that Chuck has a phone number on his answering machine that a guy on my street used and they were reasonable.

I'll bet it's The Flux Capacitor. Check your PM in a minute. :clap2:


Flux Capacitor -- now that's funny:a040:

[New Englander]

If the compressor is working, the problem is not the capacitor.

Correct

[DavidCorrea]

Check your start-run capacitor. ACE hardware sells them and the Fruitland park ACE is open on Sundays

[retiredguy123]

I would caution people to not attempt to replace a capacitor unless they really know how to do it. The capacitor has a built up electrical charge in it that needs to be discharged before replacing it. If not, you can be shocked by the electricity stored in the capacitor.

[Belva100$]

Capacitor.

[noslices1]

:ho: NOT if you call Chuck Farrell

I made the mistake of calling SunKool

[boobear51751]

If you are referring to the supply fan in the furnace unit in the garage, I would check two things. One, look at the electric panel to see if the circuit breaker is tripped. Two, check to see if the condensate line in the furnace room is clogged. If it is, the condensate drain pan will fill up with water and a float switch will prevent the fan from running. If you can unclog the condensate drain, it should start working. The only other thing I can suggest is to call Munn's because they can probably come out tomorrow. Good luck.
We had the same problem last week. All we had to do is go to the unit in the garage and you will see the white pipe with a cap on it. It should be right in front. Take the cap off and pour a mixture of very very hot water and clorox down the white pipe. Wait 10 minutes so the clorox has time to breakup the stuff that is bound up in the pipe. Flush that pipe with your garden hose. You will need to go outside and watch to see what is coming out of the white PVC pipe right next to outside unit. It will have a bunch of junk come out. All of a sudden the outside unit will kick on. Don't stop running the garden hose water until it runs outside nice and clean. This should be done ever six months to keep it from clogging the pipes. Don't call anyone until you try this.

[wganderson13]

Take a stick & spin the blade clockwise , if it takes off needs a capacitor, I keep a spare. Make sure it's not froze up.

[Wolfeden]

If your compressor is coming on and the fan above it is not, you should turn your system off until a qualified company can check it out. Your compressor will kick off on high pressure. Likely your fan motor capacitor has failed or the motor itself. Save your compressor, its much more expensive.

[daveac83]

Outdoor fan start capacitor is probably gone.

[birdiebill]

My experience with Munn's has been good. I have them check my unit once a year; cost is $79.95. I replace my own filters, so they do not charge me for those. My unit is almost four years old. When Munn's was here this past week for the annual service, my capacitor tested faulty/weak. Since the capacitor is warranted for ten years, and since they were here for the annual service, they replaced the capacitor at no cost and at no additional labor charge.

[njbchbum]

Bridget - Love the advice! Doya know where I can find an extra installer and where to keep that? LOLOLOLOL

[junglejim]

Your unit may have a reset button which may work

[Number 10 GI]

My experience with Munn's has been good. I have them check my unit once a year; cost is $79.95. I replace my own filters, so they do not charge me for those. My unit is almost four years old. When Munn's was here this past week for the annual service, my capacitor tested faulty/weak. Since the capacitor is warranted for ten years, and since they were here for the annual service, they replaced the capacitor at no cost and at no additional labor charge.

We have our unit serviced in the spring and fall. Did this where we lived before TV and our unit was still working after 17 years. Just like your car you need to have the A/C unit serviced regularly to get the maximum life from it.

[EdFNJ]

Hubs sez compressor goes on but no fan. And of course Chuck Farrell’s office is closed til Monday. Anyone got any suggestions what to do other than turn on room fans and wait til Monday?
If it's the compressor I have a new (spare) capacitor & a new relay (contactor) if you need it and can't get service assuming it's compatible with yours. Just replaced mine last year and always have one "in stock" as our A/C is ~13yrs old.

[THUNDERCHIEF]

hubs sez compressor goes on but no fan. And of course chuck farrell’s office is closed til monday. Anyone got any suggestions what to do other than turn on room fans and wait til monday? call ac emergency service - they will come out and charge 80.00 bucks just to look at it. Probably needs a capacitor which can be bought for $ 30 dollars and put it in yourself if you are handy. Or maybe wait till monday