Air Conditioning - Outside a/c fan running and its not contactor

Doityourself.com community forum was created to provide answers to all questions related to home improvement and home repair. Doityourself community can help you find information about how-to topics on small fixes to large remodeling projects. With comprehensive how-to content and expertly moderated community forums DoItYourself.com makes it easy to tackle even the most complex home improvement projects.



PDA
poohuahua
11-29-08, 11:33 AM
My outside fan is running the compressor is not. The contactor points fell off when I cleaned them so I put on a new one. I wired it right but fan still runs when circuit breaker is on no matter what the thermostat is at. heat. cool. or off.

Help!

mike n
11-29-08, 07:09 PM
Need to take a meter and find out where your fan is getting power I am guessing there is something is wrong with the way the contactor is wired, too much of a coincidence. I may be wrong though. either way follow the wiring back from the fan motor and find out where it is getting power and maybe find the wiring diagram on the control box cover and try to put it back to factory original.
poohuahua
11-29-08, 07:31 PM
I wired the new one just like the old one by wiring it like the old one by using pictures. Someone suggested there may be a ground problem through the compressor. I don't know.

mike n
11-29-08, 09:54 PM
There is a possibility of a grounding issue but you won't be able to tell without a meter.
poohuahua
11-30-08, 06:27 AM
Thank you again. I will get on it.
sminker
11-30-08, 10:39 AM
if the fan comes on when you put the power back on the condenser...with no call from the stat,your picking up 115V on the wrong side of the contactor.... if the motor is 208V one leg will be hot with the power up,and the other should go thru the contactor...the top of the contactor or L side if mounted sideways should be the disconnect wires only feeding it.the one leg of 208V of motor would be the only other that should be slipped on the L side if that is the motor voltages your working with.
Former Member
11-30-08, 06:13 PM
The only time that the condensor fan would run with a shorted compressor would be when the compressor is bad and then the fan would run at a much reduced speed, does the compressor run?
poohuahua
11-30-08, 08:27 PM
The fan runs at full speed and the compressor runs when the contactor button is in. Does that help?

The only time that the condensor fan would run with a shorted compressor would be when the compressor is bad and then the fan would run at a much reduced speed, does the compressor run?
Saturn
12-01-08, 09:36 AM
Post your brand and model number and someone will look up a schematic for you. Typically on most residential units the condensor fan motor cannot run unless the contactor is pulled in. You may have a super duper high seer unit that runs the fan thru a seperate control to pull every ounce of efficiency out that it can. Let us know what you have there.