outside ac unit is not working

countrydreamn · #1 01/11/10, 10:07 AM

and there looks to be a lot of ice inside on the bottom. The fan wasn't spinning this morning when I got up and it sounded funny, so I went out and looked at it, then came back in and shut it all off. Not sure how long it's been like that-which stinks.

The house is cold all the time so I didn't think of anything being wrong yesterday, have I killed it?? It this normal considering how cold it is here in NW AL??

I am working on getting a propane tank set so that we can get a wall heater like my parents have, but until then we only have two space heaters and lots of layers.

Windy in Kansas · #2 01/11/10, 11:00 AM

Hm, don't know what the problem might be as my house is cold all of the time lately too.

FarmerChick · #3 01/11/10, 11:09 AM

call the "man"

might be easy fix. my fan stopped running like 12-13 years ago on my unit. can't remember but the fix was like $50 bucks. probably a tad more now but it could be simple fix.

need a "part" and he had it in the truck. fast and done

hope yours is simple also!!!

agmantoo · #4 01/11/10, 11:38 AM

Turn off all power to the heat pump. Thaw the unit of all ice. Return the power and observe what is working and what is not. Post your findings.

countrydreamn · #5 01/11/10, 12:00 PM

ok well it's been off for a while now. A friend suggested turning on the actual air and the fan started to spin but then stopped, so maybe it just needs to sit in the sun some more.

What are you thoughts on pouring warm water over it?? I'm afraid it would make it worse that's why I'm asking before doing.

I will say that I had a huge problem this summer with it freezing up, AC guy said I had the wrong type of filter, changed to a different one problem fixed. He only charged me 25 instead of the normal 50 for coming out.

Travis in Louisiana · #6 01/12/10, 08:07 AM

Well, it sounds like this is a "heat pump". Since the temps have been cold here in the south lately, " I don't believe in Globel Warming", it appears the "heat pump" is going into a defrosting cycle. When this happens, the unit will act like an a/c for a while to defrost the outside coils. The fan outside fan may go off during this cycle, but it has been a while since I worked on a/c units, so I am not sure. It sounds as though you have tried the unit in the a/c mode where you would cool the house. You said tha fan came on for a while and then stopped. Did the whole unit go off or just the fan? If the whole unit went off, you may have not had the inside thermostate low enough for it to run or some safety switch kicked off the fan. When the outside fan ran, was it turning normal or slow. I am thinking maybe the capacitor is not liking the cold weather if the unit is not going into a defrost cycle. Lets us know. Later Travis

Sawmill Jim · #7 01/12/10, 09:37 AM

Travis has it close .Heat pump won't heat worth anything below 35 f to defrost it goes in AC mode and turns on all the strip heaters . Put it on emergency heat till it warms up your best bet

Harry Chickpea · #8 01/12/10, 11:31 AM

Putting it into AC mode would have activated a safety device to prevent the compressor from trying to compress liquid refrigerant.

Fans can fail, but ice can build up in odd spots as well. If it still doesn't work once things have warmed up today or tomorrow and most ice has melted, you could try to remove it and get a replacement either from Grainger or a supplier. Just remember to power off the circuit breaker when working on it and until you get a replacement installed.