Trane XL 1400 sump heater

[domogala]

I live in New Hampshire. Every winter I disconnect power from the condenser as not to waste energy running the sump heater when I know I will not use the unit. Today I reconnected power and immediately started hearing popping from inside the unit. I disconnected power right away again. The one thing that would come on right away is the sump heater. So I opened up the unit and disconnected the heater, and everything was fine. So I'm assuming that either the heater itself or its thermostat are faulty. I did not crank over the compressor, because I do not know what ambient temperature is ok to run without any heater assist. At the same time I noticed that the start capacitor was leaking, so I have to replace that too. I have a parts list from inside the electrical panel. Now I have to locate the parts.

So I have a few questions:
1 - At what ambient temperature is it safe to temporarily bypass the sump heater?
2 - Any recommendations for online parts suppliers?

Thanks!

[jackpiner]

Just replaced 1 on a Trane rooftop today after last weeks storm. With the massive amounts of rain we had some times the water does not drain quick enough.
They are more susceptible to moisture when turned off. But your saving 65 watts of power when off.

answers #1 never
#2 Call a local contractor for a replacement and have him check that the drain holes in the bottom of the unit are not plugged with leaves etc, or possibly drill a few 3/4" holes in the bottom cabinet.

[Swampfox]

The heater is a high failure rate item

Its not there to assist the compressor under low ambient conditions, it keeps refrigerant from migrating into the compressor crankcase during long periods of off time, and causing damage upon startup

Since it has been off all winter, best bet is have the heater replaced and leave the power on for 24 hours before starting the system.

[domogala]

I dug into the unit today.

The first problem was that there was a mouse house under the compressor. They chewed away at the compressor cover insulation and stuffed it underneath. I do know how they are getting inside the unit so I'll use metal screen to keep them out. They're coming through the slots along the side and going into the center of the unit where the freon lines go to the compressor.

The second problem was that the insulation around the sump heater wires was very brittle. It also appeared to be tightly tie-wrapped around the compressor junction box cover. The popping I was hearing were the wires shorting against the edge of the cover. The wire was in two pieces when I found it.

So, I'll be relacing three items:
- Orange insulated compressor cover (chewed up by mice)
- Sump heater (wire no longer connected)
- Start capacitor (leaking)

The parts list does not list the compressor cover as a separate item. I imagine that I'm not the first one who wanted a replacement one. I'll have to ask about that. I did find the other two parts at a variety of sources. I'll follow up once again after I have the unit functional again.

--Jeff