Compressor just quit

[gj67]

Hey folks, I have a 2.5 ton Trane outdooor compressor that is approximately 10 years old. It just quit on me today. I noticed the breaker had tripped and when I went to reset it, the compressor did not come back on. The timing of the failure is very suspicious because I just had the coil and furnace replaced in my AC system approximately 2 weeks ago. What could they have done to cause the compressor to fail prematurely? Maybe they overcharged it?

[moe-air]

multiple things come to mind. need to call hvac co. back out. you should have replaced entire system if 10 years old.

[BaldLoonie]

What was wrong with the old coil that you had it replaced?

[gj67]

I had the coil replaced because it was dirty. It was dirty enough that it either needed to be replaced or taken out and thouroghly cleaned. I chose the replacement option.

[beenthere]

Doubtful they did anything wrong.

Now call them, and ask them to check it for you.

[hiltontech]

I wouldn't accuse them of tampering with your compressor being you don't know if that is true..

HiltonTech

[orland25]

the you take the amperage?

[HVAC Pro]

Letting the coil get that dirty likely led to the untimely death of the compressor. On the other hand it could be a minor problem. When you say compressor, I would assume you are talking about that big piece of equipment that sits outside. The compressor resides inside that piece of equipment. Call an expert. Let them solve the problem for you. Good luck!

[Mr Bill]

When you flip the breaker on does it stay on for a while or does it trip immediately? could be a burnt wire shorting against the cabinet or many different things, but the wrong thing to do is be accuse the service company. I would just call them and tell them the a/c is tripping the breaker and let them come out and check it out.

[airworx]

overcharge and or did not install the correct piston.

[dave82323]

moe-air...do you always replace systems that are only 10? pretty good diagnosis considering it is a trane and you dont know the history, location and you have never seen it before..............just wondering

[gj67]

Folks, thanks for your information (except for moe-air's unless he can explain why you should replace a Trane A/C unit every 10 years). A HVAC technician came out to my house last night. Each time we reset the breaker the outdoor A/C unit would immediately trip. The HVAC technician determined that the condensor motor was OK but found out that the crankcase heater was bad. He bypassed it and the outdoor unit started cooling again. Is this a bad thing to bypass? What function does the crankcase heater perform? He said he would get back with me on the cost for replacement of the heater sometime today. I am a little nervous running the unit without the crankcase heater connected.

[HVAC Pro]

Trane used a small plug type sump heater on some of the models that pushed into a square tube with a round hole through it under the compressor. These are famous for shorting where the wires meet the heater. You'll be fine for a while during warm weather, but it should be replaced asap. Cost to repair should be fairly reasonable.