Where is Tim Allen when you need him? [Insert manly grunts here.]
This past Wednesday, at the end of the 95+ degree temps, out AC quit. Thankfully it was at the end of Wednesday and Thursday afternoon brought thunderstorms and cooler temps. A little investigation found that the inside bits were working fine (fan blowing air) but the outside bits were not. Just a low hum.
Google to the rescue! I wrote down all the model numbers and serial numbers and started Googling. I found my way to DoItYouself.com and their forums where I asked a question. By Thursday AM, the consensus was that it was either the contactor or the capacitor. I needed more info to get the right parts, so after work I pulled the panel off the side where I found wiring diagrams and a parts list.
Friday, I called the parts place and get the parts. That night we went out to dinner and ice cream to celebrate the end of the week of Girl Scout day camp for all three. Mom was a counselor and she was especially glad it was done.
So today I opened it back up (after turning the power off at the breaker!). I actually took most of the panels off so I could hose the crud of of the coils too. I one by one I removed the wires from the old parts and placed them on the new parts. A capacitor is kinda like a battery, so I was particularly careful with those wires. Shorting it out could give me quite a jolt.
Anyway, to make a long story short (too late for that), I got it all back together and we now have AC again. Good timing too as the temps are supposed to climb again.
Gotta love the Internet.
Congratulations! It feels good when you get a job done like that.
You are a handy dude!
Why thank you very much.
Gee whiz dude, that is some serious do it yourself action. THere is no way on this planet a guy like me could do all that. Respect my man, respect. That is some serious talent...
There is a certain breed of person who lives for and loves these kinds of challenges. It's like you all are sitting around hoping that something not too expensive or critical is gonna "PHITZ" out on you just so you can take it apart and see what makes it tick. I mean, a computer is one thing. But cars and AC units? You're just a certain breed, man.
I'm not sure that I'm hoping something will break, but I do enjoy the challenge to fix things.
For some, the solution to a busted AC is to pull out the yellow pages, for me that's what you do when all else has failed. I see cars and AC units as just a collection of parts. When they don't work, one or more of those parts isn't doing it's job. The challenge is figuring out which one.
Now, see, if you lived in a civilized part of the country, you'd have what we educated folks call a "Swamp Cooler". We don't need not stinking capacitor. Or compressor, for that matter. Hey, if you seriously consider moving, remember we didn't sign no UP and I'll even give ya a peek at "The Books" if you want.
But I *am* joining yer car fray: my dad is giving me his 1972 MGB, since he really can't work on it any more and both of my brothers were always too rich to have to work on their own car... I'm already dreaming about ditching those nasty dual carbs for fuel injection (that's called sinning so that grace may abound...)
"Swamp Cooler"? Huh?
But an MGB, eh? Full of Lucas Electric part, no doubt. Remember the old saying of the Lucas Electric company? "A good days work and home before dark." Get yourself a good meter. :-)
Swamp cooler = evaporative cooler. Air passes across these pads (that look like shredded wheat) that are kept soaked with water.
Moving parts:
1 squirrel cage blower
1 motor for above (plus belt)
1 water pump
I also know from personal experience that they do not work in south Texas, which is too darned hot and humid to be considered civilized.
Much of the electrical stuff has been replaced. Really, keeping the carbs balanced is the only remaining headache. Oh, that plus the original "buff and wax every month or it looks ratty" paint job that is actually the first thing I'm going to fix.