# AC killing power to most of my house



## ryanh487 (May 23, 2020)

Woke up to no power in my bedroom this morning.  Thought there must be an outage, then it cycled back on.  Went back off a few minutes later, came on again after an hour or so.  It's been cycling on and off all day, but when it's off there are still 2 or 3 rooms that have power.  No breakers are flipped.  I noticed my AC unit wasn't running even though the air handler was, so I tried to cycle it on and off by turning it off at the thermostat and when i switched it to off it killed power to the house again.  Power didn't come back on when i switched thermostat back on.  Checked breaker box, nothing flipped.  Checked breaker at the AC, not flipped, but i cycled it on and off anyway.  Rest of the house power came on but the AC still not working.  Repeated the cycle just to confirm/check everything, and sure enough, turn off AC at t-stat = power to 2/3 of the house off until I cycle the breaker at the outside unit again. 

I'm sitting here waiting on a confirmation for a repair guy (on memorial day weekend, ouch...)... any of my GON people have any idea what the deal is and if there's a DIY repair possible?

I'm sweating my rear end off over here and I can't leave until I know when the repair guy is coming.


----------



## kc65 (May 23, 2020)

Sounds like compressor is failing.....Might get lucky and have weak capacitor or loose comp wire...


----------



## ryanh487 (May 23, 2020)

You know I did accidentally smack a brown wire going into the compressor with the weedeater a few weeks ago... i wonder if i managed to loosen something that's just finally started messing up... BRB, gonna go check it out.


----------



## kc65 (May 23, 2020)

That is most likely t-stat wire,,,,it is possible you nipped on the wires leading out of the brown bundle...trace them down to see which one may be loose or cut, hope that's what it is...


----------



## ryanh487 (May 23, 2020)

Ok,  the wires are still connected but even with the AC breaker shut off at the breaker box and the compressor breaker shut off outside when I jiggled them a lovely spark happened when they touched the metal AC housing.  How do I get these things neutralized so I can examine them more carefully without getting zapped?


----------



## Cmp1 (May 23, 2020)

kc65 said:


> Sounds like compressor is failing.....Might get lucky and have weak capacitor or loose comp wire...


Compressor,,,,


----------



## notnksnemor (May 23, 2020)

Stat wires are low voltage and won't kill the power to the house.
Sounds like you've got a problemoin the 208 volt side.
Compressor?


----------



## Cmp1 (May 23, 2020)

kc65 said:


> That is most likely t-stat wire,,,,it is possible you nipped on the wires leading out of the brown bundle...trace them down to see which one may be loose or cut, hope that's what it is...


Nope,,,,only 24 volts,,,,


----------



## kc65 (May 23, 2020)

ryanh487 said:


> Ok,  the wires are still connected but even with the AC breaker shut off at the breaker box and the compressor breaker shut off outside when I jiggled them a lovely spark happened when they touched the metal AC housing.  How do I get these things neutralized so I can examine them more carefully without getting zapped?


kill power to ac box from panel in house


----------



## kc65 (May 23, 2020)

If one is nicked it will be getting less voltage than that causing cycling


----------



## Cmp1 (May 23, 2020)

It's ether the comp or the contactor going bad,,,,


----------



## ryanh487 (May 23, 2020)

kc65 said:


> kill power to ac box from panel in house


Id already done that.  But I just turned it off at the thermostat and turned off the switch for the air handler in the attic. Power to 2/3 of the house is still out,  about to take my circuit tester out to carefully probe around and get a better look at the wires.


----------



## Cmp1 (May 23, 2020)

Pull the breaker from the box outside at the AC,,,,only two things that would cause this,,,,contactor or compressor,,,,


----------



## Cmp1 (May 23, 2020)

You need an ohmmeter or an HVAC Tech,,,,


----------



## ryanh487 (May 23, 2020)

The tstat wires have definite insulation damage.  I got them turned off,  no power to anything now.  Would wrapping each wire in a layer or two of electrical tape be a huge no-no or will that be good enough to re-insulate? I have multiple colors so I can match each for future ease of reference.


----------



## kc65 (May 23, 2020)

ryanh487 said:


> The tstat wires have definite insulation damage.  I got them turned off,  no power to anything now.  Would wrapping each wire in a layer or two of electrical tape be a huge no-no or will that be good enough to re-insulate? I have multiple colors so I can match each for future ease of reference.


should get you through the wkend fine its only 24 volts


----------



## ryanh487 (May 23, 2020)

Pics for reference


----------



## kc65 (May 23, 2020)

may have to cut out the nics completely and splice back together with wire nuts..looks like cooling only unit....pretty simple fix if that turns out to be problem


----------



## ryanh487 (May 23, 2020)

kc65 said:


> may have to cut out the nics completely and splice back together with wire nuts..looks like cooling only unit....pretty simple fix if that turns out to be problem


I think there's enough slack to go that route.  Shorter wires and a few strategic zip ties should prevent future accidents as well.


----------



## Cmp1 (May 23, 2020)

kc65 said:


> Sounds like compressor is failing.....Might get lucky and have weak capacitor or loose comp wire...


Bad cap won't trip a breaker,,,,


----------



## Cmp1 (May 23, 2020)

You need to have someone ohm out the compressor,,,,


----------



## Milkman (May 23, 2020)

Some questions 

Is your water heater still working?

If you have electric oven or countertop unit is it working?

Are the things not working mostly 120 stuff?


----------



## Cmp1 (May 23, 2020)

Call an HVAC Tech,,,,


----------



## Cmp1 (May 23, 2020)

Might Take me less than a half hour to tell you whats wrong,,,,and the cost,,,,


----------



## ryanh487 (May 23, 2020)

Welp. That was an exercise in futility that accomplished nothing but accelerating my pending heat stroke.  Guess the HVAC guy is gonna have to sort it out tomorrow between noon and 4.


Milkman said:


> Some questions
> 
> Is your water heater still working?
> 
> ...



I have a gas heater and oven.

The other stuff that stops working is all 120V, lights/ outlets.  But only like 2/3 of the house.  And only when I turn the AC off at the thermostat or breaker.


----------



## ryanh487 (May 23, 2020)

Cmp1 said:


> Might Take me less than a half hour to tell you whats wrong,,,,and the cost,,,,



If you wanna drive to kennesaw come on over.  I'll gladly pay for it,  gonna cost me at least $90 for the service call tomorrow either way.


----------



## Cmp1 (May 23, 2020)

If he knows what he's doing,should be less than a half hour,,,,


----------



## Cmp1 (May 23, 2020)

75 buck service call here,,,,110 an hour,,,,plus parts,,,,you'd be done in less than a half hour,,,,one way or another,,,,probably a contactor,,,,how old is your unit?


----------



## ryanh487 (May 23, 2020)

Cmp1 said:


> 75 buck service call here,,,,110 an hour,,,,plus parts,,,,you'd be done in less than a half hour,,,,one way or another,,,,probably a contactor,,,,how old is your unit?



I got it in late spring 2015, so right about 5 years old.  It's worked perfectly until this morning.


----------



## Milkman (May 23, 2020)

ryanh487 said:


> Welp. That was an exercise in futility that accomplished nothing but accelerating my pending heat stroke.  Guess the HVAC guy is gonna have to sort it out tomorrow between noon and 4.
> 
> 
> I have a gas heater and oven.
> ...



Sounds kinda like a neutral problem on your power. Could be anywhere if it is. Does your power supply from your utility come in the ground or overhead?


----------



## Cmp1 (May 23, 2020)

A cap could be bad,but that in and of itself wouldn't trip a breaker,,,,it just wouldn't fire up the comp,,,,

Best of luck to you,,,,


----------



## Cmp1 (May 23, 2020)

ryanh487 said:


> I got it in late spring 2015, so right about 5 years old.  It's worked perfectly until this morning.


Mice,,,,birds,,,,bugs,,,,seriously,,,,chipmunks,,,,,contactor,,,,


----------



## Cmp1 (May 23, 2020)

Don't mess with it,,,,just let a professional do it,,,,from what you say,sounds like a contactor,,,,hopefully,,,,if not,you might have some warranty,,,,what kind of unit?,,,,Carrier?


----------



## ryanh487 (May 23, 2020)

Milkman said:


> Sounds kinda like a neutral problem on your power. Could be anywhere if it is. Does your power supply from your utility come in the ground or overhead?



Power comes in underground.  Neighbor's stuff is working just fine and there has been no digging/etc anywhere near my property


----------



## ryanh487 (May 23, 2020)

Cmp1 said:


> Don't mess with it,,,,just let a professional do it,,,,from what you say,sounds like a contactor,,,,hopefully,,,,if not,you might have some warranty,,,,what kind of unit?,,,,Carrier?



It's a Goodman 3 ton, 14 seer


----------



## Milkman (May 23, 2020)

The 120 volt stuff not working sure sounds like a loose connection on the neutral somewhere. Could even be on one leg of the power and not be related to the ac.


----------



## Cmp1 (May 23, 2020)

ryanh487 said:


> It's a Goodman 3 ton, 14 seer


Your probley out of there,less than two hundred,,,,with a fill on the refridgerent,,,,


----------



## kc65 (May 23, 2020)

a contacter is 8$ at the supply house...js...50 to 75 from the tech....


----------



## Cmp1 (May 23, 2020)

kc65 said:


> a contacter is 8$ at the supply house...js...50 to 75 from the tech....


You can't buy from the supply house without a license,,,,and yes,there is a markup,,,,but your paying for 22 years experience too,,,,and quick experience,too cut down on the hourly rate,,,,


----------



## Cmp1 (May 23, 2020)

kc65 said:


> a contacter is 8$ at the supply house...js...50 to 75 from the tech....


And how many amps?


----------



## kc65 (May 23, 2020)

The only thing you can't buy in the supply houses down here is refrigerant a compressor and a unit, everything else is available to anyone...


----------



## 4HAND (May 23, 2020)

ryanh487 said:


> It's a Goodman 3 ton, 14 seer


Check your warranty. About 5 years ago I had a new Goodman installed. I registered it online & it has a 10 year warranty (parts only). Although you'll have to pay labor, it could save you some $ on parts.


----------



## Cmp1 (May 23, 2020)

kc65 said:


> The only thing you can't buy in the supply houses down here is refrigerant a compressor and a unit, everything else is available to anyone...


Run on over and fix it for him,,,,and check his refridge level,,,,


----------



## kc65 (May 23, 2020)

Cmp1 said:


> And how many amps?


from the looks of his I'd say 40fla single pole 8$ all day here


----------



## kc65 (May 23, 2020)

Cmp1 said:


> Run on over and fix it for him,,,,and check his refridge level,,,,


I'll tell you what, if the man was closer I would have no problem trying to help him out...top off his refrigerant for nothing


----------



## Cmp1 (May 23, 2020)

kc65 said:


> from the looks of his I'd say 40fla single pole 8$ all day here


OK,,,,? ? ? ?


----------



## Cmp1 (May 23, 2020)

kc65 said:


> I'll tell you what, if the man was closer I would have no problem trying to help him out...top off his refrigerant for nothing


I definitely wouldn't either,but I'm licensed,,,,? ? ? ?


----------



## kc65 (May 23, 2020)

Cmp1 said:


> OK,,,,? ? ? ?


cap looks to be a 45/5 @440 10$ all day here too...


----------



## kc65 (May 23, 2020)

with 55 rentals and being ripped out of tens of thousands of dollars in SIMPLE repairs at exorbitant prices over the years I have learned that A/Cs really are pretty simple. I even went as far to get 608 certified universal....that in itself has saved tens of thousands...


----------



## NE GA Pappy (May 23, 2020)

I don't think it is an A/C problem.  I am thinking that you are losing 1 leg of your incoming 220 voltage from the power company, or a loose connection in your power box dropping one leg of your 220 power.

That is the only place the 2 uses of power are connected together to cause that problem, and you said you didn't have any thrown breakers. 

Let us know what they find.


----------



## cowhornedspike (May 23, 2020)

NE GA Pappy said:


> I don't think it is an A/C problem.  I am thinking that you are losing 1 leg of your incoming 220 voltage from the power company, or a loose connection in your power box dropping one leg of your 220 power.
> 
> That is the only place the 2 uses of power are connected together to cause that problem, and you said you didn't have any thrown breakers.
> 
> Let us know what they find.



Fully agree.  Nothing that the AC does should cause you to loose 2/3 of your house electricity.  This does not sound like an AC issue...that's just a symptom.


----------



## Cmp1 (May 23, 2020)

NE GA Pappy said:


> I don't think it is an A/C problem.  I am thinking that you are losing 1 leg of your incoming 220 voltage from the power company, or a loose connection in your power box dropping one leg of your 220 power.
> 
> That is the only place the 2 uses of power are connected together to cause that problem, and you said you didn't have any thrown breakers.
> 
> Let us know what they find.


It's the compressor or the contactor,,,,seen this too many times,,,,over 22 yrs,,,,


----------



## Lukikus2 (May 23, 2020)

Milkman said:


> The 120 volt stuff not working sure sounds like a loose connection on the neutral somewhere. Could even be on one leg of the power and not be related to the ac.



Or a gfi switch thrown in a outlet in the house.

120 and 240 volt systems "should be" on different breakers. 

Two different scenarios. 

That 3/4" line to the unit needs to be insulated and slicing the thermostat wire back together should get you running. You may have to push the reset button in for the condenser to. Put the shroud back on . That capacitor could ruin your night.


----------



## Buck70 (May 23, 2020)

Please let us know when you have it repaired.


----------



## NE GA Pappy (May 23, 2020)

Cmp1 said:


> It's the compressor or the contactor,,,,seen this too many times,,,,over 22 yrs,,,,



nope...ain't no way unless it is tripping a breaker.  The outlets in his house are not controlled by the contactor on the a/c unit.  The a/c unit is an end appliance.  It is not having an effect on the other end appliances in his home.

One leg in the main breaker panel is dropping out.  

Either it is a bad connection in his breaker box, or a bad connection at the transformer on the pole.


----------



## ryanh487 (May 23, 2020)

Now it shut down the power when I put the thermostat on 90 to keep it from trying to cycle on and off.  Can't get it back on.  I've got an extension cord from a good outlet to a power strip for my laptop and phone charger,  and the windows open with a box fan blowing.  Gonna be a looong crappy night.


----------



## Lukikus2 (May 23, 2020)

NE GA Pappy said:


> I don't think it is an A/C problem.  I am thinking that you are losing 1 leg of your incoming 220 voltage from the power company, or a loose connection in your power box dropping one leg of your 220 power.
> 
> That is the only place the 2 uses of power are connected together to cause that problem, and you said you didn't have any thrown breakers.
> 
> Let us know what they find.



Does that happen often? 

A few weeks back I tested a water heater that quit working. Every thing tested good on it but I wasn't reading any power. Checked the breaker and the leg it was hooked up to was dead. Swapped out the leg and it fired right up.


----------



## Milkman (May 23, 2020)

Pappy I started questioning the power being the problem back in post 22. At least one person is convinced it has to be the ac unit.


----------



## Cmp1 (May 23, 2020)

NE GA Pappy said:


> nope...ain't no way unless it is tripping a breaker.  The outlets in his house are not controlled by the contactor on the a/c unit.  The a/c unit is an end appliance.  It is not having an effect on the other end appliances in his home.
> 
> One leg in the main breaker panel is dropping out.
> 
> Either it is a bad connection in his breaker box, or a bad connection at the transformer on the pole.


Nope,,,,thats not how it works,,,,it's 240 to the AC from the breaker,protected,by the fuses,,,,which are controlled by amps,,,,


----------



## Milkman (May 23, 2020)

OP
See your pm box.


----------



## Artfuldodger (May 23, 2020)

I've been a HVAC tech about 15 years and seen a lot of weird things. Not saying it ain't so but could someone explain how a compressor pulling too many amps from being bad or shorted to ground, make half the 120volt  things in his house not work? 

I mean it's not pulling enough amps to trip a breaker but it's somehow hogging the current to to other stuff but only on one leg?  Why not both legs? 
Again, not doubting, just trying to learn. I've seen weird stuff from loose connections on the incoming peckerhead to a house or the breakbox that even made the lights brighter when an A/C was turned on, but  not anything like that related to the A/C unit itself.

Could the compressor make the current on just one leg go to ground maybe? And in that way hog the current on just one leg?


----------



## Wayne D Davis (May 23, 2020)

Haven't read the entire post but it sounds to me like you have one side (pole) of the double pole main breaker going out or the bus in the panel is burnt up


----------



## Artfuldodger (May 23, 2020)

OP. you might should try and get your Electric Company out before you pay for a A/C call. They would check it at your meter for free. Might even check it at your breaker box too. 
They sometimes go above and beyond what they are suppose to do. 

It's shame you don't have anything else that's 220 volts to see what it would do. I guess your heat is gas as well?


----------



## ryanh487 (May 23, 2020)

Wayne D Davis said:


> Haven't read the entire post but it sounds to me like you have one side (pole) of the double pole main breaker going out or the bus in the panel is burnt up


What's weird about that though is that  there are non- functioning and functioning circuits on both sides of the breaker panel.


----------



## ryanh487 (May 23, 2020)

Artfuldodger said:


> OP. you might should try and get your Electric Company out before you pay for a A/C call. They would check it at your meter for free. Might even check it at your breaker box too.
> They sometimes go above and beyond what they are suppose to do.
> 
> It's shame you don't have anything else that's 220 volts to see what it would do. I guess your heat is gas as well?



Heat is gas.  Would an electric dryer do the job?


----------



## Wayne D Davis (May 23, 2020)

ryanh487 said:


> What's weird about that though is that  there are non- functioning and functioning circuits on both sides of the breaker panel.


Correct.... every other breaker is on opposite legs of power


----------



## Wayne D Davis (May 23, 2020)

ryanh487 said:


> Heat is gas.  Would an electric dryer do the job?


You are losing one leg


----------



## Artfuldodger (May 23, 2020)

ryanh487 said:


> Heat is gas.  Would an electric dryer do the job?


Turn on a lot of stuff in your house first, coffee maker, hair dryer microwave, air fryer, etc. on a circuit the A/C affected and then turn on the dryer.


----------



## Wayne D Davis (May 23, 2020)

Wayne D Davis said:


> You are losing one leg


From long distance without actually being there to see my guess is the ac unit has nothing to do with it. But it won't run with only one leg of power. It requires 220volt (both legs)


----------



## Wayne D Davis (May 23, 2020)

so my educated guess is bad main bus inside your panel box OR meter base


----------



## Wayne D Davis (May 23, 2020)

if you have electric water heater,  oven,  clothes drier and ac i bet none have power from both legs. Volt meter is what you need and check both sides to ground independent. I'm guessing one side will be dead


----------



## ryanh487 (May 23, 2020)

Here's the breaker list.  Green is functioning,  red x is dead.


----------



## Wayne D Davis (May 23, 2020)

ryanh487 said:


> Here's the breaker list.  Green is functioning,  red x is dead. View attachment 1018231


 so you got two 220amp breakers up top. Unplug the drier and check both outer slots to ground (center slot). Or ac disconnect out by the unit.... pull the cover and check the power legs to ground. 
Judging from circuits marked looks like the right hand leg is your problem. Like I said bad main breaker,  or main lug,  or the actual bus the breakers attach too. Or possibly the meter box has burnt one side


----------



## NE GA Pappy (May 23, 2020)

ryanh487 said:


> Here's the breaker list.  Green is functioning,  red x is dead. View attachment 1018231




i stick with my original thought... one dead leg


----------



## NE GA Pappy (May 23, 2020)

yes... if you have a VOM and are half way competent with it.... check the voltage at the TOP of the main breaker.  Check from one leg to ground, and then the other leg to ground.  You should have 130 VAC on both sides.  If you do, then check the bottom of the breaker where it ties to the buss bars.  Voltage should be the same.  

If you don't have the voltage at the top of the breaker, call the power company.  If you don't have the voltage at the bottom of the breaker, call an electrician to change out the breaker or tighten the connections, unless you are competent to do that work


----------



## Wayne D Davis (May 23, 2020)

is there small piggy back breakers in there because the way you marked the panel tells me it's the slim line stile breakers towards the bottom.... like double 20s and 15s..... like a tiny double breaker but they on the same bus tab.... single pole


----------



## ryanh487 (May 23, 2020)

I'll call in the morning and request an electrician instead of an HVAC tech. Here's the breaker box,  and the list again for reference.


----------



## Wayne D Davis (May 24, 2020)

ryanh487 said:


> I'll call in the morning and request an electrician instead of an HVAC tech. Here's the breaker box,  and the list again for reference. View attachment 1018232View attachment 1018233


Labeling appears to be marked incorrectly but that's not the problem. I bet a dollar the hall bath is on the same circuit as the master br. Just observation


----------



## Wayne D Davis (May 24, 2020)

for the life of me I can't explain how 11, 13, and 15 all work either


----------



## cowhornedspike (May 24, 2020)

Wayne D Davis said:


> for the life of me I can't explain how 11, 13, and 15 all work either


Some of them have to be labeled wrong...


----------



## ryanh487 (May 24, 2020)

Wayne D Davis said:


> for the life of me I can't explain how 11, 13, and 15 all work either



That's why I'm confused as well. 

I have no idea,  for example,  which breaker my master closet is on.  Because it works.  Hall light works.  Outlets in the walls they share works.  

GFI outlets in master bath work,  but the ones in the other 2 bathrooms don't.  GFI in the kitchen work, and the fridge, microwave, and oven work,  but not the outlet under the counter for the dishwasher or the lights and non-gfi outlets wired through the wall the dishwasher is on. The GFI in the garage that my freezer is on works.  But the outlets in the ceiling for the garage door openers and then the light fixture in the garage don't work.  Downstairs/den works,  bedroom under the living room works,  bathroom doesn't work.  It's irritatingly random.  Exterior lights front and back are also not working and foyer lights aren't working.


----------



## Mike 65 (May 24, 2020)

Seen this before and it was an electrical problem. Under ground service cable had to be replaced by power co.


----------



## ClemsonRangers (May 24, 2020)

Mike 65 said:


> Seen this before and it was an electrical problem. Under ground service cable had to be replaced by power co.



that happened to us, had power, just not enough , Duke said we lost a leg


----------



## Bobby Linton (May 24, 2020)

Haven't read everything.  I'm an electrician also.  You have a bad connection.  The interment function of some of your circuits happens when a 220 load trys to pick up. It feeds the 120 that is available through the load to the dead portion of your panel. Get a competent electrician to come find the open connection.


----------



## ryanh487 (May 24, 2020)

Just to reaffirm,  no breakers are being tripped.

I called the company I had an HVAC appointment with this morning and they said first available electrician is tomorrow morning.  So I took it but I'm looking for someone to come out today.   It's HOT.


----------



## Milkman (May 24, 2020)

Sounds like you may need to stay somewhere else tonight. 
If that electrical problem is in your panel in the house that will be safer anyway.


----------



## Mike 65 (May 24, 2020)

ClemsonRangers said:


> that happened to us, had power, just not enough , Duke said we lost a leg


I’m betting this is his problem.
Happens more than folks realize.


----------



## dixiecutter (May 24, 2020)

ryanh487 said:


> Now it shut down the power when I put the thermostat on 90 to keep it from trying to cycle on and off.  Can't get it back on.


Air handler has a time delay relay. If you're making big swings on your t-stat, you can expect it to take it's sweet time to respond. Not saying that's what caused this post yesterday, but it is something you'll have to consider when you're fooling around with it.


----------



## Bobby Linton (May 24, 2020)

Mike 65 said:


> I’m betting this is his problem.
> Happens more than folks realize.


Lost a leg is pretty much the same thing most are saying.  Doesn't matter if it's a breaker, buss bar, or service entrance cable the result is the same. All it takes is someone with a meter at the service panel.  Take the dead front off and there is a good chance the problem will be obvious, but you are at risk if you don't know what you are doing.


----------



## ryanh487 (May 24, 2020)

Bobby Linton said:


> Lost a leg is pretty much the same thing most are saying.  Doesn't matter if it's a breaker, buss bar, or service entrance cable the result is the same. All it takes is someone with a meter at the service panel.  Take the dead front off and there is a good chance the problem will be obvious, but you are at risk if you don't know what you are doing.



I've been zapped enough by 120 to not care.  But I respect 220 too much to go near it.  I'll be leaving anything inside a breaker box to folks who know what they're doing.


----------



## nc dawg (May 24, 2020)

Call the power co they will send the guy on call,could be on their side of the meter. Our underground service had failed on one leg. caused some crazy stuff on our side of the meter.also a loose connection can cause some crazy stuff as well. Good luck


----------



## Bobby Linton (May 24, 2020)

ryanh487 said:


> I've been zapped enough by 120 to not care.  But I respect 220 too much to go near it.  I'll be leaving anything inside a breaker box to folks who know what they're doing.


It could be as simple as bad contact across the stabs on one leg of a breaker.  The 120 coming and going is proof positive you are losing a leg.  Bad contact almost always creates heat damage you can see due to the increased resistance.  It should be an easy fix compared to an ac compressor.


----------



## basstrkr (May 24, 2020)

Many years ago I had similar problem and found that I had nicked my entrance cable when I planted tomatoes near the back porch. It was months later to show up and the fertilizer didn't help. But I'm with the post that says a lost leg, somehow> This created strange ghostly things to happen in the house!


----------



## Bobby Linton (May 24, 2020)

basstrkr said:


> Many years ago I had similar problem and found that I had nicked my entrance cable when I planted tomatoes near the back porch. It was months later to show up and the fertilizer didn't help. But I'm with the post that says a lost leg, somehow> This created strange ghostly things to happen in the house!


It sounds ghostly but it makes logical sense.  He could prove this buy manually energizing the AC contactor and seeing if the dead circuits in the house come on.  If they do the 220 motor is back feeding around the part of the circuit isolated by the open leg.


----------



## Wayne D Davis (May 24, 2020)

Horns said:


> My parents had a fire at their house. Luckily my mom was awake and it only burned the dryer up. We replaced everything in the utility room and got it back going. About a month later, half of the electrical panel went out. Come to find out one leg coming from power pole to weather head was broken. Ga Power replaced the line. I would bet that’s what caused the fire from electrical surging


I bet you're correct.... bad connections cause arcing. Lose neutral well cause it quick as the hot legs will. I couldn't guess how many panel boxes I've changed out because of burnt bus or mains. Several meter bases as well. Then there's the chance it's between your meter and the power company


----------



## Buck70 (May 24, 2020)

Please oh please post the results.


----------



## Lukikus2 (May 24, 2020)

You wouldn't happen to have a backup generator would you?


----------



## Bobby Linton (May 24, 2020)

Lukikus2 said:


> You wouldn't happen to have a backup generator would you?


You think half his ats switch has transferred/opened?


----------



## notnksnemor (May 24, 2020)

It doesn't sound like he's comfortable troubleshooting 208 and I'm not going to offer a suggestion without putting a meter on it.

Get a professional's on site opinion.


----------



## Wayne D Davis (May 24, 2020)

It's his home from my understanding. Highly doubt he has 3 phase in his home


----------



## ryanh487 (May 24, 2020)

I've got an electrician coming in the morning,  first available I could find. 
I tried calling the power company but I'm stuck on Acworth city power and they're not answering the phone.

I appreciate all y'all's help and I will definitely post the results after the electrician does his thing.


----------



## ryanh487 (May 24, 2020)

Lukikus2 said:


> You wouldn't happen to have a backup generator would you?



I do not


----------



## Wayne D Davis (May 24, 2020)

ryanh487 said:


> I've got an electrician coming in the morning,  first available I could find.
> I tried calling the power company but I'm stuck on Acworth city power and they're not answering the phone.
> 
> I appreciate all y'all's help and I will definitely post the results after the electrician does his thing.


I had no idea you was that close to me.... I'm in cartersville


----------



## ryanh487 (May 24, 2020)

Wayne D Davis said:


> I had no idea you was that close to me.... I'm in cartersville



My baby sister and her husband live up your way.  I'm in acworth of cobb parkway.


----------



## Wayne D Davis (May 24, 2020)

I'm between Dillinger Park and down town


----------



## Lukikus2 (May 24, 2020)

Bobby Linton said:


> You think half his ats switch has transferred/opened?



Had one do it on me. Had backup generators, propane. But no propane. Evidently the power went out and triggered the generators. It let the 120 bleed through. Same scenario. Paid an electrician to come figure it out. He couldn't. I finally did. The generators couldn't trip them back because they weren't powered.


----------



## Wayne D Davis (May 24, 2020)

Lukikus2 said:


> Had one do it on me. Had backup generators, propane. But no propane. Evidently the power went out and triggered the generators. It let the 120 bleed through. Same scenario. Paid an electrician to come figure it out. He couldn't. I finally did. The generators couldn't trip them back because they weren't powered.


Was it a bad magnetic contactor ? Should fall out when it loses power then remake when power comes back up?  I don't know. Been a while since I've done a generac


----------



## Lukikus2 (May 24, 2020)

Wayne D Davis said:


> Was it a bad magnetic contactor ? Should fall out when it loses power then remake when power comes back up?  I don't know. Been a while since I've done a generac



No. I just had to flip the circuits on the generators back. The generators were being told to start but had no fuel so it stayed initiated in start up.


----------



## ryanh487 (May 25, 2020)

Electrician says power company is at fault. 

Of course acworth power's idea of an emergency line is a voicemail box. Gotta love government customer service.


----------



## Bobby Linton (May 25, 2020)

ryanh487 said:


> Electrician says power company is at fault.
> 
> Of course acworth power's idea of an emergency line is a voicemail box. Gotta love government customer service.


At least that's not your expense.  Hope they get to you quickly.  Is your service buried or above ground?


----------



## ryanh487 (May 25, 2020)

Bobby Linton said:


> At least that's not your expense.  Hope they get to you quickly.  Is your service buried or above ground?




It's buried.  I'm hoping they'll give me a credit on my bill for the electrician service call fee.  The on call guy actually called me within 5 minutes of my voicemail and email I sent to the company.  He's on his way out,  hopefully it's just a loose connection at the meter that can be quickly repaired.


----------



## Milkman (May 25, 2020)

Glad we could help. Hopefully none of your appliances were damaged.


----------



## KS Bow Hunter (May 25, 2020)

Interested in the result...


----------



## ryanh487 (May 25, 2020)

Gas company hit the line by the meter all the way back when the house was built in 99. Line is definitely damaged,  they don't understand how I got power this long without issue.  They're splicing in new line now.


----------



## Cmp1 (May 25, 2020)

Good deal,,,,glad they found the issue,,,,


----------



## KS Bow Hunter (May 25, 2020)

Anyone been through putting fiber in lately?  The utilities around here follow the crews around repairing the gas, electric, water and sidewalks...


----------



## natureman (May 25, 2020)

Glad it is working out.  This has been a very interesting thread to follow.   I like problem solving and I am sure the suggestions will help others.


----------



## 4HAND (May 25, 2020)

@ryanh487 gonna have a cool house to sleep in tonight!


----------



## Wayne D Davis (May 25, 2020)

Glad you got it figured out.


----------



## ryanh487 (May 25, 2020)

That'll cause problems.  How long should I wait for my ac compressor to kick on before I call an HVAC guy again? Rest of the house is fixed but it's still not kicking on and the breaker at the unit is hard to turn back on when I cycle it.


----------



## KS Bow Hunter (May 25, 2020)

Most HVAC systems, at least reasonably modern ones, have a breaker for both the air handler and the compressor, as well as a switch at the air handler and a disconnect at the compressor.  The thermostat doesn't have the ability to turn them on or off from a power perspective, it can just activate them.  It is a relay in effect.  I would turn them all off for 5 minutes, including the thermostat if it is an electronic version, then turn them on and set the thermostat to a few degrees cooler than the house.  Within a few minutes it should kick on...


----------



## ryanh487 (May 25, 2020)

I hope you're right.  I turned off both breakers and the thermostat for a few minutes and cycled them back on.  Air is coming from the vents and it's a little cooler than room temp but the AC isn't blasting like it should to bring it down from 78 to 70 and the fan/ compressor outside still isn't running.


----------



## Bobby Linton (May 25, 2020)

ryanh487 said:


> I hope you're right.  I turned off both breakers and the thermostat for a few minutes and cycled them back on.  Air is coming from the vents and it's a little cooler than room temp but the AC isn't blasting like it should to bring it down from 78 to 70 and the fan/ compressor outside still isn't running.


You won't want to hear this, but all the circuits that were working intermittently when you lost a leg were back feeding through that motor.  When the motor lost a leg, it turned from an inductive load to a resistive load and started heating up.  It could have fried it.


----------



## KS Bow Hunter (May 25, 2020)

I'll bet you are correct...


----------



## KS Bow Hunter (May 25, 2020)

There may be a thermal reset or push button breaker on the compressor unit...not sure but at least one of mine has one...


----------



## Wayne D Davis (May 25, 2020)

Your ac is probably the most sensitive appliance in home. I'm willing to bet something cooked. Amazing it hasn't happened sooner with the damaged SE


----------



## ryanh487 (May 25, 2020)

I looked in person and searched online,  my unit doesn't have a thermal reset.  Capacitor is humming but no condenser or fan running outside.  Just requested another HVAC appointment.


----------



## Milkman (May 25, 2020)

If your unit is bad and it’s the older R22 type and the compressor is bad you will probably need to upgrade to a R410 unit


----------



## ryanh487 (May 25, 2020)

Milkman said:


> If your unit is bad and it’s the older R22 type and the compressor is bad you will probably need to upgrade to a R410 unit



It's only 5 years old


----------



## Milkman (May 25, 2020)

It should be 410a and worth repairing.


----------



## Cmp1 (May 25, 2020)

ryanh487 said:


> I looked in person and searched online,  my unit doesn't have a thermal reset.  Capacitor is humming but no condenser or fan running outside.  Just requested another HVAC appointment.


If your lucky,it's the cap,,,,first thing to go,besides the contactor,,,,


----------



## ryanh487 (May 25, 2020)

Whatever it is I hope it's cheap.  It's not a manufacturer fault so I wouldn't expect warranty to cover it and I really don't want to spend $1500-2000 on a new condenser.


----------



## Lukikus2 (May 25, 2020)

If it weren't for bad luck. Right? 

Check and see if your condenser has a reset button.

Here is mine


----------



## ryanh487 (May 25, 2020)

Lukikus2 said:


> If it weren't for bad luck. Right?
> 
> Check and see if your condenser has a reset button.
> 
> ...



My unit has the "autoreset" feature that attempts to reset automatically after an hour.  I left it on for 2 hours and it didn't work.  There is no manual reset button on mine according to the web manual.


----------



## Bobby Linton (May 25, 2020)

ryanh487 said:


> My unit has the "autoreset" feature that attempts to reset automatically after an hour.  I left it on for 2 hours and it didn't work.  There is no manual reset button on mine according to the web manual.


I feel for you bud, I really do.  Sometimes life just keeps on kicking us.  You will get it straight and laugh at the dumb luck one day.


----------



## Sixes (May 25, 2020)

I would start a hard argument with the power company that their damaged line caused the issue. Most utility companies do not want a lot of bad publicity or complaining.  If you can prove the issue was from the damaged line, contact the PSC, your matter will be resolved quickly


----------



## antharper (May 25, 2020)

Sixes said:


> I would start a hard argument with the power company that their damaged line caused the issue. Most utility companies do not want a lot of bad publicity or complaining.  If you can prove the issue was from the damaged line, contact the PSC, your matter will be resolved quickly


Exactly what I was gonna recommend


----------



## ryanh487 (May 25, 2020)

Yeah I'm gonna call them in the morning and attempt to get reimbursed for the electrician and the HVAC visit.  I could see how they would blame the gas company and say it's not their fault since their work wasn't defective and worked fine for 21 years but it won't hurt anything to ask.


----------



## Cmp1 (May 25, 2020)

Get the HVAC Tech out to ohm the comp,,,,


----------



## Lukikus2 (May 25, 2020)

What is humming? You guys don't flame me for saying. If it's the fan motor stick something in there and try to get it turning. Sometimes works.


----------



## Cmp1 (May 25, 2020)

Lukikus2 said:


> What is humming? You guys don't flame me for saying. If it's the fan motor stick something in there and try to get it turning. Sometimes works.


It's humming cause it's trying to start up,,,,it's probably the cap,,,,but still get a tech out there,,,,


----------



## Sixes (May 25, 2020)

ryanh487 said:


> Yeah I'm gonna call them in the morning and attempt to get reimbursed for the electrician and the HVAC visit.  I could see how they would blame the gas company and say it's not their fault since their work wasn't defective and worked fine for 21 years but it won't hurt anything to ask.


They can try and place the blame on anyone, but it is their line causing the issue and they will not be able to prove anyone else damaged the line.

People either forget or do not know that the PSC is for the end users and not the utilities. The top tier are elected officials that might need to be reminded that they are elected by the citizens.


----------



## ryanh487 (May 25, 2020)

Well I feel dumb.  The breaker by the condenser was loose.  I had flipped the switch on it but he opened up the box,  pulled the whole breaker out and popped it back in.  Works fine now.


----------

