Condenser Fan Running Backwards!

slickwilliam

It's a high-efficiency builder's grade unit about 10 years old and has been running perfectly until today. House got very hot this afternoon and I went out to check the unit and realized the condenser fan was running backwards - drawing air in at the top and blowing it out through the coils. The unit is working - kind of - but this obviously indicates a problem.

Any ideas?

turnermech

if it is the oringinal motor (not reversable) and it is single phase (not three phase most often found in commercial), it is the capacitor most likely. Capacitor starts the motor and starts it in the right direction.

slickwilliam

Thanks. I looked at the wiring (after pulling the disconnect, of course). Thought I might see some signs of a bad cap (case swelling, etc.). Nothing obvious. But when I plugged in the disconnect, the compressor started but the fan didn't. However, I could take a stick and manually get the blades started in the right direction, whereupon the fan slowly spun up and is now operating normally. Of course the next cycle will likely blow that to smithereens...

(And yes, it is a residential single phase unit.)

Evstarr

Change the cap.

ben's plumbing

I second that change the capacitior...