If you don t hear any sounds to indicate that the compressor is working and the fan isn t spinning the most common causes are a lack of power or a faulty compressor contactor.
Central air condenser fan not spinning.
Shut off the power supply to the air conditioner at the disconnect or breaker panel.
Check to make sure your breaker has not tripped.
If the condenser fan is running you will see the fan blade spinning at speed typically at 1725 rpm and you will feel air blowing out of the unit.
Run capacitor is weak or has failed.
A blocked air filter may be the culprit in why your air conditioning s fan is not spinning when your air conditioner s filter is dirty filthy and clogged air flow can t go through the filter and ice will begin to accumulate on it.
If it starts spinning then the issue is the capacitor.
Remove the service panel on the a c unit.
As a result this puts more stress on your unit s fan as well as the other parts of the machine.
While each component in a central air conditioner is critical quite simply the unit will not work if the fan is not running.
A capacitor stores up energy that provides power to your air conditioner s fans.
Condenser fan motor failure.
Fans in the central a c both pull air out of the room to be conditioned and have humidity removed and also push chilled air through the vents throughout the house.
At a 1 mechanical we ve provided homeowners in grand rapids and lansing with reliable and trustworthy hvac service since 1983.
The dual run capacitor is defective.
As we explain at burned out compressor if the condensing unit fan is not working the compressor itself may shut down or even be ruined by overpressure or over temperature.
To test it use a screwdriver or branch to poke through the condenser unit s vents.
A start capacitor is an electric device that gets the electric motor running at startup by providing a jolt of stored electrical energy.
Understanding the parts of your ac unit.
However your capacitor can go bad for various reasons and stop working properly which will force one of your system s fans to stop spinning.
It s located on the side of the building near the outdoor a c unit.
The contactor may be faulty.
The capacitor may have gone bad and therefore the fan won t start.
If you have a bad capacitor it may take a while for the fan blades to start spinning once you turn on the unit.
One frustrating scenario the hvac technicians at a 1 mechanical heating cooling have seen many times is when an air conditioner s condenser fan stops spinning even though the actual system is running.
Check the float switch.
Do not proceed if you re not sure you ve properly shut off the power.
You have a bad fan motor and or bad start capacitor.
Gently push on one of the fan blades.
Six reasons your air conditioning fan may not be running.
