Inside My Broken Air Conditioner
Added 2024-07-30 20:27:24 +0000 UTCBefore it goes to the dumpster, let's take it apart!
Comments
This board just drives the fan and compressor motors, and they all worked and cycled normally. But it's a done deal with the replacement.
Fran Blanche
2024-07-31 11:28:15 +0000 UTCFive years sounds like a super short lifespan. It's kind of annoying that the company is fine for these to end up in landfill, if they could have made them serviceable and extended their use.
Motten
2024-07-31 10:22:44 +0000 UTCIt's relatively easy to troubleshoot window units like this. First, with it pulled out on the table, power it up and see what works. The fan should turn as soon as it's turned on, with speed regulated by the 3 small relays. The compressor (large sealed unit with tubing going in/out) should come on when the unit is set to "cool" and setpoint set lower than ambient temperature. (Easily determined by vibration and movement of the compressor when power comes on.) If the compressor doesn't run, but hums for a few seconds followed by a loud "click" and silence, this would indicate either a seized compressor (very unlikely!) or a bad run capacitor. If compressor runs, but no cooling occurs, loss of refrigerant is to blame. (Look for oil at joints or evaporator or condenser coils.) The "brains" are pretty stupid: Run the fan at the speed requested by user, measure air temp with a thermistor in the suction air stream and turn the compressor relay on/off if measured temp is above/below the user requested setpoint. Sixty years of experience with these things helps of course. :-) Commercial HVAC outfits will never work on window units; there's simply not enough money in it to be worthwhile. Depending on local laws you may not be able to get parts, and especially refrigerant. Here in South Texas a unit that is as new and clean as yours would definitely be a candidate for DIY repair though.
HarveyB
2024-07-31 05:33:35 +0000 UTCAre you sure the refrigerant has leaked out? I would suspect that board. Flip that board over and check the solder joints then the caps and regulator. You might get lucky. If all fails just throw the parts in a box for when your new A/C dies.
Billy K
2024-07-31 00:06:51 +0000 UTCI would be scarfing parts off of that control board for potential future projects. In reality, the stuffings would just go in a box that I would misplace.
Mark Shaum
2024-07-30 23:36:40 +0000 UTCI have a 1950s Stereo Realist Manual which details applications the 3D Realist camera (one of my favourite film cameras) could be used for. One of these is training of servicemen, and there is a great side by side 3D picture of someone repairing a window air conditioner. It looks considerably cruder than your broken one and it probably needed to be serviced regularly, but at least it was designed to be fixable.
David Peaker
2024-07-30 23:21:00 +0000 UTCCool video! I had always wondered how air conditioners worked.
Donna Rail
2024-07-30 21:03:52 +0000 UTC
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