A common cause of compressor failures that we must contend with is the burnout of the motor in hermetically sealed compressors. … When the amperage draw exceeds the rated load amps of the motor, heat builds up in the motor windings, causing the eventual burnout of the motor.
What causes compressor burnout?
Causes of Compressor Burnout
When air or moisture enters into the system a chemical reaction takes place. This chemical reaction produces hydrochloric and/or hydrofluoric acids as byproducts. Over time, these acids eat away at the compressor and system parts.
What could cause a hermetic compressor to overheat?
High head pressure can be caused by dirty condenser coils, a faulty condenser fan, too much refrigerant or perhaps some other heat source near the compressor such as a dryer vent. An electrical problem outside of the A/C also may cause a compressor to overheat, such as voltage issues or spikes in power.
What should you look for if a compressor burns out?
If a compressor does burn out, the oil becomes extremely acidic. If all this acid is not removed when the compressor is replaced, the high acid levels will attack the new compressor and cause another compressor motor burn-out in a short period of time.
What causes compressor slugging?
If liquid refrigerant is entering the compressor, liquid will fall directly into the crankcase oil and eventually be flashed. … These oil and refrigerant droplets can now get past piston rings and other small openings and enter the compressor’s cylinder. The end result is slugging of refrigerant and oil.
When should I replace my compressor after a burnout?
A severe burnout will take much more involved methods of clean up. After replacing the compressor an oversized HH core filter drier and an HH core suction filter should be installed. After proper evacuation (triple evacuation) and recharging the system should be placed back in operation.
How do you know if your compressor is overheating?
High Voltage and Short Circuits
A short-circuiting compressor is rare, but it does happen. One sign that you have this problem is when you catch a whiff of a burning smell from the AC unit. What you might be smelling is the compressor overheating or the wires burning.
What could cause the start run or common windings to burn out on a compressor?
A compressor takes a few minutes of run time to get rid of the excess heat generated by the locked rotor current drawn from normal starting. Short cycling systems do not allow all the heat from previous starts to be removed. A build-up of heat will occur and the compressor will burn out.
Can you fix a compressor that is shorted to ground?
Simply replacing a compressor that has a short-to-ground may not alleviate the actual cause for compressor failure; namely the presence of moisture or acid in the system. Make certain that all system leaks are found and repaired and that the system is properly evacuated before putting the new compressor into service.
How do I know if my compressor is slugging?
A loud knocking noise heard at the compressor is evidence of slugging. The noise is produced by hydraulic compression – the compressor is trying to do something it wasn’t designed to do – compress a liquid. Extremely high pressure will be reached in a cylinder. A hole may be punched in the top of a piston.
What causes flooding and slugging in a compressor?
If liquid refrigerant is entering the compressor, liquid will fall directly into the crankcase oil and eventually be flashed. … This causes oil foaming and excessively high crankcase pressures. Refrigerant and oil droplets will soon reach the compressor’s cylinder and slugging will soon occur.