My wife said the ac wasn't cooling and found this. 
Do I just need to replace the box and its components, or is this a sign of bigger issues in my condenser?
My wife said the ac wasn't cooling and found this.
Do I just need to replace the box and its components, or is this a sign of bigger issues in my condenser?
It's the box feedinfeeding the condenser.
That's your disconnect. The terminals corrode and overheat or ants and bugs get in there and they overheat and arc. Not uncommon. Every AC repair guy keeps a couple on his truck at all times. You can get one at a home store to DIY.
Be sure and kill the power at the panel and verify it's off before you change it.
The wiring is self explanatory once you open it and remove the little plastic shield. Strip the wires back to remove any arced ends and make sure to tighten the terminal screws snugly when you put the new one in.
On a side note, you may want to improve the seal around where the wires and freon lines go through the wall. I can not tell for sure but water running down the wire on the left may be running into the house? Not sure if the loop is lower than the opening in the photo.
Roger that. Thanks guys.
I wanna see whats in the box!
In reply to Kendall_Jones :
I will try to remember to get a pic of the carnage tonight. I'm at work still, and this was all relayed to me through text. I had already committed to feeding my dads cows tonight and fixing a coworker's car, so I'm gonna be pretty busy. It's been stupid hot and humid so I want to get this done tonight also.
If you diy dont forget to buy the fuses, they sell them separately from the box.
At least the fuses did their job
I replaced the box, the current situation is the compressor will start and run for about 30 seconds, the fan will not start. Now I need to decide if I call somebody, or start shotgunning parts at it....
It appears to only involve a relay, a starter capacitor, and the motor.
If the fan is humming, its probably the capacitor. They are cheap. It not then it could be the contactor or the motor. They are also usually fairly cheap.
Seconding Toyman’s suggestion. Single phase motors need a capacitor to start / run in higher torque applications. They do fail over time and are relatively inexpensive parts / easy to replace. That disconnect needs to be replaced if you haven’t done so already. #crispy critter.
In reply to 11GTCS :
Yeah I put a new disconnect box in. I took out the contactor and starter capacitor for my wife to go try to hunt down replacements for tomorrow. I also took a pic of the motor tag, but I'm not sure if I want to jump right into replacing that. It turned free and smooth, so I might hold off and see what the other two pieces do.
It's usually the capacitor. Very common. But never saw a bad cap blow fuses.
In reply to gearheadmb :
If you have a Grainger in town they carry a lot of those parts on the shelf.
In reply to mdshaw :
When the fan quits, the compressor starts drawing a lot more power. That could have pushed a borderline fuse connection over the edge.
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