# Outdoor AC unit - how long for compressor to reset after thermal reset?



## realmpel (Jun 18, 2017)

Hello all, 

My AC stopped blowing cold air yesterday - had a guy come who changed what he claimed to be a blown capacitor that caused the compressor to overheat and trip the thermal reset (I hope I'm not oversimplifying too much here). He hosed the compressor down to cool it off, but said it might take 24 to 48 hours for the compressor to reset. It's been about 12 hours and the compressor still doesn't kick on (I turned it on after 6 hours to check, and after 12 per his instructions). 

I realize the compressor may be fried, and that there are other potential issues that may prevent the compressor from restarting. What I'm trying to verify is his statement that it can take 24-48 hours for the compressor to reset. I've done a lot of searching online and have not found info on how long it actually takes for this reset to occur - some folks say once the compressor cools it should be good (assuming it's ever going to work). I can't imagine the compressor is still actually hot after 12 hours. 

I'll find out soon enough I guess but it's hot here so I'm looking for a shred of hope, haha!

Thanks for reading this and thanks for any help! Happy father's day to any fathers out there.

Best,
Kevin


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## BayouRunner (Feb 5, 2016)

You need to look into it further. It won't take that long for a reset. Your contractor did not finish his job by leaving it without checking. Using a hose to cool it off should not take that long. Anywhere from a few minutes to maybe 20 to reset


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## Wilbits (Mar 11, 2017)

24 to 48 hours......NO. Find a new contractor. After 2 hours it should restart. Hoseing it down even quicker.


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## yuri (Nov 29, 2008)

I leave them for 24 hours. If you keep trying to restart it you may be adding to the problem and heating it up again. Plus you stand the chance of burning out the windings and contaminating the system with acid.

I would leave it for 24 hours and then get him back to check the windings for shorting or whether the compressor is seizing up.

Leave a garden hose running on it with a good trickle for a several hours helps but it is best to not try restart it now that you may have a bigger problem.


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## realmpel (Jun 18, 2017)

Thanks very much for responding everybody, this is helpful. Gonna sweat it out until tomorrow and get someone else in to look at it.

Best,
Kevin


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## beenthere (Oct 11, 2008)

I usually just keep running water over the compressor until it cools enough to close the over load and restart.


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## BayouRunner (Feb 5, 2016)

beenthere said:


> I usually just keep running water over the compressor until it cools enough to close the over load and restart.




Same here. If I told customer and have to wait till tomorrow I don't think I have a customer alone


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## realmpel (Jun 18, 2017)

Yeah, I'm definitely not pleased. He basically just swapped the capacitor (which was pretty rusted out), said that should do it, and left. He claimed that it's not possible to assess whether the compressor is burned out with the compressor in thermal reset, so there was basically nothing else he could do until that happened. Is there any truth to that?

Thanks,
Kevin


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## Wilbits (Mar 11, 2017)

Yes that's true, but I wouldn't have this guy back.


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## yuri (Nov 29, 2008)

If the compressor was burned out and the windings were shorted to the shell/metal casing and ground it will trip the breaker/blow the fuses. There are some weird cases where it can cause the condensor fan to run backwards at that time too.

I would have removed the capacitor and checked it's strength in microfarads with a meter. If it is weak then replace it. If he did not test it then then I would be leery of using him again.

After that I would check the windings to ground/the shell> big copper suction line and if they are shorted then it is game over. I would not quickly write all techs off as lots of companies let it cool for 24 hrs and go back the next day.

My company is large and just absorbs the extra travelling time back at no cost.

If you are a one man outfit then you don't always want to do that. 

However you cannot stand there with a garden hose cooling the compressor and charge $100-150/hr either. A bit of a Catch-22 situation with no perfect correct answer IMO.


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## beenthere (Oct 11, 2008)

yuri said:


> My company is large and just absorbs the extra travelling time back at no cost.
> 
> If you are a one man outfit then you don't always want to do that.
> 
> However you cannot stand there with a garden hose cooling the compressor and charge $100-150/hr either. A bit of a Catch-22 situation with no perfect correct answer IMO.


30 minutes with a garden hose will cool down the average compressor.


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## BayouRunner (Feb 5, 2016)

Big difference between the weather here and up there where your at Yuri. Most people will have to leave there homes here if the acs not working. Summer's are long, probably 90 to 95' really high humidity. The way the homes are built now, they are not designed for any comfort if the ac breaks. We work some long hours to try and keep up. I travel to Canada to do some fly in fishing. The pictures I see of your winters amaze me. I imagine going without heat there would be like going without ac here. We have no choice but to fix them as they break. And do change outs within 24 hours.


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## yuri (Nov 29, 2008)

Yeah I can just imagine a customer who waited 4-6 hours for you to arrive not wanting to let you go and hope you can come back the next day. Probably worth it to them to pay you to hose it down.

Same with frozen evap coils. We let them thaw out and come back. I try to get the dispatcher to ask them to look and see if the suction line is white and iced up B4 we go out. If so she tells them to thaw it out and we don't waste a trip.


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