10
- My Forums
- Tiger Rant
- LSU Recruiting
- SEC Rant
- Saints Talk
- Pelicans Talk
- More Sports Board
- Fantasy Sports
- Golf Board
- Soccer Board
- O-T Lounge
- Tech Board
- Home/Garden Board
- Outdoor Board
- Health/Fitness Board
- Movie/TV Board
- Book Board
- Music Board
- Political Talk
- Money Talk
- Fark Board
- Gaming Board
- Travel Board
- Food/Drink Board
- Ticket Exchange
- TD Help Board
Customize My Forums- View All Forums
- Show Left Links
- Topic Sort Options
- Trending Topics
- Recent Topics
- Active Topics
Started By
Message
Weird AC Issue
Posted on 8/21/26 at 8:01 pm
Posted on 8/21/26 at 8:01 pm
About three times this Summer my AC has quit working. I came home yesterday and the temp in the house was 82. I was able to get it working again by turning the unit off at the thermostat, leave it off for about five minutes then turn it back on. It then kicks in and runs normally. It did the same thing last Sunday and I called my AC guy, said he would come Wednesday and never showed. I have another company coming tomorrow but don't have much hope in getting an answer. Anybody got any ideas? ChatGPT says its the thermostat. I don't know what to think but i am worried its gonna quit and won't come back on. Had it serviced last year and it was in tip top shape. I keep my filter changed if that matters.
Posted on 8/21/26 at 8:16 pm to Xignals
Might be hard to pinpoint being it is intermittent.
My first thought was thermostat.
My first thought was thermostat.
Posted on 8/21/26 at 8:51 pm to Xignals
Any chance your power want out on those days
Posted on 8/21/26 at 9:15 pm to Xignals
What brand of thermostat - Honeywell, Ecobee, Nest, …..?
Posted on 8/21/26 at 9:21 pm to CrawDude
I've got $5 that says it's nest.....
Posted on 8/21/26 at 9:46 pm to Xignals
Might be the common capacitor issue, but I think when that stops working, it isn't intermittent... So, my guess is the relay that next to the capacitor is not making good contact anymore.
Posted on 8/21/26 at 11:09 pm to East Coast Band
quote:
Might be the common capacitor issue, but I think when that stops working, it isn't intermittent... So, my guess is the relay that next to the capacitor is not making good contact anymore.
Always keep a spare capacitor and relay on hand
Posted on 8/22/26 at 6:18 am to CrawDude
It is a Carrier Infinity unit and thermostat and no power outages on those days. I looked into getting a Nest but it looks like it's not a simple swap.
Posted on 8/22/26 at 7:02 am to Xignals
Is your drain line plugging up?
See if there's a float switch on the drain line near the unit.
See if there's a float switch on the drain line near the unit.
This post was edited on 8/22/26 at 7:03 am
Posted on 8/22/26 at 7:34 am to East Coast Band
Capacitors can degrade and work intermittently. The more common issue is they suddenly stop working completely.
You can test a capacitor if you have a capacitance meter. Very easy. YouTube OP.
You can test a capacitor if you have a capacitance meter. Very easy. YouTube OP.
Posted on 8/22/26 at 8:35 am to Xignals
Capacitor, contactor, condensate drain, "smart" thermostat...those are the simplest culprits. Other possibilities are failing condenser fan motor, compressor motor, or high/low pressure switches. Only thing you can pretty much get here are guesses, if you know how to do basic electrical diagnostics you can probably narrow things down yourself and maybe do an easy fix. If it turns out to be the capacitor in the condenser, make absolutely sure you replace it with the exact type rated on the tag of that machine and not just replace what was there unless you know you are running the original capacitor or it was serviced by a trustworthy HVAC tech. Home Depot now carries Titan HD capacitors, they are excellent as are AMRAD, both USA-made. You should keep several spares on hand for both the condenser and air handler.
This post was edited on 8/22/26 at 8:38 am
Posted on 8/22/26 at 9:34 am to Xignals
quote:
It is a Carrier Infinity unit and thermostat and no power outages on those days. I looked into getting a Nest but it looks like it's not a simple swap.
Definitely don’t want a Nest, they potentially come with a host of issues, including potential damage to HVAC equipment. HVAC techs don’t like them, except for the business it provides them making repairs to damage they potentially cause. But I believe with Carrier Infinity systems you are relegated to their propriety smart thermostat if that is the issue - and it very well may be.
Since you have HVAC tech coming out today, hopefully he is an experienced and will do a thorough assessment of the electrical system. If you have the top of the line Carrier Infinity it is an inverter system that unit doesn’t have a capacitor. Anyway, it could be as simple as a loose wire/connection, thermostat, high/low pressure switches, etc. or as others mentioned a partially clogged condensate drain which intermittently shuts the system down. Intermittent electrical issues can often be difficult to determine - in other words, it’s much easier to diagnose the problem when the system is “broken” and not running.
Posted on 8/22/26 at 9:44 am to Xignals
I have a carrier infinity units, we noticed some issues the last couple of weeks where the system said system malfunction on the thermostats. The unit start working later, my wife noticed one time when it stopped that the temp outside read -30 degrees, looks like that thermostat for outdoor temp might be going out on our unit. Good luck
Posted on 8/22/26 at 9:47 am to wickowick
I forget if you have to replace the entire board on the outside unit. I had the same unit and had something similar happen. Can maybe get the board number and find a replacement.
Posted on 8/22/26 at 10:06 am to Xignals
quote:
Carrier Infinity unit
I have 2 Carrier Infinity units, mine would do something similar but would say Sensor Error where the outside temp reading should be, compressor wouldn’t kick on.
Mine would come back and start reading the outside temp in a few hours, maybe a day and then the unit compressor would come on and start working again.
Ended up being the control board, $2k.
I’ve been told by 2 separate companies you can’t use a Nest with a Infinity system, have to use the Infinity thermostat but who knows.
This post was edited on 8/22/26 at 10:25 am
Posted on 8/22/26 at 10:24 am to BeepBopBoop
quote:
I’ve been told by 2 separate companies you can’t use a Nest with a Infinity system, have to use the Infinity thermostat but who knows.
You can but you will lose your variable speed functionality. Not worth it.
Posted on 8/22/26 at 10:25 am to ItzMe1972
Bypass the thermostat and see what it does. Also, buy a cheap thermostat and see if that fixes the issue.
Posted on 8/22/26 at 11:29 am to Major Dutch Schaefer
quote:
Always keep a spare capacitor and relay on hand
In the top 10 of homeowner suggested ideas.
Posted on 8/22/26 at 12:57 pm to Saintsisit
New AC guy came out and wow this guy is a 1000 times better than the other one. He listened to the issue and said let me check things out. He did find that the drain line was kinked up pretty bad making the pump work harder than it should. He got the pump cleaned up and put in a new drain line. He checked freon and capacitor and they were in great shape. He did suggest replacing the thermostat but stated the obvious that it may not help. I told him to do it anyway so he installed a Honeywell T6Pro. I like it! And he schooled me on filters. Said to quit buying the 3M filters and get the cheap 30 day filters He did stress to replace them regularly.
He said to call him the next time it does not work and he will try his best to get here as soon as possible. I was extremely impressed with the service. Fingers crossed. Thanks everyone for all the advice.
He said to call him the next time it does not work and he will try his best to get here as soon as possible. I was extremely impressed with the service. Fingers crossed. Thanks everyone for all the advice.
Posted on 8/22/26 at 2:08 pm to Xignals
quote:
Xignals
Good news. Honeywell are good thermostats. And he’s 100% on point with the filters. Filtrete 3M 1 inch high MERV filters are too restrictive for air flow- they significantly increase static pressure (resistance to airflow flow) of the HVAC. I also use the cheap filter grill 1 inch fiberglass spun filters, MERV 4, and change them monthly…..as recommended by many HVAC techs on web.
This doesn’t apply to the thick 4 or 5 inch HVAC filters on some units - high MERV pleated filters are OK.
Page 1 of 2
Popular
Back to top
Follow TigerDroppings for LSU Football News