Langley, Billy C.

Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Troubleshooting Handbook

Component Troubleshooting 1(146) Power Failure 1(1) Disconnect Switches 2(1) Fuse 2(2) Compressor 4(1) Compressor Electrical Problems 4(11) Compressor Lubrication 15(3) Compressor Slugging 18(1) Oversized Compressor 19(1) Motor Starters and Contactors 20(2) Control Circuit 22(1) Oil Failure Controls 22(1) Thermostat 22(6) Pressure Controls 28(2) Loose Electrical Wiring 30(1) Improperly Wired Units 31(1) Low Voltage 31(1) Starting and Running Capacitors 32(3) Starting Relays 35(2) Crankcase Heaters 37(2) Unequalized Pressures 39(1) Hard-Start Kit 39(1) High Discharge Pressure 40(6) Low Suction Pressure 46(3) Thermostatic Expansion Valves 49(5) Automatic Expansion Valves 54(1) Restriction in a Refrigerant Circuit 55(2) Excessive Load 57(1) Traps in Lines 57(3) Tubing Rattle 60(1) Loose Mounting 60(1) Compressor Drive Couplings 61(1) Excessive Pressure Drop in Evaporator 61(1) Control Setting Too High 62(1) Evaporator Too Small 62(1) Liquid Flashing in Liquid Line 62(2) Restricted or Undersized Refrigerant Lines 64(1) Liquid Line Shut-Off Valves 64(1) Cold Unit Location 64(3) Evaporator Too Large 67(1) Evaporator Underloaded 68(1) Suction Pressure Too High 68(3) Moisture in System 71(1) Automatic Defrost Controls 72(8) Room Temperature Too Low 80(1) Water Collecting in Bottom of Refrigerator 80(1) Leaking Door Gaskets 81(1) Condensation on Outside of Cabinet 82(1) Poor Air Distribution to Food Compartment 83(1) Compartment Light Stays On 83(1) Excessive Compartment Load 83(1) Electric Motors 84(3) Transformers 87(3) High Ambient Temperatures 90(1) High Return Air Temperature 90(1) Indoor Fan Relay 90(2) Air Ducts 92(1) Unit Too Small 93(1) Outdoor Fan Relay 93(1) Heating Relay 94(1) Fan Control 95(1) Heat Sequencing Relays 96(3) Heating Elements 99(2) Temperature Rise Through a Furnace 101(1) Blowers 101(2) Btu Input 103(1) Humidity 104(1) Pilot Safety Circuit 104(3) Orifices 107(3) Main Burners 110(2) Gas Valves 112(1) Pressure Regulator 113(1) Heat Exchanger 114(1) Gas Venting 115(1) Limit Control 116(1) Ice Storage Bin Thermostat 117(1) Power Relay 117(1) Lockout Relay 118(1) ``O'' Ring Seal 118(1) Float Assembly 118(1) Drain Line 119(1) Hold-Down Clamps 119(1) End Play in Motor 119(1) Auger Gear Bearings 120(1) Water Line Air Lock 120(1) Cleaning Evaporator Plates 120(1) Ice Bin Switch 121(1) Check Valves 121(1) Ice Thickness Switch 122(1) Freeze Relay 122(1) Defrost Control Relay 122(2) Operation Control Switch 124(1) Evaporator Plate 125(1) Water Distributor 125(1) Syphoning Cycle 125(1) Ice-Cutting Grid 126(2) Reversing Valve 128(3) Defrost Controls 131(1) Air Bypassing Coil 132(1) Auxiliary Heat Strip Location 133(1) Defrost Relay 133(1) Shorted Flame Detector Circuit 134(1) Shorted Flame Detector Leads 135(1) Friction Clutch 135(1) Hot and Cold Flame Detector Contacts 136(1) Flame Detector Bimetal 137(1) Primary Control 137(1) Oil Burner Blower Wheel 138(1) Fuel Pump 139(1) Oil Burner Adjustments 140(2) Oil Tanks 142(1) Fuel Oil Lines 143(1) Oil Burner Nozzles 143(1) Nozzle Filter 144(1) Ignition Transformer 145(1) Fuel Oil Grade 145(2) Electronic Controls 147(104) Chronotherm III Thermostats 147(1) On-Off Switch 147(1) Power 148(1) Fuses 148(1) Circuit Breakers 149(1) Low Voltage 150(1) Incorrect Wiring 150(1) High Limit Operation 150(1) Dirty Filter 151(1) Poor Air Flow 151(1) Closed Discharge Air Vents 152(1) Restricted Return Air System 152(1) Furnace Power 152(1) Compatibility 153(1) Intermittent Cycle Rate 154(1) Power 155(1) Loose Batteries 156(1) Display Will Not Work 156(1) Partial Display 156(1) Batteries Not Installed Properly 156(1) Display Flashes While Programming 157(1) Programming Has Been Lost 157(1) Unit Will Not Operate 157(2) Thermostat Will Not Hold the Setting 159(1) Present Thermostat Setting Seems Wrong 159(1) Room Temperature Shown Seems Wrong 160(1) Room Temperature Seems Hotter than the Thermostat Setting 160(1) Furnace Starts Too Early in the Morning 161(1) Thermostat Does Not Properly Control Temperature on Weekends 161(1) Thermostat Temperature Setting Needs to be Adjusted Often 162(1) Thermostat Program Not Operating 162(1) Short Battery Life 163(1) Melted Plastic 163(1) Door Will Not Stay Closed 163(1) Thermostat Loses Power with System Switch in Off or Heat Position 164(1) Electronic Fan Speed Control 164(2) No Fan Operation 166(1) Fan Stops When the Pressure Reaches the High End of the Operating Range 167(1) No Fan Modulation (On-Off Operation) 167(1) Fan Starts at Full Speed 167(1) Erratic Fan Operation 167(1) Fan Motor is Cycling on Thermal Overload 168(1) Electronic Lube Oil Control (Without R10A Series Relay) 169(3) Yellow LED On 172(1) Green LED On and Yellow LED Flickering 172(1) Checking Out the Lube Oil Sensor 173(4) Control Operational Test 177(1) Green LED On 177(1) No LED's are On 178(1) Normally Operating LED's 178(1) Erratic Operation, Nuisance Lockouts, Dimly Lit LED's in the Off Cycle 178(1) Electronic Lube Oil Control (Using an R10A Series Relay) 179(1) Contractor Energizes for 3 or 4 Seconds, Remains Off for Anti-Short-Cycling Time Delay, and Then Repeats (Compressor is Unable to Start During the 3 to 4 Second Period) 180(1) Electronic Outdoor Thermostat 181(5) No Electric Heat 186(1) Not Enough Heat On to Maintain the Comfort Setting 186(1) Positive Temperature Coefficient Relay (PTCR) 186(2) Solid State Crankcase Heater 188(2) Electronic Defrost System 190(5) Electronic Ignition 195(2) No Heat. Red LED Light On and Blinking Rapidly Without Pause 197(1) No Heat. Red LED Not Blinking 198(1) No Heat. Red LED Light Blinking On-Off Slowly with a Combination of Short and Long Flashes 198(1) No Heat. Ignition Failure Not Proven 198(1) No Heat. Ignition Failure Proven 199(3) Troubleshooting Electronic Thermostats 202(7) No Heat 209(2) Electronic Oil Burner Controls 211(4) Burner Motor Starts, But No Flame is Established 215(2) Burner Motor Starts, But the Flame Goes On and Off After Startup 217(3) System Overheats the House 220(3) System Does Not Heat the House Properly 223(3) System Frequently Cycles 226(2) Relay Chatters After Pulling In 228(1) Troubleshooting Electronic Defrost Controls 229(3) Testing the Defrost Controls 232(2) Early Ranco Demand Defrost Controls 234(6) Demand Defrost Control 240(3) Ranco Demand Defrost Controls 243(8) Start-Up Procedures 251(6) Gas Heating 251(1) Refrigeration 252(2) Air Conditioning-Heat Pump 254(1) Electric Heating 255(1) Oil Burner 256(1) Standard Service Procedures 257(56) Procedure for Replacing Compressors 260(2) Procedure for Using the Gauge Manifold 262(2) Procedure for Checking a Thermocouple 264(1) Procedure for Adjusting Fan and Limit Control 265(1) Procedure for Removing Noncondensables from the System 266(1) Procedure for Pumping a System Down 267(1) Procedure for Pumping a System Out 268(1) Procedure for Leak Testing 269(2) Procedure for Evacuating a System 271(2) Procedure for Charging Refrigerant into a System 273(2) Procedure for Determining the Proper Refrigerant Charge 275(7) Procedure for Determining the Compressor Oil Level 282(1) Procedure for Adding Oil to a Compressor 283(2) Procedure for Loading a Charging Cylinder 285(2) Procedure for Checking Compressor Electrical Systems 287(14) Procedure for Checking Thermostatic Expansion Valves 301(5) Procedure for Torch Brazing 306(7) Representative Wiring Diagrams 313(114) Representative Amana Refrigeration Wiring Diagrams 314(23) Representative Heatwave Wiring Diagrams 337(16) Representative Frigidaire Refrigeration Wiring Diagrams 353(6) Representative Copeland Refrigeration Wiring Diagrams 359(57) Representative Rheem Air Conditioning Wiring Diagrams 416(11) Safety Procedures 427(11) Introduction 427(1) Personal Protection 428(1) Rigging (Use of Cranes) 428(1) Storing and Handling Refrigerant Cylinders 429(1) Leak Testing and Pressure Testing Systems 430(1) Refrigerants 430(1) Reciprocating Compressors 431(1) Air Handling Equipment 432(1) Oxyacetylene Welding and Cutting 432(1) Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Machinery (General) 433(1) Centrifugal Liquid Chillers (Heat Exchangers) 434(1) Centrifugal Liquid Chillers (Electrical Circuits and Controls) 435(1) Centrifugal Liquid Chillers (Couplings) 435(1) Centrifugal Liquid Chillers (Turbines) 436(1) Absorption Liquid Chillers 437(1) Troubleshooting Charts 438(49) Electric Heat 439(3) Gas Heat 442(5) Heat Pump (Cooling Cycle) 447(1) Heat Pump (Heating Cycle) 448(4) Heat Pump (Heating or Cooling Cycle) 452(6) Refrigeration 458(11) Air Conditioning 469(7) Ice Machine (Cuber) 476(3) Ice Machine (Flaker) 479(2) Heating (Oil) 481(6) Useful Engineering Data 487(13) Index 500