My AC compressor is I guess going bad?

Question

My AC compressor is I guess going bad? I had a tech come out last night and tried to put another AC compressor on but he claims the new one of the box was bad? he claimed the oems?? two of them had nothing. I was just wondering if this sounded right. My house holds a 3 1/2 ton unit package on my manufactured home. I currently have a 10 seer but he is putting in a new 13 seer straight cool compressor. I noticed the AC was tripping the power box and when we looked at the wires on the compressor they were melted. The Tech said there is a short in the compressor. Does this sound right? He is bringing another AC compressor out today to switch it out. For the meanwhile he put my old compressor back on and tada it ran but soon after tripped and blew the plug off the compressor.

Answer 1

If the compressor had a short in it it never should have been hooked back up. You may want to get a different tech. Good Luck

Answer 2

I don't see much wrong with what has transpired. Yes, with refrigerator compressors I see bad ones out of the box all the time. These days they MUST be sealed, under a vacuum, because the oils absorb moisture if the seal is broken.

Also too often somebody lays them on their side and they won't work. I have had some with the tubing so bent it could not be used from being knocked around in shipping. Laid on the side for a period of time it can fill the pump cylinder with oil and they will never work.

It was likely only the connections on the compressor that burnt and shorted and he thought he could make a temporary repair. I have seen those pins burn and take out an otherwise working compressor. I have attempted to soldier wires directly to burn pins myself for a temp. repair.  But you can't leave it that way.

Be aware his trying to make a temporary repair and reinstalling the old compressor was VERY nice of him and done at a cost to him that he won't recoup in charges. It essentially means he has to do the job twice.

He felt bad about the new compressor being bad. Most techs wouldn't bother. You have a tech that has concern for his customer and I would applaud him for that. Most techs wouldn't do it because, besides double the work, as you have experienced often temporary repairs don't last long. But some do.      

So basically I see nothing wrong here other than he was shipped a bad compressor. Consider it this way, if the compressor had been good you would be up and working and not had a second thought about it.

It wasn't the tech's fault.