HELP before I call AC guy

[NastyNate]

So 10 months ago we bought a foreclosure house here in FL.
AC didnt work.... everything but labor was covered under warranty. I wont go into the stages of being repaired over a week long fix job but EVERYTHING was replaced.

The coil, outside compressor and fan was replaced.

We had a few problems over the past 2 months with our thermostat. It has some ridiculous programming. If you hit anything but the temp it wasnt you to set times and temps. So we just "override" by using the up/down temp buttons. So last night at 12 it gets 80deg in the house and the AC will not kick on. I check everything I can think of with finding no problems.

So at 1am my wife runs to walmart to get a new thermostat. Right when she pulls up and after i started hitting every button in frustration the AC kicks on cools off to 73deg no problem.

Today it will not start so she turns off the power and leaves all the wires connected to the old thermostat and cuts everything so wire hook up is easy to reassemble match up the codes to the colors. So I get home from work go to hook up the new thermostat and only a few wires make sense. Others do not. Even in the "not normal" directions do the labels correspond to the new install. I make the most logical connections following the new directions and the old hook up.
I still get nothing but hot air. Handler is on, unit outside is on.....
Could this be a thermostat problem or should I call someone in. I have no HVAC experience beside hovering over the last guy that came in.


Any help would be greatly appreciated!
Thanks
nate

 

[pop pop]

If you have NO experience, you won't be able to fix it.

 

[NastyNate]

OK more info this is a list of the OLD hook up wire colors.

red wire labeled R hooked up to R

Yellow labeled Y1/W1 hooked to Y1 and jumper over to W1

orange no label not hooked up

Blue labeled W2 hooked up to W2

green labeled G hooked up to G

white labeled O hooked to O/B

Brown labeled C hooked to C

My new thermostat has only

Rh, R,c W, Y, G,

I really think its the thermostat but what do I know.....

 

[NastyNate]

If you have NO experience, you won't be able to fix it.

Well im not looking to fix the compressor or put a new coil in I "think" its the thermostat but I want to exhaust all options and make sure I check everything before I call someone in. I dont want to call someone if it is a simple fix that I am overlooking. Or maybe there is something I can check and then someone says "yea if that hot, cold or not working call someone in" I dont want to give up without trying.

 

[hydramatic]

do what nastynate says.. plus , when you change temps, give the unit anout 5 mins start time..you can`t start a compressor that has just shut off...high side will cause locked rotor amps. good luck

 

[RobertMo1988]

your "c" or common does not need to be hooked up if your thermostat has batteries

and you say "the outside compressor/coil/fan were replaced" so they replaced your whole condenser?

and does your thermostat wiring match how they wired the furnace/air handler? i would double check that.

for me personally i never use white for the reversing valve or brown for the common either.

 

[lzenglish]

Ok, first off it sounds like you have what is called a split system. If you do, the outside unit is called the "Condensing Unit", and the inside unit is called the "Air Handler", which is a Supplly Air Fan blowing accross an "Evaporator Coil". Now, my question is this: Is your unit a heat pump? If it is not, then the typical wiring color code is this: Green= fan, white= heat, yellow= cooling, and red is the hot leg of the 24 volt AC transformer. I say typical, because you cannot always rely on it being typical. Basically, when the thermostat calls for cooling, and is in the auto cool postion, the supply air fan will run, along with the condensing unit fan, and the compressor. Let us know what you have, and pictures are always a plus.

Wayne

http://www.dr-fix-it.com/ttt/10005.html

 

[NastyNate]

Ok, first off it sounds like you have what is called a split system. If you do, the outside unit is called the "Condensing Unit", and the inside unit is called the "Air Handler", which is a Supplly Air Fan blowing accross an "Evaporator Coil". Now, my question is this: Is your unit a heat pump? If it is not, then the typical wiring color code is this: Green= fan, white= heat, yellow= cooling, and red is the hot leg of the 24 volt AC transformer. I say typical, because you cannot always rely on it being typical. Basically, when the thermostat calls for cooling, and is in the auto cool postion, the supply air fan will run, along with the condensing unit fan, and the compressor. Let us know what you have, and pictures are always a plus.

Wayne

http://www.dr-fix-it.com/ttt/10005.html

your "c" or common does not need to be hooked up if your thermostat has batteries

and you say "the outside compressor/coil/fan were replaced" so they replaced your whole condenser?

and does your thermostat wiring match how they wired the furnace/air handler? i would double check that.

for me personally i never use white for the reversing valve or brown for the common either.

Ok guys thanks for all the help. I did some research and figured out what system I had. Turns out the thermostat WAS the problem originally . The second thermostat my wife picked up at 1am is for a 4 wire system. I have a 5 wire HEAT PUMP with AUX HEAT. So replacing my thermostat with the 4 wire did nothing but tell my system to run heat because the "o" wire was not able to be hooked up. The "O" wire apparently tells the system to run heat or AC. Glad I took the time to do some research learn a few things from members here and not give up cause I have no experience....

 

[plung]

Couldn't you have also just bypass the thermostat and jumped a wire or two to kick in the AC?

 

[HVAC Phil]

Couldn't you have also just bypass the thermostat and jumped a wire or two to kick in the AC?

Yep, that would tell you if the stat is bad.