Skillful Heat Pump Repair in Johnson City, TN Rid the Home of a Burnt Electrical Smell

We received a call from a customer in need of a heat pump repair in Johnson City, TN. They stated that they were smelling a burnt electrical smell inside their home so they turned the system off at the thermostat, shut the breakers off to the entire system, and unplugged the condensate pump at the indoor unit. We had been to this customer’s house before for previous repairs and made a recommendation to repair airflow to the indoor unit because the return plenum and supply transition were too small for the indoor unit. They were worried that since they never got back with us that they had now done permanent damage to their HVAC unit and suspected that they might have to replace the entire system now.

We told them not to rush to judgement as it might be something that is easily repaired. When we arrived, we went to the indoor unit and opened it up. We inspected the wiring inside the indoor unit and everything looked ok. We spun the blower wheel and the motor was spinning free. We checked the blower run capacitor and it was out of range, but not low enough that it would explain the burnt electrical smell. We asked the customer if they had been running cooling or heating when they smelled the burnt smell inside the home and they had been running the cooling.

We plugged the condensate pump in and it was in an alarm mode and was not pumping. We tried to jump start the motor and it would not spin at all. It was completely bound up. We took apart the condensate pump and it was plugged with debris and zoogleal growth due to a lack of maintenance. We cleaned the inside of the pump and the intake as well to clear it of any debris. We tried to spin the motor to see if we could get it to break free without anything holding it up and it was still bound up. The burnt smell was coming from the condensate pump motor. We advised the customer about the blower run capacitor being out of range, the condensate pump needing replaced, and the growth inside their indoor unit that should be wiped clean.

The customer asked us to check the outdoor unit’s capacitor as well because last time we were there the capacitor was at the bottom of the acceptable range. We tested the outdoor dual run capacitor and it was well out of range now and needed replaced. We also tested the low voltage coil resistance on the contactor and it tested within range and didn’t look like it was too charred or pitted on the high voltage contacts. We also let the customer know that we should run some foaming drain cleaner into the discharge line of the condensate pump along with a few gallons of drain tab treated water once we got the new condensate pump installed because we didn’t know if the discharge line was clogged up as well. We received authorization for the repairs and went to our van to grab the necessary items in order to get their HVAC unit operational again.

We replaced the outdoor dual run capacitor on the heat pump and labeled it. We tightened the stake ons as we went along. We replaced the blower run capacitor, tightened those connections, and labeled it as well. We wiped and cleaned the horizontal pan and wires inside the machine to get rid of the growth on the inside of their indoor unit as well. We cut the drain line and replaced the condensate pump with a new one. We wired up the condensate pump’s float switch as well. We put a clamp on the discharge line to add a mechanical connection to the pressure connection. We snaked the p-trap on the drain line and put a shop vac on the drain line to pull the debris out of it. We ran a new drain line to the pump from our cut point using primer and glue with schedule 40 fittings and pipe.

We poured 1 gallon of foaming drain cleaner from the clean out through the p-trap and drain line and into the condensate pump. We poured 3 gallons of drain tab treated water through the lines as well to help flush the discharge line to the outside. This also confirmed that our drain line was tight and free from any leaks. We restored power to the HVAC units and tested the system to confirm proper operation. We took amp draws inside and outside to confirm that everything was in range with where it was supposed to be including the heat kit. Everything was in range, there was no more burnt electrical smell, and the unit was operational again in cooling and heating modes.

We reminded the customer about their airflow issues to the indoor unit and how it will negatively impact the life of the system, increase costs of repairs and also increase their electric bill. We emailed them a rough estimate to correct those airflow issues and let them know that if they wanted to proceed with those repairs that we could take some measurements and give them a solid quote on exactly what it would cost. Unfortunately, once again we did not get a response back so we will more than likely be seeing them in the near future with an expensive repair relating to inadequate airflow on their HVAC unit. We are not pushy salesmen, we will provide the facts, and allow you to make an informed decision based upon those facts and your budget. After all, it is your home and your HVAC unit and we are just happy that you gave us the opportunity to get your HVAC operational again. If you reside within our service area of Northeast Tennessee and are in need of a heat pump repair, please feel free to reach out to us. Stay safe and best wishes.

Location: Johnson City, TN