Top Quality Heat Pump Repair Restores Cooling on a Failed DIY Repair Attempt by a Homeowner in Limestone, TN

We received a call from a new customer in need of a heat pump repair in Limestone, Tennessee. The customer stated that his outdoor fan motor on his heat pump would run for 20 to 30 seconds and then shut off. Then, it would randomly turn back on and turn off again. Eventually, it wouldn’t do anything. The customer attempted to DIY his own repair by replacing the dual run capacitor. Unfortunately, replacing the dual run capacitor did not fix his issue and only delayed him in getting his home cool again because he had to wait on shipping for the part only to find out that it did not fix the problem.

When we arrived, we removed the outdoor panel to the heat pump. We confirmed that we had high voltage to the outdoor unit. We noticed that the customer had an ECM outdoor fan motor which is why replacing the dual run capacitor did nothing in helping his situation. An ECM motor does not even connect to the dual run capacitor because it does not operate like a PSC motor which relies on a capacitor in order to start and run. We had the customer turn the call for cooling on and the outdoor unit started along with the indoor unit.

The outdoor fan motor ran and then turned off. We verified that we had a consistent 240 volts to the ECM motor along with a consistent 24-volt call for the motor to be running. We were not losing high or low voltage to the motor so there was no reason for the motor to be turning off. We killed high voltage to the outdoor unit and had the customer turn off the cooling call. We pulled the top on the heat pump and removed the controller module mounted on the inside of the machine. We checked the controller module and it tested bad. We opened the module up and it was charred inside and had a strong burnt smell to it. Then, we tested the motor to ground and it was not shorted to ground. We tested the motor windings and one of the windings was damaged. The resistance reading on one of the windings was jumping all around which told us that the motor had been damaged by the failed controller module. We put everything back together and left the service disconnect in the off position. We let the customer know that the he needed a new controller module and a new outdoor ECM fan motor for his unit to work again.

We contacted the supply house for this manufacturer and of course they did not have the motor or controller module in stock. We confirmed a price and shipping date on the parts and gave the customer a price on OEM replacement parts. He approved the quote and we placed the order with the supply house for the parts. After several days the parts came in. We picked up the parts and the manufacturer had updated the OEM motor to a BLDC motor in a white housing. We contacted the customer and confirmed that we had the replacement parts and returned to his home for the repair.

We returned to the home and removed the old ECM motor and controller module from the heat pump. We installed the new controller module and BLDC motor and secured the wires with UV rated zip ties to prevent any wire rubs in the future. We also noticed a few wires inside the machine that had been rubbing on the copper tubing so we secured those wires as well in order to prevent a future issue. We restored high voltage to the outdoor unit and called for cooling on the thermostat. The outdoor BLDC fan motor fired up and the heat pump began cooling the home again. We took amp draws on the new motor and they were within factory specifications. We monitored the system’s performance and logged a temperature split between return and supply to confirm that the system was operating within its design parameters.

If you live within our service area of Northeast Tennessee and are in need of a heat pump repair, please feel free to reach out to us. If you value a quality job that is done right, we are the company you want working on your heat pump. Best wishes and stay safe.

Location: Limestone, TN