Workshop Status:
In Progress
EPA Certification:
Not Texted
Employment Status: Not Provided
Leo Xia at HVAC Technical Academy – Central Florida
Leo Xia video – Contactor
Leo Xia video transcript – Contactor (Training Video Transcript)
00:00:02
Hi, Miss Smith. My name is Leo from HVAC Technical Academy. Today, I’m going to talk to you about a key component in your AC unit, the contactor. Essentially, it’s a component found in your outdoor unit. It acts as a heavy duty power switch. It controls high voltage power that goes to your compressor and fan motor. And let me show you where the contactor is and how that works. It’s inside the electrical panel of your condensing unit. When it goes bad, your unit might not start at
00:00:40
all or even worse, your unit can stay running even though you turn your thermostat off, which can seriously cause damage to your compressor. It works as the 24 volt signal comes from the thermostat to the contactor. The contactor coil creates a magnetic field to pull the metal contact down, finishing the circuit and sending power to start the cooling process. To inspect it, we use a multimeter to check continuity across the contactor and also verify the 24 volt at the coil.
00:01:30
There’s a few common reasons that cause a contactor to fail, including carbon buildup because of electric arcing and bugs like ants or lizards getting stuck between the contactor. Also, due to age, the coil could be burned out and it can also be caused by an electric surge. Thank you for checking out my video. You have a nice day.