Chicago Air Conditioning Service

One of the first things that I would like to address when it comes to fixing air conditioners is the fact that residential air conditioning compressors can not be rebuilt. We are often asked this question and the fact is that they are what is referred to as hermetic compressors. Hermetic means sealed and that is exactly what it is… Sealed. Here is a picture of a hermetically sealed ac compressor that is found in your home’s central air conditioning system.

. They are welded at the factory and the only way you would be able to get to the valves is to cut it open with a torch or some type of cut off wheel. The compressor parts are unattainable and even if they were it would be impractical given the fact that you would have to cut it open and then re weld it closed. In the case of commercial ac systems it’s a different story. Some units have what is referred to as semi hermetic compressors. Due to the size and cost of these compressors the mfg’s have made the compressor valves, motor and components accessible to repair or rebuild. Here is a Carlyle compressor, semi hermetic that can be rebuilt. It is very common for us to tear these compressors down at our shop rather than on site due to the complexity of rebuilding them.. Let’s look at some other components in your typical home ac unit. There is the contactor which is a very common problem on older ac condensers. This would be the equivalent of a light switch in your home x’s 100. This is the component that feeds the power to start and run your compressor and condenser fan motor. It is critical that the contactor is visually inspected as well as tested with a meter for any resistance when your ac system is tuned up and inspected at the beginning of the year. Next week we will look at capacitors and condenser fan motors. It is extremely important that your ac technician be properly trained in the proper way to troubleshoot and diagnose your air conditioning problems.