Sense Helped Diagnose Bad A/C Compressor Fan

I happened to be checking the energy monitor today and noticed something off when the upstairs A/C unit kicked on. Watts usually jump and level off, but today, they would jump like normal, then continue to climb several thousand watts. Then drop off after a while. So I took my phone outside with the monitor on and started the unit up to see what was going on. Unit started up, compressor started, but the fan did not immediately start up. I could see it trying to move, but it was not getting going. Finally started up and found it to be very hot!! Turn off unit and tried to spin the fan freely, but could feel a lot of resistance. Motor housing was extremely hot.

Don’t think I would have noticed anything amiss without the Sense monitor until it failed completely. Could have been bad if that motor overheated even more!

Installed the new motor and capacitor this morning. Everything looks good now.

I think Sense definitely just paid for itself. Saved me someone coming out to diagnose the problem. If the motor continued to full failure and seized, it could have caused serious problems and additional costs.

Share how you used the Sense app to help. Be specific!:
I watched the energy graph and saw an abnormal climb in watts when the A/C unit started up.

Have a story to share?

Has Sense helped you identify an energy hog in your home? Share your story with our community. This could help others identify the same issue, or learn how to identify their own energy hogs.

Recent Stories

Change Region