3 minute delay for condenser to respond

[Ron Bishop]

Hey guys...During my AC test of a 1.5 year old HVAC system, it took 3 minutes for the condenser to respond to the thermostat. Outside temp was 56 degrees. Was wondering if anyone might be able to explain this 3 minute delay???

[Dan Hagman]

First of all, I don't start A/C condensers below 60 degrees unless there is a crank case heater on the compressor but that is another discussion. Many condensors have an anti-recycle timer (delay on start) in case of a power outage or lightening strike, so you do not short cycle the compressor. It is a safety to protect the compressor. This is a normal situation not an issue. I used to set my timers at 5 minutes to allow the refirgerant to equalize before start up.

[Ron Bishop]

thank you!!!

[bob smit]

As an E contractor, I used to install delays when I installed auto-backup gensets for obvious reasons.
Help, freekin spel ck doesn't work and I don't want anyofU's to know i cant spel:mad:

[Terry Beck]

It has been a while, and I do not recall the brand of the system. But I do remember running into a air source heat pump system that had a delay of about that long before startup. There happened to be a knowledable HVAC contractor at the house that day, and he explained that this particular model ran a circulation pump briefly before actually starting the condensor motor, and this particular brand took longer than most other brands. This time interval could also be adjusted. It had to do with preventing freeze up in case the system was kicking into heat mode on a cold day. Notice that I said this was a heat pump, not a standard heating & cooling system.