3 Year Old Goodman

[Freezing]

This is a Goodman aruf364216ba that is just a few years old now and the filter has been maintained quite well. I have, with the help of others on here before had great success repairing my packaged unit that had a flame roll out. Another Goodman so I am Freezing once again! Thanks Goodman! Anyway, this is a split unit with the heat pump and I can hear the outside unit short-cycling every 30 seconds (roughly.) Our winter is largely gone, but I really don't want to let it sit until winter. I pulled the cover off of the attic portion and can hear a buzzing noise. This does not appear to be a very complex unit, albeit dangerous despite lack of complexity. Does anyone have an idea of what might be the culprit? Appreciate any help/suggestions.

[Freezing]

Did a little more checking this afternoon. The outside unit is cycling off for 5 seconds and remains on for 10 seconds during a cool call. Not sure about the short cycle during a heat call, but it is cycling about the same.

[HayZee518]

buzzing

buzzing could be the motor contactor not seating firmly.
or else one of the shading poles on the contactor might be loose.
the shading coil is that heavy piece of copper wire that's embedded in the fixed part of the contactor metal pole that the coil is wrapped around.
eddy currents are generated within a laminated iron coil support, on an ac circuit. the laminations are vibrating. the shading coil is supposed to short out these eddy currents.

[Freezing]

Hayzee, Thanks for the reply. I believe you helped me out a few years ago on my other unit. Anyway, when I am piddling inside I remove the "plug" from the supplying breaker box nearby. This seems to have reset the unit and the "buzzing" noise I mentioned when there is no call from thermostat.

[Freezing]

I did a call for AC and the short-cycling is present just like a heat call. I then made a call for heat and the buzzing came back from the VAC transformer (B1141643) and did not go away until the break plug was removed again from the supplying breaker box. During the heat call I applied light pressure with a LONG screwdriver to the transformer and the buzzing changed quite drastically. I turned the thermostat off and the buzzing remained. I suspect something with this transformer. It is about $20. Is it possible this transformer could cause short-cycling for both heat and cool calls? Thanks again...

[HayZee518]

transformer

it is quite possible that the transformer is buzzing. I explained about eddy currents in the previous posting. the transformer is no different than a motor contactor's laminations. the transformer is wound with two or more coils of wire. ac passing through the primary and/or secondary coil(s) will cause the laminations to vibrate, giving you that buzzing sound.
yeah, replace it and get back to me.
the short cycling has to do with the current setting on the thermostat. (heat/cool anticipator)

[Freezing]

Order new transformer today....now I wait.

In the meantime: I tried setting the temp to the extremes, which was 90 for the heat call on this unit. Tried the same for cool. Unfortunately, neither made change.

Initially I tried new batteries in the Honeywell thermostat as it seems like someone turning the thermostat off and on. I though maybe the batteries were dead...no luck of course. Oh well, we shall see on the transformer sooner than later I hope.

[Freezing]

Is there a standard for wire colors hooked to the thermostat for hot/cold, so I can bypass the thermostat anticipator before I replace thermostat?

[HayZee518]

color code

there are so many variations of boiler color codes to the thermostats.
AND many electricians don't follow a given code. Boiler people do.
the simple honeywell two wire thermostat you can't go wrong, but there's variables now.
heat on - fan manual or auto. cool on auto-off-man etc.
for heat, the compressor is off but fans are on, heat sequencer turns on and elements.

for cool, heat sequencer is off, compressor is on, reversing valve set for cool. air handler is on in both cases.

[Freezing]

Changed that noisy transformer today. Fixed buzzing noise, but the rapid short-cycling continues. During a heat call (Set for 90f) it was 69 inside I heard the t-stat click as if it was to temp inside. It only did this once....problem remains. Any ideas? Possibly the digital t-stat (Honeywell)?

[HayZee518]

color codes

look at this and then compare to your unit wiring diagram.
{Terminal name}, {color}, {function}
(R), Red, hot side of transformer.
(C) Common side of transformer (See B)
(Y), Yellow, Compressor activity (cooling or cooling and heating on a heat pump).
(W), (W1), (W2) White, "Heat" (gas burner, oil burner , electric heat, (auxiliary heat on a heat pump including defrost output from the outdoor unit to activate electric heat and turn on the AUX. heat lamp). Note: some thermostats require a jumper from "W" to "Y" for heat pump operation.
(G), Green, furnace blower fan. (needed for air conditioning, heat pumps and some electric furnaces). NOTE: on most thermostats the "G" and "Y" are connected together at all times when the fan switch is in the "Auto" mode!
(O), Orange , Energize to cool (used for reversing valve on heat pumps)
(B), Blue or Orange, Energize to heat (used on some systems, Rheem/Ruud is notorious for this).
(B) or (X), Blue, brown or Black, common side of transformer. Needed on some electronic thermostats or if you have indicator lamps. Do not confuse with (B) Reversing valve (energize to heat) above. York and Trane like to use (B) as common.
(E), blue, pink, gray or tan, emergency heat relay on a heat pump. Active all the time when selected, usually not used.
(T), Tan or Gray, outdoor anticipator reset.

heat anticipator is set according to the current draw on the gas valve, usually in Ma [milliamps]