My outside air conditioner, which is under warranty, was not blowing cold air. When a serviceman came to fix it, he said an earwig was caught in the air conditioner. I was charged $160 for this service. I find it hard to believe that an earwig can cause this to happen. I believe there was something else wrong with it and should have been covered under the warranty.
2007-07-22 13:47:12 · 5 answers · asked by Adam G 1 in Home & Garden ➔ Maintenance & Repairs
I saw your post and I thought you were being a jokester with this question so I typed in earwigs in air conditioners and I was shocked how fast stuff came up on this topic. It sounded at first like the old show I remember as a child the Twilight zone. It seems it it rather common. They however rarely if ever actually get into the ears. Creepy name I say however. I have listed under my source the first site I went on. It I think is a garden site. I would look into a pest killer in your area for advice on prevention and to see if you indeed have a earwig infestation in other parts of your yard. Good luck. If you don't take care of the problem I see it could happen again. Evita
2007-07-22 14:10:01 · answer #1 · answered by evitabug 5 · 0⤊ 2⤋
Yes it could cause an A/C system to stop working. The earwigs would have to crawl into the contactor or short some of the control wiring. If this were to happen. The fan or the compressor would not start or both.
If the outside unit was running and not cooling then earwigs were probably not the problem. If your system or part of it would not turn on at all then it could have been earwigs.
2007-07-22 18:50:46 · answer #2 · answered by mike b 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
He was probably correct with the diagnostic but the part would have been covered under the warranty if the unit is not that old. Bugs get between the armature and contact points on your contacter and voltage cannot conduct. Most manufacturers give either a 5 or 10 year warranty on parts. The contractor normally gives a 1 year warranty on labor. The part could have been free but you would have to pay a service charge and labor. Normally if I install a unit and it is something simple like that...I would do it for free because the customer spent big bucks on the unit and "word of mouth" is the best advertisement.
2007-07-25 19:57:39 · answer #3 · answered by Jason W 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Hello Adam:
Charles is most likely correct, the contactor is a magnetic switch that provides voltage to the compressor and outdoor fan. Bugs seeking shelter or warmth, or perhaps the electromagnetic signal sometimes get caught in the mechanical portion of the contactor. I've had to clean out a contactor with bugs, and had to go back two weeks later for the same problem. Evitabug is correct; you will want to find a permanent solution to the earwig problem.
2007-07-22 14:31:20 · answer #4 · answered by OrakTheBold 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
The bug or earwig I'm guessing was caught in the contactor. The serviceman had to fix it or replace it if it was damaged. Also if ants get into the contactor it will short it out. Therefore, it will not be under warranty.
2007-07-22 14:22:32 · answer #5 · answered by Charles B 2 · 3⤊ 0⤋