Spent $180 on a Supco hard start kit and it backfired bad

I put a Supco RCO410 on a 3 ton Trane condenser last Tuesday because the compressor was humming on startup. Figured it'd be a quick fix but the thing actually made the buzzing worse and then the compressor locked up solid after three cycles. Ended up having to replace the whole compressor for the customer which ran them like $1200 total. Any of you guys had similar luck with those hard start kits just making things worse instead of helping?

2 comments

2 Comments

taylor3051mo ago

Have you ever had a hard start kit work fine on one unit but then make things worse on another? I used to think those Supco kits were a safe bet for any compressor that was struggling to start, but a job last summer changed my mind. Put one on a Carrier package unit that was just humming, and it did the exact same thing you described - made the buzzing louder before the compressor gave out completely. Now I'm more careful and will only try a hard start if I'm sure the compressor isn't already damaged internally. Lost a lot of money on that lesson, same as you did.

the_max1mo ago

You ever have one of those jobs that just sticks with you, man? That buzzing sound getting louder before it gave out... I know exactly what you mean. I had a similar thing with a Trane unit last fall, thought I was being helpful and it just made the whole thing worse before it died completely. Lost a good chunk of change on that one too, had to eat the labor and the new compressor. It's a rough lesson but at least now we both know better than to trust a hard start kit on a compressor that's already on its last legs.