air-conditioningcentral-airheat-pump
I have been in my house for 11 years now and every 3 or 4 years I have been taking the lid off my condenser unit and lubricating it. I just don’t know if I am even supposed to do this, but it make sense to me. Anyway this year the fan seems louder than last year, so I was going to lubricate it again, I was just wondering if this was normal? Keep in mind though, I think my unit is nearly 40 years old It is a Carrier. Here is a picture of my unit.
Any other maintenance tips for the condenser?
I live in South Florida and I too have to do this. My house has 2 AC systems. One of them clogs up after about 3-4 months, the other never has. I'm not sure what the difference is, but ever since I started putting a bit of bleach in the condensate line every time I change my filters; I've had no clogs since then.
Assuming this is actually your problem, I would suggest that you do the same.
I'm not sure why the wires would be exposed to the elements, however if you want to seal them, wrapping in electrical tape and tie wraps is definitely not the right solution.
I would utilize heat shrink tubing:
Thin wall heat-shrink tubing is great for cable insulation, marking or bundling, with superior mechanical, abrasion and moisture protection
Basically you slip this over the entire connection and then use a heat gun to shrink the tubing tight against the connections. It's a cheap and effective way to protect electrical connections.
Best Answer
I would replace the Condenser Fan Motor.
Loudness would be attributed to either bent fan blades and/or worn bearings. Considering the age of your condenser unit, it is most likely bearings. Typically, the bearings on a Condenser Fan Motor do not require lubrication, because the bearing packs are sealed.
Here is a picture of a generic Condenser Fan Motor:
It is essentially sealed. This is on purpose. It keeps the dirt and debris from getting into the internal fan motor components. The bearings are also internal. There would be no effective way to lubricate them without literally removing the rotor from the stator (i.e. taking the fan apart).
Even if you do take it apart and remove the bearings (there is one in the back and one in the front) there is a good chance it is going to look like this:
In that case, it wouldn't be very wise to try and remove the protective jacket covering the bearings. They aren't too expensive and could be replace very easily. Just get yourself a puller and you would be all set.
If you are lucky, your bearings would look like this:
If your bearings do look like that, then it would be a lot easier to lubricate and probably wouldn't even have to remove them from the rotor in order to do it.
Conclusion
I would still replace the fan motor. It is old. It has been exposed to the environment for a very long time. Plus, technology has dramatically improved and you should be able to find a suitable replacement that is more energy efficient.