If the disconnect is fed from a breaker in the panel box, we always use the 60 amp disconnect we get for our supply house. You want to look on your condensing unit and see what the minimum and maximum breaker amps are, to make sure the breaker in the panel box is the correct size.

These are what we use.

 

Thanks for the info. the condenser is 20 amp and we matched that on the breaker box. The tech said not to get a 60 amp but rather a 30 amp non fused....but like I said I cant see to find those. strange.
thanks.

 

The tech said not to get a 60 amp but rather a 30 amp non fused...

Well, I like the 60 amp, because your condenser probably draws more than 30 amps on startup. Look on your condenser and see if it list LRA.

 

Ya I dont really know why my tech indicated specifically not to go with a 60 amp disconnect. I just messaged him back to see what he says.

 

Probably folklore and myths. It's crazy what some techs in my area believe.
I prefer fused myself but it really doesn't matter if the breaker is already the right size.
If I'm starting from scratch I like to have the electrician run a larger than required wire and breaker and then I install a fused disconnect with the required size fuse. The reason I do this is in 10 years the breaker will not have worn out and if a fuse ever blows I carry every size of fuse so that I can change them out immediately instead of having to run to the store for a breaker which costs 10 times as much as a fuse.
Breakers don't last that well these days but if they're oversized for the unit they last longer hence the reason I use an oversized circuit and a correctly sized fused disconnect.

Sent from the Okie state usin Tapatalk
"Is this before or after you fired the parts cannon at it?" - senior tech

 

The tech likely said 30 as a minimum.
Now if it's fused you can still run a 60 Amp disconnect and install 30 Amp fuses.
For me, if the breaker in the panel is appropriate then I usually don't install a fused disconnect.
However, in some cases when installing smaller equipment on an existing circuit it's required to install a fused disconnect.

 

Thank you very much for the information. It is really frustrating as a non-techy home owner when different people tell you different things. I do appreciate all the input though.
I just talked to my tech and ran it by him. I think he is going to pick up the 60 amp non-fused box and replace our old one. We are having an issue with our new AC unit in that as it is cooling, it will sometimes shut down after 20-30 minutes and then try 5 or 6 times to restart and then eventually start again and run another 30 minutes or so. he thinks it is definitely power related either the disconnect or the power panel itself in our old condo unit. We are going to try replacing the old fused disconnect first as it is a fairly cheap replacement and see if that does it.
Thanks again for the insight and information. Its much appreciated.

 

Why in the world would the tech not freaking buy this himself at the supply house? He really asked you to do the shopping?

 

I know right. He did ask us to though. Couldn't find one in stock locally. we decided to have a electrician out and he bypassed disconnect to see if that would help and it did not. Checked electrical in condo and found no issues. Looking like anew ac unit malfunction now but tech is saying no way. I hate not knowing more about all this stuff.
Thanks anyway for the info.

 

If the technician can't diagnose where the electrical problem you need to get a better tech out there. It is really easy to determine if the disconnect is the problem or not without throwing parts at the problem.

Sent from the Okie state usin Tapatalk
"Is this before or after you fired the parts cannon at it?" - senior tech

 

Yes I am going to be getting a second opinion on this next week for sure. Seems to be too much guesswork by this guy. When I told him I had an electrician check power he then said that the issue might be undersized ductwork pressure...whatever that is. Anyway, I do appreciate all the input.

 

When I told him I had an electrician check power he then said that the issue might be undersized ductwork pressure...whatever that is. Anyway, I do appreciate all the input.

It means he wants you to go to home depot and get all new duct work, and then put it in yourself to see if that fixes the problem. Then when it does he can say "Hot diggity, I fixed it! I knew it would! One more happy customer!". :cheers:

 

LOL at least that made me laugh...thanks. But still stressing over this.

 

It shows the importance of finding a tech you can trust.

They don’t come cheap.

 

Hello all, I just wanted to update this post as we had a final solution...in the end we did not replace the old disconnect. We had an electrician check it and also temporarily bypass the disconnect to prove it wasn't causing our ac issue. It was not! Electrician indicated the disconnect had no issues...connections were secure and contact points were all good. So we kept the fused disconnect in place.
Thanks again for all the information provided...it was very informative to me.

 

Could be that its over charged.