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Reminder - get your spare A/C capacitor if you do not have one.
Posted on 4/26/22 at 4:24 pm
Posted on 4/26/22 at 4:24 pm
With the days getting hotter and A/C units being used more every day, get your spare A/C capacitor if you do not have one.
6
Posted on 4/26/22 at 4:29 pm to WPBTiger
quote:
e days getting hotter and A/C units being used more every day, get your spare A/C capacitor if you do not have one.
You know if anyone owned a small shop like a convenience store, a good business idea would be to buy about $500 worth of caps and sell them for 2x the profit over the weekend. Just advertise on like Facebook Marketplace or something. The biggest problem is the damn AC supply places are all closed on the weekend and evenings. I'd happily pay $50 for a $25 cap and not have to keep it at my house.
Posted on 4/26/22 at 8:23 pm to WPBTiger
Absolute truth here.
May want to also get a relay/ contactor, too.
May want to also get a relay/ contactor, too.
Posted on 4/26/22 at 8:35 pm to baldona
"I'd happily pay $50 for a $25 cap and not have to keep it at my house."
--
You that cramped for space. I'll put it in my closet for you....
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You that cramped for space. I'll put it in my closet for you....
Posted on 4/27/22 at 8:08 am to WPBTiger
And I’d further suggest one buy an American made capacitor like AmRad.
Posted on 4/27/22 at 8:19 am to CrawDude
Got two AmRad caps ready to go for the summer. I had to use one last year and ordered a replacement the same night. 20 minutes and I was back to cooling.
Posted on 4/27/22 at 10:29 am to Perrydawg
Dumb question alert.
How do we know what capacitor we need for our home unit?
How do we know what capacitor we need for our home unit?
Posted on 4/27/22 at 10:35 am to WPBTiger
Years ago before I knew better, I had One Hour Heating & Air work on my AC. They charged me $400 for a capacitor. I didn't know any better and was happy to have air conditioning again so I paid it. After they left, I looked up capacitors and what they cost - I was beyond pissed.
That, my friends, was the biggest bought lesson of my life.
That, my friends, was the biggest bought lesson of my life.
Posted on 4/27/22 at 11:28 am to hedgehog
Shut the power down and pull the sheet metal cover and see what numbers are listed on the capacitor that you have in there. Be aware that even though the electricity is off, the capacitor still has a charge on it so don’t contact the terminal post on the top. If it is a dual run it will read 40/5 or something similar. Once you know that you can order them off Amazon or from a supply house.
Posted on 4/27/22 at 1:26 pm to TDsngumbo
Ya, with any service on house you should probably budget minimum $200.
$100 to show up, plus parts and labor.
$100 to show up, plus parts and labor.
Posted on 4/28/22 at 6:40 am to Teddy Ruxpin
What is causing capacitors to go out? I’ve been owning houses 41 years now and I’ve never had a capacitor go out.
Current house ,we built in 2020 and had to have unit replaced after 14 years because it wasn’t cooling but otherwise I’ve never had unit quit working except power outages.
Current house ,we built in 2020 and had to have unit replaced after 14 years because it wasn’t cooling but otherwise I’ve never had unit quit working except power outages.
Posted on 4/28/22 at 7:58 am to ItzMe1972
quote:
I'd happily pay $50 for a $25 cap and not have to keep it at my house." -- You that cramped for space. I'll put it in my closet for you....
No, but these things don’t go out as often as this board acts like they do. I have about 30 AC units under management between my home, office, and rental properties and there’s no reason for me to keep 25 different capacitors. I haven’t had one go out in probably 2 years. So for the vast majority of people buying an AC capacitor is a waste of money.
It’s a very common issue and an after hours call to fix is going to be $250+. That’s the only reason buying one makes sense.
Posted on 4/28/22 at 8:07 am to LSUA 75
quote:
What is causing capacitors to go out? I’ve been owning houses 41 years now and I’ve never had a capacitor go out. Current house ,we built in 2020 and had to have unit replaced after 14 years because it wasn’t cooling but otherwise I’ve never had unit quit working except power outages.
Cheaply made Chinese capacitors being placed in HVAC units by the manufacturers. Are better capacitors available, of course there are, and they’d cost the manufacturer about $20 per unit to install good ones, but they don’t.
Heat and voltage spikes are the 2 main causes of HVAC capacitor failure. You can’t control the heat in southern LA but one can place a surge protector on the HVAC condensing unit at the disconnect to protect the capacitor and circuit boards from voltage spikes.
I’ve never had a capacitor failure on any HVAC condensing unit I’ve owned either, but the capacitors that came with my units were never made in China but rather either the USA or Mexico. That said, I swapped my original Mexican manufactured capacitor on my 17 year old condensing unit a few years ago with an American made AmRad capacitor (5 year manufacturers warranty) and kept the original capacitor that came with the unit as a spare.
Capacitor failure and replacement is the number 1 service call by HVAC techs in cooling season, so I read on professional HVAC forums.
Posted on 4/28/22 at 8:24 am to baldona
quote:
I have about 30 AC units under management between my home, office, and rental properties and there’s no reason for me to keep 25 different capacitors.
Just a heads up, AmRad makes a universal Turbo 200 dual run capacitor LINK where you just move jumper cables to provide the correct microfarad setting for the compressor and fan motor for whatever your condensing unit requires - it’s a little pricey at around $80 but that 1 capacitor could likely be used on every HVAC condensing unit on all your rental properties, home and office - so you’d only have to keep one spare, not 25.
Posted on 4/28/22 at 8:42 am to CrawDude
"I’ve never had a capacitor failure on any HVAC condensing unit I’ve owned either"
--
The HVAC gods are shining down on you!
--
The HVAC gods are shining down on you!
Posted on 4/28/22 at 2:18 pm to WPBTiger
Ain't it funny how those lil frickers like to go out after 5pm and on weekends? On a serious note, before you mess around with any wiring on your unit, check your voltage coming in to the contactor with a multimeter, even after you've pulled the disconnect switch.
Posted on 4/28/22 at 2:30 pm to CrawDude
quote:
I’ve never had a capacitor failure on any HVAC condensing unit I’ve owned either,
You better knock on some wood or somthing
Posted on 4/28/22 at 4:21 pm to WPBTiger
Great Advice
I keep a spare Cap, Relay and Fan motor on my garage shelf
I keep a spare Cap, Relay and Fan motor on my garage shelf
Posted on 4/28/22 at 6:32 pm to ItzMe1972
quote:
The HVAC gods are shining down on you!
yes they are, knock on wood. Posted on 4/28/22 at 7:22 pm to TDsngumbo
quote:
Years ago before I knew better, I had One Hour Heating & Air work on my AC. They charged me $400 for a capacitor. I didn't know any better and was happy to have air conditioning again so I paid it. After they left, I looked up capacitors and what they cost - I was beyond pissed.
That, my friends, was the biggest bought lesson of my life.
You paid for their expertise, convenience, and quick response. Had you known what the issue was and how to fix it yourself you would have done it.
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