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Reminder, now is a good time to pick up a spare capacitor for your HVAC
Posted on 6/14/20 at 6:40 pm
Posted on 6/14/20 at 6:40 pm
The most likely thing to go out on your HVAC unit is the capacitor and you can buy a spare for around $20 to have on hand.
Posted on 6/14/20 at 7:33 pm to wickowick
do you have an example? Like an amazon link or anything?
Posted on 6/14/20 at 8:12 pm to b-rab2
Posted on 6/14/20 at 8:30 pm to wickowick
it's a cheap part, but since it's attached to a moderate amount of electricity, that's a nope from me dawg.
Posted on 6/14/20 at 8:31 pm to Bawcephus
Just don't stick your tongue on the contact points
Posted on 6/14/20 at 8:35 pm to wickowick
I'm gun shy of capacitors ever since I took the one off a ceiling fan and was re wiring it on the couch and got lit up like a Christmas tree.
I was so shocked (pun not intended). Thought I was in the clear since it was obviously NOT connected to power... Forgot the small part that they HOLD a charge. lol
I was so shocked (pun not intended). Thought I was in the clear since it was obviously NOT connected to power... Forgot the small part that they HOLD a charge. lol
Posted on 6/14/20 at 8:38 pm to Bawcephus
Here is a video to discharge. How To Safely Discharge Your Air Conditioner Run Capacitor
Posted on 6/15/20 at 9:39 pm to wickowick
Wish you would’ve reminded us a week ago!
Posted on 6/16/20 at 8:51 am to X82ndTiger
How much was the HVAC tech bill and how long were you without AC?
Posted on 9/20/20 at 9:52 am to wickowick
Fall bump. Mine died sometime overnight on Friday. Woke up and the house was comfortable but not cool like it usually is in the morning. Didn’t think much of it. Went to turn the AC down and walked out on the deck. Noticed it was really quiet which meant the AC wasn’t running and it should be. Capacitor had a little corrosion on it.
I still can’t figure out why a Lowe’s or Home Depot don’t carry a limited number of these in stores. Of course no electrical supply places are open but I’ve got one on the way from Amazon. And thankful it isn’t 90 degrees. We’ve got a nice little break from the heat so I can just run a fan or two and get through today as well.
I still can’t figure out why a Lowe’s or Home Depot don’t carry a limited number of these in stores. Of course no electrical supply places are open but I’ve got one on the way from Amazon. And thankful it isn’t 90 degrees. We’ve got a nice little break from the heat so I can just run a fan or two and get through today as well.
Posted on 9/20/20 at 11:26 am to TU Rob
Do you know how to check a capacitor to see if it is bad - very easy, numerous YouTube videos - you need a multimeter with a capacitance setting - many multimeters have this, but not all. Of course if it puffy/swollen it’s bad.
Two things that kill capacitors more than anything - heat and voltage spikes. Though you can’t do anything about heat, one can install a surge protector on the HVAC disconnect to mitigate issues with voltage spikes/fluctuations.
Lastly, cheap Chinese capacitors have the most problems. Many HVAC techs on professional HVAC forums I peruse like the American made AmRad capacitors which come with a 5-year warranty, they are only $20-30, just a little more expensive. But there are some other manufactures that make better capacitors with 5-year warranties, Powerwell being one.
Two things that kill capacitors more than anything - heat and voltage spikes. Though you can’t do anything about heat, one can install a surge protector on the HVAC disconnect to mitigate issues with voltage spikes/fluctuations.
Lastly, cheap Chinese capacitors have the most problems. Many HVAC techs on professional HVAC forums I peruse like the American made AmRad capacitors which come with a 5-year warranty, they are only $20-30, just a little more expensive. But there are some other manufactures that make better capacitors with 5-year warranties, Powerwell being one.
This post was edited on 9/20/20 at 12:46 pm
Posted on 9/21/20 at 11:51 am to CrawDude
Any ideas on what to check if the capacitor didn't get it running? Blade spins freely, and the air handler inside is running fine.
Posted on 9/21/20 at 3:04 pm to TU Rob
quote:
Any ideas on what to check if the capacitor didn't get it running? Blade spins freely, and the air handler inside is running fine.
Are you getting sound as though the unit is try to start? Humming of the compressor? Have you tried to spin the fan blade through the grill with a stick or screw driver to see if the fan will start when the unit is turned on and calling for cooling?
Let’s assume the new capacitor is good and not bad from the factory - even the HVAC techs on YouTube videos I watch check the capacitance (uF) of new capacitors with a multimeter before they install them which tells me that some new ones must be bad from the factory.
Pull the outside dissconnect, to remove 240 V power to the condensing unit, then check all your electrical connections on the capacitor, to make sure they are tight, also check for loose electrical wire connections at the contactor.
It’s possible it may be a bad contactor or bad fan motor. I had to replace a fan motor on mine last year - the motor windings were good but the bushing/bearings were bad. With a strong flip of the fan blade with a finger, the fan blade on a motor with good bushings may turn a few complete revolutions, but with bad bushings the blade will turn a 1/4 or 1/2 a revolution. You can easily check that your yourself without removing the fan motor - just try spinning it through the grill. You said the fan it’s spinning freely so the motor windings might be bad
Contactors can become pitted with age, insects (ants, etc,) get inside the contactor and cause the contacts not to closely. Check the two very small 24 V wires that attach to the contactor to make sure one of them is not broken - they send the signal from the thermostat to close the contractor when the unit calls for cooling. And it could be an issue with the thermostat even though your air handler runs.
Aside from refrigerant leaks, the 3 most common service calls that HVAC techs need to fix/repair in order are 1. bad capacitor, 2. bad contactor, and 3. bad fan motor. I learned that from watching a YouTube HVAC training video.
Beyond these simple things to try, looks as though you’ll need call a HVAC tech.
This post was edited on 9/21/20 at 3:06 pm
Posted on 9/21/20 at 4:30 pm to CrawDude
Thanks. It was a little low on refrigerant and something about a pressure switch had gone bad. He also tested the old capacitor and the new one and the old one had gone bad. I’m looking at a new unit at some point but I can ride this one out another year or so. He also said he could relocate them so the outside units aren’t under the deck, which will be nice for keeping the noise down.
Posted on 4/20/21 at 9:15 pm to wickowick
The ones made in China will go out every summer! Get one made in the USA !
Posted on 4/20/21 at 9:47 pm to wickowick
New year, same stance.
quote:
I'm gun shy of capacitors ever since I took the one off a ceiling fan and was re wiring it on the couch and got lit up like a Christmas tree.
Posted on 4/20/21 at 10:06 pm to Bawcephus
Had a starter and capacitor go out two days ago... $150 repair
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