Great job with the improvisation.

Caps are not that expensive. You should keep a set for just these situations.

The capacitor was just replaced last summer, and I was not expecting it to go this soon. This unit is only six years old, and I am a little disappointed that I already have these issues.

This patch did not last all night. It is 80 in the house with 74% humidity. Outside is 74 with 96% humidity. Walking around is like walking through tepid Elmer's glue outside right now.

RCR06 said:

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Nice work around.

About every 4 years my capacitor has gone out. Maybe just bad luck. After the last one going out on a weekend I bought a spare to keep just in case. Haven't gotten to use the spare, but I'm sure it will come in handy one day.

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My ac guy said they used to hardly replace them 20 years ago. He said recently (no idea on how recent) they started making them all overseas and they go out all the time and is probably the second most common reason they are called. First being a clogged line.
Mine went out last summer. I've been meaning to carry a spare.

I've had this same issue and resolved it the same way. Great minds and all.

A good reminder thread for me to check my capacitor stock.

I usually have them on spare for pool pumps and AC units, but may be out.

normaleagle05 said:

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The last 2 times I had an AC kick the bucket was on a summer holiday weekend and the culprit was a capacitor. Repair guy wanted $400 plus trip fee, Amazon wanted $12.99. I keep one in stock.

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I thought about buying a spare capacitor.. isn't it the tall round thing that looks like a coke or beer can?

fullback44 said:

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normaleagle05 said:

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The last 2 times I had an AC kick the bucket was on a summer holiday weekend and the culprit was a capacitor. Repair guy wanted $400 plus trip fee, Amazon wanted $12.99. I keep one in stock.

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I thought about buying a spare capacitor.. isn't it the tall round thing that looks like a coke or beer can?

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Yes. A little smaller maybe. Bigger than a Red Bull can.

Where do y'all buy your capacitors from? Mine went out this past weekend and I couldn't find one at any of the big box stores and all the normal electrical supply stores aren't open on Sundays.

On a side note, a lot of times you can get the fan running if you help it along to get it started. My capacitor wasn't completely out but on its way. I took a long screw driver and turned the fan and it eventually had enough momentum to catch and start turning. My old AC guy told me the capacitor is like the starter for the fan motor, if you can jump start it, the fan will continue to run. The problem is you have to do it every time the AC turns off. Before we went to bed we set the temp at 60 degrees hoping the AC would run all night or at least long enough to let us sleep without being miserable .

dcbowers said:

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normaleagle05 said:

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The last 2 times I had an AC kick the bucket was on a summer holiday weekend and the culprit was a capacitor. Repair guy wanted $400 plus trip fee, Amazon wanted $12.99. I keep one in stock.

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For the novices like me, is there a link to a guide on how to replace a capacitor?

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Please understand, this is a high voltage capacitor that can cause serious injury, or potentially death. One of the above capacitor pictures shows 370 Volts Alterating Current (VAC). It can be a simple fix if done correctly.

SharkinAg said:

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RCR06 said:

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Nice work around.

About every 4 years my capacitor has gone out. Maybe just bad luck. After the last one going out on a weekend I bought a spare to keep just in case. Haven't gotten to use the spare, but I'm sure it will come in handy one day.

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My ac guy said they used to hardly replace them 20 years ago. He said recently (no idea on how recent) they started making them all overseas and they go out all the time and is probably the second most common reason they are called. First being a clogged line.
Mine went out last summer. I've been meaning to carry a spare.

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Good to know. I couldn't ever remember having a problem where the capacitor needed changing when I was growing up in the 90's. I've been in my house 12 years and I'm on capacitor number 3.

They only have a few at big box stores and it seems like they never have the one I need in stock. I bought one online and have a spare for that reason. Normally when I find out my capacitor is out is when I get home from work or it's on a weekend, both times when electrical supply places are closed.

The Ace near me carries an assortment. I ordered a set of Amazon, just because it was convenient.

My AC guy told me to pull plug from small gray box if bad lightning coming. The box is on the side of house near the outside unit. I also suck my condensation line out with shop vac couple times a year and run vinegar down it too. If I may, where exactly is this capacitor? If I can see a pro do it once can usually fix myself.

Quote:

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My ac guy said they used to hardly replace them 20 years ago. He said recently (no idea on how recent) they started making them all overseas and they go out all the time and is probably the second most common reason they are called.

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That has been my experience as well.

So, (after doing some research), I've switched to buying only American-made capacitors. I think AmRad is one of the last:

AmRad USA Made Capacitors

JoeAggie1010 said:

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dcbowers said:

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normaleagle05 said:

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The last 2 times I had an AC kick the bucket was on a summer holiday weekend and the culprit was a capacitor. Repair guy wanted $400 plus trip fee, Amazon wanted $12.99. I keep one in stock.

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For the novices like me, is there a link to a guide on how to replace a capacitor?

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Please understand, this is a high voltage capacitor that can cause serious injury, or potentially death. One of the above capacitor pictures shows 370 Volts Alterating Current (VAC). It can be a simple fix if done correctly.

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Don't you just have to turn the breaker off, or is there something else?

As mentioned above, a capacitor stores energy for when the motor starts. That is when the motor draws the most current. It only lasts an instant, and the capacitor supplies that punch. Think of it as a battery that punches like Mike Tyson. To remove that punch, short across the terminals with a screwdriver prior to touching it with you hands.

The really nasty ones in your house are the ones in the microwave oven. There are stories of people dying after getting punched by those.

NoahAg said:

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JoeAggie1010 said:

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dcbowers said:

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normaleagle05 said:

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The last 2 times I had an AC kick the bucket was on a summer holiday weekend and the culprit was a capacitor. Repair guy wanted $400 plus trip fee, Amazon wanted $12.99. I keep one in stock.

---

For the novices like me, is there a link to a guide on how to replace a capacitor?

---

Please understand, this is a high voltage capacitor that can cause serious injury, or potentially death. One of the above capacitor pictures shows 370 Volts Alterating Current (VAC). It can be a simple fix if done correctly.

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Don't you just have to turn the breaker off, or is there something else?

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Yes, but, a capacitor holds a charge. That's why it was mentioned to discharge the capacitor with a screwdriver, discharging it from the positive & negative poles.

Youtube

Grainger

According to googletron these ECM motors don't have capacitors





So I googled the model number for this fan motor and found retail cost is a little over $200. Any guesses what the repair guy will charge? He is on the way at the moment, and I have not checked if Grainger carries them.

He is also probably going to replace the relay contacts. I am pretty sure I burned those up last night with my gerry-rigging.

Burdizzo said:

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According to googletron these ECM motors don't have capacitors





So I googled the model number for this fan motor and found retail cost is a little over $200. Any guesses what the repair guy will charge? He is on the way at the moment, and I have not checked if Grainger carries them.

He is also probably going to replace the relay contacts. I am pretty sure I burned those up last night with my gerry-rigging.

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I bought this one last year off of Amazon to replace mine last year for $280, AC guy wanted $1200 for OEM part plus labor. It was not hard to replace.

Edit to add; the capacitor is more for the compressor not the fan motor.

I've also replaced the fan motor on my outside unit. ~$200 for the part and wasnt hard to do.