Just fixed my A/C!

[dishdude]

I have to gloat and you're the only crowd that will understand. I was sitting here about an hour and a half ago and noticed it getting warm in the house. Went to check on the vents and they were blowing warm! Go outside and the outdoor unit isn't running. Did some quick checks with my multimeter to make sure it was getting juice, felt the condenser fan and it was very hot. The fan spun freely when I tried spinning it with a paint stick, but since it was getting late I did a quick search for a capacitor and fan, no fan available tonight but the local Ace had the cap! Decided to throw a cap at it and $30 later we have cold air! Old cap wasn't even that old...now just need to button this bad boy up once it cools down a bit inside.

I can't tell you the feeling when I plugged the disconnect in and it fired right to life!

 

[bbhero]

I told ya those smart pills two times a day would help you….

Seriously I am very glad you got it working right. Especially where you are at given how hot it is there routinely.

 

[ctechbob]

I keep a spare on hand for just this problem. Last time I had one go bad it was on a Sunday, in July.

 

[CDX825]

Pretty disappointing that a US made cap only lasted 4 years. Most of the units I have installed this year have had chinese caps in them. If they make it two years before going bad I will be amazed.

 

[Nick1994]

Nice! Glad to hear Ace has capacitors. I've been thinking of picking one up just to have as a spare, I have no knowledge of mine ever being replaced on the 18.5 year old A/C. It last saw an A/C tech 8 years or so ago for a new fan motor, so it's at least that old.

 

[PandaBear]

Good job. Just out of curiosity how do you guys discharge these caps? I know you can check the voltage but what do you guys use to drain the charge without damaging anything?

 

[LazyDog]

I just replace the cap in my friends house, do used screw driver to discharge it!

 

[LazyDog]

!

Mine is original at 19 yaers

Nice! Glad to hear Ace has capacitors. I've been thinking of picking one up just to have as a spare, I have no knowledge of mine ever being replaced on the 18.5 year old A/C. It last saw an A/C tech 8 years or so ago for a new fan motor, so it's at least that old.

Mine is 19 years old, original Cap on the unite

 

[Lubener]

I change out the capacitor(s) and contactor every 10 years to avoid breakdowns and keep a spare for each. My outdoor unit is 23 years old, been reliable and I am on the third set of parts now. I have seen those parts fail sooner for others..

 

[hrv]

I have to gloat and you're the only crowd that will understand. I was sitting here about an hour and a half ago and noticed it getting warm in the house. Went to check on the vents and they were blowing warm! Go outside and the outdoor unit isn't running. Did some quick checks with my multimeter to make sure it was getting juice, felt the condenser fan and it was very hot. The fan spun freely when I tried spinning it with a paint stick, but since it was getting late I did a quick search for a capacitor and fan, no fan available tonight but the local Ace had the cap! Decided to throw a cap at it and $30 later we have cold air! Old cap wasn't even that old...now just need to button this bad boy up once it cools down a bit inside.

I can't tell you the feeling when I plugged the disconnect in and it fired right to life!

Yup it is a easy repair and is a good idea to ALWAYS have a spare around....Just remember after turning off the power to discharge the cap. so you dont get a shock...

 

[hrv]

Nice! Glad to hear Ace has capacitors. I've been thinking of picking one up just to have as a spare, I have no knowledge of mine ever being replaced on the 18.5 year old A/C. It last saw an A/C tech 8 years or so ago for a new fan motor, so it's at least that old.

I would not even think about it...Get a spare....

 

[hrv]

Mine is original at 19 yaers

Mine is 19 years old, original Cap on the unite

Might want to replace or have a spare ready...imo

 

[nomas]

Spare caps , spare contactor , bottle of turbine oil . I'm as prepared as I can be .

 

[brianl703]

Good job. Just out of curiosity how do you guys discharge these caps? I know you can check the voltage but what do you guys use to drain the charge without damaging anything?

They will discharge themselves through the start and run/main windings, as this diagram shows. If you're really concerned about it, touch the terminals with a screwdriver.

 

[zzyzzx]

Spare caps , spare contactor , bottle of turbine oil . I'm as prepared as I can be .

If your local Ace stocks them, then why would you need to hold the inventory?

 

[RooflessVW]

If your local Ace stocks them, then why would you need to hold the inventory?

It's Ace open at 10pm on a Sunday in July?

 

[zrxkawboy]

If your local Ace stocks them, then why would you need to hold the inventory?

You quoted nomas, but nomas is not the OP who bought a cap at Ace.

 

[Snagglefoot]

Excellent to hear. I’ll jump in with my repair coincidentally done yesterday. The capacitor overheated and melted the red wire terminal for some reason while the heat pump was in the AC mode all summer. It was a replacement I put in earlier this year when the 11 year old original one failed and puffed up the top. I noticed the replacement capacitor was quite a bit smaller in diameter than the original one, but had the same specs.

My 2nd replacement is much closer to the original’s diameter but slightly smaller, requiring wrapping the top circumference with some electrical tape. Here are shots of the burned capacitor and the new replacement.

 

[ArrestMeRedZ]

If your local Ace stocks them, then why would you need to hold the inventory?

My last one failed in such a way I could no longer read the values on the dual capacitor. After an extensive internet search I could only come up with a best guess. Kicked myself for not buying a spare when I replaced it previously.

 

[zzyzzx]

My last one failed in such a way I could no longer read the values on the dual capacitor. After an extensive internet search I could only come up with a best guess. Kicked myself for not buying a spare when I replaced it previously.

Your internet search best guess is going to be fine. It's just a capacitor!