Capacitor problem

hvacfreak

I think it is just a beautiful thing of how that spindly little wire ( common ) is always able to provide enough power under ANY condition to a fan motor AND a compresser. I look at some of these beefy contactors and wonder why they went through the expense when the entire load ( start ) is fed into this 16 gauge ( heavy insulated ) little conductor.

10 or 8 gauge copper conductor and heavy connecters ( to avoid the voltage drop ), seperate the capacitors ( as they should be ) , and enjoy the pool , the warm summer , Rockville Pizza Oven...forgot ..it shut down , lol. -M

edit : the 440 volt units are alot better than the 370's also.-m

Wayco Wayne_2

I have a customer

who has had a blown dual capacitor on a 3.5 tone residential unit 3 times in 2 years. What could be causing this? WW

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mark_114

You should replace it with a much higher voltage rated one and not a universal type. if it was a dual fancompressor model than I would wire up two singles and see what one blows first. This happened to me last weekend and I am still waiting to see what happens.....Mark

Leo_11

On another site

On another site I have read GE brand caps have a high failure rate if that may be what you have been using.

Leo

don_192

If the

If the condenser are riding dirty that will cause them to blow.

Bruce M_2

Capacitor

The first thing you might want to check is to find out what capicitor the manufacturer has listed for this application. It is not only voltage, microfarads but more importantly type. Motor start capacitors are usually pretty rugged. You would also want to look at the date on the capacitor. A capacitor that is several years old and has been sitting on a shelf usully doesn't have the value that may be stamped on the capacitor. I have a capacitor tester that I use. A lot of people are very sloppy with capacitor values and will substitute a value that is close to the required value. I like to use the correct value but that is just my personal preference.

michael siena

caps

1 confirm the proper specs for the dual can cap or singles
2 read the name plate information on the motors ie compressor and condensor fan the cap MF rating and the start winding must be matched.
3 insure that you don't dbl feed power. simply read the wiring diagrams and insure that all conections are secure and proper. one wire on the cap on the wrong terminal will EXPLODE THE CAP IN YOUR FACE or burn out.
4 the cap needs to be located in the electrical compartment DUH!
5 after you complete the above test test test.
chances you have more that one thing wrong so be patient and thourogh

Techman

Run cap\"s

Hay WW.,besides proper volts(AT THE COMPRESSOR TERMINAL'S),MFD's,VAC's ,and such,I install Time Delay controlls to prevent re-starts before the pressures equalizes,also,a "start assist device"for all cap tube,orifice or piston metered systems,and for TXV units the real deal"The Hard Start Kit"( OEM Potential Relay and OEM start cap, with bleed reststor ).Auto reset controls (LP& HP) cause short cycling so the Time Delay again.Hope this helps.

lee_7

power surges and lightning storms are killer on caps. high temps and dirty coils are also an issue. This week has seen a lot of caps needing to be replaced. Thank god the temps near Phila Pa has finally cooled down

Dan Foley

Capacitors

Next time you take out an old condensing unit from the 60's or 70's take a look at the capacitors. They were huge. They contained a lot more fluid and could dissipate excess heat easily.

Today's capacitors have the exact same mfd rating but are a fraction of the size of the old capacitors. In addition, most units do not come from the factory with true hard start kits.

We stock just about every size run capacitor and change them like fuses when the weather is very hot and when we have electrical storms. -DF

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Leo_11

Didn't the old ones

Didn't the old ones contain PCB's?

Leo

Wayco Wayne_2

Yes,

and pcb's are bad, m'ok? The cond unit is only 5 years old. The original dual cap went last Summer. I used one of those multi-tap adjustable caps. The first one lasted 1 month. The next one lasted until this weekend. I don't think it's the capacitor although I'm going back Monday with a factory original. I've also installed a hard start kit last year and this weekend a surge protector. Next I'm going to draw a pentagram on the top of the unit. Thanks for all the input. :O WW

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Bob Sweet

Hard start's

should come from the factory as a stock item. Forget the optional item mention on the unit's schematic.

It's the bottom line ($$$$), thats the reason manuf. choose not to install them from the factory, I wonder how many compressors come back as bad when in all that was needed was a hard start. Voltage drop outs are a major player.

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michael siena

sacrifice

try killing a chicken It works no kidding!