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Are all Fan Capacitors the Same?

jglad345jglad345 Member Posts: 1
in THE MAIN WALL
Excuse the title but the issue I have is that all fan capacitors are not the same and I am running out of places to get answers. My mother-in-law lives in a Modular/Mobile home which still has the original Armstrong Electric Central Heating Unit from the 1970's. The unit sat unused for at least 20 years and recently she tried to start it up and with in a few minutes the fan capacitor burnt up. The model number the technician gave her for the capacitor was E66208 and I believe the heating unit is model number E1620D2C4. I have given this information to several companies and they are unable to pull anything up. My question is whether there is a common capacitor which would work in this situation. I obviously don't want to install the wrong one but so far the technician she is working with has not been able to provide any answers or a replacement part. I appreciate any input on the topic and welcome any questions that might help resolve this issue.

Comments

  • EdTheHeaterManEdTheHeaterMan Member Posts: 1,579
    NO
    I will get you more info in a minute
    Edward Young
    Retired HVAC Contractor from So. Jersey Shore.
    Cleaned & services first oil heating system at age 16
    Specialized in Oil Heat and Hydronics where the competition did Gas Warm Air

    If you make an expensive repair and the same problem happens, What will you check next?
    mattmia2
  • EdTheHeaterManEdTheHeaterMan Member Posts: 1,579
    edited November 2020
    Does the Capacitor look like this?
    if yes then the capacitor has some important numbers.
    The Microfarads and the Voltage. Microfarads can be abbreviated MFD or the lower case Greek letter Mu and letter f μf. You need to replace it with the same MFD and Voltage. the Voltage may be higher on the replacement but it can not be lower.

    If it does not look like this or you cant read the numbers, we will need pictures of the fan motor, HP Voltage, RPM, and all the other n numbers on the nameplate of the motor.
    Edward Young
    Retired HVAC Contractor from So. Jersey Shore.
    Cleaned & services first oil heating system at age 16
    Specialized in Oil Heat and Hydronics where the competition did Gas Warm Air

    If you make an expensive repair and the same problem happens, What will you check next?
  • mattmia2mattmia2 Member Posts: 2,315
    Regardless of the type of capacitor there should be other numbers on it that either are the capacity and voltage directly or a coded version of the same. The schematic inside the cabinet somewhere usually will have the value of the capacitor too.
  • SuperTechSuperTech Member Posts: 1,538
    If the capacitor values can't be read from the capacitor itself, you will have to get it from the motor. On the data label on the motor should be listed all the information for the motor, including the capacitor ratings.
    I've never seen the information on the wiring schematic for the capacitor, but it would be great if the manufacturers put the information on there.
  • EBEBRATT-EdEBEBRATT-Ed Member Posts: 8,027
    What @EdTheHeaterMan said
  • STEVEusaPASTEVEusaPA Member Posts: 4,728
    Why is the technician getting your mother to find a capacitor?
    steve
    pecmsgmattmia2
  • mattmia2mattmia2 Member Posts: 2,315
    Or the "tech" doesn't want to repair it, they want to try to sell them a new furnace and they are claiming the part isn't available.
    Solid_Fuel_Man
  • Solid_Fuel_ManSolid_Fuel_Man Member Posts: 2,245
    edited November 2020
    :# Yup.....cap is bad in the trailer, need a new system! 
    Serving Northern Maine HVAC & Controls. I burn wood, it smells good!
  • ratioratio Member Posts: 2,692
    Well, I wonder what kind of condition a 30-40 year old system that sat idle for a few decades is in. It seems quite possible to me that a replacement is warranted, regardless of the cap.

    The nameplate on the motor should have the value of the cap on it. If not, I'd compare the HP and run current to a few other motors of similar power/amps & take a stab at it. Go with a 440V rated cap, those can substitute for the lower-rated-voltage ones, but not vice versa; & err on the larger (higher capacitance) side.

  • JUGHNEJUGHNE Member Posts: 7,880
    After that many years it may be better to just replace the motor itself. Then no guessing on the cap size.

    Good time to clean the blower wheel and inspect the elements.
    mikeapolis
  • EdTheHeaterManEdTheHeaterMan Member Posts: 1,579
    ratio said:

    Well, I wonder what kind of condition a 30-40 year old system that sat idle for a few decades is in. It seems quite possible to me that a replacement is warranted, regardless of the cap.

    Under those guidelines, Let's take that a step further
    @ratio, How old are you?
    Edward Young
    Retired HVAC Contractor from So. Jersey Shore.
    Cleaned & services first oil heating system at age 16
    Specialized in Oil Heat and Hydronics where the competition did Gas Warm Air

    If you make an expensive repair and the same problem happens, What will you check next?
  • EdTheHeaterManEdTheHeaterMan Member Posts: 1,579
    That was a joke @ratio... not meant personal, Although the fact that you have spent almost a decade idle on this site is of concern to some!
    Edward Young
    Retired HVAC Contractor from So. Jersey Shore.
    Cleaned & services first oil heating system at age 16
    Specialized in Oil Heat and Hydronics where the competition did Gas Warm Air

    If you make an expensive repair and the same problem happens, What will you check next?
  • EdTheHeaterManEdTheHeaterMan Member Posts: 1,579
    EBEBRATT-Ed said:

    What @EdTheHeaterMan said

    Yeah! what @EBEBRATT-Ed said!
    Edward Young
    Retired HVAC Contractor from So. Jersey Shore.
    Cleaned & services first oil heating system at age 16
    Specialized in Oil Heat and Hydronics where the competition did Gas Warm Air

    If you make an expensive repair and the same problem happens, What will you check next?
  • ratioratio Member Posts: 2,692
    EdTheHeaterMan said:

    That was a joke @ratio... not meant personal, Although the fact that you have spent almost a decade idle on this site is of concern to some!

    Funny you should mention that. The last few days, my shoulder hasn't worked like it did when I was 30, & the stairs at the durn 5-story hotel I was working at today are a lot taller then they were a decade ago.

    Ground's a lot further away now, too.

    EdTheHeaterMan

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