3 ms·

Everyone reading this should find out what capacitor they need and buy one off Amazon, they're all <$20. I've done this repair myself, it takes maybe <15 minut

Everyone reading this should find out what capacitor they need and buy one off Amazon, they're all <$20. I've done this repair myself, it takes maybe <15 minutes and is almost impossible to mess up. Even if you were find spending a couple hundred dollars to have someone come out and do it, you'd still go hours at least without AC. Which depending on the time of year can be miserable.

Scoundreller 2y ago
> and is almost impossible to mess up Just don’t cook yourself with the remaining good capacitance. Personally, I wonder what could be done to temporarily get the capacitor to “kick” for a few more times to get your home temperature down as you get your replacement. Chill the capacitor?
- BizarroLand 2y ago
  It depends on the failure mode of the cap. If it has blown its dielectric, then chilling it may cause the plates to separate enough to boost the capacitance, but it is more likely to just be a waste of time. Aside from that, you could strap on other capacitors as long as their voltage is the right value. A daisy chain of 50mf capacitors to shore up the blown capacitance might buy you a day or so of usage. Best bet, if you have an old broken microwave nearby, would be to pull the cap from it and wire it in.
quickthrowman 2y ago
Please don’t suggest buying electrical parts off Amazon, that’s criminal negligence. On second thought, please do not give any electrical advice on the internet. Buy it from McMaster Carr or Grainger, please!! If you do this repair yourself, short the contacts of the capacitor (ideally with a correctly sized resistor) to discharge it before handling it so you don’t electrocute yourself. Start caps: https://www.mcmaster.com/products/motor-starter-capacitors/ https://www.mcmaster.com/products/motor-starter-capacitors/ Run caps: https://www.mcmaster.com/products/run-capacitors/ https://www.mcmaster.com/products/run-capacitors/
- jdc0589 2y ago
  McMaster will get it to your house next-day in lots of places too, and you don't have to deal with the local hvac supply house refusing to sell to a walk-in customer that isn't an employed hvac tech.
bityard 2y ago
You have to be careful with Amazon/eBay caps, as they can be cheap chinesium garbage. I look for name-brand caps when I can and try to get them off eBay, Grainger, or Repairclinic. You don't need the same model number as the original cap, it just has to have the same voltage rating, capacitance, and number of terminals. You might have to get creative with the mounting solution if the new cap is different than the old one in terms of shape or size. Also, pro-tip: when you replace a the cap in the outside unit, install it upside-down so that water doesn't pool on top of the cap and rust it out from the top. I have a gas furnace and I also keep a spare ignitor handy. It's not a matter of "if" those go bad, it's "when."
dfox 2y ago
Don't buy electronics components from marketplaces of any kind. There are reputable parts suppliers and for things that are common and in stock it will probably even be cheaper and faster than buying the same thing (of unknown provenance and quality) from who knows what seller on random marketplace.

Scoundreller 2y ago

> and is almost impossible to mess up Just don’t cook yourself with the remaining good capacitance. Personally, I wonder what could be done to temporarily get the capacitor to “kick” for a few more times to get your home temperature down as you get your replacement. Chill the capacitor?

BizarroLand 2y ago
It depends on the failure mode of the cap. If it has blown its dielectric, then chilling it may cause the plates to separate enough to boost the capacitance, but it is more likely to just be a waste of time. Aside from that, you could strap on other capacitors as long as their voltage is the right value. A daisy chain of 50mf capacitors to shore up the blown capacitance might buy you a day or so of usage. Best bet, if you have an old broken microwave nearby, would be to pull the cap from it and wire it in.

quickthrowman 2y ago

Please don’t suggest buying electrical parts off Amazon, that’s criminal negligence. On second thought, please do not give any electrical advice on the internet. Buy it from McMaster Carr or Grainger, please!! If you do this repair yourself, short the contacts of the capacitor (ideally with a correctly sized resistor) to discharge it before handling it so you don’t electrocute yourself. Start caps: https://www.mcmaster.com/products/motor-starter-capacitors/ https://www.mcmaster.com/products/motor-starter-capacitors/ Run caps: https://www.mcmaster.com/products/run-capacitors/ https://www.mcmaster.com/products/run-capacitors/

jdc0589 2y ago
McMaster will get it to your house next-day in lots of places too, and you don't have to deal with the local hvac supply house refusing to sell to a walk-in customer that isn't an employed hvac tech.

bityard 2y ago

You have to be careful with Amazon/eBay caps, as they can be cheap chinesium garbage. I look for name-brand caps when I can and try to get them off eBay, Grainger, or Repairclinic. You don't need the same model number as the original cap, it just has to have the same voltage rating, capacitance, and number of terminals. You might have to get creative with the mounting solution if the new cap is different than the old one in terms of shape or size. Also, pro-tip: when you replace a the cap in the outside unit, install it upside-down so that water doesn't pool on top of the cap and rust it out from the top. I have a gas furnace and I also keep a spare ignitor handy. It's not a matter of "if" those go bad, it's "when."

dfox 2y ago

Don't buy electronics components from marketplaces of any kind. There are reputable parts suppliers and for things that are common and in stock it will probably even be cheaper and faster than buying the same thing (of unknown provenance and quality) from who knows what seller on random marketplace.