How To Check & Replace An Air Conditioner Capacitor
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- čas přidán 28. 06. 2024
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I looked up your video and other videos after my AC stopped working. I first called a local HVAC guy and he said it would be at least week. He also said that what I was describing might be the fan motor which would typically run around $3500 to replace, but it might be a capacitor which would be "only around $2000" to replace. I watched your video and another video on cleaning coils. I bought new capacitor for $15 (and a spare for a rainy day) and a can of coil cleaner for $8. In about 45 minutes, I had the capacitor replaced, coils cleaned, and nice cool air in my house. Thank you.
That is absolutely insane… it makes me really sad that hvac companies are doing this. I’m so happy you got it going and saved literally thousands of dollars!!
@@diyhvacguy It put me in a coil cleaning mood, so I also cleaned the coils under my fridge and now that's running noticeably quieter. I also watched other videos on cleaning evaporator coils and I'm going to try and tackle that over the weekend. It looks like they might be in an easily accessible location on my system
$2000 to replace the capacitor? Wow. The motor fan is easy to replace too. What a rip off?
I think this commentor is just lying and trying to make hvac techs look bad. No one is charging $2000 for a capacitor. Give me a break.
@@benjaminhodge5110 I didn't get scammed because I didn't pay it.
OMG! My AC unit went out and I called for service. The HVAC guy told me I would have to replace my AC unit, and quoted me a price of $5,695, after my $1500 home appliance protection plan. I decided to go to YT (my trusty source for education and DIY), and after seeing your video, I checked my capacitor and noticed it had a puffed up top. I went to ACE hardware and purchased a new one and installed it myself (thanks to your great instructions). My AC fan turned on and I now have cool air again.
Thank you for sharing your knowledge with us. It is truly appreciated. And thank you for saving me thousands of dollars.
May you and your family continue to stay blessed in every way possible.
I didn’t realize ace stocked capacitors? That’s awesome! Glad you got it fixed up. It doesn’t surprise me at all that they said you needed a new one. What greed..
@@diyhvacguy I was glad they had it because the Home Depot near me was out of stock.
Very well explained
Don’t use that AC guy
This is so money. I just paid 300 and the guy was here for about 5 minutes. I am 100% doing this myself.
You saved us bro. I watched this video a couple of years ago and bought capacitor for my AC system. It sat in my garage until today. The outside fan was not working so I used my meter and checked the capacitor and it was bad. I changed it and now our house is nice and chilly! I’m in a wheelchair so if I can do it anyone can thanks to you my man!
Even a year later after publishing this video, I found it to be extremely helpful, with the best explanation possible and the right tool to buy. We thank you!
You're the best. A local ac company raked my wife over the coals here in Fl when the condenser fan died and I was 1400 miles away. A grand, and said they installed a hard start too which they never did. They had the nerve to shoot us a ridiculous estimate for a new system. No way and I'll never deal with them again. Told all my neighbors too, and left bad reviews everywhere I could.
OMG, thank you for this video!! We live in hot Las Vegas and our fan stopped working. We were quoted $400, but with the help of your video, we only paid $22.00 and changed the capacitor ourselves. Thank you!!
I really like watching your show, I was working HVAC for 35years and I like remembering what you are saying, GOOD job
Thank you for your instructive videos !
1.) You NEVER talk down to us like we are children.
2.) Your videos are ALWAYS respectful of the process and our safety (within reason)
3.) You always show us how to use and where to buy the equipment needed.
The important things I have learned from your channel is
1.) How to clean my unit
2.) How to test my capacitor.
3.) How to install a soft start on my a\c
4.) When to call a professional out to service my a\c
Thanks !
I am SO glad I saw this video months ago and bookmarked it and ordered a spare capacitor!! Woke up this morning hot and discovered that the outside unit was not running. The capacitor was swollen and tested bad with a meter. Replaced it in 5 minutes flat and now it's working great! Thank you for sharing your knowledge!
I watched this video a month ago. Yesterday, my AC went out. Tonight I am already cool. Amazon provided the capacitor that I needed for about $14 and and it took about hours work. Thank you so much for this great video. TAKE GOOD PICTURES!!!!
Are they universal?
@@paulszo No. He explains how to find out what you need and the beginning of the video.
Thank you for posting this. My brother in law showed me how to replace my capacitor and for less than $20 i got it done.
thanks so much for doing this video. i had a "service" for my hvac yesterday and the tech said the capacitor was weak. he showed me a reading of 35 and i asked him about replacing it. he had one on the truck....lol. cost to replace it was at $350 or $500 for the heftier model. i said nope, will wait till it breaks. came in and checked capacitors and saw the low prices of 10-30 buck on almost any of them. i saw your video today and see my capacitor was pretty much where it is supposed to be. thanks for doing this video. saved me a bunch of unnecessary expense. need to watch the cleaning video....thanks again.
AC was not blowing out cold air, in a time of stress this video provided some relief and was able to change the capacitor out. Really appreciate it!
Great video, gracias.
A company charged my daughter $850 to replace 2 capacitors in under 10 minutes. No mercy from ac companies.
Great video, my trane xl 20 compressor wasn't kicking on last summer. My neighbor that does hvac came over and diagnosed a bad capacitor and showed me all the steps to check and replace exactly like your video. Saved a bundle , keep the great videos coming.
When you replace the capacitor you want to pull each wire off of the old capacitor and put it on the new capacitor one wire at a time.
Pulling all the wires off at one time can be confusing trying to figure which wire goes on each terminal.
Be sure to take progress pictures as you change the capacitor.
I snap a picture of any wiring I'm working on....
@@kendallevans4079 That is what I used to tell my servicemen is to replace relays and things like that one wire at a time.
Back in those days we did not have cell phone.
Thanks...
In case you forget to take that all-important photograph, no need to panic, every compressor has a wiring diagram that clearly shows which wires go where. I’ve used it in the past.
@@kendallevans4079 Same. It made is super easy to figure it out after the fact. Just make sure you get close ups of the old cap, and look for the markings at the terminals.
Thanks to you & your video I got my AC up and running. And a big thank you from my wife as well. Many Thanks!!
Thanks so much!!! Really appreciate an upstanding repairman who is willing to help the DIYer!
Two years ago the capacitor on my AC unit (Ruud) went after more than 30 years. The technician could not believe the capacitor was the original. When he replaced it, his words were, "Well, I hope this one last that long, but I doubt it." So far so good.
I’ve read that they have changed what they make the capacitors out of for environmental reasons and the new ones don’t last as long.
@@kylelaw7210
I don't doubt the new capacitors have changed to meet some wacky environmental regulation, cutting its life short.
Thanks so much! This fixed my problem. HVAC techs were all booked up and behind in my area due to summer just starting. I didn't want to wait. You saved me at least 2 days of miserable heat in the house and hundreds of dollars!
I had my HVAC company do I $100 spring check up non my heatpump. He said my capacitor was out of spec and might fail. He quoted me $750 with a 5 year warrantee. I’m glad I did not let him do it. Thanks for the video I’m searching for one now.
Wow, that is crazy! Glad you didn’t accept. Some companies will take advantage in a heart beat.
I spent $215 today to have this replaced and wish I’d known it was this simple. Second time in the last two years and I should have learned the first time. Thank you for this video!
Spot on! Perfect and simple explanation. I had experience with my old compressor so I had a head start. This video is very clear on the replacement procedure.
I worked as an office manager for AC company in South Texas, another common problem we found a lot was ants getting into the contractor, the part by the capacitor. Basically they’d get squished between contacts preventing then working. Techs recommended putting ant bait (Amdro recommended for fire ants)around the base of your unit if you have/may have ants in the area. Ants aren’t the only insect that can get in there, if you spray bug repellent around the outside of your house also spray around the outside of your AC. Easy preventative measure can save a couple hundred dollars in repairs. I just came across this channel so if this has already been noted, sorry for the duplication 😃.
This has happened 2 times already to me. Good tip
We service all of our own units around the state(we have many offices) and we do 1 of 2 things, either put the ant killer around the units, or switch to the electronic relay that has no contacts when one has to be replaced, then we don't need to keep putting out the ant killer.
MI 😊the q is the best thing to happen 😊
Fire ants are notorious for stuff like that.
People like you, videos like this are truly life savers. I don't know how far you are, but if you are ever in California, the carne asada and ALL its peripherals are on me my guy! You are awesome!
You are a life saver, my neighbor had that universal that went bad and was confused to see jumpers 😅. It totally made sense after you explained it. Thank you so much for work. 💪❤️🔥❤️🔥 AC is up and cold ❄️
Extremely grateful for this video. Quoted for 400 AUD to replace the capacitor. It cost me 60 AUD to replace the capacitor and around 1hr of time. Thanks much appreciated👍
folks like you are rare my friend. just being helpful 👍🏿
I always use a screw driver with a rubber handle similar to the Klein you are using to discharge capacitors. Good tips here, thanks. FLY NAVY!!!
@@znogaragego3421 does that mean you are causing whatever charge is built up in the cap to flow out ?
@@vincentseidle954 I misspoke. Jump the tines at the capacitor as shown in the video to avoid other variables/issues.
Oddly enough my AC went out at the end of last summer as well. Had two weeks of stuffy weather but after that we hit the cooler fall days. Thank you for the video.
Thank you for another great video! You’re giving me the confidence to repair my hvac units! Cheers George
Absolutely! Cheers brother
Thanks! Just replaced both of my capacitors with the help of a neighbor that also wanted to learn how to do it. Save big $$$!
Very well done; am in the middle of replacing mine today and your information was clear and simple. Thanks so much. Lee
How did it go?
I replaced my blower motor and capacitor in a day! I only spent $125
Thank you for your videos!
Thanks for making this video. I was able replace the capacitor. Saved me days of heat and hundreds of dollars!
Thanks for this, huge help. Saved me tons and got me cool during the dog days of summer when the HVAC guy said it'd be 5 days.
Thank you sir for trying to help diys and home owners save some money in these days we need all the help we can get God Bless.
Very helpful. Thanks bro. You saved me $250 for a technician to check my HVAC. More power to you.
I love you for sharing your expertise with us. We all need it especially when it is over 100 degrees outside. God bless you!
Very interesting... thank you!! I learned about testing capacitors from an RV video and I agree that this is something homeowners should know how to do.
Couple year ago the A/C on my travel trailer wouldn't fire up the compressor. I had a feeling it was just a $25 run capacitor. Reached out to a couple RV repairmen. First guy wanted $350 just to come out and look at the unit. Other suggested that I just replace the entire A/C unit since this is probably the beginning of my problems with the unit. His quote was just under $2000 for it installed. I decided to go with my gut and buy the run cap and install it myself. My A/C was fixed and the worst part is these repairmen probably knew this was the problem since I suggested it and wanted to make a bunch of money and dismissed it completely.
I have for many years kept two spare capacitors and two contactors. Being able to replace them has saved me thousands dollars over the past 18 to 20 years. Last year, the savings paid for my entire new a/c system and more.
Great video, thorough but not drawn out. I followed your instructions and worked out perfectly.
7:30 Thank you!! I was going from a universal back to OEM and I wasn’t sure about to match everything up.
I lost my trust in HVAC guy years ago...after getting ripped off so many times.
I am so happy for these informative and honest clip to help home owners help themselves...
Man you are an amazing person!!
HVAC trust is now restored!
most are cheaters for sure
Good to know. Just had to replace the capsitor on my Goodman unit. Lucky I have a HVAC guy who's my across the street neighbor. $60 later I was up and running.
Yup!! I keep a spare capacitor and a contactor on hand. Has saved me hundreds.
I was quoted $289 for a “Condenser Superboost kit” this week. I think Im going to replace the capacitor and give it a good cleaning ($179) myself. This company is always trying to upsell me on stuff which drove me to your site.
Yea the bigger companies are very pushy with their techs and they incentivize it a lot so they make more if they push more parts replacements.
That capacitor is awesome and such a good idea. I had lightning strike my house a 5 years back and learned how to check everything and the reason the a/c wasn't working was a bad heater control board. I wound up directly wiring up the fan with a fuse and the contactor transformer to 120v plug and put it on a common house timer and got it back going until the heater control board came in (it was in August). This worked great. I have a spare capacitor and contactor ready for when they go bad. The capacitor and contactor on my unit is the original from 2004.
It worked. Thank you. $100 saved. This is when CZcams is at it's best.
Fantastic video. Noticed my AC was not working last night. Watched this video this morning, and was able to determine that my capacitor was not functioning correctly. Replaced it with a new capacitor for $24.99 and now my AC works again.
Awesome! Glad it was of help
Great video. Replaced mine 3 times over the years. So glad I learned how to do it as the HVAC guy wanted 200$ before I learned myself. Part itself was I think 8-12 dollars. Thank You 🙏🏼
That’s on the cheap end too! I just heard of someone getting charged 700!
@@diyhvacguy Thanks for posting! I have a question. I recently purchased a spare fan capacitor for my 15 year of system. It was replaced once about 7 years ago at a cost of 330 dollars. The top of the capacitor is so rusted that I can not determine what terminal is what. I do have an ORANGE AND PURPLE going both to one. A YELLOW going to one by itself. A BROWN going to one by itself. Is the following correct? Brown is fan. Yellow is herm. And the purple and Orange is on the common.
200? Those greedy bastards. HVAC is simple. I have no idea why you'd go to a school to learn it. They should be lucky if we pay for the part only.
@@sagelow3274well if its so easy with no school. and you make alot of money in it bc its a greedy business. I dont understand why you havent made your own hvac company yet?
@@joejohnson2478I had same issue where it was rusted and I just took a picture and lines it up with the label on the front and made sure the wires where placed in the same place on the new capacitor
Thank you! My house has a heat pump, and every 4-5 years the capacitor fails. The last time it happened, I checked and saw that the capacitor had failed (it had expanded and was leaking oil). I called my HVAC company (who had inspected the unit a month earlier) and told them what I needed, and they still charged me $200 for a "diagnostic charge" and $400 for the replacement. I was really annoyed that they charged me $200 when the cause was already known and obvious. Greedy jerks!
The do make better quality capacitors in the USA which should last longer. Always get 440V capacitor and MARS makes high quality capacitors which will last far longer, and they only cost around $10 more.
As a hvac technician, I appreciate any information the customer gives me but I like to do my own diagnostic on the unit (I charge $75 diagnostic) because there may be a reason your capacitor keeps going bad. After replacing the cap I always check other parts of the unit and take readings as the unit is working. I’m glad home owners are more handy but knowledge of hvac is always a high priority to repair any hvac issue
Thanks for sharing your knowledge about those capacitors young man.
Thank you for your videos! So awesome! Explained clearly & making sure safety is first!
Thanks, brother, for a very clear and to the point video!
Yooo thank you so much i just graduated and ima study for HVAC and this is helping me a lot🙏
Hey man! You just saved me $500 this july 4th long weekend already. I replaced mine capacitor after mine shot under 17 bucks. Thank you!
Amazing. So happy to hear that! Thanks for your support!
Where you buy yours? I need some spares
THIS GOOD GUY IS SPOT ON; “hundreds if not thousands of dollars save,” yep, been there, done that; spare cap [$12.45 ship incl.] now in the box and TYVM.
Thank you! I just changed my capacity and it seems working for now.
Thank you for sharing your knowledge! I'll going to returned this should I have problems with my ac unit.
many kudos 2 U 4 public service 4 saving hundreds of dollars n convenience not nned 2 call HAVC tech meaning so valuable information even grand ma can do with some step by step without rushing. Ur 2 helpful reminder not 2 get electric zap is static electric discharge N take picture before removing wires in case we forget 2 snaps back 2 the right order. Well done indeed!
Thank you for the tutorial, it saved my family money tonight.
Finally some really great tips. Thank you much.
Wow! I just had this done. I trust the tech I called and they were finished in about 45 min, I think the total was about $190. I looked up the part and just like you said $15. Thanks
That’s a great price to be honest. I’ve heard of companies charging 700 because homeowners don’t know the difference between a capacitor and a condenser. 🤷🏻♂️
this was awesome ,i will share with my friend so she can save some money. also will send her cleaning video. Appreciate You.
New follower jus graduate from electrical school wanted go school for HVAC but I'll learn a lil off you I appreciate your time
Thanks man! Happy to help expand your knowledge. I do the same with electrician Channels :)
good idea... the hvac guys get real busy when you need your a/c the most (hot summer)!!!
Great video straight to the point. Well done you earned a subscriber👍
Awesome! Look forward to helping more folks like yourself 🙏🏻
Thank you for a wonderful informative video! You rock!
Really appreciate this video. Not really a handyman but going to try and replace the capacitor myself. Hopefully everything goes well. You just made a new subscriber thanks.
Thanks brotha! I’m glad it was helpful for you.
Great way to present an educational vdo! Job well done.
Just had to do it for a 2nd time in 4 years. No more cheap Amazon capacitors. I'm going with the Turbo 200 that you recommended to have as a spare on the shelf.
Excellent lesson; thank you
My home warranty offered a free pre-summer A/C inspection. Tech comes and tells me my unit is fine, but capacitor looked like it was on its last leg and offered to change it for $150, which i declined. Now after seeing this clip, I'm going to prepare myself and get a capacitor from Amazon, just in case. Thanks for the info.
I wonder what the symptoms are and how you diagnose a capacitor being on its “last leg”? Techs are trained and told to find something to replace on service calls. 👀
You mean they offered you a free sales pitch?
Dude thank you so much. I had the capacitor replaced 10 months ago. The same unit just blew the capacitor again. Each time they come out even though the part is under warranty they pop me for $210. I’ll be doing this myself in the future.
Thanks for the info. I'm buying a couple tomorrow and changing out my 6 yr. old cap. I'm a snowbird and can control the thermostat via WIFI but if the cap. goes I'll lose my humidity control.
Really GREAT help for a guy out here in PHX trying to keep the house cool in this 117 degree weather! Bought two capacitors for backup, and a few sets of fuses. Last issue we had was last year putting our family (2 very small children) out of AC during the 120 degree heat wave for about 3-4 days. Ended up watching some of your videos and got the courage to start checking the unit myself. Found out the fuses had popped and replaced them. There was a crazy storm the night before which I guess could have blown the fuses? Who knows. But I DO know that you have no idea how much your content helps people like myself in times of incredible need. So thank you from the bottom of our families heart!
Thanks! Happy the videos are helping folks out.
this would have saved me a lot of money last year - thanks!! I know for next time.
I have several Starter Caps for just that reason. They always seem to fail on a day that you can't get service. I have replaced them myself.
They also charge a fortune for doing it. DIY and save a lot of coin.
Keep up with good work dude. Thanks for the video and useful tips.
Thanks for the great videos, I keep a spare capacitor after watching your videos.
Ordered a run capacitor part for my AC Compressor, so I am prepared for when this event occurs. Thanks.
Smart man 👊🏼
I really appreciate your videos, your really good at what you do 🙏🏼 thank you! Your videos are really helpful, plz continue doing what you do. 🤗
Thanks brotha
Thanks for the video I will definitely replace it before summer
thanks man, capacitor replaced super cheap fix. appreciate your info
Thanks for the tip, great video!
Hi.
Where in the panel will I see the exact capacitor caliber needed for my units the current one is rusted out, I have 2 Lennox condensers, 3&4 Tons.
Thanks for your help and very grateful for your instructions, you are a great teacher!
Great video. FYI your supposed connect the compressor to the higher value lead on your universal capacitor for example 20+25 you would hook up to the 25.
Very nice video! Nothing worse than having the A/C go out mid summer and waiting a day or two for a tech when you don't need to. Thanks!
Amen! Hope this video was helpful for you!
Excellent video! Now I know what to do if my A/C goes out, and yes- I'm going to get a replacement capacitor, just in case (probably just having a spare will mean it won't ever go bad, lol.)
Great video, thanks for sharing!
Yes, every DIY person should consider replacing their own capacitor to save a service call.
Also, I would avoid the listed $94.31 universal motor run capacitor, it’s too expensive and you are paying for something that you don’t need. It has multiple capacitances for the convenience of working for just about any motor, in other words, it’s like taping together a box full of different size capacitors then connecting the one or two that you need for your particular motor. Spend $10 - $20 for the exact size you need and be done with it.
But I have 5 rental units so I just keep 1 universal to get them up and running same day, then I order the correct part for $10 as needed. So for me, it's nice to have the universal.
@@yougottabekiddingme558 I see the appeal in your case to have a single capacitor that has 6 different values, fewer caps to track and time is money!
Excellent information for DIY!
Very well done. Thank you!
Took me a lot of research, but hope the below helps. Colors may differ on yours, but on my older 1980's model, this here below is what mine goes by.
BROWN: FAN (almost always brown) 2 prongs
YELLOW: Common (C) (4 prongs) The common terminal is used for incoming electrical power and on an air conditioner condenser unit is typically fed from the unit's contactor relay.
RED: Herm (GOES TO THE COMPRESSOR) (3 prongs) Herm 3 Prongs! (hermetically sealed compressor) will be marked with an "H" or "HERM" and usually has three connecting clips at that terminal. The H terminal is used to connect the capacitor to the compressor motor in an air conditioning or heat pump compressor/condenser unit.
Thank you, you just saved me over $300. Subscribed
Awesome! Glad to hear it
Thanks for those valuable tips 👍
OMG, I have a new neighbor that moved in across the street. He just had his whole HVAC system replaced, and I think it was because he had a slimy HVAC contractor told him he needed a new system, when he probably needed just the capacitor.
I just had my capacitor die on me. It was a $35 DIY fix.... it would have been $15-$20 if I got it on Amazon, but I couldn't wait the extra day during that last heat wave.
Easy fix!
Great man and very honest !!!