I keep a bottle of Zoom Spout Turbine Oil to lubricate fan motors . Even the ones that aren't meant to be lubricated can be oiled . Just dribble enough oil down the shaft into the bushing . It worked for me .
central air unit blowing hot air - capacitor replaced
- Thread starter GON
- Start date
Mine looks pretty old and I'd have guessed it's as old as the unit, but it definitely appears that the strap and one of the screws has been touched. It's a Packard 35/5, 440v capacitor and is much shorter than the ones I've seen. Do the modern ones all just use a common 'shell' for cost reasons ?
I do prefer Ace Hardware, even if more $, since their location is much more convenient, but theirs are made in China.... From the looks of it, Lowes does NOT stock capacitors in stores. Anyone seen them there ?
I do prefer Ace Hardware, even if more $, since their location is much more convenient, but theirs are made in China.... From the looks of it, Lowes does NOT stock capacitors in stores. Anyone seen them there ?
Nope. In a given value one may be shaped like a redbull can, a coke can or oval. As long as the capacitance values and voltage are correct, any can be made to work.
I had this same issue happen Saturday and because it was a mild day here in PA i took my time to diagnose the issue. Everything was pretty much closed at that point so I ordered a 30/7.5 capacitor on Amazon. It came today and I swapped it out. All is working now. Helps my electrical engineer son still lives here
. I’ll check at the Home Depot to see if they have my capacitor in stock, as I’d rather have a Titan HD one than the China version I ordered…
. I’ll check at the Home Depot to see if they have my capacitor in stock, as I’d rather have a Titan HD one than the China version I ordered…Nice that you were able to resolve this so quickly and so cheaply.
From what I've read on here, replacing the capacitor should be the first aid applied to any AC unit since it often seems to work and is certainly cheap enough to try.
You already know that most HVAC services would have taken a guided tour through your wallet.
From what I've read on here, replacing the capacitor should be the first aid applied to any AC unit since it often seems to work and is certainly cheap enough to try.
You already know that most HVAC services would have taken a guided tour through your wallet.
Don't forget the one in your furnace for the blower motor. They go bad too and will leave you with a hot house. . Usually around 7.5 mfd. but check first before buying.
I replaced the condenser fan motor (thermal shutdown), on my 23 year old Trane 2 weeks ago. I had to mist the side of the coils on very hot days, until my OEM motor arrived. For good measure I also replaced my AmRad start/run capacitor.
OEM was about twice the price of the junk motors. I figured the Trane had served me well for 23 years, so I chose to feed it well.
Having a spare capacitor on-hand is always a good thing. AmRad or Titan HD are the only ones that I bother with.
Just a side note: The original installer had the fan blade at the bottom of the motor shaft. The blades were slightly under the shroud.
On the new motor I raised the fan blade as high into the shroud as I could, without hitting the motor itself. In the shroud is better than below it.
OEM was about twice the price of the junk motors. I figured the Trane had served me well for 23 years, so I chose to feed it well.
Having a spare capacitor on-hand is always a good thing. AmRad or Titan HD are the only ones that I bother with.
Just a side note: The original installer had the fan blade at the bottom of the motor shaft. The blades were slightly under the shroud.
On the new motor I raised the fan blade as high into the shroud as I could, without hitting the motor itself. In the shroud is better than below it.
I had an HVAC failure May of 2024. On my Amana, there are LED next to the capacitor that will allow the user to run diagnostics (like OBD1). The code that came out was failed capacitor. My second unit, a Bryant, does not have the diagnostic LED. These diagnostic LED should be standard. I went ahead and replaced both with MAXRUN brand from Amazon.
@GON I did some research recently on capacitors since my replacements will likely go at some point in the next 1- 2 years and I'll need them on hand. My replacements had good ratings but no longer available. The next best ones I found were Titan at HD. I think you've got a good brand.
@GON I did some research recently on capacitors since my replacements will likely go at some point in the next 1- 2 years and I'll need them on hand. My replacements had good ratings but no longer available. The next best ones I found were Titan at HD. I think you've got a good brand.
For <$20, keeping a spare capacitor on hand is smart.
I've found that the HDX MERV 8 equivalents or from Amazon are just fine for our beach house HVAC. Amazon has the Simply Filters...6 pack is $32. I change them ever 2 months
For filters, I use the F|ilterbuy through Amazon prime for the main house. They're the 5" thick boxy ones and are about $25 each but they can easily go 3-4 months. I have them on Subscribe & Save to keep it simple.
@GON...good point about the capacitors being at Home Depot thread. It's good to know. The last time I needed to replace I had to go to a plumbing supply place.
I've found that the HDX MERV 8 equivalents or from Amazon are just fine for our beach house HVAC. Amazon has the Simply Filters...6 pack is $32. I change them ever 2 months
For filters, I use the F|ilterbuy through Amazon prime for the main house. They're the 5" thick boxy ones and are about $25 each but they can easily go 3-4 months. I have them on Subscribe & Save to keep it simple.
@GON...good point about the capacitors being at Home Depot thread. It's good to know. The last time I needed to replace I had to go to a plumbing supply place.
I keep a couple of capacitors and contactors on hand as spares for the Rheem system we had installed in 2003. It's been a very reliable unit - only two service calls in 20+ years and the first one was under warranty. The second one was for a bad thermostat (I narrowed the problem down to either a bad control board or a bad thermostat. I used the small company my neighbor recommended and it cost me under $150 for the service call, parts and labor - not bad in my opinion).
Anyway, as an FYI, older Rheem units use the 24 VAC transformer on the control board as a fuse for the compressor's contactor. So if the contactor goes bad and draws more than about 1 amp, it blow's the secondary side of the transformer. So if the blower motor on the HVAC system suddenly stops while in AC mode, check both the contactor on the AC outside unit and the 24 VAC transformer on the HVAC system's control board. Replacement Rheem 24 VAC transformers fortunately now come with an inline fuse to prevent the need to replace the transformer.
In reading @DCDG's posting about service reminders, I see he has websites listed for a contactor and a capacitor. I too use www.supplyhouse.com for replacement HVAC parts. I have found that their prices for OEM parts are quite reasonable and their shipping is extremely rapid!
Lastly, I like to keep at least 2 spare run capacitors and 2 contactors on hand just in case the replacement is defective upon installation or shortly thereafter.
Anyway, as an FYI, older Rheem units use the 24 VAC transformer on the control board as a fuse for the compressor's contactor. So if the contactor goes bad and draws more than about 1 amp, it blow's the secondary side of the transformer. So if the blower motor on the HVAC system suddenly stops while in AC mode, check both the contactor on the AC outside unit and the 24 VAC transformer on the HVAC system's control board. Replacement Rheem 24 VAC transformers fortunately now come with an inline fuse to prevent the need to replace the transformer.
In reading @DCDG's posting about service reminders, I see he has websites listed for a contactor and a capacitor. I too use www.supplyhouse.com for replacement HVAC parts. I have found that their prices for OEM parts are quite reasonable and their shipping is extremely rapid!
Lastly, I like to keep at least 2 spare run capacitors and 2 contactors on hand just in case the replacement is defective upon installation or shortly thereafter.
Good point to mention even a low voltage short such as the communication wire from indoor unit to the contactor could blow a transformer. seen this happen plenty of times landscapers are notorious for chopping into the wiring with the weedeater. could also save the expense of control boards and the headache of finding replacement boards for older units.
I found that the compressor contactor's primary side resistance does not have to change much for it (the contactor) to pull more current than the protective fuse can handle. In my case the primary side resistance has always decreased relative to the Primary side's resistance reading I get for a brand new Rheem contactor
As an aside, I am using 2 amp ATC fuses.
As an aside, I am using 2 amp ATC fuses.
I believe that's what HVAC Guy on YT uses, along with a foaming adapter.
I've used a different brand (forget) that comes in a tall aerosol can.
You can use common household ingredients instead of buying the special coil cleaning detergent. I follow the video below and drilling additional holes in the plastic drain pan low points is essential.
the secondary side can handle 1.66A on a healthy 40va transformer, a 2A fuse is fine and either will work in a dead short situation. two drawbacks I could point out with the 2A fuse is
1) if its a multi-tap transformer and the correct supply voltage isn't wired correctly which I have seen in commercial applications many techs don't check their line side and will accidentally wire a 208 system on the 240 tap you're now dropping the usable va which will increase amperage draw and could cause contactor chatter and other issues.
2) voltage sag will cause the same as mentioned in the above. grid demand and units running for extended periods of time could pull down transformer power and cause this.
I am not an HVAC guy but I believe that's mainly the reason in the field you will find a 3A fuse installed.