Home air conditioning maintenance

Last one I changed was a Titan. Guess it’s a crap shoot.
Titan Pro is not made in USA, and is generally a lower quality than titan HD which is made in the USA. Like the others above, I would NOT use an incorrectly rated capacitor. In the age of the internet, it is not difficult to find. I would (and recently did) get one rated to 370/440 if it fits your application as it will be a much heavier duty capacitor than a single-rated 370 (as it also has to handle 440).

From packardonline.com

"Packard has received the call to create a USA-made capacitor to provide contractors with confidence on the job. Our answer is Titan HD™. With a substantial 60,000 hours of operating life, it is just as hardworking as those who made them.

  • Made in USA
  • Full product offering €“ 234 ratings available!
  • 60,000 hours operating life
  • Meets the rigorous EIA-456-A industry standard for performance and quality
  • Eye-catching packaging for retail environment
  • Contains metalized polypropylene film technology for self-restoration in the event of a breakdown
  • Sophisticated UL-approved pressure sensitive interrupter to remove the capacitor from circuit at end of life
  • Patented, environmentally-friendly oil prevents corrosion and aids in optimum heat transfer"
 
SnaggleFoot -
The capacitor you got is incorrect for the long term. It probably is working "ok' for now, but it won't take long to burn out your fan motor because the capacitance boost is low. In a dual rated capacitor, the larger number is the mF (micro-farad) rating for the compressor, and the smaller number is the rating for the fan motor. So you're 33% under rated for your fan motor, which makes the motor work extra hard to try and compensate.

As far as voltage ratings, they can be either 370/440 or just 370 or just 440. Anything over 240v is fine. The "dual rated" volt statments are just a nod to some older applications where folks wanted the label to state both so they knew they were covered. A capacitor only stores the max volts it is presented with. So a capacitor with a higher voltage rating won't do anything "more" for your starting load, but it can handle a higher potential (in a 3-phase system).

Get a properly rated capacitor asap and replace the one you just put in. Assuming the bad cap you took out was a 45/7.5 (OEM), then that's what needs to go back in.
 
This thread reminds me why we started installing variable speed DC inverters, multiple units (typical setup now with 3 or 4 units) as redundant backups, instead of relying on a single-point-of-failure traditional AC powered cooling/heating system.

Due to severe storms, hurricanes, other reasons of "loss of utility power" or equipment failure, it is simple and cheap (read:low power use) to run the inverter heatpumps and in a pinch, isolate (turn everything redundant off) to just one room (ie. master bedroom) and use inverter generator.

During past long outages, we've run entire house, 4 tons of heatpumps, 3 fridges, hot water (240v switched to 120v mode @ 1,125watts), pool pump, all indoor lights (LED) and the usual office equipment (printers, laptops, chargers, UPS units, modem, router etc) on less than 2,900 watts on a backup inverter generator. If one unit fails, not urgent/no panic, move to another room or if utility power works, adjust down the redundant systems to take over desired temperature/RH setpoint(s).
 
My “American Standard” Heat pump is ten years old. Currently, the interior fan is blowing but the outside unit is humming and the exterior unit fan will not come on. It’s hard to get a technician out as it’s 97 F and they are all out on calls and days behind. I understand a very common failure point is the capacitor. Careful to work safely, I’ve extracted it and am headed into town to get a new one. Wish me luck. Any other advice on what a non tech can check? Here’s a few photos. I have since cleaned things up. The pine beetles like to hide out here in the fall and they croak over the winter. Thanks.

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Did you notice the +6 -6 on the capacitor? This is very important to match a new one up with the same specifications.
 
Thanks everyone. I goggled 45/7.5 and came up the correct capacitor at Grainger. We have a store in my local town of Cranbrook, BC. It came up with two options.The first is a Titan Pro with a 440/370 V rating. The second is a Titan HD with a 440 rating for $10 more. I take it I should buy the Titan HD version, as the original had just a 440 V rating, correct? Also Vetteryan’s comments about the HD made in the USA in posting #41come to mind. Here are screen shot of the two versions. Thanks.

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Good that you ordered the 440v. That's what your original one was. The manufacturer did that for a reason.
 
Good that you ordered the 440v. That's what your original one was. The manufacturer did that for a reason.
No, that's not really the correct way to look at the topic.
I'll explain this again ... from the beginning ...

Here's how a capacitor is rated; they have several statements on their labels:
- one is capacitance they will store
- one is the tolerance they provide
- one is the max voltage they are rated for
- one is a safety approval (usually, but not always)
- the rest is a part number... etc ... there's always other stuff on the label, but we don't really care about that stuff

CAPACITANCE
this is ths rating of how much energy they will store/release. This is the "micro Farad" rating. When you see a "45/5" capacitor, it is a dual rated unit at 45 mF for the compressor and also has a separate internal circuit for the 5 mF for the fan motor. Or some older systems have seperate capacitors; one 45 for the herm and one 5 for the fan. You always want to get a capcitor that exactly matches the OEM spec.

TOLERANCE
this is right next to the capacitance statement. It will say "+/- 5%", or something like that. That means when operating properly, the actual capcitance will be within 5% of the "rated" value. For example, a 45 mF rating should be no lower than 42.75 and no higher than 47.25, so that it provides close to what the energy requirement is to properly assist the motor. Too little makes the motor stuggle and overheat. Too much burns up the motor windings prematurely.

VOLTAGE
this is the rating of how much voltage they will store/release. They can be either single rated (only 370v or only 440v), or be dual rated (370/440v). As long as the voltage rating is at or above the expected supply voltage, they are fine. This is a max applied allowed volts; it's not a minimum. Capacitors will safely store up to the allowed max rating, but they do NOT increase volts as supplied. Even if you had a 440v rated capacitor, and applied 120v to charge it, it would then "hold" a 120v potential. Because these capacitors can be used in both single phase systems (120/240 volts) and three phase systems (440v), you will see the higher ratings. Capacitors ONLY store the max volts they are presented with. They do NOT create or step up voltage. In the old days, some capacitors were rated for only a 370 application and could not be used for commercial 440v systems. But the industry saw the value of making dual rated capacitors applicable to both, therefore making less parts needed to stock; hence both a cost savings (less inventory on the shelves) and a space savings (less inventory in the truck). Pretty much any capacitor you see today will either be 370/440, or 440. When used in a 240v system, both are perfectly OK. When used in a commercial system at 440v, both are OK. The only thing that would be NOT OK would be using an older single-rated 370v cap in a 440v system, because it's under-rated for the application.

SAFETY APPROVALS
typically decent companies will seek and attain a safety rating such as CE or UL to prove they make a component that is safe for humans and equipment to use.

THE REST
part numbers, production date codes, etc; nothing really the consumer needs to worry about



Snagglefoot had found two choices, a standard unit rated at 370/440 and a HD unit rated at 440. Either would have done the exact same job because he's using them in a 240v system (a typical home system). The HD is an uprated (better) choice becuase it's probably made with thicker films inside and overall a better construction (thicker shell and insulators). Hence the higher cost. EITHER WOULD WORK just the same in his application! It's likely the HD version may last a bit longer because of the HD construction, but that's not an assured garauntee.
 
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I had a bit of a "scare" yesterday on my 30+ year-old condensing unit that I'm nursing for 1 more year. I noticed the fan running but not the compressor. Capacitor looked OK but I replaced it with my spare one. It didn't solve the issue. Checked winding resistance from the control compartment and found an open on the 'C' wire. Oh no, dead compressor. As a last ditch test I got the cover off the compressor connect box and viola!, the crimp spade connector had corroded and disintegrated. Replaced it and back in business! Next Spring I'll replace it.
 
The Titan HD finally arrived from Grainger. They had to wait for it from their supplier. It was actually a smaller diameter than the original capacitor but I improvised and got it installed. Works fine. The first shows the Titan HD beside the SF unit I used to crutch me through until I received the Titan HD. I used it for almost three months. I’ll keep it for a spare in an emergency. Thanks to everyone who contributed to this thread. (y)

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