Air Conditioning - a/c cap or something else?
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snowwhite77
08-05-08, 01:21 PM
okay I am pretty darn sure that my ac fan cap is bad the you can hear the unit running but, fan doesnt turn on if I leave it off for a day or so I can turn it on but after the inside reaches temp it shuts off like it should but will not turn back on (the fan) anyway i am wondering as a woman that is fairly handy how hard will it be to fix and how much.. and am I on the right path??
shank
08-07-08, 07:46 AM
One of the easiest ways to tell if the cap is bad is when you catch it not running, and the motor is not over heated and shut out on thermal, bump the blade with a stick and see if it takes off like it is supposed to. And the cost of a cap should probably be between 5 and 20 dollars depending on the cap size. and it is very easy to change. only if it is a dual cap for the outdoor fan will you even need to rewire anything, but that is simple too. just let us know and I am sure someone here can help you if I'm not around.
if motor is hot it could be that the bearings are going bad too so you would want to try to move the shaft in a side ways motion and feel for and play.
Cap is easier and cheaper than motor.
you also should be able to take the cap out and take it in and have someone check it for you.
if motor is hot it could be that the bearings are going bad too so you would want to try to move the shaft in a side ways motion and feel for and play.
Cap is easier and cheaper than motor.
you also should be able to take the cap out and take it in and have someone check it for you.
hvacdawg
08-07-08, 08:01 AM
if no wires are burnt off it's usually the capacitor. if the capacitor is swollen , it's bad also.
HVAC RETIRED
08-07-08, 08:10 AM
okay I am pretty darn sure that my ac fan cap is bad the you can hear the unit running but, fan doesnt turn on if I leave it off for a day or so I can turn it on but after the inside reaches temp it shuts off like it should but will not turn back on (the fan) anyway i am wondering as a woman that is fairly handy how hard will it be to fix and how much.. and am I on the right path??
Fan motors are air-over cooled, if the fan is covered with lint, etc., it will get hot while running, when shut down many times the temp OL will open & motor will not start until it cools down.
Also, motors can develop dead spots & won't start if they stop on a dead spot.
I always used a capacitor tester that revealed the mfd level of the capacitor, etc. - HVAC RETIRED
Fan motors are air-over cooled, if the fan is covered with lint, etc., it will get hot while running, when shut down many times the temp OL will open & motor will not start until it cools down.
Also, motors can develop dead spots & won't start if they stop on a dead spot.
I always used a capacitor tester that revealed the mfd level of the capacitor, etc. - HVAC RETIRED