AC unit decided to die last night

[My Old Tools]

About 8:00 last night I noticed to house felt warmer than usual. Looked and it was up to 76 instead of 72 it was set on. Checked outside and the compressor was off. Got up this morning and pulled the inspection panel. Both capacitors tested bad. The dual run capacitor was oil canned (bulged) badly on the end. The start capacitor just looked old and dirty, but it was open (no capacitance) as well. Called around this morning and found both at the second place I called, The start cap is a universal, has 6 connections on top and some jumper wires to build the capacitance that you need. The run cap was the correct replacement value. Installed them both and cycled the breaker and up she came. $86 instead of $300 or so. Unit is a 10 year old Carrier 3 ton heat pump. I always check the caps first.

 

[driftpin]

My friend in Wellington/Palm Beach Co FL is a HVAC contractor, now retired. He owned his own company since the 1970's. He said that he had to call daily, to find-out 'what's available, and what isn't, and for how-long' in the latter case. He said pricing was constantly-changing too. Good on-ya for just having the caps give-out, and being able to diagnose it. System pricing is 'way-up, even from six months ago.

 

[Sumboodie]

I have to chuckle a bit about A/C.... it's snowing here.

 

[Davefr]

Same thing happened to me about 5 years ago. The manufacturer used a crappy Chinese cap in my heat pump. I replaced it with a Turbocap and it's been fine ever since.

Most heat pump failure are electrical. I now have backup caps, contactor, control/defrost board on hand.

 

[thammel]

Mine failed last week, son's failed a few days later. Must either be due to heavy load due to hot days or the heat itself is tough on electrolytic capacitors. I had spare I bought 2 years ago. Cost me ~ $20. HVAC guy charges $89 for diagnostic check and on top of that another $300 to replace a capacitor. These are the most common failure points in ACs and heat pumps.

 

[reader2580]

Some (maybe most) HVAC contractors charge a huge markup on capacitors. One HVAC guy on Youtube charges $180 for a capacitor. The majority of capacitors cost an HVAC contractor less than $20 each. I realize the contractor has to haul them around in an expensive to run truck/van, but ten times the cost seems a little steep to me. He also charges a minimum one hour at $225 an hour.

This reminds me I need to figure out what size capacitor my A/C takes so I can have one on hand.

 

[niget2002]

Mine didn't fail, but it couldn't keep up when the heat got above 102f here. Had an AC guy come out to check things over.

Found out we probably have a small leak. It was 6lbs low on refrigerant

Works great now.

 

[bw77]

About 10 years ago I didn't know anything about ac. It stopped working, a service tech
charged me $200 to change the cap.

After that I learned all about ac. I check the cap and wiring every Spring and I have a spare cap on hand.

There is so much excellent information out there, including Youtube, about home ac.

 

[tinmanwpk]

Went to my cabin in BuFu, GA last weekend. Got up there and the well pump didn't work. Luckily I reached my plumber and he came out right away. For $250 he found my capacitor died. Replaced the box and away he went. My problem was being in BuFu and nowhere to go. That cost me.

 

[My Old Tools]

I have to chuckle a bit about A/C.... it's snowing here.

And its 102 here

 

[Sumboodie]

And its 102 here

That's a big "hell no" from me! Rather deal with -50* than that.

 

[My Old Tools]

It has cooled off a bit from the 108 last week

 

[PoorUB]

My boss sent me on a service call, told me the compressor was shot in the customer's AC. I get there, see the disconnect is on and I hear the contactor humming, it was closed when I got the cover off. The customer walked up and I asked him to go reset the breaker. He argues it will just trip again, but I told him I have the disconnect off.

He runs off to do that, I clean up all the foil and paper from an absolutely exploded capacitor, find the remains to get the correct MFD and grab a new capacitor off my truck. I flipped on the disconnect and it started right up.

I walked back to get my AC gauges and meet the homeowner coming back to see me. He asked how much for a new compressor? I told him it was running, and he asked me again! I told him there was nothing wrong with the compressor, it is running, but if he insisted, I would replace it! He looked all confused and said an electrician buddy said the compressor was bad. I told him most electricians can't troubleshoot, they only pull wires, wire outlets and switches.

I checked it out with the gauges, pressures and amp draw took look at the inside unit and gave it my blessing. Pretty sure I didn't charge him $100 for the cap either, maybe a bit more than that with everything.

 

[nadogail]

My son had the local company, with two brothers that do the silly TV Commercials, do the annual contracted PM on his system. They told him that his capacitor was "Out of Specification" and they could replace it for $380.

I told him to order a replacement from Amazon and I can replace it.

 

[PowerDubs]

Just replaced the cap on mine yesterday after it died a few days ago.

$14 on Amazon.

 

[2Fast]

Mine didn't fail, but it couldn't keep up when the heat got above 102f here. Had an AC guy come out to check things over.

Found out we probably have a small leak. It was 6lbs low on refrigerant

Works great now.

What about the leak?

 

[like2wheel]

Mine didn't fail, but it couldn't keep up when the heat got above 102f here. Had an AC guy come out to check things over.

Found out we probably have a small leak. It was 6lbs low on refrigerant

Works great now.

6 lbs is a small leak?

 

[mwalsh9152]

I keep capacitors on hand for both the compressor and air handler. When the first one failed, I bought two. When the one on the air handler failed, I bought two more. Much easier to go to the basement and grab one than sweating out the night waiting for someplace to open the next day.

 

[crazylunker]

i'm retired from HVAC service since 2015, I had a neighbor call about a condensor fan replacement quote he recieved.
I'm in shock what some companies are charging, if this is the new standard I may just have to go back in business.
here is what he was quoted for the parts vs my cost as of yesterday
1/2 hp condensor fan motor quoted $1100 my cost $162
dual run cap quoted $400 my cost $23
dual pole contactor $290 my cost $38

all that was plus labor

 

[niget2002]

6 lbs is a small leak?

It's been 2 years since it was last serviced. He tried sniffing for the leak last time he was out but couldn't find it. He's coming back in the near future to try and see if the leak is big enough to detect now.

 

[Zeke]

About 10 years ago I didn't know anything about ac. It stopped working, a service tech
charged me $200 to change the cap.

After that I learned all about ac. I check the cap and wiring every Spring and I have a spare cap on hand.

There is so much excellent information out there, including Youtube, about home ac.

What can be worse is that the service tech can not tell you what he did and just put "parts" down on the invoice. My neighbor spent $600 for a cap change before I could intervene with a 'suggestion'. This was one of those big fleet companies that pay commission to the techs.

 

[Davefr]

Some (maybe most) HVAC contractors charge a huge markup on capacitors. One HVAC guy on Youtube charges $180 for a capacitor. The majority of capacitors cost an HVAC contractor less than $20 each.

Yes, they replace failed crappy Chinese capacitors with new crappy Chinese capacitors that only last a couple years.

This is the one to get:

Turbo 200® Family

amradmanufacturing.com

 

[The Cobbler]

It's been 2 years since it was last serviced. He tried sniffing for the leak last time he was out but couldn't find it. He's coming back in the near future to try and see if the leak is big enough to detect now.

same thing happened to me, guy couldn't find a faily large leak . ended up asking my neighbours son in law if he could have a look. in 30 seconds, without sniffing , he diagnosed a leaking A coil from the oil stain on the inside of the condensate drain . he was spot on

 

[reader2580]

Yes, they replace failed crappy Chinese capacitors with new crappy Chinese capacitors that only last a couple years.

This is the one to get:

Turbo 200® Family

amradmanufacturing.com

The Youtube guy who charges $180 is in the process of switching to all USA made capacitors.

 

[Jeff C]

Same thing with me…

Two years ago the run capacitor went out on one of my units. I almost bought two at the time so I would have a spare but figured it was a fluke and the odds of needing another one were low.

Fast forward to two weeks ago and my wife called me and said the A/C wasn’t working upstairs. I kicked myself in the **** knowing it was probably a bad capacitor again and I hadn’t bought a spare last time.

Turns out it was within a week of being two years to the day since the last replacement. I had to pull the capacitor out of one of the downstairs units and swap it in the upstairs unit so we’d be able to sleep without sweating all night long.

Next day I made a trip to the supply house and this time I was smart enough to buy two so I will have a spare. I also plan on buying a spare for our third unit.

The money savings is significant doing it yourself but it’s also much better than having to wait a day or two for the service man to come out in the middle of summer.

 

[Mandres]

You guys are lucky, my condenser bit the dust last week. The pins on the compressor are shorted to ground so it's scrap. I wish it was just a cap

 

[MBfreak]

The US utilities persistence in using 1 or 2 phase LV power distribution is the bane of lots of induction motor units.
Start and run capacitors, centrifugal switches and anno dazumal repulsion motors die. Often.
Insist on a three phase LV power distribution and use electrical motors with a wound three phase stator and a rotor with short circuited cast aluminium winding. Last forever.
Ola

 

[RoninB4]

Wish some of you decent HVAC folks lived near here. I don't mind swapping a capacitor, motor, or small things like that but I'm under informed to diagnose/replace my aged system that leaked all the refrigerant out. HVAC outfits here don't seem to bother with J load calculations (I'm doing that now) and use "rule of thumb" estimations for system design/sizing. I firmly believe good work deserves to be paid well but the HVAC field around here is full of opportunists. Sure could use some advice concerning my J load calculation results.

 

[CraigStu]

I wonder if the high overall usage dur to the high temps has dropped the line voltage which affects the capacitors. I am not knowledgeble enough to know but I do know that I once burned up a radial arm saw motor. The tech took the cover off and immediately asked if I had been running it on an extension cord. Uh,,,,,,yep. He explained to me about voltage drop and for the last 40 yrs or so I have used a window AC unit extension cord when needed.

 

[danfromsyr]

I do have one of these handy in my electrical tool drawer

 

[BlindViper]

My units cap went out on a Saturday evening. Of course everything was closed on Sunday. So I posted in a FB group for my town looking for a HVAC tech that might have one. $40 dollars later it was running, ordered a spare online so I don't have to pay double for a cap again.

 

[Showkey]

So when the AC tech says the CAP is bad ………you say “thanks”…….but…….I can do that.

What is the charge for travel, minimum service charge and diagnosis ?

Just curious…………Yes, we have discussed high service call pricing. Yes, in some areas or regions that service call will start at $125-to$200/hour (first hour). Like the thread about hourly rate for electrician, it’s not possible to run a service truck for below $100/hour.

This discussion Parallels the car dealership with the diagnostic fee of $200 to start.

 

[My Old Tools]

I check the capacitors before I call a tech. It isn't hard and they are generally readily accessible.

 

[IndyGarage]

I always have an extra capacitor on hand. If I use one, I buy another.

A couple weeks ago my blower motor went out on one of my units. Armature was contacting the magnets on the blower end of the motor - worn out bushing. 11.99 for a set of 5 exact fit bronze bushings and it's back running like new.

My 32 year old R-22 units (2 of them - run perfect and blow cold air.) I don't see any reason to replace them yet.

 

[ITGuy1998]

I'm waiting on a capacitor for my downstairs unit to show up via FedEx today...

On a related note, is it possible to buy these locally? I know every location is different, but where, in general, can the average person buy them?

 

[joel63]

My son had the local company, with two brothers that do the silly TV Commercials, do the annual contracted PM on his system. They told him that his capacitor was "Out of Specification" and they could replace it for $380.

I told him to order a replacement from Amazon and I can replace it.

Sharks. SMH

 

[My Old Tools]

I'm waiting on a capacitor for my downstairs unit to show up via FedEx today...

On a related note, is it possible to buy these locally? I know every location is different, but where, in general, can the average person buy them?

Grainger, supply houses, electrical supply houses, National Wholesale Supply (plumbing supply) had mine.

 

[ludakris04]

I had this happen a couple years ago.. there were two things I could easily replace (one being the capacitor, cant recall the other thing), both were pretty cheap on amazon. I ordered both for good measure. It was the capacitor and off I went.

 

[fitter30]

Dual capacitors can be changed with two caps just need a jumper wire from the power wire feeding the R terminal of the compressor if theres room in the cabinet.

 

[reader2580]

Grainger, supply houses, electrical supply houses, National Wholesale Supply (plumbing supply) had mine.

How many of those places will sell to the general public?

I don't know Grainger's current policy, but they used to be business only. Before Grainger closed most of their local stores there was a Grainger right across the street from a hardware store. The hardware store had a Grainger catalog and would order anything you wanted from Grainger. They just had you go over to Grainger to pick it up. The hardware store charged Grainger's list price and made money because Grainger gave them a volume discount.