Generator Capacitor Repair

[Cyclone]

Are new capacitors for a portable generator fully charged I’m swapping my old 1’s out and 2 of them need the tabs bent down before connecting the wires it’s a mitm 8000 watt model

 

[The Cobbler]

the new ones won't have a charge. the old ones may. best to short the terminals before touching them .

 

[Cyclone]

the new ones won't have a charge. the old ones may. best to short the terminals before touching them .

I did with an electrical screwdriver to test and 1 didn’t spark at all or give a reading on the meter but wasn’t sure if the new 1’s I ordered would. I still might try and discharge the new to make sure it wasn’t something someone bought and returned. Thanks for the reply

 

[wssix99]

No need to worry. They don't ship with a charge. (Otherwise, they could short out in shipment and catch the container ship on fire.)

 

[LopezBart]

Long ago in a junior high classroom far away, our science teacher would take non-polarized capacitors and connect them to 120VAC and leave them sitting on a bench labeled "Don't Touch". Depended on where in the cycle he disconnected them, the voltage on the cap would vary from 0 to 120V. Every year, someone would be "that guy" and get zapped.

 

[dogdog]

The capactiance is pretty low that chances are it would be discharged before it gets to you, yes they self discharge over time as well

 

[ArcReactorKC]

Long ago in a junior high classroom far away, our science teacher would take non-polarized capacitors and connect them to 120VAC and leave them sitting on a bench labeled "Don't Touch". Depended on where in the cycle he disconnected them, the voltage on the cap would vary from 0 to 120V. Every year, someone would be "that guy" and get zapped.

When I was in tech school we did similar.

We also had a Van de Graaff generator and a leyden jar. It was a great way to piss someone off.

 

[justsam]

Are we talking batteries or capacitors? A capacitor is not something you would routinely change in a generator.

 

[LopezBart]

Are we talking batteries or capacitors? A capacitor is not something you would routinely change in a generator.

A Van de Graaff generator produces static electricity; the charge can be stored in a Leyden jar (a early capacitor).

 

[Cyclone]

Are we talking batteries or capacitors? A capacitor is not something you would routinely change in a generator.

Capacitors it’s an older generator I picked up at an auction for a backup and it’s having low voltage issues so I tested all 3 and 1 was bad so I’m going to replace all 3 to be on the safe side the 1 on inside of the alternator housing looked pretty rough.

 

[The Cobbler]

low voltage, have you checked the hertz if it's low too, you may just need to bump up the rpm a bit ? how low is low?
if you don't solve it with the new caps, try watching some you tube videos . James Condon is a good resource for generator repairs

 

[ArcReactorKC]

Are we talking batteries or capacitors? A capacitor is not something you would routinely change in a generator.

Depends on the voltage regulation circuit. Many moons ago almost all gens were regulated with a capacitor circuit. Modern gens rarely do but I have noticed a lot of lighthouse units still using a capacitor circuit.

 

[nadogail]

In High School Auto Shop, we used to charge ignition condensers and leave them around.

We were Adolescent Jerks.

I can no longer can claim Adolescence as an excuse for Jerky Behavior.

 

[Cyclone]

low voltage, have you checked the hertz if it's low too, you may just need to bump up the rpm a bit ? how low is low?
if you don't solve it with the new caps, try watching some you tube videos . James Condon is a good resource for generator repairs

Thanks for the James Condon tip had never seen his videos. Watched 1 on a generator he picked up that was having the same issues and it turned out to be a bad cap. Surprised at how different some of these generator capacitors look some are wired to a board like the 1 he was working on inside the alternator housing and others are the cylinder type or inside a housing.