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Can I still use my AC with a broken capacitor?

A Common Air Conditioner Problem in the Sacramento Valley

Every spring and summer, we get a lot of phone calls from customers saying their AC isn’t working. A good portion of those calls is for a common repair. Their capacitor has failed. If your technician has told you that your AC capacitor is bad, it’s definitely one of those items you’re going to want to replace. And I’m going to tell you why in this post.

Fair Warning

I want to give a fair warning to everyone reading this. If you’re reading this with the intention of changing your own capacitor, they carry a lot more voltage than the typical 240 volts that runs the air conditioner. Capacitors can and will shock you even when the power is turned off.

Serious injury and death can occur, as high voltage doesn’t mix well with the human body. So this blog post is not meant to teach anyone how to install or replace a capacitor. There are other YouTube creators that will explain it to you. I recommend having a real HVAC technician handle this repair as that person will know how to discharge the capacitor properly so no one gets injured.

What is a Capacitor?

A capacitor is a storage bucket of electrons that is constantly giving itself up for the motor it supports. And, they don’t make them like they used to! Capacitors made in the 60’s 70’s and 80’s were designed to last a long time. As a technician, I still come across these late model air conditioners and I’m amazed their capacitors are still running just fine.

That’s unheard of these days. Capacitors made today are typically designed to last five to ten years. There are definitely some brands of capacitors that are made better than others, and it’s up to your HVAC technician to find those good brands and use them in the best interest of you, the customer.

Frustrations

I’ve seen caps that only lasted two years! I know of certain brands of air conditioners that are installed brand new, and two or three years later, we are replacing the capacitor. Then an HVAC company comes out and replaces theirs with a cheap or less proven brand, and it gives out in a short amount of time, with no warranty on the item. So the customer has to buy another one. That’s frustrating for the customer, but not for the HVAC company. They get to keep charging $200+ to keep your AC running every other year.

We use MARS brand capacitors because they are made in America and I personally believe they last longer than the others. There are several other brands to use out there, but we don’t switch it up and use those other brands just because we happen to be near an HVAC supply store that sells cheaper capacitors.

A Dead Giveaway

Most of the motors in your air conditioner can’t run without a good capacitor. Like I said, they support these motors. They help the motor start and run efficiently. Some people have gone out to their air conditioner and noticed the fan wasn’t spinning on their AC as it should be. So they get a stick or something to reach into the fan shroud and try to manually get the fan blade to start spinning. And it works now! This is a classic sign that the capacitor for that fan motor is bad, and a good example for you that demonstrates why these motors can’t start and run efficiently without a good capacitor.

And we can’t just put any old capacitor in there, because it needs to be the exact size recommended by the manufacturer. If it isn’t, the motor might start but will operate out of balance. It causes an uneven magnetic field around the motor, which can make the motor noisy, make it work harder (raising the cost to run it,) or just cause the motor to burn out altogether.

Other Complicating Factors

There are differences in a typical dual run capacitor that normally comes in your AC and a start capacitor that can be added onto your system either by the manufacturer or at your house by a technician. I’ll explain those in a different blog post and video when I make them at a later date.

But for the purposes of this blog, I wanted to answer a question recently posed by my best friend Matt. It’s actually an excellent question to answer for other people out there.

If your capacitor has failed, please don’t try to run that part of the system. It’ll only cause more damage to the system, which might force you to replace a bigger, pricier part, or your entire system. So just be patient. Hopefully, your technician has one on their truck already. They usually will.

Use Caution

Some of you folks out there changing these out on your own better be careful. Capacitors carry a lot of power and will strike before you know it. So, that’s just my last bit of warning for you DIY’ers if you try to navigate this repair on your own.

If you are buying these parts online because of price, they might be cheaper, but that’s nothing compared to getting injured or possibly ruining a more expensive part because you didn’t hook it up correctly. If you’re paying the average price of $100 to $300 dollars for a capacitor from your technician, (depending on which part of the country you’re in,) it’s because you’re paying for that company to have the right one on their truck and install it right now for you.

Thanks for coming by and we’ll see you on the next post.

As we approach the long hot summer, I wanted to start a series of blogs on common parts of your HVAC system that break down. I also want to share some other common parts that when installed or added on to your system will keep your family and house safer, your system running longer and more efficiently, and improve the indoor air quality so everyone in your home can breathe easier.

If your air conditioner or heater is making a buzzing or humming noise, it’s a sign that your capacitor levels are low. They can’t provide the necessary electricity to make the HVAC system work properly.

Many times each year, I am called out to a house where the system is making a buzzing or humming noise. This makes me immediately think a motor is stuck or the capacitor for that motor has gone bad. A capacitor is a storage bucket of electrons that helps regulate the electricity going to the motor it supports; a compressor, a condenser fan motor, a furnace or air handler’s blower motor, and sometimes and inducer motor. When the capacitor gets low on charge, three things can happen. The motor can run at higher amps, causing the motor to prematurely burn out. The motor can begin to run backward. This can cause a lot to go wrong on your AC or heating system. Lastly, the motor can just stop running altogether.

Fox Family Heating and Air can help keep an eye on your capacitor levels during our bi-annual precision tune-ups.

People ask me all the time, “How long is a capacitor supposed to last? A capacitor usually lasts five to ten years. If you saw some of the 20 and 25-year-old capacitors found in old GE systems, you’d find them still working. There is a specifically sized capacitor for your system. It comes from the factory at that specific charge of electrons in it. The label on the capacitor will specify when that capacitor is considered below factory specs. Sometimes it’s 5%, 6% or 10%. Well, this capacitor is constantly giving itself up for the motor it supports. As your capacitor loses power little by little every year, it will finally reach its factory low point. At that point, it’s time to change your capacitor.

Changing the capacitor when it is needed will help extend the life of your heating and air conditioning system. Fox Family Heating and Air Conditioning can help keep an eye on your capacitor levels by checking them out during our bi-annual precision tune-ups. Regular maintenance on your air conditioning system will not only reduce emergency service calls at the most crucial times of the year but will give you peace of mind knowing your system has been checked by a professional twice a year.