Great information and how-to. This thread is much appreciated. Thanks!

Figured a video couldn't hurt too, Rouges instructions are spot on....



and installing an EZStart Capacitor vs a standard one, which helps with running AC on a generator when the power is out. The video is blocked from being embedded elsewhere, but you can click in the box and it will come up

quote:

Originally posted by TigerDore:
Wow, thank you, RogueJSK! I am going to try this.

I have a question, and I hope you don't mind. Our unit is about 15 years old. This past spring, our AC stopped cooling effectively and we called our AC people. They said there is a small freon leak, and they put in about 3 lbs of freon.

I went ahead and had them price another unit with the assumption that this unit was going to die, and/or the freon leak would become worse, and I would have to replace it before the summer is over. After I saw the pricing, and my epileptic seizure was over, I thanked them for their help and saw them to the door.

As of today, and I hope I don't jinx myself, I am shocked to say that the unit is running and cooling well.

If/when the leak shows up again, and the unit is otherwise running well, is there a "stop leak" product that can be injected into the AC with the freon to help prevent further leaks?



.

Leak stop products are available if you search. I don't know how well they work, but they are available. Make sure what you buy is compatible with the refrigerant you have.

+1 on the AmRad or Mars caps. If you don’t know your size or you want to be a benefit to the neighborhood, get a AmRad Turbo 200 and a Turbo 200x that can be configured to the application. It’s a great way to get up and running immediately. Don’t forget to stock one for the air handler as well as one for the condenser.

Note, if you have a variable speed system, you have a DC inverter that doesn’t use a capacitor. If it quits working, you need a checkbook and a large balance.

quote:

Originally posted by TigerDore:
Wow, thank you, RogueJSK! I am going to try this.

I have a question, and I hope you don't mind. Our unit is about 15 years old. This past spring, our AC stopped cooling effectively and we called our AC people. They said there is a small freon leak, and they put in about 3 lbs of freon.

I went ahead and had them price another unit with the assumption that this unit was going to die, and/or the freon leak would become worse, and I would have to replace it before the summer is over. After I saw the pricing, and my epileptic seizure was over, I thanked them for their help and saw them to the door.

As of today, and I hope I don't jinx myself, I am shocked to say that the unit is running and cooling well.

If/when the leak shows up again, and the unit is otherwise running well, is there a "stop leak" product that can be injected into the AC with the freon to help prevent further leaks?.

Yes: https://www.amazon.com/Leak-Di...MLS?tag=ustxtadsp-20

I used it on my (now 26yo) R22 system couple years ago and it’s still going strong, with the caveat that I have had to top it off with Freon once a year. But I found a place online where I can buy it without a license so it saves me quite a bit of money. If you don’t have manifold gauges and Freon then you’ll need their CO2 kit to push the sealant into the system. They also make a version now that has UV dye and moisture remover, but if you’re only trying to buy another couple years before replacing that probably wouldn’t be of much help.

Did they find the leak, and if so why weren’t they able to fix it? Unless you’re paying out the wazoo for electricity upgrading to a new more efficient system will have a break even point way into the future. As long as it keeps working with adding a little refrigerant every so often might as well ride it out.

Thank you Rogue - I will do this tomorrow and get a US made unit on order. We have 100F temps on the way later this week.

Good thread! I had planned on doing this earlier but got distracted. I will get on it.

My ~5 year old Amana AC unit stopped working in early July, and it turned out to be the capacitor.

The technician that came out said that for some reason they only last around five years on Amana systems.

I purchased a spare to have on hand within the week.

Always good to have spare parts on hand and caps are not that expensive. Another part is the fan motor on the outside unit.

Something else to have around is a contactor-the item to the right of the starting capacitor in the first picture. I've replaced many throughout the years from either voltage surges of fire ants getting in them. Sometimes if fire ants make it inside, you can clean and sand the points with a micro file to get it going, but they're inexpensive enough to just keep handy.

quote:

Originally posted by V-Tail:
Amazon does have Made In U.S.A. capacitors. I keep one of these on hand.

Amrad Capacitor, Made In U.S.A.

My coworker turned me on to AmRad as he's had a good experience. I have 2 units and so far I have installed 2 plus I keep 2 spares on hand.

IME, the Chinesium ones are low $20s and made in USA AmRad are low $30s.

I bought a couple of JARD brand to keep as spares, mainly because that's what my AC units use.

It seems like the Amrad are probably better since they are made in the USA and when I replace the ones on my shelf, I'll go with that brand.

This place is where I bought them from and they are fast shippers and the prices were about $10 for the the JARD brand.
https://www.supplyhouse.com/Du...-Capacitors-19701000

The best way to make sure your starting capacitor never fails, is to have a spare on hand.

quote:

use an insulated screwdriver blade to bridge the connectors on top to discharge any remaining current, then remove the wires capacitor,

If you have a meter, you can use it to discharge and verify it at the same time. Read all 3 terminals, terminal to terminal (A-B, A-C, B-C), and then read each terminal to ground. You will see the voltage drop to zero as it discharges and when you get zero on all readings you are good to go.
The screwdriver trick will work, but 40 years of working with high voltage has taught me that it never hurts to be sure.

quote:

and installing an EZStart Capacitor vs a standard one

Just to clarify, that is NOT a capacitor and most of these units still use the installed "capacitor", it's a soft start unit.

About 2 years after moving into our house, we had the AC go out on a hot July day. The HVAC contractor came out, replaced the capacitor, and was kind enough to teach me about it and recommend having a spare on hand. He said they often fail during heat waves, and the HVAC guys get overwhelmed with calls such that it could be several days before they can come out, and also, sometimes the supply house would run out and need to order. I grabbed one for each of my units, and of course, have never had one go out in the about 15 years since!

Here's a little tip to remember when buying a capacitor. You will see a voltage rating printed on the side . Make sure the replacement is rated equal to or above the one you are replacing . Higher is OK . Lower is a no go . This is for the voltage rating , NOT the capacitance .That needs to match .

I've learned a lot about HVAC systems over the years, primarily because I don't want to get gouged on service calls. I've replaced capacitors over the years, and a contactor here and there. I just replaced the insulation on my exterior copper suction lines.

I had an evaporator coil start leaking a few years ago, and had it replaced at many thousands of dollars.

My other (upstairs) unit was not cooling a week or so ago, so I bought a digital manifold gauge to see what was going on. Sure enough, it was very low on refrigerant (R-410A in this case). I researched and bought some Leak Saver with UV dye. I also got my EPA 608 certification so I could legally buy refrigerant.

Yesterday, I put 4 pounds of refrigerant in the system and injected the leak saver. It's cooling normally now and the pressures are steady. I hope it holds. I'll have to replace the evaporator coil again if it doesn't. But I learned so much that I am confident now of not getting screwed over by the AC guys. At least I can speak intelligently about the system and it's problems. Youtube has been fantastic.

quote:

Originally posted by D_Steve:
Excellent reminder and advice. I used bold type for the following quote to eliminate surprises:

quote:

use an insulated screwdriver blade to bridge the connectors on top to discharge any remaining current, then remove the wires capacitor,

Not sure that I would recommend an insulated screwdriver to use to discharge. Some folks may not be aware of exactly what an insulated screwdriver is (the shaft is insulated) and the fact that you have to use the non-insulated portion (the blade only) of the screwdriver to do the discharge. You would need a pretty large bladed insulated screwdriver to be able to bridge the terminals. For someone not familiar with electricity "improper" use of an insulated screwdriver to "attempt" to do the discharge might be dangerous if the discharge was not successful.

Use a regular screwdriver and just hold the handle and don't touch the shaft of the screwdriver when doing the procedure.

Dang Rouge. Went out to dinner last night with some friends. Came back to my thermostat reading 76 when it was set at 73. Hottest day of the year down here with 110+ heat index of course. Sure enough my capacitor blew! Went to Home Depot this morning and got a new one for $20. Employee next to me said they had just gotten those in and have been selling them like hotcakes. I went ahead and took your advice and got a second one to squirrel away. The Titan HD’s are also made in the USA. What a timely thread. lol

quote:

Originally posted by straightshooter01:...

Use a regular screwdriver and just hold the handle and don't touch the shaft of the screwdriver when doing the procedure.

I used a Cap discharger. Mostly because more often discharging for maintenance rather than replacing a bad cap.

Just takes a few seconds and I know the cap is discharged.

I use to use my multimeter (had the capability to bleed them down), but it took too long.