I had to buy a new multimeter to read capacitance since the one I had (which I thought was a decent Klein one) didn't have it. It's also handy to find out what type of capacitor your system uses and buy one to keep on hand. Capacitors always seem to go out on the hottest day of the year and always on a weekend.
they actually go bad sitting around not charged more than in use so you might not want to get one when unit is new my unit is 24 years old never had to change it. nowadays they use cheap chinese crap capacitors if you get a good one it should last.
Man, Klein tools are alright, aside from bending flatheads with any torque, but their multimeters are absolutely terrible. And dangerous. Fluke all day! Safer and more reliable.
This video just saved me $500! I had an appointment to have an HVAC person over tomorrow that would have cost $350 for a diagnostic, and the repair would have been a week later for another $200. Tanks to this video, I was able to fix my unit the same day it stopped working (and it only cost me a $30 capacitor). THANK YOU!!!!
Finally got it up and running. The only delays we had was because we realized we needed some extra parts (I’ll list that below) th-cam.com/users/postUgkxihMYiJNXcHdbH-7ihymsLz61l7jVyb5O . So we have a loft where our current hvac just couldn’t seem to keep cool during the summer. We have been using a window unit since we bought this house over 6 years ago (all the houses in this neighborhood were built in the 80’s and majority of the houses built like ours use a window unit). I hate window units because they are just so noisy and the one we had really only cools one side of the loft. I had contemplated upgrading our current HVAC, but with all the rising prices these days, it would take years before saving up enough to do that. With the advice of my father-in-law (used to run an HVAC business), he recommended we get an inverter instead. We thought we bought everything we needed, but there were just a few other parts we didn’t anticipate needing (which is what caused most of our delay). My friend and father-in-law did all the work to get it installed and running and now we have nice cool air circulating nicely throughout the entire loft. It is very quiet and even the outside unit is much quieter than our main HVAC unit. Saved ourselves thousands getting this.
Since you covered the label on the new capacitor with those straps, it's a good idea to use a marker and write the value in plain sight ... 40-5. I usually date it too.
Thank you sooo much!!! It was a Sunday and had same issue with fan working but no cool air. We bypassed getting the correct multimeter and went straight for the $23 capacitor from hardware store and just swapped it out, cheaper than getting AC repair person out on a Sunday and it did the trick, cool air!!! God bless you 🥵😅
Thanks, this was very helpful! Solved my issue for about $30. Found the part in stock at Ace HW. For anyone who was wondering what multimeter setting to use for checking residual voltage, it's DC voltage. Cheap DMMs won't have a capacitance meter, unfortunately, but if the symptoms are fan blowing but not cooling.. and no fault nessage on the panel, good chance it's the cap.
Changed my compressor capacitor too. My outdoor condenser unit looked basically like yours, and I was able to find the part I needed in town! The old capacitor was reading 0.7 nF and 1 uF on the other. Completely dead. Wired it up and now the house is cooling back down. Great advice, thank you for making this video! I'll keep an eye on my A/C a lot more now!
I really appreciate your video, especially explaining how to use the settings on the multimeter. Very clear and concise. I had a bad capacitor as well. Bought replacement, now back up and running. I agree with you that is very expensive to have hvac tech come out for service call for this. I also agree if you are not comfortable doing this kind of electrical work don’t do it call a professional to be safe. Thanks again for your help.
Busted caps are the most common cause for no cooling. If there is even the slightest bulge on the top of it, it is failing. Check your AC TODAY and get a spare one (
My air conditioning did this and I told my landlord and he started researching service technicians and how much it would cost. I told him I took care of it for about $20. He loves me. 😂
Even though you pulled the disconnect, you should also 1) set the AC to off via the thermostat, 2) set circuit breakers to off, and 3) still check that there is no voltage at the contactor. Also wear safety glasses. If the capacitor shorted out from having a charge sending a spark, well, that's a small piece of metal sent flying.
THANK YOU! I watched this video and two others when my AC died with exact symptoms of capacitor failure. I was able to safely diagnose it with a multimeter and replace it thanks in part to your tutorial! I even had to swap with a wider Round capacitor and use the makeshift strap holder just like yours. Saved me money and misery of waiting three days at 110 degrees! You're the man
Well what I didn't realize is that your air conditioner can still work a tiny bit. So I cleaned the condenser coil and then I cleaned the evaporator coil and I replaced my filter and the air conditioner still wasn't cooling very well. Then I caught this video and thought I might as well go ahead and check the capacitor as I thought the air conditioner would completely crap out if the capacitor was bad, but that was not the case for me. So I checked my capacitor and it was indeed bad. Thank you for the nice simple video!
Thanks Sir, if you are in SOCAL HomeDepot and Lowes don't usually carry it in store. I would suggest ACE Hardware, they have different sizes and Volts. Got mine from them same and it worked just fine. This is after I spent 3 days in scorching heat day/night.
Great info, but the problem I ran into was no HVAC supplier would sell a capacitor to a non licensed installer...something about fires and liability? Ebay sure....buy a few back-ups....
Brian, I've sold around 80 pond aeration compressors, and when I would test them on the bench, about 10% had bad capacitors. One that was bench tested failed when it reached it's destination, it failed because the capacitor was already going bad. I only got one returned to me for not working, but it turns out, they guy testing it didn't know what he was doing, and it wouldn't run. He damaged the fan blades in trying to get it to run. I took the motor to a repair shop, he put it on the bench, and it ran like it was supposed to. Where he went wrong was he tried to fix it himself, and voided the warranty, and he had to pay to return it to me, and he tried to leave me negative feedback claiming that I was at fault for selling him a defective pump, but eBay removed it because it was his own fault it didn't run. The motor guy thought the guy was testing an AC motor on DC, and they don't work that way. I replaced the broken fan blades, and resold it in working condition.
I did replace a new capacitor as all number are covered old one. But, the cold air not blowing. The fan runs perfect. What else problem could be possible? Thank you so much.
My unit was performing the same way, unit running but not cooling. Flicking the thermostat switch in the house a few times and the unit would start cooling house for few hours, then start blowing warm air. I paid $400.00 repair bill and after two technician trips to house, we found the electric plug connector was LOOSE on the RETURN VALVE (or reversing valve) connector???? Pushed the plug back on connector and a/c unit has been working fine for 3 weeks😀😀 Techs were puzzled and started suggesting needing new $2,600 coil or thermostats etc??? Luckily the 2nd tech remembered this happing to him on another call and checked it.
@@ColdRanch208 regardless if he replies or not, I did order a new capacitor and changed it. AC works like a charm. I ruined my capacitor by putting in a strong air filter with a 13 merv rating I believe and didn’t change it for about 6 months. The air filter clogged up making the unit run harder and therefore the capacitor burned out.
Ac not blowing cold air could also be a problem with the contactor. It's not always the cap. I have seen some blown out contactors or a contactor with a bug in between the contactors.
Nice job as always! I have to drop in with 2 small suggestions (from one non-HVAC tech to another 😀): 1. CHECK THE LINE VOLTAGE WITH YOUR METER before you touch anything! It's rare, but once in a blue moon the disconnect can fail to break the connection. Just set to "V" and touch your leads to the 2 screws on the incoming wires on the contactor. Takes 5 seconds; could save your life. 2. Minor grievance, but when you mount the new capacitor, orient it so you can read the 40/5 on it. (At this point I'd just write "40/5" on it with a sharpie instead of taking it out again) Other than that, this is a great tip. A very common failure, and it's saved me that service call multiple times!
Does that capacitor control both fan motors? the outside fan and the internal fan that blows in the house? and I guess it kicks on the compressor also ?
It only control the outdoor fan and the compressor! It gives it enough juice to kick everything on, it’s kind of like a battery in a way but it stores electricity. (Loose description)
A service call costs $100 for coming to your house, an onsite diagnostic test costs another $100, the labor for changing the part costs $300, while the part costs $30. Total for Capacitor changes equal $530 Min excluding tax
We had two people come out. One wanted 23,000.00 to replace everything including the furnace (crooks). Our house is only 10 years old. We had another person who did a couple of things. It worked for awhile and then we were back to warm air coming out. I saw this video and asked my husband to replace it. He did and the air is working. Hope that's all that was. Yep it is hot as hell in Southern California (we are in more of a desert area) and naturally it stopped working again Saturday night. 🥵🥶 Yippee!
I changed the capacitor and it is not blowing cold air. Help Freon R22. air conditioner. The guy came out and said it was low. He put more in and still no air. Now what? Thank you for sharing this video.
Bad capacitor is such a common problem I think they design capacitors NOT to last more than a few years! HVAC companies make lot of money replacing a $20 part.
This helped alot. I just tested mine using your video for the how to. Was able to find out mine is bad to. Just ordered a replacement part now. Thanks for the how to.
I completely understand about having to pay for labor I have an AC that’s a year old it hasn’t even hardly been used at all not even for one summer because I’ve been remodeling the house so I don’t believe I should have to pay for labor charges either and conveniently the AC man who installed it, retired, so no service after the sale.
My daughters LG air conditioner, after being cleaned by a technician recently, started to work differently after he left, e.g. when I turned on the inside unit, the fan blows at full capacity and then the inside unit shuts down. The outside motor (compressor) doesn't kick in at all when this is happening, and then the inside unit that is blowing the fan at full speed shuts off within a minute. I rang the technician and he said that he was willing to come back to have a look at it and of course take my left arm for the problem he caused in my opinion, because it was working fine before he pulled it apart to clean it, so I told him to FO in the nicest possible way. I am not in anyway a technical kind of guy, but I think I can change the capacitor by myself, if that is what it is. I would appreciate any assistance that anyone reading this can provide me with, e.g. do you think it is anything else apart from the capacitor. The outside motor (compressor) kicks in after about half a dozen attempts at turning it on and off, when the inside unit was blowing air at full speed, so it sounds to me like it is the capacitor, as that is what gives the compressor that extra kick from videos that I have seen. Appreciate all assistance in advance.
Great video, i have got a small question ! Appreciate it if you could possibly respond back. My AC unit stopped cooling in spite of the fact that the outside unit i.e. condenser fan is rotating. Do you think it's still a possibility that either that capacitor or contactor has gone bad ?
Why bother testing the capacitor just get a new one specially if your old one has been there for a few years…the problem is when you replace your capacitor and your ac is running but not cooling…so what now? Clean the line that runs from the unit inside the house…still no cold air….now wash with clear water the fins in the outside unit…still no cold air….
You also must remember the HVAC tech has to drive to your house troubleshoot what the problem is and replace it and hopefully they use a capacitor that is made in the United States that will last longer than a year
Yup. And he’ll find whatever opportunity he can to come up with issues that don’t really exist and rip you off. I don’t trust repair people in general. Do it yourself if you can.
My AC isn't working. One day during the middle of a heatwave it worked really well, almost colder than usual, then the next day nothing. I let it sit and a couple of weeks later when there was another heatwave, when I turned it on I could hear the fan going as usual, no strange noises, but it was barely blowing any cool air. During the second heatwave, I felt like it was blowing out weak hot air, now that the heatwave has passed, it's blowing out weak cool air. I changed the capacitor but I don't notice any improvements. My unit is on the roof, I purchased the correct capacitor (45/5) and connected the wires from the old capacitor to the new capacitor one at a time. Any advice?
It doesn't take 5 minutes to get a multimetet, diagnose, get an appropriate replacement capacitor, etc. So, I wouldnt say 5 minutes. To diagnose and do it right, it takes more time than that. Also, potentially hazardous to self and equipment. That said, I appreciate the video.
Turn off the power first before you open any electrical device. You might accidentally touch anything live inside that could damage the device or harm yourself when opening the the box
@@ThatFixItGuy Yeah you disconnect the AC after you opened the housing, exposing the live wire in the tight spot. Accidents might happen to a regular viewer guy of yours. First rule "Safety First"
Hello there, I have ALMOST the same set up, except that in my capacitor does not have anything attached to the FAN...even though it always worked, except that just last night if failed...I tested the capacitor like you did and I get no power in the large number and only 2.7 in the other. Why FAN is not there? any ideas?
We have a brand new unit and n9t blowing cold air. Technician been working on it over a month now. And yet still not working. First he said capacitory, then coolant. Now he was saying he need to check attic, i told him, hvac filters are clog ,full of dirt, that might be the reason why is not blowing air. He is not checking what i told him. What should we do?
He may be trying to see if you were going to take the initiative and change this filter yourself. Who in their right mind will call a service companies to come and change a filter for them when they see the filter is clogged?😂
In year 2002, my heat wasn't working so I called an AC/heating guy to come out. He cleaned my flame sensor and charged me $250. Thats why I want to learn how to do it myself.
Before you do something just go on TH-cam last time somebody wants to charge me 1600 dollars for replace some pipes that I did just watching TH-cam it took me literally 20 minutes
I had to buy a new multimeter to read capacitance since the one I had (which I thought was a decent Klein one) didn't have it.
It's also handy to find out what type of capacitor your system uses and buy one to keep on hand. Capacitors always seem to go out on the hottest day of the year and always on a weekend.
I was not aware that they go out a lot. I am new to this experience. Thank you for that information
they actually go bad sitting around not charged more than in use so you might not want to get one when unit is new my unit is 24 years old never had to change it. nowadays they use cheap chinese crap capacitors if you get a good one it should last.
I bought a backup 35/5 MFD capacitor in May 2018 and today I verified that the charge is still good.
I did that a few years ago. I don't remember where I put the spare. It's probably with the spare water filters I bought for the fridge.🙄
Man, Klein tools are alright, aside from bending flatheads with any torque, but their multimeters are absolutely terrible. And dangerous. Fluke all day! Safer and more reliable.
This video just saved me $500! I had an appointment to have an HVAC person over tomorrow that would have cost $350 for a diagnostic, and the repair would have been a week later for another $200. Tanks to this video, I was able to fix my unit the same day it stopped working (and it only cost me a $30 capacitor). THANK YOU!!!!
How do you know the repair would have been 200 and done a week later if you never had the diagnostic done?
Cause thats what they quoted him the price would be and timing if it was the capacitor issue
You are OUTSTANDING!!! Thank You... world would be a much better place with folks like you!
Finally got it up and running. The only delays we had was because we realized we needed some extra parts (I’ll list that below) th-cam.com/users/postUgkxihMYiJNXcHdbH-7ihymsLz61l7jVyb5O . So we have a loft where our current hvac just couldn’t seem to keep cool during the summer. We have been using a window unit since we bought this house over 6 years ago (all the houses in this neighborhood were built in the 80’s and majority of the houses built like ours use a window unit). I hate window units because they are just so noisy and the one we had really only cools one side of the loft. I had contemplated upgrading our current HVAC, but with all the rising prices these days, it would take years before saving up enough to do that. With the advice of my father-in-law (used to run an HVAC business), he recommended we get an inverter instead. We thought we bought everything we needed, but there were just a few other parts we didn’t anticipate needing (which is what caused most of our delay). My friend and father-in-law did all the work to get it installed and running and now we have nice cool air circulating nicely throughout the entire loft. It is very quiet and even the outside unit is much quieter than our main HVAC unit. Saved ourselves thousands getting this.
Thank you so much! This is exactly what my church needed to get our A/C up and running!
The capacitor is the most common reason but not always.
Since you covered the label on the new capacitor with those straps, it's a good idea to use a marker and write the value in plain sight ... 40-5. I usually date it too.
Buy a spare
Leaving a comment as a token of my THANKS. This was exactly the information that I needed. Really apprecaite the quality content sir!
Your welcome! So glad this could help you out.
Man, you saved my 111 degrees Arizona summer. You a hero
Mine still needs saving 🥲
Thank you sooo much!!! It was a Sunday and had same issue with fan working but no cool air. We bypassed getting the correct multimeter and went straight for the $23 capacitor from hardware store and just swapped it out, cheaper than getting AC repair person out on a Sunday and it did the trick, cool air!!! God bless you 🥵😅
Thanks, this was very helpful! Solved my issue for about $30. Found the part in stock at Ace HW. For anyone who was wondering what multimeter setting to use for checking residual voltage, it's DC voltage. Cheap DMMs won't have a capacitance meter, unfortunately, but if the symptoms are fan blowing but not cooling.. and no fault nessage on the panel, good chance it's the cap.
Your welcome.
Changed my compressor capacitor too. My outdoor condenser unit looked basically like yours, and I was able to find the part I needed in town! The old capacitor was reading 0.7 nF and 1 uF on the other. Completely dead. Wired it up and now the house is cooling back down. Great advice, thank you for making this video! I'll keep an eye on my A/C a lot more now!
I really appreciate your video, especially explaining how to use the settings on the multimeter. Very clear and concise. I had a bad capacitor as well. Bought replacement, now back up and running. I agree with you that is very expensive to have hvac tech come out for service call for this. I also agree if you are not comfortable doing this kind of electrical work don’t do it call a professional to be safe. Thanks again for your help.
So glad this helped you out.
Great and helpful video! I like it when a video shows how to use the multimeter in a specific job. 👍🏻
Had to cause that was one thing I did not see with the couple of videos I watched. Thank you.
Really appreciate the detailed explanation 👍 Thank you!
Your welcome. Hope we can help again.
Great video and information Brian. That sucks that it was under warranty and nobody to take care of it.
It’s ok Britt. End the end the house is cooler and that’s all that matters.
Thanks for the video. I was able to change the capacitor without issues, and A/C is back on. Much appreciation!
It worked!!! Thank you. You and other ac repair youtubers saved me $300 . Ordered the capacitor from amazon for $20
Thank you, quick and easy fix. I ordered another one as a back up for half the price
Your welcome. So Glad this could help you out.
Busted caps are the most common cause for no cooling. If there is even the slightest bulge on the top of it, it is failing. Check your AC TODAY and get a spare one (
That is great to know. Thank you for the hero tip as well.
My air conditioning did this and I told my landlord and he started researching service technicians and how much it would cost. I told him I took care of it for about $20. He loves me. 😂
Do you mean busted caps on the capacitor?
Busted caps where, on what?
Even though you pulled the disconnect, you should also 1) set the AC to off via the thermostat, 2) set circuit breakers to off, and 3) still check that there is no voltage at the contactor. Also wear safety glasses. If the capacitor shorted out from having a charge sending a spark, well, that's a small piece of metal sent flying.
Noted!
Knowledge- personality- and easy to digest material.
THANK YOU! I watched this video and two others when my AC died with exact symptoms of capacitor failure. I was able to safely diagnose it with a multimeter and replace it thanks in part to your tutorial! I even had to swap with a wider Round capacitor and use the makeshift strap holder just like yours. Saved me money and misery of waiting three days at 110 degrees! You're the man
Well what I didn't realize is that your air conditioner can still work a tiny bit. So I cleaned the condenser coil and then I cleaned the evaporator coil and I replaced my filter and the air conditioner still wasn't cooling very well. Then I caught this video and thought I might as well go ahead and check the capacitor as I thought the air conditioner would completely crap out if the capacitor was bad, but that was not the case for me. So I checked my capacitor and it was indeed bad. Thank you for the nice simple video!
So glad this could help you out.
Your video helped me diagnose and replace the capacitor today! Thank you!
Glad it helped. Hope we can help again.
This is an excellent video about A/C Not Blowing Cold Air But Running and we love it very much!!!❤❤❤👌👌👌
Thank you very much!
you saved me about $200+ today with $17 capacitor from amazon. much appreciated .🙏
So glad this could help!
Very nice straight forward easy video to follow!!
So glad this could help. Thank you.
Thank you for your video ! Helpful !
Thanks for this video! Very helpful with my AC unit blowing warm air 😊👍👍
What a blessing this video was for me. We just now finished switching out the capacitor on my AC. Thank you so much!!😊
Glad it helped and you’re welcome.
so ..this is the bite of not having a partner...seems simple enough but I have to call a person to do it.... :(
You are the man! This helped me fix ours for under $23 before 9am - less than 12 hours of outage.
That is great to hear!
Great job, I had the same issue a few months ago.
Thank you. Pretty easy fix.
Thank you for the video! You're the man!
Glad to help
Thanks for sharing this awesome information Brother this can definitely save a lot of people money. Great video
Thank you Steve.
👍Short and sweet! Bought the Fluke just in time and confirmed. Thank you!
Your welcome. So glad this could help.
Thanks for the video. I didn’t have a meter but since the capacitor was cheap I ordered it for next day and installed it. It works now !!!
Your welcome.
Thank you so much for this video. It saved me a lot of time and money, plus I learned new skills. Much love and respect.
Thank you so much, I followed your video and figured mine out. You saved me money and I learned something new. Thanks again!
Glad I could help! Please share your experience and help us grow. Thank you
Just saved me a service call on a Sunday. Thank you!
That is great to hear. So glad this could help.
Thank you so much, brother. The problem is fixed! God bless!!!
Thanks Sir, if you are in SOCAL HomeDepot and Lowes don't usually carry it in store. I would suggest ACE Hardware, they have different sizes and Volts. Got mine from them same and it worked just fine. This is after I spent 3 days in scorching heat day/night.
Great info, but the problem I ran into was no HVAC supplier would sell a capacitor to a non licensed installer...something about fires and liability?
Ebay sure....buy a few back-ups....
Great film Thank you!
Hey thanks for the video. My HVAC guy wanted to charge me $600 for this job. You just saved me $600.
Thanks for the knowledge my friend 😁👍🔥
Great video I used your info. from this vid. and it worked like a charm . Thanks brother. Keep em' coming.👍
Out Friggin' Standing !!! 👍
So glad this could help.
If curious... the Klien MM320 (which a ton of homeowners purchase) does not have a capacitance setting. 😢
Thank you so much for taking the time to do this vid. i paid last year 300.00
Your welcome. There is savings there.
Thank you for showing a great video
Your welcome.
I’m late to this video but so glad you made it. What a lifesaver! Thank you for making it.
Brian, I've sold around 80 pond aeration compressors, and when I would test them on the bench, about 10% had bad capacitors. One that was bench tested failed when it reached it's destination, it failed because the capacitor was already going bad. I only got one returned to me for not working, but it turns out, they guy testing it didn't know what he was doing, and it wouldn't run. He damaged the fan blades in trying to get it to run. I took the motor to a repair shop, he put it on the bench, and it ran like it was supposed to. Where he went wrong was he tried to fix it himself, and voided the warranty, and he had to pay to return it to me, and he tried to leave me negative feedback claiming that I was at fault for selling him a defective pump, but eBay removed it because it was his own fault it didn't run. The motor guy thought the guy was testing an AC motor on DC, and they don't work that way. I replaced the broken fan blades, and resold it in working condition.
Wow. Does not seem like a lot but 10%is not great. Thank you for the information. Sounds like that was definitely an ordeal.
I did replace a new capacitor as all number are covered old one. But, the cold air not blowing. The fan runs perfect. What else problem could be possible? Thank you so much.
I'm an HVAC service tech and I would never put that much effort into a capacitor strap lol.
Of course you wouldn’t, you’re HVAC 😂
i highly recommend to keep a spare capacitor on hand once you find out the correct one.
Good job
My unit was performing the same way, unit running but not cooling. Flicking the thermostat switch in the house a few times and the unit would start cooling house for few hours, then start blowing warm air. I paid $400.00 repair bill and after two technician trips to house, we found the electric plug connector was LOOSE on the RETURN VALVE (or reversing valve) connector???? Pushed the plug back on connector and a/c unit has been working fine for 3 weeks😀😀 Techs were puzzled and started suggesting needing new $2,600 coil or thermostats etc??? Luckily the 2nd tech remembered this happing to him on another call and checked it.
Where was the electric plug connector located?
Where was the electric plug connector located?
Where was the electric plug connected located?
@calebtate9755 I guess this guy has his notifications off. I want that answer too.
@@ColdRanch208 regardless if he replies or not, I did order a new capacitor and changed it. AC works like a charm. I ruined my capacitor by putting in a strong air filter with a 13 merv rating I believe and didn’t change it for about 6 months. The air filter clogged up making the unit run harder and therefore the capacitor burned out.
Very helpfull thank you so much.
Your welcome.
excellent video i am having the same issue it was blowing cold then just stopped blowing cold, if it's not the capaciter what other thigs might it be?
Compressor or dirty evaporator coils or condenser coils
Damn nice work! This is 💯 my attitude. No way I'll pay their prices. Have to be licensed? OK hoss.
You have to have a business license to buy from a HVAC supply house. Amazon or other online retailers sell em though.
Great just ran into the same issue and came across your video. Thank you
Thank you so much !You saved me $10000 !
Did they try to sell you a new system? 😳
You Saved me over 300 bucks for the work and 89 for coming out. The part was 15 bucks plus the 2.99 4-8 delivery.
So great to hear. Hope we can help again.
Ac not blowing cold air could also be a problem with the contactor. It's not always the cap. I have seen some blown out contactors or a contactor with a bug in between the contactors.
Man you save me $400
I replaced the capacitor for only $28 and now blowing cold air
Thanks brother
Your very welcome. So glad this video helped you out.
Nice job as always! I have to drop in with 2 small suggestions (from one non-HVAC tech to another 😀):
1. CHECK THE LINE VOLTAGE WITH YOUR METER before you touch anything! It's rare, but once in a blue moon the disconnect can fail to break the connection. Just set to "V" and touch your leads to the 2 screws on the incoming wires on the contactor. Takes 5 seconds; could save your life.
2. Minor grievance, but when you mount the new capacitor, orient it so you can read the 40/5 on it. (At this point I'd just write "40/5" on it with a sharpie instead of taking it out again)
Other than that, this is a great tip. A very common failure, and it's saved me that service call multiple times!
Thank you for that information. Both are great advice.
Does that capacitor control both fan motors? the outside fan and the internal fan that blows in the house? and I guess it kicks on the compressor also ?
It only control the outdoor fan and the compressor! It gives it enough juice to kick everything on, it’s kind of like a battery in a way but it stores electricity. (Loose description)
A service call costs $100 for coming to your house, an onsite diagnostic test costs another $100, the labor for changing the part costs $300, while the part costs $30. Total for Capacitor changes equal $530 Min excluding tax
Great video thanks for sharing
Amazing!!! Thanks for sharing!!! SUB and LIKED!!!
Awesome. So glad this helped.
We had two people come out. One wanted 23,000.00 to replace everything including the furnace (crooks). Our house is only 10 years old. We had another person who did a couple of things. It worked for awhile and then we were back to warm air coming out. I saw this video and asked my husband to replace it. He did and the air is working. Hope that's all that was. Yep it is hot as hell in Southern California (we are in more of a desert area) and naturally it stopped working again Saturday night. 🥵🥶 Yippee!
oh wow. Sorry to hear that experience and really glad this video helped you out.
Thank you sir!
Great video! Is it possible to know the type of capacitor you need without opening the A/C unit?
I changed the capacitor and it is not blowing cold air. Help Freon R22. air conditioner. The guy came out and said it was low. He put more in and still no air. Now what? Thank you for sharing this video.
Bad capacitor is such a common problem I think they design capacitors NOT to last more than a few years! HVAC companies make lot of money replacing a $20 part.
it is the cheap chinese crap they use nowadays my unit is 24 years old with original capacitor.
I’m learning this from the comments. Thank you.
You said the lines were cold at the start when it was broken, but then at then end when you fixed it the lines are still cold?
very helpful having the same problem thanks man!
This helped alot. I just tested mine using your video for the how to. Was able to find out mine is bad to. Just ordered a replacement part now.
Thanks for the how to.
I completely understand about having to pay for labor I have an AC that’s a year old it hasn’t even hardly been used at all not even for one summer because I’ve been remodeling the house so I don’t believe I should have to pay for labor charges either and conveniently the AC man who installed it, retired, so no service after the sale.
My daughters LG air conditioner, after being cleaned by a technician recently, started to work differently after he left, e.g. when I turned on the inside unit, the fan blows at full capacity and then the inside unit shuts down. The outside motor (compressor) doesn't kick in at all when this is happening, and then the inside unit that is blowing the fan at full speed shuts off within a minute. I rang the technician and he said that he was willing to come back to have a look at it and of course take my left arm for the problem he caused in my opinion, because it was working fine before he pulled it apart to clean it, so I told him to FO in the nicest possible way. I am not in anyway a technical kind of guy, but I think I can change the capacitor by myself, if that is what it is. I would appreciate any assistance that anyone reading this can provide me with, e.g. do you think it is anything else apart from the capacitor. The outside motor (compressor) kicks in after about half a dozen attempts at turning it on and off, when the inside unit was blowing air at full speed, so it sounds to me like it is the capacitor, as that is what gives the compressor that extra kick from videos that I have seen. Appreciate all assistance in advance.
Sweet!
Glad this could help.
So, what was the problem, was the compressor not coming on or was the fan not coming on?
Great video, i have got a small question ! Appreciate it if you could possibly respond back.
My AC unit stopped cooling in spite of the fact that the outside unit i.e. condenser fan is rotating.
Do you think it's still a possibility that either that capacitor or contactor has gone bad ?
Where do you get the capacitor??
At an hvac supply house or amazon. Is a couple places
Why bother testing the capacitor just get a new one specially if your old one has been there for a few years…the problem is when you replace your capacitor and your ac is running but not cooling…so what now? Clean the line that runs from the unit inside the house…still no cold air….now wash with clear water the fins in the outside unit…still no cold air….
You also must remember the HVAC tech has to drive to your house troubleshoot what the problem is and replace it and hopefully they use a capacitor that is made in the United States that will last longer than a year
I know the whole drive time and everything. I use to run a one man plumbing shop. I just should not have to pay that if it is under warranty.
@@ThatFixItGuy
You are right and that’s a good argument to take up with the manufacturer
@ThatFixItGuy yup exactly you shouldn't have to pay nothing if its under warranty. Glad you were able to fix it yourself
Yup. And he’ll find whatever opportunity he can to come up with issues that don’t really exist and rip you off. I don’t trust repair people in general. Do it yourself if you can.
The Chinese are buying up all the U.S manufacturing plants
My AC isn't working. One day during the middle of a heatwave it worked really well, almost colder than usual, then the next day nothing. I let it sit and a couple of weeks later when there was another heatwave, when I turned it on I could hear the fan going as usual, no strange noises, but it was barely blowing any cool air. During the second heatwave, I felt like it was blowing out weak hot air, now that the heatwave has passed, it's blowing out weak cool air. I changed the capacitor but I don't notice any improvements. My unit is on the roof, I purchased the correct capacitor (45/5) and connected the wires from the old capacitor to the new capacitor one at a time. Any advice?
It doesn't take 5 minutes to get a multimetet, diagnose, get an appropriate replacement capacitor, etc. So, I wouldnt say 5 minutes. To diagnose and do it right, it takes more time than that. Also, potentially hazardous to self and equipment. That said, I appreciate the video.
Turn off the power first before you open any electrical device. You might accidentally touch anything live inside that could damage the device or harm yourself when opening the the box
For sure! That is why I pulled the disconnect.
@@ThatFixItGuy Yeah you disconnect the AC after you opened the housing, exposing the live wire in the tight spot. Accidents might happen to a regular viewer guy of yours. First rule "Safety First"
Thank you for the a good work
If you ever see one of those capacitors looking "puffy" on the top, you do not even need to test it, its bad, replace it.
Great tip. Thank you
Hello there, I have ALMOST the same set up, except that in my capacitor does not have anything attached to the FAN...even though it always worked, except that just last night if failed...I tested the capacitor like you did and I get no power in the large number and only 2.7 in the other. Why FAN is not there? any ideas?
Do you have a link for your multimeter?
Where do I check what capacitor I will need for mine ?
Like the video miine doing something. My question is how do you know which capacitor to buy and where. Thank you
We have a brand new unit and n9t blowing cold air. Technician been working on it over a month now. And yet still not working. First he said capacitory, then coolant. Now he was saying he need to check attic, i told him, hvac filters are clog ,full of dirt, that might be the reason why is not blowing air. He is not checking what i told him. What should we do?
He may be trying to see if you were going to take the initiative and change this filter yourself. Who in their right mind will call a service companies to come and change a filter for them when they see the filter is clogged?😂
You really glossed over how to drain the charge from the capacitor with the screwdriver. That sounds like a dangerous step.
In year 2002, my heat wasn't working so I called an AC/heating guy to come out. He cleaned my flame sensor and charged me $250. Thats why I want to learn how to do it myself.
the symbol is polarized capacitor two flat plates is unpolarized and the next symbol on meter triangle and flat line is diodes.
Thank you Greg. I would love to take an electrical troubleshooting class and learn more about all this stuff.
Excelente thinking!! Capacitor can kill you if not discharged!! Thank you !!
Someone tried to charge me $1900 just now to do this. Unbelievable and it’s criminal!
Yeah I know you got to be careful out there. Always get bids. Glad this could help you out.
Before you do something just go on TH-cam last time somebody wants to charge me 1600 dollars for replace some pipes that I did just watching TH-cam it took me literally 20 minutes