A/C Repair Advice

[Hunteraudit]

My home A/C went out this evening. I had a guy come out and he said the capacitor on the outside unit is bad and wanted $423 to replace it. It’s a $20 part... I told him thanks but for that much money I’d have to get in touch with my warranty people. Of course, it’s out of warranty.

Can a normal consumer buy a capacitor from an a/c supply place? Appears to be 2 screws and 4 wires, 5 min job. Or am I going to have to just pay the $423?

Gonna be hot tomorrow.

[force10]

Yes. Johnson supply and even Amazon has them for sale. Just match the size in uF. Kill power and be sure to discharge the capacitor with a insulated screwdriver before handling.

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[Hunteraudit]

Yes. Johnson supply and even Amazon has them for sale. Just match the size in uF. Kill power and be sure to discharge the capacitor with a insulated screwdriver before handling.

Sent from my SM-G930P using Tapatalk

Thanks; I’ll call Johnson in the AM. Amazon won’t have it here until Sunday and I am having a house full of people on Saturday.

[Terran28]

You can also get it from any electric motor shop as well. I do this for friends, my dad was an A/C contractor and I can do many simple repairs so they don't have to call out a tech unless I say its out of my knowledge. Just remember where the wires go. And there are 2 types of capacitors, 2 pole (fan only) and 3 pole (fan and compressor). If it is 2 pole, you will see a "C" for common where the power leg goes, and a "Fan" for the 1-2 legs of the fan. If it is a 3 pole, you will see C, Fan, and Herm. Plus, if the run cap went out, I would also try to spin the fan by hand to make sure the bearings are still good. If not, its a bigger job. Replacing the fan is just not a pull out and replace. You have to make sure the fan blade is in the right spot and not over/under amping the fan with a volt meter. Good luck!

[jdavidson]

PM sent

[Rick]

be sure not to touch more than one lug on the cap at once

[mudbone]

My home A/C went out this evening. I had a guy come out and he said the capacitor on the outside unit is bad and wanted $423 to replace it. It’s a $20 part... I told him thanks but for that much money I’d have to get in touch with my warranty people. Of course, it’s out of warranty.

Can a normal consumer buy a capacitor from an a/c supply place? Appears to be 2 screws and 4 wires, 5 min job. Or am I going to have to just pay the $423?

Gonna be hot tomorrow.

This guy must think your a dumb--s!!! I replaced mine and learned everything about a capacitor so that being screwed was not an option. The capacitor cost me $25.00 and 10 minutes to install. You do need to discharge it first or it will bite you!!!!

[RattlesnakeDan]

The heating and a/c business is the most dishonest of all the trades by far.
If doing it yourself be sure to turn that power off at the breaker!!!
I was recently quoted over 8k to get my ac unit replaced, guy said compressor was froze up, his partner confirmed it. I had another guy come give me a bid on replacement and he looked at what I had, replaced the capacitor and hard start and for $200 back in business.

[miket]

If you cant find a place that will sell you one quick, call a small independent a/c guy and offer $50 cash to sell you one right now. I did that on July 4 a few yrs ago. Guy told me his address and said come get it

[kmitchl]

Grainger is also a good source for ac caps. Many of the ac supply houses will not sell refrigerant, complete systems or electrical components unless you have a HVAC license.

A sad commentary on the ac tech. That happens all too frequently. That said I just installed my own split unit and learned that these guys have to know a lot about a lot of things.

[enewman]

The heating and a/c business is the most dishonest of all the trades by far.
If doing it yourself be sure to turn that power off at the breaker!!!
I was recently quoted over 8k to get my ac unit replaced, guy said compressor was froze up, his partner confirmed it. I had another guy come give me a bid on replacement and he looked at what I had, replaced the capacitor and hard start and for $200 back in business.

That don’t make sense. If the capacitor was out the compressor would not run. If the compressor can’t run a unit cannot freeze up.

[Hunteraudit]

Thanks for the replies guys. I pulled the cap this AM; it’s definitely bad. I am headed to Johnson supply first since it’s near me.

Some of the stories about the a/c business here and other places I’ve heard are down right sickening. I understand and respect that they are in the business of making money and have overhead to cover; but telling someone their unit needs replaced when it’s a simple, much cheaper fix is something I can’t abide.

[SFAbowhunter]

Thanks for the replies guys. I pulled the cap this AM; it’s definitely bad. I am headed to Johnson supply first since it’s near me.

Some of the stories about the a/c business here and other places I’ve heard are down right sickening. I understand and respect that they are in the business of making money and have overhead to cover; but telling someone their unit needs replaced when it’s a simple, much cheaper fix is something I can’t abide.

I'm in the business. If Johnson Supply won't sell it to you, try Grainger or Locke Supply if there is one close to you. Or like others have said, try to find a small a/c company to sell you one. Tell em that you had someone come out and they wanted to charge over $400 to change the cap, I'm sure they'd get you hooked up.

[jdavidson]

That don’t make sense. If the capacitor was out the compressor would not run. If the compressor can’t run a unit cannot freeze up.

By say “compressor was froze up”.., he means compressor was locked up...mechanically stuck

[Arrowslinger1]

Take pics of the label and top and take that up there before removing it and they can match it up. There should be letters on top to relocate the wires to the new one. Y, C and I forget the other.