# Condensor is not starting, why not?



## yuri (Nov 29, 2008)

When it is bulged it is shot. They are cheap (under $30). Should have a mfd rating on the side of it. ie 30+5 mfd 370 vac. Graingers may have them.


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## tburk (Jul 25, 2010)

Yuri,

Thank you. What do you think my chances of getting my HVAC system working by replacing the Capacitor? Would this bad capacitor prevent the condensor from starting? Could a bad condensor cause a capacitor to blow?

You really have my hope up.

*GE CAPACITOR:*
97F9895
5UF
45UF.....370 VAC
+06.....-06%.....50/60Hz
PROTECTED.....P968
S10000AFC.....7134GB03
DIELEKTROL.....VI
HC98JA046D

1432


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## yuri (Nov 29, 2008)

1) 99.9%
2) Yes
3) Rarely, they are built CHEAP today. Real CHEAP. Thats why they don't cost much. Years ago a cap went for 20 yrs or the life of the unit but was built thicker and better and oil filled. I replace a couple dozen a year and power surges are bad for them. Buy 2 and keep one for spare, you have quite a few years left on that unit.:thumbsup:
The outdoor condensor is 1997 not sure about the indoor coil. 1697E is 1997 May. A= January B=Feb etc.


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## tburk (Jul 25, 2010)

Here is an update. The following day I bought the recommended cap from sears parts, and the airconditioner worked just fine! Until today. Now the condensor isn't pumping any longer, but the fan on the cooling condensor is working.

Back to Sears tomorrow for another cap. I did notice the new cap was shorter



Does blowing two caps in one summer indicate the condensor is getting ready to blow, or does this just indicate a hot summer?


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## yuri (Nov 29, 2008)

Hard to say. They are cheap and you may be unlucky with them. Power surges are bad for them. Check the voltage supply to the unit. Should be in the 220-240 volt range. Can be as high as 245 w/o a problem.


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## hennyh (Nov 14, 2006)

tburk said:


> Here is an update. The following day I bought the recommended cap from sears parts, and the airconditioner worked just fine! Until today. Now the condensor isn't pumping any longer, but the fan on the cooling condensor is working.
> 
> Back to Sears tomorrow for another cap. I did notice the new cap was shorter
> 
> ...


I would replace it with a 440V cap. However something else might be problematic such as the compressor or the contactor.

Why are you buying the cap at Sears? In my experience Sears is a ripoff for parts. I would shop at Grainger or an HVAC distributer such as Johnstone Supply. I would also get an Amrad Turbo Cap. They're much better quality then the generic Chinese caps. However I'm not sure I'd put one in until I knew the system was OK. That would involve checking the current draw from the compressor and inspecting the contactor.


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## tburk (Jul 25, 2010)

hennyh said:


> I would replace it with a 440V cap. However something else might be problematic such as the compressor or the contactor.
> 
> Why are you buying the cap at Sears? In my experience Sears is a ripoff for parts. I would shop at Grainger or an HVAC distributer such as Johnstone Supply. I would also get an *Amrad Turbo Cap*. They're much better quality then the *generic Chinese caps*. However I'm not sure I'd put one in until I knew the system was OK. That would involve checking the current draw from the compressor and inspecting the contactor.


Thanks for the tip, Sears is closed today anyway, and Johnstone is just a trip down 670. Originally I thought Sears was more convenient, and I thought all caps were the same.:no:

Would the 440 V cap perform any differently? Why do you make this suggestion? Is it safe for my compressor and fan?


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## yuri (Nov 29, 2008)

A 440 is a heavier capacitor/more durable. Unlikely it will solve your problem. Check the points/contacts in the contactor. If they look burnt buy a 30 amp type at Johnstone with the cap.


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## Yoyizit (Jul 11, 2008)

Is there any way to measure the voltage across or the current through the cap to predict the failure of the second cap, assuming it was the run cap that failed? Start cap failures apparently depend on current and time.
The current causes the heating but it should be related to the voltage and capacitance by C = I(2653)/V.

http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f170/tburk/HVAC_20100725/HVAC006.jpg
Pass/fail for the supply voltage looks to be 197 vac to 253 vac, so 225 +/- 28 vac [+/- 12%].


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## tburk (Jul 25, 2010)

yuri said:


> A 440 is a heavier capacitor/more durable. Unlikely it will solve your problem. Check the points/contacts in the contactor. If they look burnt buy a 30 amp type at Johnstone with the cap.


Yuri,

Is the contactor the black box thing in the picture above?

Well I just got back from a trip to Johnstone, they won't sell to me. They only sell wholesale. They could have told me that over the phone, wouldn't you think?

Yoyizit, yes we did have some power surges here recently, I wonder if that took the life out of the cap?


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## yuri (Nov 29, 2008)

Yep. Right beside the capacitor it is.


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## tburk (Jul 25, 2010)

I searched the Grainger site and found these 2 caps, which would best fit my application? The differences between them are the MFD ratings.

thank you.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
2MEK6
MFD Rating 60/5, 
Voltage 440, 60/50 Hz, 
Round, Dia 2 In, 
Height 4 3/4 In, 
2-blade Quick-connect Insulated Terminals, 
Temp Range -40 to 70 C, 
Hermetically-sealed Aluminum Case with Terne-plate CoverGrainger 
Item # 2MEK6 
Price (ea.) $34.05 
Brand DAYTON 

Mfr. Model # 2MEK6 

Ship Qty. 1 
Sell Qty. (Will-Call) 1 
Ship Weight (lbs.) 0.62 
Usually Ships** Today 
Catalog Page No. 84 
Country of Origin 
(Country of Origin is subject to change.) China 
http://www.grainger.com/Grainger/DAYTON-Dual-Motor-Run-Capacitor-2MEK6?Pid=search
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
2MEJ7 
Price (ea) *$22.13*
Item Dual Motor Run Capacitor 
MFD Rating 40/5 
Voltage 440 
Hz 60/50 
Shape Round 
Dia. (In.) 2 
Case Height (In.) 4-3/4 
Overall Height (In.) 5-1/4 
Terminals 2-blade Quick-connect Insulated 
Temp. Range (C) -40 to 70 
Construction Hermetically-sealed Aluminum Case with Steel Cover 
Standards cULs Recognized (E136401) 
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


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## yuri (Nov 29, 2008)

Your original specs:*GE CAPACITOR:*
97F9895
5UF
45UF.....370 VAC
+06.....-06%.....50/60Hz
PROTECTED.....P968
S10000AFC.....7134GB03
DIELEKTROL.....VI
HC98JA046D

You need a 45/5mfd at 440 VAC if you want to use a 440.


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## Yoyizit (Jul 11, 2008)

tburk said:


> Yoyizit, yes we did have some power surges here recently, I wonder if that took the life out of the cap?


Without an event recorder of some kind hooked to the cap it'd only be a guess. 
Caps inherently resist rapid voltage changes, and inductors resist rapid current changes, so I'd think these components would be much hardier than other stuff.

Higher than normal voltage could puncture the capacitor dielectric or overstress it. 
Higher than normal current could overheat the cap but nobody seems to publish max current ratings for these type of caps. "Ripple current ratings" are published for power supply caps but this may not be the same thing.

From what I've read on this forum I should be, right now, measuring voltages and currents for my caps on my working appliances so I will have some hard-to-obtain specs for when these appliances fail.


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## gregzoll (Dec 25, 2006)

Do not see your ground wire. Also, why does it appear that Romex is connected on the outside of the unit?


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