SMcK wrote:
The A/C is not working. *Last time this happened the neighborhood A/C
repair guy showed me how to replace the motor start capacitor. *He
happened to have one in his truck. *I'd just as soon not bother him
again. *If I can pull the suspect capacitor and get the specs off it,
where would a guy get a replacement without going the mail order
route?

-Scott

OK, just to tie up the loose ends on this one:

1. It turned out the capacitor was fine. I thought it migh be the cap
because the last time that's what it was and the guy that replaced it
told me that it's often the problem. The replacement was one he had
already and I don't know how old it was when we installed it. I
figured if I could get one and install it myself it would be a cheap
enough experiment that it was worth it if I could avoid having to pay
a pro.

2. I assumed it was a "motor run capacitor" when I went looking for a
replacement and saw references to them. Maybe it wasn't. It's a
capacitor with two sides, one labeled "fan" and the other "therm" with
a common in the center.

3. In the end I ended up calling in my neighbor again. This guy has
been doing heating, A/C, electric and plumbing in the neighborhood for
about 50 years. Nice guy and very helpful and I hate bugging him. He
determined it was low on freon, and charged it. He also checked for
leaks and cleaned out the grill(?) with a hose. I paid him a little
more than what he asked (still a bargain) and gave him a framed photo
of his house with the sunset behind it.

4. I don't know how old the unit is. It was there when we moved in in
'98. I'm going to guess it's about 15 years old.

-Scott