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Jamie

wrote:

Last year the central AC went down. Compressor wouldn't atart and I was in the "oh ****" mode. However I found that the run capacitor was bad and it is up and running fine for about twenty bucks from the local W.W. Grainger. A simple dual AC 440 volt capacitor, not a compressor. Plus it's an R22 system which compicates matters even further. I would have had to convert to R134 or wait months for a compatible condensing unit.

Anyway now that the heat is on here again, the electric bill is not as high as last year it seems. Now I know capacitors don't all go all at once and I wonder now if decreased capacitance or high ESR might have been adversely affecting the unit's efficiency.

These motors are of course synchronous or whatever so they are going to do 1,750 or 3,450 RPM or whatever, so if less efficient then it would stand to reason that they would be pulling more current than they should.

How much can that weak capacitor cost you in energy ? This is not a start capacitor, it is a run capacitor. Would it be worth it, in these days of ever increasing energy costs to go out and actually check these capacitors and change them when they get marginal ?

J
Yes, it would cause the motor the exert more current than should be, if
the run cap were reduced in value. Also, makes it harder to start and
the compressor would operate slower..

Jamie