Tried to fix my own AC. Had a technician come out and tell me my contactor and capacitor needed to be replaced. He wanted to charge me $500 to do both so decided to try it myself. I bought both items and changed out the contactor easily enough just by going wire to wire. However, the AC unit was using a single capacitor with a start capacitor and I switched to a dual capacitor. Figured out where the wires were supposed to go (I hope) turned power back on and the fan would run but then after about ten seconds it sounded like it would switch off and then start back up, then switch off, and then start back up, kept repeating the pattern.

Any ideas?

On Sunday, May 1, 2016 at 5:52:15 PM UTC-7, wrote:
Tried to fix my own AC. Had a technician come out and tell me my contactor and capacitor needed to be replaced. He wanted to charge me $500 to do both so decided to try it myself. I bought both items and changed out the contactor easily enough just by going wire to wire. However, the AC unit was using a single capacitor with a start capacitor and I switched to a dual capacitor. Figured out where the wires were supposed to go (I hope) turned power back on and the fan would run but then after about ten seconds it sounded like it would switch off and then start back up, then switch off, and then start back up, kept repeating the pattern.

Any ideas?

Should clarify, it would run ten seconds then switch off and start immediately back up, then ten more seconds later would do the same thing

On 05/01/2016 07:52 PM, wrote:
Tried to fix my own AC. Had a technician come out and tell me my contactor and capacitor needed to be replaced. He wanted to charge me $500 to do both so decided to try it myself. I bought both items and changed out the contactor easily enough just by going wire to wire. However, the AC unit was using a single capacitor with a start capacitor and I switched to a dual capacitor. Figured out where the wires were supposed to go (I hope) turned power back on and the fan would run but then after about ten seconds it sounded like it would switch off and then start back up, then switch off, and then start back up, kept repeating the pattern.

Any ideas?




The capacitor needs to be the same value as the original.


Just for example if the original was 10 mfd

then if your replacement was 10mfd /10 mfd you'd use only one of them

or if 5mfd/ 5 mfd then the two would need to be wired in parallel.


The values do not necessarily have to be exact but should be within a
couple of mfd

On Sunday, May 1, 2016 at 6:03:06 PM UTC-7, philo wrote:
On 05/01/2016 07:52 PM, wrote:
Tried to fix my own AC. Had a technician come out and tell me my contactor and capacitor needed to be replaced. He wanted to charge me $500 to do both so decided to try it myself. I bought both items and changed out the contactor easily enough just by going wire to wire. However, the AC unit was using a single capacitor with a start capacitor and I switched to a dual capacitor. Figured out where the wires were supposed to go (I hope) turned power back on and the fan would run but then after about ten seconds it sounded like it would switch off and then start back up, then switch off, and then start back up, kept repeating the pattern.

Any ideas?




The capacitor needs to be the same value as the original.


Just for example if the original was 10 mfd

then if your replacement was 10mfd /10 mfd you'd use only one of them

or if 5mfd/ 5 mfd then the two would need to be wired in parallel.


The values do not necessarily have to be exact but should be within a
couple of mfd

They are exactly the same. Double checked it after the fan acted the way it did.

On 05/01/2016 08:34 PM, wrote:



snip


The capacitor needs to be the same value as the original.


Just for example if the original was 10 mfd

then if your replacement was 10mfd /10 mfd you'd use only one of them

or if 5mfd/ 5 mfd then the two would need to be wired in parallel.


The values do not necessarily have to be exact but should be within a
couple of mfd

They are exactly the same. Double checked it after the fan acted the way it did.



Then the guy must have mis-diagnosed things.

Sorry I can't give better help...but is this switching on and off, the
same problem you had prior to changing to capacitor and contactor?

On Sunday, May 1, 2016 at 6:45:42 PM UTC-7, philo wrote:
On 05/01/2016 08:34 PM, wrote:



snip


The capacitor needs to be the same value as the original.


Just for example if the original was 10 mfd

then if your replacement was 10mfd /10 mfd you'd use only one of them

or if 5mfd/ 5 mfd then the two would need to be wired in parallel.


The values do not necessarily have to be exact but should be within a
couple of mfd

They are exactly the same. Double checked it after the fan acted the way it did.



Then the guy must have mis-diagnosed things.

Sorry I can't give better help...but is this switching on and off, the
same problem you had prior to changing to capacitor and contactor?

I didn't have the problem before. He said the capacitor and the contactor were about to go out and recommended replacing them.

On Sunday, May 1, 2016 at 6:50:43 PM UTC-7, wrote:
On Sunday, May 1, 2016 at 6:45:42 PM UTC-7, philo wrote:
On 05/01/2016 08:34 PM, wrote:



snip


The capacitor needs to be the same value as the original.


Just for example if the original was 10 mfd

then if your replacement was 10mfd /10 mfd you'd use only one of them

or if 5mfd/ 5 mfd then the two would need to be wired in parallel.


The values do not necessarily have to be exact but should be within a
couple of mfd

They are exactly the same. Double checked it after the fan acted the way it did.



Then the guy must have mis-diagnosed things.

Sorry I can't give better help...but is this switching on and off, the
same problem you had prior to changing to capacitor and contactor?

I didn't have the problem before. He said the capacitor and the contactor were about to go out and recommended replacing them.

Disregard...I let it run a bit longer and it started to run normal again. Seems fine now.

On 05/01/2016 09:04 PM, wrote:
.. Double checked it after the fan acted the way it did.



Then the guy must have mis-diagnosed things.

Sorry I can't give better help...but is this switching on and off, the
same problem you had prior to changing to capacitor and contactor?

I didn't have the problem before. He said the capacitor and the contactor were about to go out and recommended replacing them.

Disregard...I let it run a bit longer and it started to run normal again. Seems fine now.




Glad it's working but I am sure the guy was a rip off.

A capacitor can be checked for value and unless the terminals are burned
there is no way one can tell if it's about to go.

As to the contactor, if the contacts were badly burned it probably was
not a bad idea to replace but normally it would not be replaced unless
the coil opened.

In article , says...






Glad it's working but I am sure the guy was a rip off.

A capacitor can be checked for value and unless the terminals are burned
there is no way one can tell if it's about to go.

As to the contactor, if the contacts were badly burned it probably was
not a bad idea to replace but normally it would not be replaced unless
the coil opened.

Last year my heat pump went out in the summer. Called the repair man
and was told it would be about $ 90 to come out. He said it was the
capacitor. I thought it might be $ 50, but his company has a fixed rate
of about $ 350 to replace one.

Felt ripped off on that, but he did a coil cleaning for less than $ 100
and a good checkout. I learned a lot from that and got a capacitor and
contactor off ebay for about $ 40 in case either may go out again.
Most would have felt ripped off, but I felt like I got a good education
on the system while he was here. I do have some gauges and a tank of
refregrent that I used to charge a sysem in another house I lived in.
Had to buy the refrigerant but aquired the gauges and hoses for free.
This man did seem to really know what he was doing.

On Mon, 2 May 2016 05:58:47 -0500, philo wrote:


If the price seems a bit high but the work is done right , it is not a
rip off.

In the situation with the OP though, it might have been.


Then there is this (which I posted maybe a year ago):

While fiddling with a leaky toilet my wife told me a dozen times to
"call a plumber!" Since I really did not want to fool with it anyway I
took her advice and thought, "well there goes $500."

Nope, he quoted me $2000! I'm serious!

Fortunately the service call just to come out was just $64 and he did a
thorough inspection of the pipes.


I went to Home Depot, spent $85 for a new toilet which works just fine.

It took me an hour to put it in.


-
Did he have his finger on the trigger while he pointed that toilet at
your head, and reached for your wallet?

On 05/01/2016 10:17 PM, Ralph Mowery wrote:

snip

Last year my heat pump went out in the summer. Called the repair man
and was told it would be about $ 90 to come out. He said it was the
capacitor. I thought it might be $ 50, but his company has a fixed rate
of about $ 350 to replace one.

Felt ripped off on that, but he did a coil cleaning for less than $ 100
and a good checkout. I learned a lot from that and got a capacitor and
contactor off ebay for about $ 40 in case either may go out again.
Most would have felt ripped off, but I felt like I got a good education
on the system while he was here. I do have some gauges and a tank of
refregrent that I used to charge a sysem in another house I lived in.
Had to buy the refrigerant but aquired the gauges and hoses for free.
This man did seem to really know what he was doing.






If the price seems a bit high but the work is done right , it is not a
rip off.

In the situation with the OP though, it might have been.


Then there is this (which I posted maybe a year ago):

While fiddling with a leaky toilet my wife told me a dozen times to
"call a plumber!" Since I really did not want to fool with it anyway I
took her advice and thought, "well there goes $500."

Nope, he quoted me $2000! I'm serious!

Fortunately the service call just to come out was just $64 and he did a
thorough inspection of the pipes.


I went to Home Depot, spent $85 for a new toilet which works just fine.

It took me an hour to put it in.

On 05/02/2016 05:19 AM, wrote:



-
Did he have his finger on the trigger while he pointed that toilet at
your head, and reached for your wallet?






No but I assume some people fall for it, the outfit has been in business
for years

On 5/2/2016 6:19 AM, wrote:
On Mon, 2 May 2016 05:58:47 -0500, philo wrote:
Then there is this (which I posted maybe a year ago):

While fiddling with a leaky toilet my wife told me a dozen times to
"call a plumber!" Since I really did not want to fool with it anyway I
took her advice and thought, "well there goes $500."

Nope, he quoted me $2000! I'm serious!

Fortunately the service call just to come out was just $64 and he did a
thorough inspection of the pipes.


I went to Home Depot, spent $85 for a new toilet which works just fine.

It took me an hour to put it in.


-
Did he have his finger on the trigger while he pointed that toilet at
your head, and reached for your wallet?


Two grand sounds a bit extreme, for a toilet. Even
installed. Did it at least have ATR?


-
..
Christopher A. Young
learn more about Jesus
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