On Tue, Feb 01, 2011 at 07:25:00PM -0500, Jim Lynch wrote:
> We're preparing to push off and we need heat for a while until we get
> deep into Florida. Unfortunately the reverse cycle A/C just stopped
> pushing air out. I am guessing/hoping it's the cap. I have no
> experience with the power end of EE, just the electronics/computers. If
> there were markings on this cap I can't read them. How successful am I
> going to be finding a satisfactory replacement locally in Brunswick
> GA.? Is the value critical? I don't even know exactly where to go to
> find a replacement. It's a Mermaid unit and I could get one shipped but
> it's about to get cold here and I don't want to wait on shipping if I
> don't have to. It's an oval shapped thing about 3/4x2/3 with two spade
> lugs. Does anyone have experience with replacements? I can cob a mount
> if I can figure out the value.
Sounds like a simple start capacitor; any AC shop should be able to
supply you with one, as well as test it. If you have an analog
multimeter, you can test it yourself pretty easily: drain off any
possible charge by sticking a resistor between the terminals for a few
seconds (a 120VAC light bulb works well for this), then set your meter
on a medium resistance setting and touch the leads to the terminals
(take the bulb away, of course.) Next, reverse the leads and watch the
meter as you touch them to the terminals: it should spike and then
slowly come back to a relatively high resistance value. If it doesn't
spike, or doesn't discharge to a high resistance value, it's bad.
The general rule of thumb is that you should replace those caps with
their exact replacements, or at least stay within 10% of the original
capacitance. In my experience, as long as the voltage rating is the same
or higher and the capacitance value is somewhere in the same universe
with the original one (-50% - +100%), it doesn't seem to make much of a
difference for start caps (not true for run caps, though.) Don't ever go
below the original voltage rating, though; the fireworks can be pretty
impressive. I know _all_ about it. :)))
On the other hand, if you're going to an AC shop anyway, there's no
reason _not_ to get the exact replacement.
Ben
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