"Help! My AC isn't working!....

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480sparky said:
Oh, silly me! I woke up this morning thinking I was an electrician....... :cool:

I guess installing a new electrical disconnect, while solving the HO's problem and getting her AC back on, was the wrong thing to do.... :p
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But you are an electrician, not an HVAC tech. Think about it...


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480sparky said:
Beats me. But that's the great part of insanity. It's like a box of chocolates.... you never know what you're gonna be.
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Astrophysicist? CEO? Dentist? Just some suggestions. This week I was an airline pilot. Next week I am aiming for an anesthesiologist.
 
mbrooke said:
I've never been able to figure it out, but AC units seem to eat caps like a bag of Cheetos.
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Capacitors used for HVAC should be rated to EIA-456 which would indicate a 0.5% failure rate at 5000 hours at 70C. I read somewhere that an independent test revealed that many are not meeting that spec. Manufacturers saving a few pennies......it's the heat that kills them, normally.
 
retirede said:
Capacitors used for HVAC should be rated to EIA-456 which would indicate a 0.5% failure rate at 5000 hours at 70C. I read somewhere that an independent test revealed that many are not meeting that spec. Manufacturers saving a few pennies......it's the heat that kills them, normally.
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Heat? The compartment doesn't get that hot IMO. I've seen most contactors go 40 years, but the cap every few seasons.
 
mbrooke said:
That's nothing, I still miss R-12 and R-502 or what ever it was.
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I miss Refrigerant-20. (chloroform)

And Refrigerant-10 (carbon tetrachloride), which forms phosgene gas when overheated.

And Refrigerant-30 (methylene chloride), which is also a powerful paint remover.

Back in the day, a coworker read the label of an aerosol contact cleaner, saw that it contained Freon® and alcohol, and declared:
"Doug's two favorite liquids!"

Yeah, I'm a refrigeration aficionado.
(I even understand -- and can explain -- the absorption-refrigeration cycle)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_refrigerants
 
drcampbell said:
I miss Refrigerant-20. (chloroform)

And Refrigerant-10 (carbon tetrachloride), which forms phosgene gas when overheated.

And Refrigerant-30 (methylene chloride), which is also a powerful paint remover.

Back in the day, a coworker read the label of an aerosol contact cleaner, saw that it contained Freon® and alcohol, and declared:
"Doug's two favorite liquids!"

Yeah, I'm a refrigeration aficionado.
(I even understand -- and can explain -- the absorption-refrigeration cycle)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_refrigerants
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Try R-717, excellent phase change heat absorption capacity. :D Propane aint bad too.
 
mbrooke said:
Could be worse, when the cap blows you can't bypass it. Have to wait for a new one to come 7 days latter on the hottest day :rant:
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But if you have some capacitors, just not the right one, you possibly can rig up some to get by with.

Need 20 Mfd, don't have one but have several 10's, I can get you by until the the correct one arrives. When heat index is above 100F, they don't care if you will charge a little extra either, I usually don't if I will be coming back at my convenience and not making a special trip just for them.
 
kwired said:
But if you have some capacitors, just not the right one, you possibly can rig up some to get by with.

Need 20 Mfd, don't have one but have several 10's, I can get you by until the the correct one arrives. When heat index is above 100F, they don't care if you will charge a little extra either, I usually don't if I will be coming back at my convenience and not making a special trip just for them.
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One thing I discovered is that when a cap does fail, 96% of the time its only one "side". You can leave the old cap in place for the fan and rig a new one for the herm until the right part comes.


Question- why don't AC units use a PTC or coil relay like a refrigerator or washing machine?
 
mbrooke said:
One thing I discovered is that when a cap does fail, 96% of the time its only one "side". You can leave the old cap in place for the fan and rig a new one for the herm until the right part comes...
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And this is where, yes, I would replace both "sides" as soon as possible because when one blows, the other usually isn't too far behind. Often, we don't carry OEM dual caps. We just replace them with dedicated caps for each component.
 
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