How to Check Capacitors With a Multimeter in A/C

6:48 AM Moms Daily Tips

Air conditioners cool homes on hot summer days, yet they can run poorly due to a malfunctioning or failing capacitor. The capacitor holds a charge to run the motors for the fan and the compressor. You can check the charge of the capacitor by using a multimeter device. Periodic checks of the capacitor should be done at the beginning of the summer season and afterward. If the capacitor holds less than 10 percent of its required charge, you need to replace it.

Instructions

Turn the A/C unit off along, and unplug it from, the wall to prevent any power surge to the unit when handling the internal devices. Locate the capacitor inside the unit. Capacitors will come in varying shapes; some will look like either a round or oval cylinder with two or three power terminals on the top. Air conditioners can have two capacitors -- one for the condenser fan and one for the compressor -- and are called dual-run or dual-rated capacitors.

Place the probes on the terminals for a run capacitor with two terminals. If the capacitor is a dual-run capacitor with three probes, connect one probe to the herm terminal and the other to the common terminal. You can check the capacitance of the fan for a dual-run capacitor by connecting the probes to the fan and common terminal.

Turn on the multimeter and read the display screen. You will see two readings, one for the condenser fan and the other for the compressor. Readings will be in micro farads and seen as the letters "mfd" or "uf."

Replace a capacitor if the reading is below manufacturer standards. She just cut her electricity bill to 60%, click here to read. You can find the required micro farad for the capacitor either marked on the device or in the air conditioner's installation manual. Refrain from testing any capacitor if it is leaking, has corroded terminals or the capacitor unit bulges. Replace it immediately.

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