I looked up your video and other videos after my AC stopped working. I first called a local HVAC guy and he said it would be at least week. He also said that what I was describing might be the fan motor which would typically run around $3500 to replace, but it might be a capacitor which would be "only around $2000" to replace. I watched your video and another video on cleaning coils. I bought new capacitor for $15 (and a spare for a rainy day) and a can of coil cleaner for $8. In about 45 minutes, I had the capacitor replaced, coils cleaned, and nice cool air in my house. Thank you.
That is absolutely insane… it makes me really sad that hvac companies are doing this. I’m so happy you got it going and saved literally thousands of dollars!!
@@diyhvacguy It put me in a coil cleaning mood, so I also cleaned the coils under my fridge and now that's running noticeably quieter. I also watched other videos on cleaning evaporator coils and I'm going to try and tackle that over the weekend. It looks like they might be in an easily accessible location on my system
OMG! My AC unit went out and I called for service. The HVAC guy told me I would have to replace my AC unit, and quoted me a price of $5,695, after my $1500 home appliance protection plan. I decided to go to YT (my trusty source for education and DIY), and after seeing your video, I checked my capacitor and noticed it had a puffed up top. I went to ACE hardware and purchased a new one and installed it myself (thanks to your great instructions). My AC fan turned on and I now have cool air again. Thank you for sharing your knowledge with us. It is truly appreciated. And thank you for saving me thousands of dollars. May you and your family continue to stay blessed in every way possible.
I didn’t realize ace stocked capacitors? That’s awesome! Glad you got it fixed up. It doesn’t surprise me at all that they said you needed a new one. What greed..
My AC went out during the heat wave here in California! I have two small children and pets at home, husband was away at work.... I came across your video, among others, but yours was the most helpful and clear. I went out and bought the capacitor from ACE and within 10 minutes had my AC up and running again!!! Thank you soooooo so much!!!!!
Thank you for your instructive videos ! 1.) You NEVER talk down to us like we are children. 2.) Your videos are ALWAYS respectful of the process and our safety (within reason) 3.) You always show us how to use and where to buy the equipment needed. The important things I have learned from your channel is 1.) How to clean my unit 2.) How to test my capacitor. 3.) How to install a soft start on my a\c 4.) When to call a professional out to service my a\c Thanks !
Our AC went out in the middle of the night. The next day it was 95C ! We called our HVAC company and was quoted $220/hr just for diagnosis. We called our HVAC friend and thru facetime, he suggested replacing the capacitor. We ordered the part on amazon ($20), it came on the same day and we were able to replace ours. We deep cleaned the coils, plugged the power in and boom! cold air galore!!! Thank you for the video!
Tech came out Wednesday to service my unit. Told me I needed a new unit and after he left, I noticed the unit running but not cooling. I had the capacitor changed once and I’m sure I need to replace it again. Thanks for the video…. I’ll purchase one tomorrow!!!!!❤
You saved us bro. I watched this video a couple of years ago and bought capacitor for my AC system. It sat in my garage until today. The outside fan was not working so I used my meter and checked the capacitor and it was bad. I changed it and now our house is nice and chilly! I’m in a wheelchair so if I can do it anyone can thanks to you my man!
Thank you for making this video. I followed your directions and I was able to have AC on the Fourth of July, and no injuries. Taking pictures was a great suggestion also. 😅
OMG, thank you for this video!! We live in hot Las Vegas and our fan stopped working. We were quoted $400, but with the help of your video, we only paid $22.00 and changed the capacitor ourselves. Thank you!!
You're the best. A local ac company raked my wife over the coals here in Fl when the condenser fan died and I was 1400 miles away. A grand, and said they installed a hard start too which they never did. They had the nerve to shoot us a ridiculous estimate for a new system. No way and I'll never deal with them again. Told all my neighbors too, and left bad reviews everywhere I could.
Even a year later after publishing this video, I found it to be extremely helpful, with the best explanation possible and the right tool to buy. We thank you!
You just saved me four days of waiting, a few hundred bucks, and hot frustration during a 107°F day. An easy-peasey drop-in replacement. Just a heads up, taking lots of pictures, and orienting the new capacitor just like the old capacitor so you won't mix up wiring, like I did, is helpful before pulling stuff apart.
I am so happy to have found your video. After waiting for a technician to play it safe, I finished the work on my own. The technician showed up at the moment the unit began working again. Only got charged $100 for the service call to check the refrigerant amount and temperatures. Thanks for saving me money.
I have fixed my various HVAC systems 3 times now ( I have 5 of them!) and each time it's the capacitor that goes. This last time it cost me $17 on Amazon and I fixed it in under 10 minutes after watching and relearning how to do it with your video. I have found a nice independent repair man but I think he is so busy right now and his minimum service charge is $165. Feels good to fix things and save tons of money! THANK YOU!
I am SO glad I saw this video months ago and bookmarked it and ordered a spare capacitor!! Woke up this morning hot and discovered that the outside unit was not running. The capacitor was swollen and tested bad with a meter. Replaced it in 5 minutes flat and now it's working great! Thank you for sharing your knowledge!
I watched this video a month ago. Yesterday, my AC went out. Tonight I am already cool. Amazon provided the capacitor that I needed for about $14 and and it took about hours work. Thank you so much for this great video. TAKE GOOD PICTURES!!!!
Mine has had this problem before, so when I came back from a trip and the house was hot, I knew what to go look for. The top of the capacitor was crowned up - easy tip off! So I ordered one off Amazon last night ($14), it got here today and I spent 10 minutes swapping it out. I came back to this video just to make sure I was handling the capacitor correctly. And I'm sitting in cold A/C as I type this. Oh - and I've also had the start capacitor on the blower fan burn out. I knew that wasn't the problem here because even with the thermostat set to Off you can set the fan to ON and it'll run. THANKS FOR HELPING US ALL OUT!!
Thank you 1 million times for this video. It is exactly what was wrong with my unit. $30 later, unit running again. Thank you for giving us the confidence to do something that heating and air guys charge way too much for. I am so grateful today, and my family, I can't barely put it in words. Thank you.
When you replace the capacitor you want to pull each wire off of the old capacitor and put it on the new capacitor one wire at a time. Pulling all the wires off at one time can be confusing trying to figure which wire goes on each terminal. Be sure to take progress pictures as you change the capacitor.
@@kendallevans4079 That is what I used to tell my servicemen is to replace relays and things like that one wire at a time. Back in those days we did not have cell phone. Thanks...
In case you forget to take that all-important photograph, no need to panic, every compressor has a wiring diagram that clearly shows which wires go where. I’ve used it in the past.
@@kendallevans4079 Same. It made is super easy to figure it out after the fact. Just make sure you get close ups of the old cap, and look for the markings at the terminals.
Great video, my trane xl 20 compressor wasn't kicking on last summer. My neighbor that does hvac came over and diagnosed a bad capacitor and showed me all the steps to check and replace exactly like your video. Saved a bundle , keep the great videos coming.
Two years ago the capacitor on my AC unit (Ruud) went after more than 30 years. The technician could not believe the capacitor was the original. When he replaced it, his words were, "Well, I hope this one last that long, but I doubt it." So far so good.
I had my HVAC company do I $100 spring check up non my heatpump. He said my capacitor was out of spec and might fail. He quoted me $750 with a 5 year warrantee. I’m glad I did not let him do it. Thanks for the video I’m searching for one now.
Thanks for the video. AC went down yesterday. I remembered the last time when I called out an AC tech, it was the capacitor. Saw your video and bought a new one. Unfortunately, I am a dope, The old one was so corroded I couldn't see the markings. I took photos, but thought I knew what I was doing and didn't look at them when I installed it. After I realized it wasn't working correctly, I looked at my photos and realized the problem. I got it hooked up correctly and AC is working. I should have left the old one in place and just switched out the wires when i got the new one. Thank you for taking the time to make the video.
I worked as an office manager for AC company in South Texas, another common problem we found a lot was ants getting into the contractor, the part by the capacitor. Basically they’d get squished between contacts preventing then working. Techs recommended putting ant bait (Amdro recommended for fire ants)around the base of your unit if you have/may have ants in the area. Ants aren’t the only insect that can get in there, if you spray bug repellent around the outside of your house also spray around the outside of your AC. Easy preventative measure can save a couple hundred dollars in repairs. I just came across this channel so if this has already been noted, sorry for the duplication 😃.
We service all of our own units around the state(we have many offices) and we do 1 of 2 things, either put the ant killer around the units, or switch to the electronic relay that has no contacts when one has to be replaced, then we don't need to keep putting out the ant killer.
thanks so much for doing this video. i had a "service" for my hvac yesterday and the tech said the capacitor was weak. he showed me a reading of 35 and i asked him about replacing it. he had one on the truck....lol. cost to replace it was at $350 or $500 for the heftier model. i said nope, will wait till it breaks. came in and checked capacitors and saw the low prices of 10-30 buck on almost any of them. i saw your video today and see my capacitor was pretty much where it is supposed to be. thanks for doing this video. saved me a bunch of unnecessary expense. need to watch the cleaning video....thanks again.
heat index has been over 100 here in east TN for a while, air went out last night and ace hardware had what i needed today, fixed in 5 minutes. we got cold air. thanks my dude!
I spent $215 today to have this replaced and wish I’d known it was this simple. Second time in the last two years and I should have learned the first time. Thank you for this video!
Give this dude some money! I just did. He saved me hundreds and the repair literally took 10 minutes. Happened during a heatwave and I’m back up in no time.
Great video. Replaced mine 3 times over the years. So glad I learned how to do it as the HVAC guy wanted 200$ before I learned myself. Part itself was I think 8-12 dollars. Thank You 🙏🏼
@@diyhvacguy Thanks for posting! I have a question. I recently purchased a spare fan capacitor for my 15 year of system. It was replaced once about 7 years ago at a cost of 330 dollars. The top of the capacitor is so rusted that I can not determine what terminal is what. I do have an ORANGE AND PURPLE going both to one. A YELLOW going to one by itself. A BROWN going to one by itself. Is the following correct? Brown is fan. Yellow is herm. And the purple and Orange is on the common.
@@sagelow3274well if its so easy with no school. and you make alot of money in it bc its a greedy business. I dont understand why you havent made your own hvac company yet?
@@joejohnson2478I had same issue where it was rusted and I just took a picture and lines it up with the label on the front and made sure the wires where placed in the same place on the new capacitor
I live in Arizona. Woke up in a pool of sweat this morning, 89 degrees in the house. Watched your video. $36 later and 30 minutes, AC is fine. Thanks Buddy! Keep Rockin! Everyone, take his advice. Where I bought my capacitor, they told me due to new EPA laws, things don't last long anymore. I paid $450 for this 3 years ago.
You lie about the 30 min....... really? from swealtering heat to fixed in 30 min? Really? Also.... you paid 450 dollars for a freeking capacitor? I don't believe it, not for 30 min!
@@miketobin2324 Yes, it can take 30min or less to replace a capacitor. And the $450 is what he was charged the time before this time when he hired a professional to come do it. Did you really not understand this?!?!
I lost my trust in HVAC guy years ago...after getting ripped off so many times. I am so happy for these informative and honest clip to help home owners help themselves... Man you are an amazing person!! HVAC trust is now restored!
Thank you! My house has a heat pump, and every 4-5 years the capacitor fails. The last time it happened, I checked and saw that the capacitor had failed (it had expanded and was leaking oil). I called my HVAC company (who had inspected the unit a month earlier) and told them what I needed, and they still charged me $200 for a "diagnostic charge" and $400 for the replacement. I was really annoyed that they charged me $200 when the cause was already known and obvious. Greedy jerks!
The do make better quality capacitors in the USA which should last longer. Always get 440V capacitor and MARS makes high quality capacitors which will last far longer, and they only cost around $10 more.
As a hvac technician, I appreciate any information the customer gives me but I like to do my own diagnostic on the unit (I charge $75 diagnostic) because there may be a reason your capacitor keeps going bad. After replacing the cap I always check other parts of the unit and take readings as the unit is working. I’m glad home owners are more handy but knowledge of hvac is always a high priority to repair any hvac issue
You not only saved me hundreds but my family from a very unpleasant day. I just saw what you did and looked at my specs, went to ace hardware to get the right capacitor and fixed it for 35 dollars in less than an hour. Life saver!
I was quoted $289 for a “Condenser Superboost kit” this week. I think Im going to replace the capacitor and give it a good cleaning ($179) myself. This company is always trying to upsell me on stuff which drove me to your site.
Bro thank you so much for making this video. I called a HVAC company and they quoted me $1200 to replace a capacitor. After watching your video and spending $48 I did it on my own and now the A/C is back up and running!
Couple year ago the A/C on my travel trailer wouldn't fire up the compressor. I had a feeling it was just a $25 run capacitor. Reached out to a couple RV repairmen. First guy wanted $350 just to come out and look at the unit. Other suggested that I just replace the entire A/C unit since this is probably the beginning of my problems with the unit. His quote was just under $2000 for it installed. I decided to go with my gut and buy the run cap and install it myself. My A/C was fixed and the worst part is these repairmen probably knew this was the problem since I suggested it and wanted to make a bunch of money and dismissed it completely.
People like you, videos like this are truly life savers. I don't know how far you are, but if you are ever in California, the carne asada and ALL its peripherals are on me my guy! You are awesome!
Thanks so much! This fixed my problem. HVAC techs were all booked up and behind in my area due to summer just starting. I didn't want to wait. You saved me at least 2 days of miserable heat in the house and hundreds of dollars!
This saved me no telling how much in repair costs. I easily followed the video to check the capacitor with a multimeter and swap a new one out. One caveat - whatever was going on with the capacitor also blew one of the fuses in the safety switch that you need to pull out before doing any work on the unit. Once I replaced the capacitor, it still wouldn't run until I installed a new fuse in the switch. If you have the same problem with a new capacitor, be sure and try a new fuse (or both) as well.
You're not kidding when you say that this knowledge can save hundreds if not thousands of dollars. I am pretty handle and tackle many jobs often because I have a hard time getting folks to even call back when I need work done. A week ago my pretty old, but generally reliable Ducane central air unit stopped cooling. So I called my regular HVAC business that I have used pretty consistently over the years. The conversation immediately went to refrigerant loss and if it's R22 (it was) the probability was high that a complete replacement unit would be the best course of action. And, of course, a diagnostic call would be a minimum of around $300 just to come out. Thankfully they were pretty busy and wouldn't even be available for a diagnostic call until the following week. And from that point on all I am wrestling with is the good money after bad repair scenario and should I just bite the bullet and go with a new unit. I was pretty convinced that was my fate. I also remembered that I have a good friend in the business so if a replacement was needed I'd trust him with the work. So, on Saturday I decided that I would take a quick video to document the issue, something I had not yet done. Cooling switched on at the thermostat, ran outside and witnessed a buzzing compressor with an occasional clock trying to start but failing in that attempt. That had me curious. So, after digging into videos like this one a good portion of the day, I felt confident enough digging deeper into the unit to see what I can find. I had absolutely nothing to lose at that point. And wouldn't you know it. I no sooner pulled the wiring/component cover than the capacitor showed itself as the top and bottom bulging, badly rusted, used up unit that it was. Probably the original from 2007 and served it's time well. Sunday I rang up my friend and he actually had a suitably sized capacitor in his stock. I picked that up, installed it with no issues and the unit was immediately back in fine working form. That part cost me $10.00!!! Time will tell if it holds but for now with a short run to the end of the season for us in the Northeast, I am up and running with the money still in the bank. So I thank The DIY HVAC Guy, and all the other RU-vidrs for freely sharing their hard acquired knowledge so that dummies like me can confidently and successfully tackle these sorts of projects.
I have for many years kept two spare capacitors and two contactors. Being able to replace them has saved me thousands dollars over the past 18 to 20 years. Last year, the savings paid for my entire new a/c system and more.
My home warranty offered a free pre-summer A/C inspection. Tech comes and tells me my unit is fine, but capacitor looked like it was on its last leg and offered to change it for $150, which i declined. Now after seeing this clip, I'm going to prepare myself and get a capacitor from Amazon, just in case. Thanks for the info.
I wonder what the symptoms are and how you diagnose a capacitor being on its “last leg”? Techs are trained and told to find something to replace on service calls. 👀
This video was incredibly helpful! The only thing I would say is that the colors of the wires in my unit were different than this video..which I quickly realized once I started the unit as the fan motor quickly got hot and was making a sound I knew wasn’t right 😅 But I switched the wires and boom, cool air! Thank you!!
Fantastic video. Noticed my AC was not working last night. Watched this video this morning, and was able to determine that my capacitor was not functioning correctly. Replaced it with a new capacitor for $24.99 and now my AC works again.
Wow! I just had this done. I trust the tech I called and they were finished in about 45 min, I think the total was about $190. I looked up the part and just like you said $15. Thanks
That’s a great price to be honest. I’ve heard of companies charging 700 because homeowners don’t know the difference between a capacitor and a condenser. 🤷🏻♂️
You saved my day! Happy I found your tutorial this worked and was so easy. Hardest part was driving to get the new capacitor, which was only 7 minutes away. Thank you!!
Why did you replace a 45/5 with a 35/5 capacitor? Does that not matter? Great video. This will save a homeowner several hundred bucks. I had a repair guy tell me that it was $350 to replace the $10 capacitor and add the hard start. That was 3 years ago. I went to Grainger and replaced it myself.
Nice! No I apologize for any confusion on that. I just used the 35/5 as one to compare and read the values with. I should have tested the 45/5 but hind sight is 20/20 right. Thanks for watching! Cheers
@@sh-zm7xlno you cant, the 45uf is to help start the compressor, the 5uf is to help start the outdoor fan. If you use a 35uf over a 45uf. Your compressor might not start or it will pull more amps and make it run higher in amps. Which will kill your compressor faster. Why this guy does give out great advice and great helpful videos for DIYers. The science and method behind it, is crucial.
Extremely grateful for this video. Quoted for 400 AUD to replace the capacitor. It cost me 60 AUD to replace the capacitor and around 1hr of time. Thanks much appreciated👍
Spot on! Perfect and simple explanation. I had experience with my old compressor so I had a head start. This video is very clear on the replacement procedure.
Installed the part mentioned in the Description on our Lennox M/N 10ACC-060-230-02. Turned On-Off from the basement Circuit Breaker giving 20 seconds before turning it back on. Blower in the Basement has lots of condensation. Need to replace the filter also. So waiting on house to cool down. Hopefully. Thanks for sharing your video.
Great video! My son-in-law got charged $350 for changing capacitor and cleaning the condenser. He thought he got a deal, this was in 2019. I then bought a capacitor for $10 and 5 relays for $20. You should do a video on cleaning the bugs out and replacing the relay. I bought an enclosed relay to keep the bugs out of the contacts, cover this also. Thanks….
That is a good price for all of that work. Thats two hours of work, plus travel time, gas, insurance, retirement, etc. Im all for DIY but people need to stop thinking got ripped off because its something they “could have” done. They fail to consider all of the costs involved to make the call and the technician has a mortgage too.
@@anonymous..- there were 2 condensers there and he only cleaned one, he was just making work for himself so he could charge more. When you go change your oil, do you let them put in a $5 dollar filter and change you $20 or more….. Tell me you let them do that…..?
Thank you for the great video. I have never worked on my AC unit. But thanks to you I found the defective capacitor swapped it out and now we have a cool home again !!! Saved $$$$$$ !!!!
Great video, thanks for sharing! Yes, every DIY person should consider replacing their own capacitor to save a service call. Also, I would avoid the listed $94.31 universal motor run capacitor, it’s too expensive and you are paying for something that you don’t need. It has multiple capacitances for the convenience of working for just about any motor, in other words, it’s like taping together a box full of different size capacitors then connecting the one or two that you need for your particular motor. Spend $10 - $20 for the exact size you need and be done with it.
But I have 5 rental units so I just keep 1 universal to get them up and running same day, then I order the correct part for $10 as needed. So for me, it's nice to have the universal.
You are a life saver, my neighbor had that universal that went bad and was confused to see jumpers 😅. It totally made sense after you explained it. Thank you so much for work. 💪❤️🔥❤️🔥 AC is up and cold ❄️
Good to know. Just had to replace the capsitor on my Goodman unit. Lucky I have a HVAC guy who's my across the street neighbor. $60 later I was up and running.
Had the exact same question myself. With a quick 15 second youtube search, I found the answer very easily. GREAT video on this subject. The link is below: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-ObTpixRWzyQ.html
Oddly enough my AC went out at the end of last summer as well. Had two weeks of stuffy weather but after that we hit the cooler fall days. Thank you for the video.
Really appreciate this video. Not really a handyman but going to try and replace the capacitor myself. Hopefully everything goes well. You just made a new subscriber thanks.
I prefer USA made Titan HD series over the chinese pro series capacitors. The Amrad turbo 200 series are great. Multiple options. Buy one of each and you can fix yours or a family members unit most likely if its a cap issue. Still cheaper than any tech visit to disgnose snd replace. Like mentioned in the video if you can match up your exact size most go for $20 or less.
That capacitor is awesome and such a good idea. I had lightning strike my house a 5 years back and learned how to check everything and the reason the a/c wasn't working was a bad heater control board. I wound up directly wiring up the fan with a fuse and the contactor transformer to 120v plug and put it on a common house timer and got it back going until the heater control board came in (it was in August). This worked great. I have a spare capacitor and contactor ready for when they go bad. The capacitor and contactor on my unit is the original from 2004.
Maybe you should verify that the power is actually off with a volt meter. Sometime the line voltage is bypass in the disconnect so pulling the service disconnect doesn’t always mean you don’t have line voltage going to the equipment.
A very good way to verify if the power is still on or not is when your discharge the built up charge in the compactor it will start sparking a lot if there is still power running to it.
@@AllTattedUp13 I’ve already had it happen to me before and trust me you move fast enough to not short out the unit but it really depends on luck at that point.
Thanks for this video. It was going to be several days before my contractor could make it out to my unit. I fixed it same day for $12 by replacing the capacitor. Hardest thing was finding a place to buy the cap since some supply shops would only sell to Contractors. Got it at Grainger
Really GREAT help for a guy out here in PHX trying to keep the house cool in this 117 degree weather! Bought two capacitors for backup, and a few sets of fuses. Last issue we had was last year putting our family (2 very small children) out of AC during the 120 degree heat wave for about 3-4 days. Ended up watching some of your videos and got the courage to start checking the unit myself. Found out the fuses had popped and replaced them. There was a crazy storm the night before which I guess could have blown the fuses? Who knows. But I DO know that you have no idea how much your content helps people like myself in times of incredible need. So thank you from the bottom of our families heart!
FYI, a 5uF fan capacitor measuring 4.65 uF is *not* within the 5% tolerance - it's 7% out. This might not cause a fan failure, but might be an indication that the cap is degrading, and might cause you to replace the cap even if the compressor side is OK.
1:46 Pretty good video, and not that it really matters, but that is not what a run capacitor does (that's more what a start assist capacitor and potential relay do). I believe you would have to be an electrical engineer to truly understand the purpose of a run capacitor. I've been an HVAC tech for years and I've had it explained to me many times and I still only partially understand its true function. The good thing about run capacitors is they're easy to diagnose, easy to change, and not very expensive.
Last summer I called a tech to come get our system going. All he did was change the capacitor and add 1/2 pound of Freon. The bill was $750. I was shocked. When I called to complain they couldn’t understand why I was upset. I will do it myself next time.
I feel your pain. I have spent stupid money on two new split systems. I took HVAC tech classes and got EPA certified. I'll do my own work from here on. Tools are cheap compared to having them come out and replace a unit.
