Bad Capacitor Maybe In Central Air Conditioner ?
My a/c appears to be dying. When the thermostat turns on, the system does not always crank up immediately - sometimes not at all.. Last night it was dead so I left the breakers off overnight and when I went to turn them on this morning the system worked fine and brought the temperature down to the thermostat setting. Then once it turned off and the temperature started to rise it would not turn on again. I replaced the thermostat batteries, and even replaced the thermostat itself.....no luck. Perhaps the capacitor is going bad...what do you think? The inside unit is 3 years old and the outside unit is somewhat older. Right now we are strapped for cash to get a pro come and take a look so I am hoping I could do something myself. Any ideas ?- could it be the capacitor ?....how can I test it.? I have a multimeter and some electronics knowledge. Thanks
Answer:
Does the breaker servicing the system pop when it doesn't start? If it doesn't it's probably not the capacitor. If it does, it MIGHT be, but it could also be a compressor on its way to the grave. It'difficult to properly test a capacitor with just a multimeter. Substituting a new ocapacitor with the same ratings makes more sense. They don't cost that much.