Here in Orlando, FL, our air conditioners are an absolute lifeline during the heat of summer. Temperatures climb to stiflingly high levels, and when repairs need to happen, they need to happen very quickly indeed. The more you can educate yourself about the various components that make up your system, the more readily you can respond to a problem. Today, we’re going to talk about the capacitors in your air conditioner, which usually serve two distinct functions. In some air conditioners, you have two separate capacitors, and in others, you have one capacitor that does both jobs. In both cases, the component stores an electric charge for running the fan motor and other key parts.
The Start Capacitor
Air conditioners tend to use a lot of energy starting up, as the motor needs to get up to speed very quickly in order for the system to do its job. The start capacitor carries a large charge for that to happen, deployed in a short-term burst, and ensuring that there’s no problems with the system starting up. When start capacitors fail, the system usually refuses to turn on at all.
The Run Capacitor
Once the system is up and running, the fan motor still needs a charge to keep operating. That’s the duty of the run capacitor. It uses a much lower charge than the start capacitor, since running a system requires a lot less energy than getting up to speed, but it must to so continuously in order for the system to do its job. When run capacitors fail, the system engages is short cycling: turning on and off rapidly many times throughout the day and wasting a huge amount of energy in the process.
If you have a problem with your capacitors, it could disrupt your entire air conditioning system. Call the pros at Downtown Air and Heat to make it right!
