One of the most frequent service calls we get in regards to air conditioning repairs has to do with electrical system problems. AC units inherently involve a variety of components, circuits, and connections that all have to work seamlessly together for your cooling system to function properly. Even a seemingly minor component failure can affect your AC.<\/p>\n
There\u2019s a group of components in your air conditioner that you should especially be concerned about: the capacitors. Without your capacitors, the motors that power your compressor and fans wouldn\u2019t be able to operate. Read on to discover what your AC capacitors do and what can go wrong if one fails.<\/p>\n
Capacitors are\u00a0somewhat like short-term batteries. They are small, cylindrical objects that can store energy within an electrostatic field. Each one is attached to a corresponding motor and either sends a jolt to start that motor up\u2014start capacitor\u2014or a regular series of jolts in order to keep the motor running\u2014appropriately referred to as the run capacitor. \u00a0In your air conditioning system, capacitors work within three different motors: the compressor, the blower, and the outside fan.<\/p>\n
Capacitors can go bad for a number of reasons. Excess power form a surge can negatively impact them, or they could wear down to the point that they can\u2019t hold a charge anymore. As a capacitor starts to fail, you\u2019ll typically hear a clicking sound from within the cabinet.<\/p>\n
When your run capacitors fail, the motors they\u2019re attached to will still try to run. However, you\u2019ll likely hear a humming sound rather than the normal sound that a running motor makes. Be sure not to ignore this\u2014doing so can cause the motor to burn out and require a full replacement.<\/p>\n