If you remembered to schedule regular maintenance for your air conditioning system during the spring, then your home’s AC has a great chance of making it through the summer heat without running into a major malfunction. That is, after all, one of the main reasons to have maintenance done in the first place.
This doesn’t mean you can simply forget about your air conditioner for the rest of the summer. No amount of maintenance can possibly prevent all malfunctions, and there are a few problems that may crop up because of the heat. One of them is capacitors that start to fail and eventually burn out. This will leave you with an AC that can’t deliver the cool air your family needs for comfort.
What Is a Capacitor?
A capacitor is a key electrical component in many appliances. It holds an electrical charge, like a temporary battery, and then transmits the voltage as needed. In an air conditioning system, the capacitors send voltage to the various motors that run the fans and the compressor. Start capacitors are responsible for getting the motor running, and run capacitors send voltage at regular intervals to keep the motor running. Without capacitors, essential parts of an air conditioner would not work.
Capacitor Burn-Out
High heat levels will cause capacitors to begin to lose their ability to store an electrical charge. As a capacitor begins to fail, it will create clicking noises. This is the major warning sign that you need to call on repair technicians to remedy the problem. Another warning sign is when the air conditioner begins to “hard-start,” i.e. experience difficulty coming on. Hard-starting will place excess wear on many components and needs to be fixed as soon as possible.
An AC technicians can easily replace failing or burnt-our capacitors with new ones. Please don’t attempt this yourself! Electrical jobs like this must always be left to trained professionals.
For fast and effective air conditioning repair in Eugene, OR and the surrounding areas, contact Comfort Flow Heating.
