HVAC Heating Air Conditioning Capacitor Rip Off

Another common practice by some dishonest contractors is to replace a simple small part that many times is not necessary. The capacitor is one of those parts that is relatively inexpensive but when added to a service call the cost adds up fast. Many times these are contractors that instruct their technicians to replace a part, any part on every service call regardless if it is needed or not.

The capacitor is generally a small tin can looking thing with wire terminals on the top, they are generally either round and about 4 inches tall or a wide oval in shape like the one on the left and about the same height. What they do in essence is act like a battery, they store energy and discharge this energy to assist the motor or compressor in your heating or air conditioning system to start and run.

Every capacitor has an energy capacity rating and when the capacitor is greater than 10% low on capacity this is when it should be replaced to prevent the motor or compressor from working too hard to start and/or run. A capacitors capacity is measured in micro-farads and every capacitor has the proper reading usually listed right on it and as part of the part number in many cases.

Homeowners should ask what the capacitor is rated for and they should also ask the technician to document the measurement right on their work order as most will not want to document the rip off scam in writing, be sure to watch and see the measurement yourself. If for example a 100 microfarad capacitor measure 92 micro-farads then this capacitor is perfectly good and does not need replacing. If the same 100 microfarad capacitor measures 90 or below (10% percent rule) then it is time to replace it.

All capacitors must be replaced with the exact same size or capacity as is being replaced, never allow a different size capacitor unless some form of documentation indicates the incorrect size was installed on a previous date.