Capacitor replacement on a 2002 Rheem central air conditioner

IMPORTANT: One thing I forgot to mention in the video is to make sure that your capacitor is discharged before handling any of the terminals and this can be done by shorting the terminals together with a screwdriver.
On a day when it's not threatening rain, I'll open it up and clean all the trash from out of the inside.

[@erikj.2066]

Old cap had the tell tale puffy top, just like what you see with failing radial caps. Good quick fix. If I may make a humble recommendation; It looked like a fair amount of leaves on the bottom, under the fan. A good clean out of debris, and a hose down of the condenser coil would help to keep it healthy, and running efficiently.

[@TLSadler]

Great video! Thank you! My old capacitor didn't have any marking for the Hern, Fan, C connections. Your detailed explanation of where to connect each wire really helped me out. Thanks again!

[@craignehring]

I've been down this road a few times I now have a spare capacitor waiting to be installed which reminds me I should do that I was going to do it last summer

[@jazbell7]

You just deprived a HVAC repairman out of a $200 service charge. Job killer!! Just kidding of course, I have done that myself several times.

[@KenKen-ui4ny]

Hard to find good HVAC repair companies nowadays that don't rip you off like that.

[@jazbell7]

I have a good HVAC tech right now, but he is thinking about retiring. I can't do HVAC any more at age 81.

[@badnarc6620]

Thanks for the excellent video. I might mention that on my unit, the factory capacitor has a plastic cover over the entire capacitor and fits vertical in a hole with two screws holding it down. Several other capacitors are made for this air conditioner which work fine, but may be different shapes or diameter and may require a metal strap to hold them down.

[@teacfan1080]

Radiotvphonoa/cnut! Great repair, with the heat and humidity on the way, nice to have that working again!

[@olradguy]

The spinamathing on the end of the rototweebulator was working pretty good, geez I think I watch too many YT vids.

[@SoCal9705]

Thank you so much for this video. I have the same unit so it was particularly helpful. While I don't have a history of "messing" with electricity, your video does give me confidence.

[@stephtronix1811]

Lucky you heard that because it doesn't take long to burn the compressor motor when the cap fails like that even do it has is hone cut out circuit!! Good timing!! Just like you, I doubt that the new cap would last as long. You have a good day sir! Steph

[@paulh6591]

3:30 Given the vibration in a compressor/fan unit, you'd thing the manufacturer would care enough to line the sheet metal cutout holes through which high voltage wires run with rubber grommets! I love your radio repair videos.

[@michaelgmario]

I’m a little late. Found the video I needed. Thank you old man. Would by you a beer if I could.

[@RODALCO2007]

Put a date on it and see how long it will last for.

[@paulh6591]

I have a Ducane HVAC unit in which the run capacitors for both the ductwork fan and the compressor failed within the first ten years. The cheapo replacement for the indoor fan has lasted, but the dual-purpose outdoor one lasts maybe three years. The key is to have an extra of each on hand so a repair takes minutes.... I Don't wait for a failure that is bound to happen; it pays to note the specs for your caps and have 'em on hand!

[@freddydoe6347]

Why is the unit so exposed to the elements? Build a structure to keep out the rain, snow and leaves etc. It's always the capacitor. Put new cap' or cap's in and it will work...lol.

[@anselb2000]

Nice job. I always get nervous seeing someone run their fingers across capacitor terminals. Might be a shocking development.

[@daleburrell6273]

anselb2000 This particular capacitor was connected in an AC circuit, so there is no stored charge- but it's always 'better to be safe than sorry'!!!

[@cat-lw6kq]

Same with microwave ovens my co worker got shocked scared the carp out of me.

[@stevexray6253]

It seems that people who are doing craft work now are not craftsmen. A real craftsman would have never not put your screws back in the unit. Not knowing what you're doing is no longer keeps people from trying it. Good job radiotvphononut! 👍 😆

[@jasonthejawman5442]

Video was very helpful

[@donaldbrowning2099]

Another great repair! And great channel 👍👍👍

[@MsCori76]

My ac unit blew the same capacitor but when it blew, it burnt out other parts & caused damage so I ended up replacing the unit with a brand new one as my reverse cycle air conditioner is a ducted system through my house. The old one was only 3 years & was a crap brand too.

[@fuzzwack1]

What about all the leaves under the fan,Should it be vacuumed out?

[@jameslucas6589]

Robert Hardwick Why? As I was informed, it lasted 15 years so what should I point out anything? And there are American cap makers.

[@microtouch69]

That's the first time I ever heard you get excited. :)

[@seatboi]

Just ANOTHER crappt-out cap! LOL! Nice job, there, Bryan!

[@THOMMGB]

I'm glad you passed along this information. Where did you buy the replacement capacitor and how much did it cost? Regards, Tom

[@billmyke746]

Winning.

[@umajunkcollector]

was the motor idler wheel good rubber? I guess that it had a good needle.

[@olradguy]

umajunkcollector Nah,just some zoom spout oil:-)

[@umajunkcollector]

perhaps the motor needed some nonvaginal lubrikink?

[@helioshaul3924]

Great Job.

[@MrArfisher]

Would it be wise to lube the motor bearings or not?

[@craignehring]

arthur fisher On the fan, sure if you can find the lube ports. The hermetically sealed compressor of course is sealed and will not require oil to be changed

[@daleburrell6273]

arthur fisher The motor likely has sealed bearings, so trying to oil them might not be possible.

[@cardboardboxification]

arthur fisher they don’t have bearings... they have a brass bushing... and a oiled felt around it that supplies the oil for the life of the motor..

[@leesanders6490]

I wonder how much money you saved on this repair.

[@radiotvphononut]

Had I call a service company, they would have probably charged me at least $250 for doing what I did.

[@TLSadler]

@@radiotvphononut Where I am its $200 for the visit $80 an hour for work (min. 1 hour) then whatever they would charge for the part.

[@OlegKostoglatov]

Just in case the China made motor cap doesn't last I would order a spare in from Mouser or DigiKey of a reputable brand. Comments made about cleaning out the debris from inside the unit are quite right, as well as cleaning the condenser coil, the compressor will live longer that way.

[@mailboy79]

That was interesting & fun.

[@markmarkofkane8167]

Unlikely the China made cap will last 2 years.

[@PecanPie1102]

Could you have used a Radio capacitor, maybe nichikon

[@misterhat5823]

No.

[@HDXFH]

Old ones had it

[@stphinkle]

I bet that’s a lot of people want to sell you a new compressor when all it was a bad capacitor

[@wrnchhead76]

Love this guy lol

[@HalonPoisoning]

Argh. I wish I knew this stuff 2 years ago. I could've saved my mom 200 bucks! :/

[@jameslucas6589]

Well with all due respect sir, the biggest issue with that condenser is it is a Rheem. That company is riding at the BOTL when it comes to quality. PurE garbage. I don’t care, caps are caps but the compressor and the coils fail regularly. My dad loved them because of the pricing as he was a HVAC contractor. Lennox, Trane, and Carrier products were so much nicer but they cost another 20-25%. My dad was a superb mechanical contractor, but he hated sales. So he didn’t realize the _value-_ he could pass along to the customer via the workmanship and design those companies put out. Thank you for the video.

[@JohnSurf5]

James Lucas it looks like it's lasted 15 years which is impressive in today's world!

[@erikj.2066]

Hey, go through the trouble to make/post a helpful video about a simple repair on your car. I’ll then feel the need to inform you that in my opinion, the brand of your car is a POS, and you would have been better off with brands X/Y/Z, because their marketing has convinced me they’re better. I’ll even ignore the fact that your car may have obviously already given you 15-20 years of good service. 😉

[@jameslucas6589]

Erik J. No problem. However, regardless of the fact the unit is 15 years old, it should have lasted 15 years. It should last 30. And like many things Americans seek, it should cost only $39.99. That is about as much as most Americans are willing to part with. And BTW, there are companies in America still making canned caps. He could have bought one. I too was a contractor. There are cities in the US that have noise abatement codes, such as Cerritos, California. Condensers can be and are very noisy; annoyingly so. Some companies like Rheem, American Standard, do not care about the codes, little alone annoying the customer. Other companies do. Lennox e.g. brands their product with quiet technology. The compressor is not sitting wide open to the elements, but in a fully enclosed insulated compartment. The condenser fan moves more air a a far lower dB. The overall SEER has always been higher and with things such as oil tubes built into the suction line, to measure the superheat and solid access port valves, the units are made with quality. I have worked on Rheems many years. Rheems -all in one- stamped metal design offers the worst type of restriction for air flow for the condenser fan. They do not offer even access ports on their models from that era.. How does one check the Freon level effectively? I did not run the industries into building cheap crap, the American consumer did Normally, that’s all they want. But it is so pervasive , that crap is what you get no matter what. That is sad. Americans let this happen. Want America great? Then the consumer must open their pocket book and demand quality, like Europeans. But it will never happen. Take care.

[@DJPenguino51]

Steer clear of any manufacturer that uses those dreadful microchannel coils, whether it be evaporator or condenser. They are prone to leaks.

[@OlegKostoglatov]

The U.S manufacturers cut corners on quality in part because of so many cut rate units being imported from Asia to compete with U.S made ones, and they thought they had to go along with it since they assume that the consumers think that they are all the same. Our Australian friends like HDXFH and Aussie50 can tell you all about the Asia import junk air conditioners that get dumped there, especially the split systems. I don't agree about all Americans being cheap though, if you can demonstrate that they will get value for the money they will usually pay it. Sometimes they will pay more under the perception that they are getting value for money when they really are not, like Apple products today, or Sony products in the 1980s-90s, or with many German brand cars, sometimes all it takes is image and marketing. Most Europeans can't even afford a central HVAC system, many governments over there take away 1/2 (or more) of their income through taxes of various kinds.