How to test a Dual Run Capacitor from Air Conditioner with a Multimeter

[@DGK284]

A capacitor only passes AC and so will normally show an infinite resistance at DC. The technique shown in this video works because the initial application of the ohm meter hits the capacitor with a current transient (i.e., AC). The capacitor provides a relatively low resistance to this pulse of AC current, which is why the meter reading fluctuates before settling to the "infinite" resistance reading.

[@ryanjohnson2366]

zdx up

[@monteporche5552]

yes, but importantly, it doesn't show that the capacitor is necessarily "good." It just shows that it is acting as a capacitor. You could have a 45MFD capacitor on your unit that is now only 20MFD, and it will act the same way.

[@jollyscaria1922]

Due capactier c comn using f fan h starting point using bad ok repcaing testing met checking conushitly checking good bad testing restans show bad ok not showing valved ad mfd mick fard capciyer other point ocomon c point

[@jeremyproctor3357]

​@@jollyscaria1922wtf language is that?? Lmao

[@jhgillmd]

@@jollyscaria1922totally 😜

[@everykeij0]

Easy to understand! You even used a multimeter that most people would have. Good job sir 👏👏👏

[@aceflyer66]

Just to clarify, if the reading doesn't deviate from 0L, that means the capacitor is bad?

[@keith1542]

simple easy to understand and not 20 minutes of talking and 30 seconds of testing. Thank you.

[@jflores7438]

I can’t believe some people hit the thumbs down on this video. It was perfect, you didn’t go on with minutes of irrelevant subjects like some other KZbin videos. Right to the point thanks I was able to determine mine was bad and got a new one for $10.00

[@liveandletlive2894]

Just saying this isnt the proper way to do it and will often be wrong

[@matthewtrevino154]

@@liveandletlive2894 it’s probably not but it’s quick and easy troubleshooting to a least figure out what to do next. Still gives your information, it wasn’t useless

[@jollyscaria1922]

Good showing ohms tsying bad not low some not showing

[@jlbush8249]

@@matthewtrevino154It was useless. Just because it shows Ohms doesn’t mean the capacitor still isn’t bad/weak. To know for sure and to get accurate readings the multimeter needs to be set to capacitance, not ohms. And then verify the readings based on the label on the capacitor.

[@glong2720]

@@jlbush8249 Then why don't you make a video, if you are so knowledgable?

[@bigtxbullion]

Pretty sure i watched this 6 yrs ago and had to replace again today after a wicked thunderstorm knocked out power. The gift that keeps on giving. Ty 🤠🤙

[@jackieroberts6316]

Thanks for this clear, simple explanation! Last week, we lost power during a thunderstorm and, when it came back on 90 minutes later, the AC did not. I ohmed out the run capacitor as your video demonstrated and got identical results - herm good, fan bad. Picked up a new cap from a local supplier and had the AC running again less than an hour after watching this. Even better, cost when our AC service company fixed the identical problem three years ago: $199. My cost incl. 1 hour labor @$0.00/hour: $12.02.

[@jessezuniga1280]

That's awesome your time has zero cost

[@cesarcoronado2988]

Exactly what I needed! I thought I needed a multimeter with MF units, and i only have the multimeter you show here, so great to know i could still test the AC capacitor. Thanks!

[@theHOAmestead]

Similar situation here, my multimeter doesn't have the MFD setting and every other video I've seen so far only recommends that setting! This will help me diagnose my capacitor!

[@keithwollaver2307]

I will add that a bad cap can be just dead as in this video. It can also be out of spec causing harm to the units to which it is connected, so this test at least confirms if your cap has any life but not if it is within spec. Also, don't always assume the cap is bad. At least visually look at the other components in the system for bad wiring and other potential causes. This is a clever video.

[@HardRockMaster7577]

Right, this test shows if a cap is dead, but the more important thing to know is if the the working cap is in spec. So this video covers half of the testing.

[@mts7274]

@@HardRockMaster7577 how do i test MFD with this type of multimeter?

[@willa1305]

This was exactly what my church needed to test and replace the capacitor! Thanks!!

[@s2perman]

Short, accurate and took it one step further to show how the good one acts on the meter. How to use a meter on hvac - oil burners. Gas burners. Especially the meter useage - cuts down on repair time. Those would be good tutorials. Ones I see they do the work and assume lay people know what’s going on. Excellent

[@robertordewald8678]

Thanks for a QUICK video on this test I need to test a capacitor and needed how to test it. The funny thing is I have the same testor! It's amazing how well a four dollar or less multi meter works. I have better ones but I have this cheapie for use at home. Thanks again Bob Ordewald Staunton Virginia

[@craigkerr9281]

You made this video so simple Absolutely brilliant and filled with integrity

[@jdt8826]

This is the best video ever. Short, quick and to the point. Thank you.

[@StoicTradez]

thanks for the clear and short get to the point video, the one above yours guy keeps talking about a bunch of unnecessary things for 12 minutes before he attempts to get to the point

[@jarhead6153]

Thanks Dan…!!! Used this method to test my “bad” capacitor and saved some coin R&R’ing myself.

[@chefchefan2134]

Good job in teaching use of basic multi-tester using ohms/resistance of capcitors when without a capacitance meter tool! Cool hack!

[@shallenburglar]

Thank you! Every video I watched showed they tested these but didn’t tell us what to set it to or where to place it. Just said “it’s bad, or good”

[@gregk8246]

Great video. I wasn't getting any reading on the MF setting on my meter. This gave me another way to confirm the cap was toast

[@Cooscoop]

finally understand testing capacitors now without all this convoluted info!! Straightforward and to the point

[@TheKing-nu4fk]

Lol this is wrong

[@liveandletlive2894]

@@TheKing-nu4fk why?

[@krismaly6300]

Thanks for educating the community and appreciate your volunteershi and also thanks to your team and your families Please keep posting videos for every small maintenance step by step instructions so that community could do by them selves Educating community is agreat service as Jesus Said

[@ravenwood1135]

😊😊😊 Thanks Dan .Your video was the only one I found that shows how to test with the OHMMETER. I verified I was doing it Wright.

[@glong2720]

Thank you for sharing. I enjoyed the get to the point disclosure.

[@michaelreece458]

Brilliant and thank you. With your exact multimeter on a 10 year old capacitor with no bulge, exactly the same readings on mine...fan side bad....12 bucks for a replacement and I'm back in business.

[@easterlake]

This worked for my diagnosis. Thanks. This won't tell you if the capacitor is producing the correct microfareds, but it will let you know if it's dead. Which mine was, by the way. On a Sunday (of course) plus it was 98 degrees out. Working great now.

[@stephenloague9140]

Just got home and it was over 95 degrees in our house...ac was dead. All of our cats were extremely hot. I've already replaced the capacitor a few years ago. So I went and checked it again. All connections were completely rusted. Fan was kicking on but the compressor wasn't. I tried this and used the exact same meter...none showed anything. Yet the fan was still kicking on....idk. I'm gonna get a new one and try that.

[@easterlake]

@@stephenloague9140 my capacitor was only 3-4 years old also. It is possible for the compressor side to go out on the capacitor and the fan side to still work. Hopefully you're compressor isn't shot....good luck.

[@stephenloague9140]

@@easterlake the prongs are seriously rusted....I figure not getting good contact. Because on occasion the compressor would kick on then back off

[@easterlake]

@@stephenloague9140 hard to say without seeing it. Power off at the breaker, then clean off the terminals with a stiff wire brush. Not sure why you'd be getting moisture in there for it to rust.

[@stephenloague9140]

@@easterlake yeah that's what I was thinking. BUT I posted on a page I'm on what happened. A guy who is an ac repairman just happened to have one on his truck and sold it to me. Put it on and BAM ac kicked on. We looked at it and it looks like it was just getting to hot and burned it up. Said probably from turning on and off so much. Unit is honestly way too small for our house. Its a 2-2.5 ton unit but we have a 2200 sq ft. double wide with vaulted ceilings...honestly we need a 4 ton minimum. I'm going today and checking on a new unit.

[@JaceD4V1S88]

My moms central ac just went out on 4th of july no less. she says its the capacitor, gonna test. thanks so much for this vid

[@stefandavis406]

Great video. Break it down barney style for me and saved me a few hundred bucks on an hvac technician.

[@dannydaniel623]

Great quick video! it answered my questions I had and cut out all the math and BS. Thank you

[@AdamMargie4ever]

Awesome video especially showing the Harbor freight reader as well! Great job

[@richardlilley9716]

Thank you ,great video . Total novice here and you used the same harbour freight mm so I could follow . Much easier than other vids . Appreciate that . I took out capacitor, checked ,need new one .

[@liveandletlive2894]

That 1 isnt from HB though it's the same

[@survyor2]

Thanks for the video. My compressor wouldn’t kick on. I removed the capacitor and tested it. It tested fine. I reinstalled and the ac worked fine again. I’m not sure why but it works.

[@domana100]

Dennis Ritzel. Probably loose wire terminal

[@EVENMETAL]

Thank you 8 years later!

[@YouTubeCertified]

Awesome vid. A guy once told me I needed a special multimeter to check capacitors. Great vid; I needed this

[@0221jimmy]

i just fixed my mom ac after watching video. many thanks G'bless

[@zr1528]

Clutch video. Thank you for saving me some serious time and money.

[@carpetguydalton]

Short simple and to the point. Thank you :)

[@driftwoodmusic007]

Thanks Dan, quick, simple, but thorough. perfect.

[@deplorableb.r.4211]

Good deal. Checking my AC tomorrow. Hoping that's the issue. Thx.

[@nitroboom1282]

Note sometimes cap stores charge and can shock you badly if you don’t discharge them anyway nice video

[@tomauerbach2321]

Awesome, short and right to the point. Thank you!

[@DantheFixitMan]

No problem, Thanks for the nice comment! -Dan the Fix it Man

[@bobholcombe8001]

Great video... short and to the point. Thanks!

[@dalenassar9152]

NICE VIDEO!! ...should have shown discharging of the cap before the tests.....

[@johnnugent5923]

Good video. Too the point, clear and factual. Also explains the meter settings.

[@philliproberts3180]

Perfect for laymen now I understand. Well done thankyou.

[@Lisasmall1991]

Hey bud dont wanna be rude but you check a capacitor with the microfared reading from commom to fan should be whatever the rating for the fan is (5) the meter jumpimg is just the resistor in your meter discharging the cap. Im a tech

[@fwacfred]

Thanks, I have the same meter and did what you showed and it was my fan side connector. Saved me a bunch of money and did the repair myself.

[@SweaterVestNetwork]

Dan the Man! a great explanation! Should a capacitor be oriented while in service so the terminals are at the top or can they be put in service laying on their side?

[@donb7914]

This does work for rudimentary testing. You do need to short the charge on the capacitor first. The longer the test meter ranges, it will show a relative charge capacity. I had the 45 side of a 45/5 capacitor go bad. Capacitance meter showed only .42 uF on the 45 uF side. The meter ranged about 11 seconds on the 5 uF side and barely 1 second on the 45 uF side. Bingo!

[@badcrcz]

I have a Whynter ARC-14SH 14000btu portable AC unit that stopped cooling. Everything works but the compressor doesn't kick on. I've tested the relay on the circuit board and it works and is sending 122V to the compressor. When I set the temp below ambient temp the relay clicks and 122V is flowing to the compressor red wire. I also removed the capacitor and using your test the ohms keep climbing, so it looks good. I just tested the voltage going to the capacitor with the unit turned on and there's no voltage. There's a brown and blue wire coming from the circuit board to a connection block where one of the capacitor wires connects. The brown wire goes to the top of the block and has 122V. The blue wire goes to the bottom of block and none of the wires have voltage.

[@madagascar2203]

Thank you, cause my multimeter doesn't have farad measuring

[@jhgillmd]

I died laughing at Herman Munster. Thanks for providing comic relief (and a great video) for my frustrating day

[@SZlironcapacitor]

Here's a great test video

[@josesoto2079]

Thank you Mr Dan now l go back to my a/c unit to do my test on my capacitor

[@richardvila3]

Will try it when I get mines today

[@stephanierettig8593]

Awesome explanation! Thank you! 🙏🏼

[@minionay]

finally a great detailed video!!!! THANKS YOU SAVED ME $$$$$$$

[@DantheFixitMan]

Glad to hear my video helped you out. Thanks for watching! -Dan the Fix it Man

[@vanhogan2179]

Thank you very good and straightforward video.

[@ibtarnine]

Thank you. Every other video says to check mfd but my cheap multimeter doesn't have a setting for that.

[@boorayin2773]

Do I have to disconnect/remove the capacitor to check it with my newly purchased multimeter, please? Thx for the video.

[@LynyrdSkynyrd.4Ever]

yes

[@johnhumphries8793]

The Herman Munster reference was funny. I watch that old show on MeTV.

[@krustyoldsmoker85]

Thanks man going to give you a shot in a couple of minutes Southwest Florida Central AC has been out 3 weeks 90 degrees everyday hope it works he he he

[@krustyoldsmoker85]

Yep both capacitors were bad the shingle and the duel caps were burnt replace them washed the condenser good that sweetheart runs like brand new I only spend 50 bucks Grainger Supply has what you need y'all have a cool day I will he he he

[@Ojb_1959]

Can you test it still on the unit and all wired up?

[@rickmisterly3584]

Simple and easy. Just what I was looking for

[@gerardocadena7189]

This will not tell you if the capacitor is within specific μF. Depending on the capacitor there's a percentage that it has to be in. If it's lower than it's rated percentage it will not be working at it's fullest potential. It's ok just to make sure that it's an ok capacitor but that's all.

[@hpsportsfanatic]

Why is it if I flip the probes I get a reading but if I do black to common I don’t?

[@jeffloucks2120]

Thank you for the video. Tested mine and get no reading on herm or fan. Odd thing is my fan will run but I'm the compressor is not coming on/no cooling. Is that even possible or am I misunderstanding?

[@marklowe5939]

Yes it’s possible one side of the dual run capacitor could be bad. You really need a mf setting to actually test it. If you have say a 35-5 mf dual run capacitor the fan side should read 5mf and the herm side should read 35mf. I found out because I did this test and it didn’t work . I got a capacitor for nothing. My fan motor was shot.

[@Boye_Emmanuel]

Please when a capacitor test continuty is the capacitor okay?

[@angelarilang7965]

Thank you! It's really helping me...

[@DantheFixitMan]

+angela rilang Glad to hear my video helped you. Thanks for watching! -Dan the Fix it Man

[@johnlibonati7807]

Thanks! Mine didn’t jump from C to HERM or FAN.

[@frankmontez6853]

Both original and replacement run capacitor are same 12.5 MFD 440/370 VAC but new replaced blower motor has 7.5 MFD listed . Still good ?

[@mts7274]

Where do you set the '2,000' level for ohms? And why do so many vids on youtube say to set the multimeter to "MFD"?

[@fortunermontero3826]

Digital po ba o analog ? Ano magnda gamitin? Kasi po bumalik pla pag capacitance.. pano mo makukuha ng analog actual exact na reading?

[@Baba12xr56]

Right to the point. Thank you!

[@Minu2s]

Thanks, great video!! Appreciate the time.

[@davidgriffin1661]

Excellent info thanks

[@physics4290]

Why didn't you set the meter on capacitance, the symbol right above your on button?

[@StripeyType]

Thanks man - I'm doing this on a window unit so my pregnant wife doesn't have to suffer through the last few months in the heat. Quick question - can you replace a dual-run cap with two correctly-rated single-run caps and tie the common together? Like, electrically, that should work, yeah?

[@knfpumps]

Yes, that will work, no problem.

[@DdD-pi8jw]

Thanks for the help! 👍

[@jofro2040]

how did you know how high to set dial on your meter??

[@J_Cuervo]

Did you discharge the capacitor before testing?

[@darrenzueger2]

Hey Good video. I found my capacitor was bad using the same "Fee" Harbor Freight multimeter when one side of the dual capacitor took over a minute at 2000 ohms charging to the

[@cpwoodcraft2137]

What if they both go to zero on the same setting, same multimeter as you have? I have not disconnected the terminals or removed the capacitor... does that matter? I turned the breaker off and discharged the terminals using a screwdriver.

[@DantheFixitMan]

Yes, it does matter. You need to disconnect any wiring from the terminals on the capacitor to get the proper reading on the multimeter. Thanks for watching! -Dan the Fix it Man

[@cpwoodcraft2137]

Thank you... I unplugged all terminals and redid the test... both fan and compressor side read 1 with no change so I'm on the hunt for a replacement now. Thank you so much!!!

[@DantheFixitMan]

No problem, Thanks again for watching! -Dan the Fix it Man

[@joeretired4552]

You should explain your meter does not have a capacitance function and how you are using the AC function to test.

[@deasttn]

My multimeter slowly moves up similarly to what yours did at the 1:54 mark. I presume that means mine is good...right?

[@flightmaster178]

deasttn yes, it should initially be close to almost no resistance then depending on the size of the capacitor it will climb slowly to infinite ohms if it's large. If it's a smaller one, it'll climb faster. However, this is a generic test and doesn't actually show the capacitance or if it has any leakage.

[@jackpinecreed6587]

Multimeter is cheap..... free at Harbor Freight.... 😂

[@simpliciocamirino2271]

Thank you for that sharing sir.

[@pilotmedic]

What is the simbol I need to put the tester

[@emmanueldarias9675]

Why on good capacitor, the resistance on fan jumps immediately, but on the compressor it jumps slowly?

[@astheticdork7456]

What does it mean when it goes to 58 ohms and stays there?

[@manuelvillalogos119]

Thank you. I was able to check my capacitor and then I went and bought a new one. All in a 2 hour window. I'm also completely inept when it comes to being naturally handy.

[@carlosvega6765]

Would you have to isolate anything like take off a lead of herm etc. to test it while still on the unit

[@DantheFixitMan]

You should disconnect each lead in order to do this test, but you can test it without removing the capacitor from the unit. Thank you, -Dan the Fix it Man

[@marshallborder9089]

Thanks , good lesson

[@rickyal9810]

This test only will show that the cap is open, won't show if it's failing (low uF). To test for a short test to the can/chassis. I noticed the meter he was using also had an actual cap testing setting (at 1 o'clock on the dial). probably should start there to actually test the uF. Then show the ohm method for meters that don't have the cap test setting.

[@abduljgloshaamal8261]

Thank you so much

[@AC9BXEric]

Ohms reading will NOT show negative if you reverse the leads. A poor capacitor may show a decent value when out of circuit but fail under the working voltage when in circuit. A new A/C capacitor for $10 or less is probably junk. There are *imitation* ones out there, they are an empty can with the wrong type of capacitor inside attached to the terminals. It will read an appropriate value when measured but will not function properly nor for very long. If the new one is substantially lighter weight than the original it is junk. Testing if it is trash is fine. But if the unit is not open or shorted it may still be bad.

[@Squirrelnuts3]

Thanks!!! KZbinrs like you are under appreciated!

[@jofro2040]

does this work the same way for smaller caps???

[@popsek]

Thank you so much just solved a problem I had with your video 🙂

[@pabloski1964]

Thank you so much

[@Budrick3Gaming]

I have the same exact multimeter, but when I test mine, or hits 151 and stays there. Any ideas

[@PatriotMango]

I just tested mine and numbers showed for fan and herm and i tested it for a second time and now there's no numbers on either side. Is it trash?

[@harukoyama9515]

I have this Cen Tech Multi meter. How can I use it to measure capacitor? I believe I will need to use ohm setting. Is it correct? Like checking battery resistance. Am I suppose to charge up the battery before test it? Not an electronic guy. Learning as I go. Thanks.

[@walterweiglejr5044]

Said nothing about the setting of the multimeter. what to puit the dial at