When we do a fall tune-up, we have a checklist of items we always go through to make sure every part of your system is working properly. One of these items is checking the blower capacitor.
Older Furnaces
Most older furnaces have a blower capacitor. This creates a phase shift to turn the motor over. Your outdoor units have these as well. This is the part that tells the motor to start running.
The Blower Capacitor
We were just out doing a fall tune-up at the home of a customer who has one of these older units with a blower capacitor. We saw that their capacitor was rated 7 ½ microfarads, but when we tested it, it tested at 5.6, which is well below that limit.
Replace or Not?
When we brought this to the customer’s attention, she opted to go ahead and replace it. Her new capacitor is rated 7.7. It’s going to pull fewer amperes at startup, and it will run much more smoothly!
After that, we ran through the rest of our checklist to ensure the rest of her unit was in great shape and ready for whatever our Texas winter might throw at us.