How To Test An Electric Motor Capacitor

Run capacitors maintain a fairly consistent voltage supply and increase the torque of hvac motors at startup.

How to test an electric motor capacitor. This article series gives electric motor start run capacitor and hard. You can check to see whether a capacitor is good or bad using an ohm meter but first you have to remove the capacitor from the circuit and discharge it. A damaged or burnt out capacitor may hold only a fraction of the energy needed for the motor if its capacitance is low. Many household appliances have an electric motor start capacitor and when this wears out the motor doesn t have enough energy to cycle on.

Replace the capacitor if it fails the test again. Use a screwdriver to open your machine and locate the capacitor. If the capacitor does not test as described above short out the capacitor leads one more time in case residual voltage is in the capacitor. This article gives a description of electric motor capacitor test procedures to determine if a capcitor is damaged or working normally test procedures to measure the capactor s capacitance or microfarads mfd or uf to determine if it is working within its rated capacitance range.

Retest the capacitor with the meter. Use needle nose pliers with an insulated handle to remove wires. A bad motor capacitor may cause starting problems or could shut off the motor while running. Motor capacitors store electrical energy for the motor to use.

Capacitors are metal tubes that store an electric charge usually found near a motor in the appliance. The higher the capacitance of the capacitor the more energy it can store.