How To Test An Electric Motor Starter Capacitor

Capacitors are metal tubes that store an electric charge usually found near a motor in the appliance.

How to test an electric motor starter capacitor. The single phase induction motor can be made to be self starting in numerous ways. A start capacitor is only used in the motor circuit for a second or two when it first starts to turn. 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. Once the motor is up to speed the start capacitor disconnects and is not used again until the next time the motor starts.

One often used method is the split phase motors. 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. This video is part of the heating and cooling series of training videos made to accompany my websites.

Another method is the capacitor start induction run motors. This article series gives electric motor start run capacitor and hard. Replace the capacitor if it fails the test again. Retest the capacitor with the meter.

The higher the capacitance of the capacitor the more energy it can store. 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. We know about the activity of a capacitor in a pure a c. A bad motor capacitor may cause starting problems or could shut off the motor while running.

A start capacitor is used to give a motor an extra electrical push to start it turning. This one covers testing of the start capacitor. Use needle nose pliers with an insulated handle to remove wires. Motor capacitors store electrical energy for the motor to use.