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Palisader posted:Hopefully this is a short enough question that it can go in here. Remove the cap and look on the bottom (the side with the connections). It's probably marked there. Edit: It's gonna be one of the 3 similar looking ones on this page: http://www.repairclinic.com/Shop-For-Parts/c12/Capacitor-Parts and you can test it like this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B2p8L-f8kyc Motronic fucked around with this message at 17:22 on May 5, 2014 |
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May 5, 2014 17:11
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Chances of a homeowner having the tools to test a capacitor are slim. Good thing caps are cheap. When my unit's motor went out, I had a little trouble finding a local parts supplier willing to sell me parts without a business account, but they exist if you keep asking.
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May 5, 2014 18:37
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Excellent! I found the numbers on the bottom, and know how to match it up. I found a dual capacitor 440 VAC and 45/4 MFD that's a Trane, but it doesn't match the manufacturer number on mine. Does it matter if I use a different type as long as the voltage and MFD ratings are the same? The video seems to indicate that it's fine, but given that I'm new to DIY I want to make sure. Sorry for the dumb questions, but thank you for your help! Edit: eddiewalker posted:Chances of a homeowner having the tools to test a capacitor are slim. Good thing caps are cheap. Yeah I don't have a multimeter. I could probably beg some people I know to borrow one but I'm thinking at that price I might as well replace it. There's a Trane store nearby that appears to sell to the general public based on the website. Palisader fucked around with this message at 18:42 on May 5, 2014 |
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May 5, 2014 18:39
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eddiewalker posted:Chances of a homeowner having the tools to test a capacitor are slim. Good thing caps are cheap. If you own a home and any tools you should have a multimeter. You can pick up a cheap one that works just fine for $10. While having one may be uncommon around homeowners in general, I found that it is quite common among homeowners who are asking questions like this who have demonstrated the fact that they are willing to try to fix things themselves. If someone in that category doesn't yet have a multimeter it is a sound investment for them. Palisader posted:Yeah I don't have a multimeter. I could probably beg some people I know to borrow one but I'm thinking at that price I might as well replace it. There's a Trane store nearby that appears to sell to the general public based on the website. You can give that a shot, but if it doesn't work chances are very high that the next thing we're going to suggest will involve a multmeter.
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May 5, 2014 18:48
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Palisader posted:Excellent! I found the numbers on the bottom, and know how to match it up. I found a dual capacitor 440 VAC and 45/4 MFD that's a Trane, but it doesn't match the manufacturer number on mine. Does it matter if I use a different type as long as the voltage and MFD ratings are the same? The video seems to indicate that it's fine, but given that I'm new to DIY I want to make sure. As long as the microfarad rating is the same, and the voltage rating is equal or higher than what you have, manufacturers part numbers don't matter. A multimeter is a great tool to keep around, even a free one from harborfreight, but run-of-the-mill ones won't test a capacitor. That was my point. Even my expensive Fluke won't.
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May 5, 2014 18:48
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Motronic posted:If you own a home and any tools you should have a multimeter. You can pick up a cheap one that works just fine for $10. Okay yeah, I found one for like 15 bucks. I'm getting it. I need to pick up an insulated screwdriver anyway before I try discharging that thing.
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May 5, 2014 18:50
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eddiewalker posted:A multimeter is a great tool to keep around, even a free one from harborfreight, but run-of-the-mill ones won't test a capacitor. That was my point. Wait...what? A "run of the mill" multimeter will absolutely give you enough information to figure out if a cap is blown or not. All you need to do is test resistance. You can "charge" it with something like the 1k ohm setting and then switch leads. The needle should swing to 0 ohms and swing back to infinity every time that you reverse. That won't tell you if it's still in spec, but it will tell you if it's totally dead or not.
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May 5, 2014 18:54
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Motronic posted:Wait...what? A "run of the mill" multimeter will absolutely give you enough information to figure out if a cap is blown or not. All you need to do is test resistance. You can "charge" it with something like the 1k ohm setting and then switch leads. The needle should swing to 0 ohms and swing back to infinity every time that you reverse. You linked a video where the guy used a specialized capacitance meter. The resistance test a shadetree way to spot some failures, but not enough to rule out a cap thats just not working well enough to operate. An HVAC cap is like $10. Way cheaper than a service call as a first shot. Also, guy, don't just short the cap with a screwdriver, throwing sparks everywhere. Use a cheap incandescent lamp bulb.
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May 5, 2014 19:21
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Multimeter is probably one of the last tools I would have ever thought to buy. I own way too many tools and don't have one.
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May 5, 2014 19:24
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spwrozek posted:Multimeter is probably one of the last tools I would have ever thought to buy. I own way too many tools and don't have one. Flip through the back of just about any handy-guy-oriented magazine and you have a 30% chance of getting one of these for free at harbor freight.  They even added the ones with transistor testing to the coupon now.
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May 5, 2014 19:34
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Palisader posted:Hopefully this is a short enough question that it can go in here. The factory capacitor on that heat pump is a 45 + 5. If you think/know the compressor and fan are original, then this should work: https://www.amazon.com/Round-Motor-Capacitor-Goodman-Carrier/dp/B004XS1SF6/ You should also see if you have a local supply house where you can get it locally. The reason it's still cold inside is the compressor is still working-- but much harder because if the outdoor fan isn't running then the coils can't transfer as much heat. You should leave it off until you get that fan spinning again. If it's not the cap, then it's probably the fan itself-- the contactor is good if the compressor is kicking on.
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May 5, 2014 19:56
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Since we're on multimeter-chat, I have a question about operating one. I have tried to use one once before, but still haven't quite figured out how to use one properly. It seems every time I try to use one, I fry it by overloading it from a 120v socket or a car battery or something. What am I doing wrong? I see other people stick the leads into a 120v socket and get a reading. I do it and I get melted cables.
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May 5, 2014 21:31
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Ahz posted:Since we're on multimeter-chat, I have a question about operating one. Sounds like you tried to measure voltage with the ammeter side 
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May 5, 2014 21:36
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slap me silly posted:Sounds like you tried to measure voltage with the ammeter side
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May 5, 2014 22:26
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That doesn't help for people who don't know what an ammeter is. Perhaps on the higher end multimeter models you would see some good instructions, but I noticed it's generally a tool that assumes the buyer already knows how to use it. I've tried googling multimeter for dummies etc. but results aren't really clear on the different uses/settings of a basic multimeter. One example is when I was trying to setup my humidifier hookup to the furnace. I wanted to confirm the 12V leads were active and pushing 12V and whether the 120V lead was 120V as I didn't want to risk blowing my humidifier controller. I ended up buying a separate transformer since I couldn't figure out how to confirm the 12V common.
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May 5, 2014 23:34
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Most multimeters have four jacks for the leads. There's a common terminal for the black lead and three options for the read lead: voltage, low current, and high current. The voltage jack is basically an open circuit to the common jack. To measure voltage, you place the leads in parallel with the voltage you're trying to measure, like across a battery. The current leads are basically short circuits to common. To measure current, you place the leads in series with the current you're trying to measure, which requires disconnecting the circuit. If you try to measure voltage with the leads plugged into the current jacks, you'll short out the power supply and draw a large amount of power through the multimeter.
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May 5, 2014 23:44
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So I managed to trim the plywood. I measured from the side of the baseplate to the blade, set up a fence at that distance, raised the blade above the baseplate and checked the overlap. I adjusted it a couple of times until I was happy, dropped the blade and pressed the blade up to the wood without power to confirm. When I was happy with the offset I made a single smooth pass pulling the saw "over" sideways ever so slightly due to the lack of support on the right. Perfect cut, perfect fit. I cut the next two pieces with the same offset and no problems, thanks thread. You can also see in that photo that the unsupported side of the baseplate is twisted up slightly, which will cost more to fix than a new saw, so I think I have an excuse to go cordless now 
cakesmith handyman fucked around with this message at 06:02 on May 6, 2014 |
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May 6, 2014 05:59
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Captain Cool posted:Most multimeters have four jacks for the leads. There's a common terminal for the black lead and three options for the read lead: voltage, low current, and high current. The voltage jack is basically an open circuit to the common jack. To measure voltage, you place the leads in parallel with the voltage you're trying to measure, like across a battery. The current leads are basically short circuits to common. To measure current, you place the leads in series with the current you're trying to measure, which requires disconnecting the circuit.  Maybe one day I'll be inspired enough to learn enough about electricity to where this will make sense. Until then, I hope my limited electrical vocabulary of "right", "left" and (colors) doesn't get my balls scrambled.
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May 6, 2014 13:30
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I want to use an IPS monitor in my car as a display for a backup cam. The display pulls 12v at 3.3a. I bought a car-cellphone-USB-charger from the store, unsoldered the usb cable, and soldered in a plug to go into the monitor. Everything was fine to the multimeter, but when I plugged it in it blew the pre-existing 2A 240V fuse that was in the car-cellphone-USB-charger. What kind of fuse should I replace it with, and where can I buy/find it cheapest? The monitor is never going to pull more than 40w (really it never pulls more than 20w according to my Watts Up).
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May 6, 2014 16:29
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Zero VGS posted:I want to use an IPS monitor in my car as a display for a backup cam. The display pulls 12v at 3.3a. Huh? USB is 5V, cigarette lighters and your monitor are 12V. You shouldn't need power conversion for that thing. As for your fuse popping, look at Ohm's Law and do the math. 20W / 12V = 1.666A. If that IPS monitor never pulled more than 20W, then a 2A fuse would have been plenty. Your Watts Up may not have been fast enough to detect the inrush current... but the 2A fuse was! If the label says it draws 40W, then you would need a bigger fuse. Check your local auto parts store for fuses, and an inline fuse holder if you need one. Most of those cigarette lighter plugs use a barrel fuse, but I've seen 1 or 2 that took a mini automotive fuse.
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May 6, 2014 18:12
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kid sinister posted:Huh? USB is 5V, cigarette lighters and your monitor are 12V. You shouldn't need power conversion for that thing. Yeah I'm saying I ripped out the 5v board from the USB-cigarette adapter, so it's just a straight run of wire (with fuse) from the 12v outlet to the monitor. The Ohm's law thing was a bit confusing because the fuse was labeled as "250v 2a". It's hair-thin, looks identical to this one: http://www.ebay.com/itm/T2A-250V-AMPLIFIER-FUSES-/201076084767 Does it not matter if the fuse is rated for 25v or 250v when the car battery is only 14.5v from the multimeter? If so I guess 4A Fast-Blow would be appropriate since the monitor is supposed to cap out at 3.3a.
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May 6, 2014 20:02
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Zero VGS posted:Does it not matter if the fuse is rated for 25v or 250v when the car battery is only 14.5v from the multimeter? If so I guess 4A Fast-Blow would be appropriate since the monitor is supposed to cap out at 3.3a. You need a fuse that exceeds both the voltage and current that will be used. So yes a 4A fuse rated at 25 or 250v will work.
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May 6, 2014 21:23
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Fuses pop when they dissipate too much heat (e.g. power). The power of a resistive circuit can be calculated using P = I2R. Note there's no voltage in that formula. (The fuse has a 250v rating limit because there's not enough insulation to ensure electricity won't take alternative paths at higher voltages)
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May 6, 2014 21:25
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Zero VGS posted:Yeah I'm saying I ripped out the 5v board from the USB-cigarette adapter, so it's just a straight run of wire (with fuse) from the 12v outlet to the monitor. Sorry about that name. That fuse type you showed is normally called a "glass fuse". Also, did you get 14.5V at your battery when the engine was off, or when it was running? When the car is running, you will be actually be measuring the voltage that the alternator is putting out, which is usually just a higher than the battery would test at all by itself. Gatla posted:You need a fuse that exceeds both the voltage and current that will be used. ...within reason. Don't forget, the whole purpose of a fuse is to protect the stuff that it's wired in series with. You don't want to use some huge amperage fuse that wouldn't blow before the stuff it's connected to burns. kid sinister fucked around with this message at 00:08 on May 7, 2014 |
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May 6, 2014 23:58
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kid sinister posted:Sorry about that name. That fuse type you showed is normally called a "glass fuse". Also, did you get 14.5V at your battery when the engine was off, or when it was running? When the car is running, you will be actually be measuring the voltage that the alternator is putting out, which is usually just a higher than the battery would test at all by itself. My car is a special snowflake. I drive an electric smart car, which has a huge Lit-Ion traction battery, and a small 12v Sealed Lead Acid as an accessory battery. The Li-Ion kicks in whenever it feels is opportune to charge the 12v.
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May 7, 2014 00:17
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Zero VGS posted:My car is a special snowflake. I drive an electric smart car, which has a huge Lit-Ion traction battery, and a small 12v Sealed Lead Acid as an accessory battery. The Li-Ion kicks in whenever it feels is opportune to charge the 12v. You know, I always wondered how those cars handled all their HVAC needs, seeing as those depend on an engine and its rotation.
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May 7, 2014 00:41
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Update: I was able to safely change out the capacitor but the bracket is too small because I'm an idiot and didn't measure it, so now I have to go to Home Depot and hope they have something that will work. I assume that attempting to test to see if the capacitor fixed the issue without it being safely bolted into the bracket is probably a bad idea. I edited out a lot of fucks in that paragraph. I'm extremely annoyed with myself.
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May 7, 2014 17:17
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Zhentar posted:Fuses pop when they dissipate too much heat (e.g. power). The power of a resistive circuit can be calculated using P = I2R. Note there's no voltage in that formula. Resistive power is also V*I. P = I^2*R = V*I.
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May 7, 2014 17:24
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Okay, update with actual information: I installed the new capacitor and turned the AC back on. Same thing's still happening; motor is audibly humming and blades aren't spinning. Normally at this point I'd throw my hands up and call a tech but that's really not an option, financially. I'm guessing it's the fan itself?
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May 7, 2014 19:08
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Palisader posted:Okay, update with actual information: I installed the new capacitor and turned the AC back on. Same thing's still happening; motor is audibly humming and blades aren't spinning. Normally at this point I'd throw my hands up and call a tech but that's really not an option, financially. I'm guessing it's the fan itself? When it's buzzing, can you start the fan spinning by hand?
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May 7, 2014 19:22
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No. The fan spins freely (by hand)when the unit isn't running but provides more resistance when spun (by hand) while the AC is on. You can hear a loud humming--exactly how it would sound when the unit starts up, just without the noise of the fan engaging.
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May 7, 2014 19:24
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Palisader posted:No. The fan spins freely (by hand)when the unit isn't running but provides more resistance when spun (by hand) while the AC is on. You can hear a loud humming--exactly how it would sound when the unit starts up, just without the noise of the fan engaging. Multimeter time, and you best be careful with this: check the voltage going to the unit. This sounds a whole lot like you've lost a phase.
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May 7, 2014 20:31
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Gothmog1065 posted:Is there a quick application product I can use to fill the cracks between some boards on a wall in an attic? They're not tongue and groove and not beadboard. They were put up years ago and we're just painting over them to brighten the room a bit. Right now I'm using caulk to fill in the gaps, but I was wondering if there was a quicker/easier way to do it? We've veered from wood putty as there will be temperature changes and that would probably crack easily. Is there another option other than just using tube caulk? I'll quote this again, didn't see a reply. Am I just screwed and doing it the only way to really get it done?
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May 7, 2014 21:46
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Cross posting from my thread on my garage project, because this thread sees a lot more traffic.  This is the corner of my steel framed turn-of-the-century garage. There was at one time a boiler room behind this wall, but when it was removed, the wall wasn't waterproofed and as a result, the sill plate is absolutely rotten and demolished for about 14 feet, starting at the corner. The ceiling in the garage is about 15 feet from the ground, and I'm having difficult figuring out what steps I need to take to jack up the roof and replace the sill plate, particularly how to jack the roof up with such a high ceiling. Also, the sill flat is 2x6 in actual dimensions. Where would I find a replacement piece of pressure-treated for that? Everything I'm finding is actually 1.5x5.5
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May 7, 2014 21:54
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Motronic posted:Multimeter time, and you best be careful with this: check the voltage going to the unit. He said it still blows cold inside, and I don't think you'd get compressor hum with one phase gone.
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May 8, 2014 00:36
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Gothmog1065 posted:I'll quote this again, didn't see a reply. Am I just screwed and doing it the only way to really get it done? Tube caulk is the right way to go. I filled gaps in my baseboards with DAP ALEX Fast Dry (http://www.homedepot.com/p/DAP-Alex-Fast-Dry-10-1-oz-All-Purpose-Caulk-18425/100634323). Then I saw norm use it on TOH and knew I had chosen correctly. edit: you're doing a whole wall? Why not just drywall it?
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May 8, 2014 00:39
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Dragyn posted:Cross posting from my thread on my garage project, because this thread sees a lot more traffic. For pressure treated lumber, you'd be best off getting the standard dimensional lumber and shimming it with 1/2" plywood. You can get a true 2x6 from a sawmill but it won't be treated.
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May 8, 2014 00:45
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Dragyn posted:Cross posting from my thread on my garage project, because this thread sees a lot more traffic. Without seeing the whole wall, my suggestion may not be practical (i.e. too much lateral pressure), but you might nail a 2x6 across the studs say, six feet above the sill and jack it from there in 3-4 places. I would replace the sill section with two stacked 2x6 PTL and trim the difference off the bottom of the studs.
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May 8, 2014 03:27
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Qwijib0 posted:He said it still blows cold inside, and I don't think you'd get compressor hum with one phase gone. Then he needs to check the voltage at the fan itself. If you are getting voltage at fan then I think your fan motor is probably bad.
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May 8, 2014 03:27
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Any advice on dealing with ants? In the past I'd occasionally get tiny black ants in my bathroom or near the kitchen sink. I'd put down some liquid bait, and it usually got rid of them for a few months. But this time there's a new species that moved in; they're black, mid-size and move around fast as hell. They also treat the liquid bait as an all-you-can eat buffet, with little indication that it's affecting their nest. I was wondering if anyone's familiar in dealing with these guys and if there's a specific pesticide that works better in dealing with 'em.
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May 8, 2014 03:42
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