coolguy4
15-05-2018, 01:55 PM
I know that this is a dumb question, but here goes. Basically, my central AC system from the early 2000s has been having a hard time starting up. It used to come on almost instantly, but it recently started struggling to start and browning out the lights for about 1 second when it starts up. However, once the system is running, it runs great. I checked the cap, and it was very corroded. I installed a new capacitor, and the unit starts up instantly again. The cap for the indoor blower motor seems weak too, so I went back to that HVAC shop to get a new cap for that too, and the guy warned me that they have a polarity, and the cap may work fine if connected backwards for a little while, but it can explode and start a fire with no warning. That doesn’t sound right to me, but I’m far from an expert. I thought that AC caps don’t have a polarity since the current alternates anyway, hence the name “AC”. Could someone please verify that the capacitors don’t have a polarity? Thanks, I just want to make sure that I didn’t screw up.