Electric Motor Start Capacitor Test

Locate the capacitor inside your appliance.

Electric motor start capacitor test.

This one covers testing of the start capacitor. Motor capacitors store electrical energy for the motor to use. Another method is the capacitor start induction run motors. 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 start capacitor is only used in the motor circuit for a second or two when it first starts to turn. How to test an electric motor capacitor. 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.

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. 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. A damaged or burnt out capacitor may hold only a fraction of the energy needed for the motor if its capacitance is low.

Retest the capacitor with the meter. This article series gives electric motor start run capacitor and hard. This video is part of the heating and cooling series of training videos made to accompany my websites. Use needle nose pliers with an insulated handle to remove wires.

Replace the capacitor if it fails the test again. An electric motor capacitor is a device that first stores then releases an electrical charge to help start an electrical motor starting capacitor or to keep it spinning run capacitor the electrical charge or potential energy stored in the capacitor is used to give a power boost to the motor to help it overcome inertia to start rotating. Once the motor is up to speed the start capacitor disconnects and is not used again until the next time the motor starts. A start capacitor is used to give a motor an extra electrical push to start it turning.

The single phase induction motor can be made to be self starting in numerous ways. Use a screwdriver to open your machine and locate the capacitor. If it stays shorted or does not rise there is probably an issue with the capacitor and may need to be replaced. One often used method is the split phase motors.