What Do Capacitors In My AC System Do?

There are a lot of different components in a whole-house cooling system. Not only will you have no direct contact with most of them, but you may not even know that they are there to begin with. Of course, while you should never attempt to service your home cooling system on your own, we do think it’s beneficial to have a basic idea of how some of these components operate. For instance, the capacitors in your air conditioner play a vital role in keeping that system up and running. As you continue to read, we’ll provide you with a brief description of what capacitors are, and the function that they serve for your air conditioner in Columbus, OH.

What Are Capacitors, and What Is Their Function?

A capacitor is an electrical component found in an air conditioning system. Generally speaking, there are 2 different capacitors in a system. They are the start capacitor and the run capacitor. Both serve to benefit the operation of the AC system’s motor.

When your air conditioner starts up, it is going to require more power than it does at any other point in its operation. In order to ensure that the system is able to start up reliably and successfully, a start capacitor is used. This capacitor is responsible for providing the air conditioner with the extra torque that it needs to get up and running. If your system sounds like it is trying to start up, but ultimately failing to do so, you may have a problem with the start capacitor.

Just as the start capacitor serves to help your system start its operation, the run capacitor helps to keep the system up and running once it has started. It helps to maintain sufficient and even voltage levels within the system. If your run capacitor is malfunctioning or failing, you may encounter issues with short cycling.

Whatever your air conditioning service needs may be, know that you can count on Quality Air Heating and Air Conditioning to do the job right.