Just checking before I take the plunge.
Turn off power, put on gloves, remove wires from run capacitor and remove capacitor from the air handler unit, discharge cap with screwdriver blade, test capacitor with multimeter.
Correct?
I see some youtube videos showing the guy discharging the cap while it is still hooked up to wires and still in the unit. Is that safe foe the electronics in the unit ?
Thanks
99% of the time the capacitors bleed their power out through the windings of the motor shortly after being shut off and hold no electrical potential after that. You can take notice of ones with a bleed resistor across the terminals that are often on start capacitors. They're not likely to still hold a charge either.
But both methods have their pros and cons. Trying to remove the connections before attempting to discharge can pose a risk. I wouldn't want to rely on gloves. I'd rather risk trying to discharge with a screwdriver. The correct way is to bleed it with a resistor. I've done it with a resistor on the end of good insulated needle nosed plyers. No fear of sudden arcs. I have yet to come across one still holding power.
Quote from: Porcupinepuffer on February 19, 2023, 04:48:58 PMI have yet to come across one still holding power.
I had a customer walk up behind me and pick up the (blown) dual capacitor I had just removed. I told him don't touch it because I haven't checked to see if it was discharged yet. He waited a second and touched it. He got a nice looking zap.