One Horse Power - Motor Starting Capacitor

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Ed B.
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One Horse Power - Motor Starting Capacitor

Post by Ed B. »

Hi Everyone
Does anyone know where I can order (Mail Order - retail) a one horse power motor starting capacitor ? Equivalent to this...It has the name "Philips" on it and is rated at 105-126 mfd and 240/250 Volts AC. The dimensions are 2" X 3¼ and it has spade terminals at one end. It is for my submersible well pump ( The motor starting capacitor is in a box on the side of my house.)
Thanks for any info.
Ed B.
Carl Pugh
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Re: One Horse Power - Motor Starting Capacitor

Post by Carl Pugh »

Are you sure it's a motor start and not a motor run capacitor?
Anyway a good source for either of these capacitors is www.grainger.com
perfectbite
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Re: One Horse Power - Motor Starting Capacitor

Post by perfectbite »

Check out McMaster-Carr Industrial supply:
http://www.mcmaster.com/
(L.A. and Chicago among others)
Their selection of motor caps may have what you need and they will ship. Their on line catalog has pictures (oval, square, round etc.) and dimensions etc..
Grainger's catalog too. although they have lots of stores, Grainger doesn't really handle walk-in/retail well now. They may ship to you if you open an account.<p>[ June 06, 2004: Message edited by: perfectbite ]<p>[ June 06, 2004: Message edited by: perfectbite ]</p>
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dacflyer
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Re: One Horse Power - Motor Starting Capacitor

Post by dacflyer »

check with any heating and A/C supply or appliance supply wharehouse...its a common cap...
here we have a electric motor rebuilding place..if one is in your area as well check with them too :)
toejam
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Re: One Horse Power - Motor Starting Capacitor

Post by toejam »

do a google search on motor start caps. I ordered some from a company and they were about 1/3 the price the local guys could come up with.
tj
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jollyrgr
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Re: One Horse Power - Motor Starting Capacitor

Post by jollyrgr »

Dacflyer has a good idea. But last summer the run capacitor on my parents AC went out. It was an odd ball rating but not too uncommon. It was easy to diagnose the problem (I did it over the phone). The real problem came when I tried to buy the cap. I found several shops that had the part in stock but none were unwilling to sell it to me! They would come out in the next few days to fix the problem but not sell the part. I did finally find a parts store that would sell to a DIY like myself.<p>But as far as obtaining it via mail order. Grainger is a great mail order house. Here is a suitable replacement I found on their web site:<p>http://www.grainger.com/Grainger/produc ... 43&ccitem=<p>This cap is $7.24.<p>
Another place I deal with (and send friends to) is Johnstone Supply. They have a replacement for your capacitor. There is one that is listed as being 108-130mfd at 220-250 volts and is 3-3/8". Their part number is G22-011. It is listed as a MOTOR START capacitor and not a MOTOR RUN capacitor. Here is a URL to this company:<p>
http://www.e-johnstonesupply.com/script ... Service=ws broker1/login.htm?store=Corp&browse=yes&category=2<p>When the page is displayed, type in G22-011 in the search field and click GO. Scroll down in the table until you see the G22-011 capacitor.<p>(I tried to post a direct link but their web site has some funky framing problem.)<p>
And don't worry about the capacitance being off by a few MFD. The caps themselves probably have a 20% tolerance!<p>[ June 09, 2004: Message edited by: Jolly Roger ]</p>
No trees were harmed in the creation of this message. But billions of electrons, photons, and electromagnetic waves were terribly inconvenienced!
rshayes
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Re: One Horse Power - Motor Starting Capacitor

Post by rshayes »

Be a little cautious. Some motor start capacitors are electrolytic capacitors, and are only intended to be used for short periods. I would expect a motor run capacitor to have either a plastic or paper-oil dielectric and to be more expensive and heavier than an electrolytic motor start capacitor.
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dacflyer
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Re: One Horse Power - Motor Starting Capacitor

Post by dacflyer »

most common caps now days for motors are either in a oval metal can or a bakelite can,,i haven't seen a paper wrapped one in eons...
beware some motors have a start / run switch inside the motor too,with or with out a cap..
just a note ;)
rshayes
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Re: One Horse Power - Motor Starting Capacitor

Post by rshayes »

The Johnstone G22-011 capacitor is an electrolytic capacitor. The catalog rates it for a maximum of 20 starts of 3 seconds duration per hour (about 1 minute per hour). This is definitely not a motor run capacitor.<p>A motor run capacitor is most likely to be an oil impregnated paper or plastic dielectric in a sealed metal can. I suppose that it would be possible to put these in a plastic case but I don't know if they actually were. General Electric usually used the metal can. The plastic case shown in Johnstone was used by Mallory for electrolytic motor start capacitors for several decades.<p>Heaven only knows who is actually making these parts, GE and Mallory seem to have been sold and merged several times.
Dave_H
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Re: One Horse Power - Motor Starting Capacitor

Post by Dave_H »

Run caps were never put in bakelite cases. The metal can is a safety feature. One plate of the cap is internally connected to the canister. Thats what that marked terminal signifies. In case of a short (or lightning), power is disipated to ground instead of through the motor winding, possibly causing a burnout.
perfectbite
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Re: One Horse Power - Motor Starting Capacitor

Post by perfectbite »

In my experience with 110 VAC, 2 HP cap start, cap run air compressor motors, both caps would be bakelite cased. Each did have a metal cowl though. (I thought it was to protect the bakelite, what did I know?)<p>Sometimes the end users would repeatedly disconnect the power before the compressor had unloaded (that hiss one hears when an air compressor goes off on its pressure limit switch) and, on enough fully loaded start ups, the cap, if you were lucky, failed, otherwise, given enough hard starts the motor would burn up or the crankshaft bearings would dissolve.<p>Sump pumps, unless there are lots of solids to move or the lift required is extraordinarily high, generally just require a run cap if that. In fact your sump pump cap may be a 100% on line booster cap if the power to that pump isn't quite up to snuff and then it would be a run cap. Not part of the motor but to assist the motor. Put a check valve in the vertical discharge line to preserve the head, and reduce the start up load on the pump. a cheapie oversized plastic one will suffice. Some built in, flapper, brass bodied 'Y' type check valves have replaceable washers. Check that for leakage, if it has one.<p>[ June 12, 2004: Message edited by: perfectbite ]</p>
Ed B.
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Re: One Horse Power - Motor Starting Capacitor

Post by Ed B. »

Thanks all for your info & help.
1. It IS a motor STARTING capacitor - there is a relay ( Kick out ? ) enclosed with it in the "Control Box".
2. This capacitor can be found in a "CONTROL BOX" sold in Home Depot in the "Well Pumps" aisle. The 'box' is labelled "FRANKLIN ELECTRIC - Control Box."
3. The only problem is that to purchase the entire 'box'(Cap & Relay & interconnect lugs) it costs 40 bucks. I'm sure that one of the suggestions from all of you will enable me to replace the cap at a more reasonable price.
Unfortunately I had to replace the device to keep my lawn sprinkler system operating. I live in Florida and it has been over 90 degrees for a month already !
I will now purchase a suitable cap ( Close enough in MFD and suitable for 230 volts and keep it for a future replacement.
Thanks again.
Ed B.
perfectbite
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Re: One Horse Power - Motor Starting Capacitor

Post by perfectbite »

Dave_H. I have given a lot of thought to what you said about run caps being ONLY in metal cans. I was serious when I wrote "but what do I know" and apologize if my comment seemed flip.<p>I always assumed that if there were two caps on a motor one was start and one was run. Given the variable I/O demands of an air compressor would using 2 start caps in tandem somehow give more starts per time frame? per Stephen's comment.<p>Ed B. Sometimes threads take on a life of their own but they are always interesting.
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