Help with kaput capacitor

August 13, 2021 4:47 PM

Will this replace that on my ceiling fan?

I need help from electrical knowers: can I replace
this ceiling fan capacitor with this item from Amazon?

If not, what should I get? Should I just pack it in and buy a $49.95 replacement at Home Despot? Wise electrical savants, please bless me with your knowledge (assume the cap has tested dead).

Thanks in advance to all who reply.

posted by ivanthenotsoterrible to Home & Garden (9 answers total)

Best answer: How many wires does the original cap have? Given that it's got two ratings (10uf and 5uf) I suspect it is a dual capacitor with at least three wires/leads. Amazon cap looks like a 2 wire job, with a single rating of 10uf. If my assumptions are correct, the amazon cap won't work properly. edit- looks like the original might have 4 leads?
posted by Larry David Syndrome at 4:56 PM on August 13, 2021 [1 favorite]

Response by poster: Five leads, so that's the answer. Thanks!

Would this one work?
posted by ivanthenotsoterrible at 6:00 PM on August 13, 2021

Best answer: It sounds like that 5 wire capacitor may now be sold as 5+5+5 instead of 10+5?

This site describes repairing a similar fan, and this Amazon review has people recommending a 5/5/5 as a replacement. What kind of fan do you have - a Hunter? If so, what model?
posted by zamboni at 6:04 PM on August 13, 2021

Response by poster: I painted the body of the fan. It was brass, and I painted it black. I'll have to take some measures, so I might not get to this until tomorrow morning. I appreciate all your help so far, and I'll keep you posted on what I find out!

Thank you!
posted by ivanthenotsoterrible at 6:11 PM on August 13, 2021

Response by poster: I've discovered that it's a model 21234. Thankfully, the ID stickers on these things are pretty durable, and the numbers survived scraping off the paint I applied at least ten years ago...
posted by ivanthenotsoterrible at 9:14 AM on August 14, 2021

Response by poster: I've ordered the part, and I want to thank zamboni for helping me save a little bit of money. The cap should be here tomorrow, and I'll let you know if it was a success. Thanks again!
posted by ivanthenotsoterrible at 9:35 AM on August 14, 2021

The way you've photographed the failed cap makes it hard to see what wire colours are actually coming out of it, but assuming that GY/5R/5BR/5GR means "a red wire, a brown wire and a green wire, each coming from its own 5µF capacitor connected back to a common grey" then this Amazon listing looks like a compatible replacement to me.
posted by flabdablet at 9:37 AM on August 14, 2021

Response by poster: Thank you zamboni! You're the greatest!
posted by ivanthenotsoterrible at 11:17 AM on August 14, 2021

No worries - hope it all goes smoothly!
posted by zamboni at 12:13 PM on August 14, 2021