My a/c went out over the weekend, blowing but not cooling. The a/c guy came out and replaced the capacitor and charged us $200, all for 15mins of work. I am guessing the part is probably $30 and maybe I can do simple repairs by myself next time. Could a mechanically-inclined homeowner have learnt how to troubleshoot this capacitor problem, order the part, and replace it himself? Or is a/c repair best left to the pros?

there's some things that are better left to the pros... a cap you could have done your self and it is easy to diagnose.. most of the time it is swollen like a frozen beer can..


however, your in austin... who did you use?

oh, and i pay anywhere from 3 to 10 bucks for capacitors, if its a big company they pay a lot less

Yeah, I understand there are some things I should not touch, but I'm looking for maybe a list of 5 things that I can check in the future before calling someone. I suspect the cap is one of them and I could have saved myself $200.

something you'll run into though is a lot of these parts are hard to get.. i know, it sucks. but parts houses wont sell to you unless your with a company or you have a tacl license number

I wondered that same thing. I had to have the capacitor replaced on mine not long ago and after I saw what it was and how quick it was fixed, I felt like I'd been bent over a bit.

Obtaining the parts is what I figured would be the hard part.

Most local supply shops won't sell the caps, motors, fan blades and other type of things that may go bad to the public. They require you to have a hvac license even though you aren't dealing with the refrigerant.

So, you end up having to order it from the internet which can take a week or so. If you are wanting to save money and do simple repairs like that you need to be proactive and have a supply of caps and maybe a motor on hand so that you aren't without AC for a week waiting on a 5 dollar part. There is no way my wife would put up with a hot house for a week so that I could save 150 bucks.

I replaced my cap on my a/c unit a few months ago. 5-35 dual run cap. 40 bucks out the door and 10 min of work and it was cooling again. If I remember right Texas is a little different than most states on what they wil sell to the public w/o a lic.

i dont know where you found it, but i know that every parts store ive ever been in has a sign on the door that clearly states that they do not sell to the gen. public or to unlicensed contractors

I wonder why a/c parts are so strictly controlled but it's not the case with plumbing, electrical, water-heaters, etc. Those can also be dangerous and may require licensed contractors, but I can walk into Home Depot and buy the parts DIY. I could wire up the garage incorrectly and start an electrical fire. I could install a water heater badly and have a gas leak that blows up the house. Why is it that I can't fix the a/c myself? Is the a/c lobby so powerful that the govt is giving them a monopoly? I have nothing against the a/c industry, just wondering why things are this way....

i know with refrigerant is for environmental purposes, but with the parts, you tell me and we'll both know. try places like granger supply, i think they may have a few ac parts

Being in Austin yes Granger sells parts to home owners as does Johnson Supply