PM Contactor replacement?

[marcushvac]

Do you believe in replacing the contactor and capacitor as part of a preventative maintenance program for 2 - 5 ton units? If so, how often? Do you have a Brand you favor? Do you like to upgrade e.g 30A to 40A?

[cuchulain]

only need to be changed when they are going bad. For the contactor if its showing signs of pitting or if critters have gotten into them. Or down here the coils will start to corrode. As for the capacitor I only change them if they are weak. The capacitors give a % of where they should be +or - of their rated specs. If they are in the lower end or lower I show the customer the rating and the actual and leave it up to them. But as far as changing them just cause there is being maintenance done on the system....no.

[jtrammel]

No, only if cap is weak or if contactor is pitted badly or chattering. I'm sure lots of guys do though

[SkyHeating]

Do you change tires on your car every 3 years even if they have lots of tread left? I don't, I replace if they are wearing and may go bad, same with HVAC parts, as others have said there is tolerances on them that will warn of when it's time to replace

[catmanacman]

As for contactors you can look at the points and see the condition.as for the capcitor if it is over 7-8 years old might be a good idea to replace it. We don't get into price discussions here in the open forums.

[martyinlincoln]

No. I do not change parts that are working correctly just because they might fail at some future date. Now if it's pitted then that's another story. Capacitors have rated values,they do not need changed unless leaking or out of that value range.

[lentz]

Only change the capacitors if the rated value is way off or changing the compressor or fan motor. Change out contactor quite often if they are burned. You can tell if it needs to be changed.

[catmanacman]

As many capacitors as i replace every summer i dont have a problem replacing a capacitor that is over 7 or 8 years old as it seems that is about the range i find many of them to fail.and i do check the on pm,s if it is off on the rating at all or any signs of oil leakage i recommend replacement

[coolwillis]

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[jpsmith1cm]

coolwillis

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