AC Capacitor Wiring Diagram and Connection Procedure

Hey, in this article we are going to see the connection and wiring diagram of AC capacitors for different purposes and applications. AC capacitors are those designed to work with the alternating current which means with varying polarity and magnitude. 

Generally, the AC capacitors are non-polarized capacitors and there is no problem when connecting with a system. We can connect to any terminal anywhere. We do not take care of proper phase/neutral or positive/negative connection. There are different capacitors are available for different applications. Some common and important examples are ceiling fans, Air conditioners, Single-phase motors for pumps, machines, etc. That is why in this article, we have shown three wiring diagrams mostly used. So let's explore one by one.

AC Capacitor Wiring Diagram for Ceiling Fan

The ceiling fan uses a squirrel cage single-phase induction motor. Basically, it has two separate coils named as - the starting coil and the running coil. We need to connect the capacitor in series with the starting coil. The main function of the capacitor in a ceiling fan is to create the starting torque to start the rotation and also help to maintain the torque during the running condition. First of all, let's see the connection diagram.

Connection Procedure

1. Generally, one terminal of each starting and running winding is connected inside and brought outside a terminal named as the common terminal. Generally, black color is used for this terminal.

2. Another two terminals are brought outside from the rest terminal of the running and starting winding.

3. Generally, the red color is used for the running terminal, and the blue color is used for the starting terminal but the color combination may differ for different brands, and different countries. So, it is good to identify the starting and running terminal by measuring resistance across each terminal with respect to the common terminal using a multimeter or series lamp.

4. Now connect the capacitor across the common terminal and the starting terminal. Now the common terminal is to be connected to the neutral and the running terminal is to be connected to the phase.

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Start and Run Capacitor Wiring Diagram for Single Phase Motor

Some single-phase motors are designed to operate with double capacitors such as a start capacitor or starting capacitor and run capacitor or running capacitor. These single-phase motors also have two windings starting winding and running winding. The start capacitor is to be connected to the starting winding and the run capacitor is to be connected to the running winding. You will be here a centrifugal switch or clutch is connected in series with the starting capacitor. The main purpose of using this centrifugal switch or clutch is to disconnect the starting capacitor from the winding once the motor is started. So, let's see the connection and wiring diagram.

Connection Procedure

1. Generally, one terminal of each winding is connected together and brought out as a common terminal. If not connected, connect any one terminal of each winding together and finally connect it to the neutral of the power supply.

2. Now connect the run capacitor across the running and starting terminal.

3. Now connect any one terminal of the starting capacitor directly to the running terminal.

4. Connect another terminal of the starting capacitor to the starting terminal of the motor in series with the centrifugal switch.

5. The easy way to identify the running capacitor and starting capacitor is the capacity of the starting capacitor is higher than the running capacitor.

Dual or Multi Capacitor Wiring Diagram for Air Conditioner

An air conditioner outdoor has a compressor and a fan. Both of them required a capacitor for their work. In older air conditioners, two separate capacitors are used for the fan and compressor. But in modern air conditioners, a single capacitor is used to operate both the fan and compressor. This capacitor is known as a multi-capacitor or dual-capacitor. Basically, the multi-capacitor has three terminals named as - 1. Common(C) 2. Fan  3. HERM. Now, let's see the wiring diagram to understand its connection.

Connection Procedure

1. The common terminal of the dual capacitor is to be connected to the running terminal of both the fan and compressor as shown in the wiring diagram.

2. The fan terminal of the capacitor is to be connected to the starting terminal of the fan.

3. The HERM terminal of the capacitor is to be connected to the starting terminal of the compressor.

If you want to learn more about the connection diagram of the AC outdoor then read the following article.

• Air Conditioner Connection and Wiring Diagram

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