Question about Start capacitor

Submitted by Thorgull t3_z4ain6 in DIY

Hello,

If I'm not in the right subreddit or have chosen the wrong flair, I apologize in advance. Also, english is not my native language so I may have some technical words wrong.

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I recently changed my cloth dryer start capacitor (dryer is Haier but I don't think that's relevant to the question).

However I'm wondering about this :

The new capacitor has 4 terminals against 2 on the original one.

I plugged in two terminals and the dryer works.

But I read afterward someone say that he isolated the other two terminals. What’s the risk if I don’t do the same? What should I use to isolate these terminals? some kind of isolating duct tape?

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I don’t know much about this subject and I couldn't find an answer even though I've been looking(maybe with the wrong keywords?), so I'm turning to this community hoping it can help.

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Thank you in advance for your time

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Comments

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JohnnyT55world t1_ixpw9tk wrote

You want to ensure that the unused terminals do not touch a conducting surface.

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TexButtery t1_ixpwyv3 wrote

If the terminals are tied together on the surface of the capacitor, it's just extra connection points. If they aren't, it's two capacitors in a single housing.

They won't hurt anything, just don't touch them and after a day or so, they will be discharged anyway. If you're really worried, put a bit of shrink tubing over the unused ones. Discharge them with a screwdriver before messing with it.

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danielthechskid t1_ixpxoao wrote

The extra tab on each of the terminals is for a bleeder resistor to discharge the start cap as the motor runs. A centrifugal start switch or a relay disconnects the start cap while the motor is running.

On capacitor start-capacitor run motors as the motor stops the start and run capacitors are once again connected in parallel and without the bleeder resistor the potentially still charged start cap suddenly discharges into the run cap and that current spike can literally weld the switch or relay contacts together. This doesn't apply to a capacitor start induction run motor with no run cap.

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Natural-You4322 t1_ixpywyg wrote

as long as there is no risk of it moving around as shorting things it is fine.

make sure the cap is secured properly.

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Thorgull OP t1_ixq2tot wrote

Replying to TexButtery (#664,890)

I'll have to open the dryer again to be sure, but I believe they are tied together.

My dryer has stopped working again one week later, apparently the same symptoms, so I was wondering if that could be the reason, but from all the answers I got, I guess not.

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ConfusionOk4129 t1_ixs969b wrote

Don't replace it with a flux capacitor, .

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