AC electrical troubleshooting

I wonder if the motor was miswired or miswound when it was manufactured, and that's why it looks like it has had very little use.

In reply to Pete. (l33t FS) :

It's possible.  I'm finding capacitors for $12, so that's cheap enough I'll give it a shot.

11GTCS said:

In reply to Curtis73 (Forum Supporter) :

Any voltage rating equal to or greater than the 125V specified will work as long as it has the 400 mfd rating.  So yes, a 240 V / 400 mfd cap would work just fine as would one rated for 277 or 480 V.

Good to know, thanks.  Makes me wonder why they would use a 125v in a motor that has instructions on how to switch between 120v and 240v.

In reply to Curtis73 (Forum Supporter) :

Maybe someone DID hook it up to 240 and blew it up?      Exiting smartass mode, depending on how the start winding is wired the cap may not be seeing the full 240 V even if the motor is wired to run that way.

 It's currently (pun intended) wired for 220v.  Both the owner's manual and the J-box have diagrams for wiring it both 120v or 240v.  The plate on the motor also lists amperage for both 120v and 240v.  It's definitely a dual-voltage appliance, but just curious why they used a 120v cap.

Ok, one more question.

I ordered a new cap and it should be here tomorrow.  I didn't notice any markings on the old cap that would indicate polarity, and I was reading that some types of caps it matters, others it doesn't.

How do I know?

This is the cap I ordered:  https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01MUHSY23?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_fed_asin_title

In reply to Curtis73 (Forum Supporter) :

AC doesn't have a polarity - current flows in one direction then the other.

In reply to RichardNZ :

I'm aware of that, but I wasn't sure if it mattered.  Thank you