FLORIDA ELECTRIC UTILITIES RIPOFF WHEN AC CAPACITOR FAILS

This is a big fat warning. What you don’t know about your Central AC Unit could cost you dearly. It is rather simple, really, but the HVAC Air Conditioner Unit in your home is not only inefficient but uses 1950s-style technology to run the compressor and indoor blower. The amount of current required to turn on the outdoor compressor and the indoor fan is so great that both require capacitors to supply fast electrical energy to start the compressor and the fan. FLORIDA ELECTRIC UTILITIES RIPOFF take full advantage WHEN an indoor AC capacitor fails. 

You might have noticed that the race cars of the Indy 500 now use capacitors instead of heavy batteries to supply a burst of electrical energy to the hybrid engines. Sounds modern but this technology is old. 

Situation A retired couple spends the Florida Hot summer in the North Carolina Mountains: 

This couple, like many others, uses their bank to AUTOPAY their monthly power bill to their Florida Electric Utility Company Monopoly. They carefully set their Central Air Conditioner unit to 84 degrees so they don’t harm their refrigerator, which could break down from extended heat exposure. Then it is off to the cool mountains of North Carolina for the summer. 

Here is the problem. Capacitors fail. When the outdoor capacitor in the AC Outdoor unit fails, the outdoor compressor and fan will not work. The house will not cool. The indoor fan in the air handler will circulate warm indoor air. This could harm upholstery, furniture and other items if it continued for the summer, but it won’t be terribly expensive since the compressor won’t run and only the indoor blower fan works. 

Real Trouble when a $10 part fails on your AC unit.

The real trouble comes if just the indoor blower fan capacitor fails. This causes the blower motor to fail and no air circulates in the system. This results in the entire indoor system freezing at the condenser all the way to the outdoor compressor. The entire system is encased in ICE. The indoor fan doesn’t work so it gets hot inside and the thermostat keeps the outdoor compressor running around the clock. This is expensive.

A typical 4 ton compressor will cost $8 to $10 a day. The house temperature in Florida will remain at 87 degrees. Thus the Florida Electric Utility Monopoly bill will rise from $2 a day to $10 a day. At the end of the month, the power bill has gone from $60 for the month to $300 for the month. And the Florida Electric Utility Monopoly doesn’t notify the customer, but just enjoys the monthly Autopay from the customer’s bank. All because a $10 indoor capacitor failed. These capacitors all fail eventually!

After a full summer in North Carolina, this couple comes home to a hot house, a dead refrigerator, and over $1000 extracted from their bank account by Autopay. 

Look at this nightmare!

The indoor capacitor failed in late April 25. Then look at the May Bill. From an average Bill of roughly $35 a month, the May bill alone is nearly $240! And the FLORIDA ELECTRIC UTILITY COMPANY did not notify the customer; they just took full advantage. Yet, like most Florida Electric Utilities, they monitor the day-to-day energy use. But their stupid software doesn’t perform any consumer-based analysis. Or if they do, and they remain mum to collect the windfall. Give the software guy a bonus for that one.

However, if you were mining cryptocurrency, they would be interested in your power usage.

Though if you were mining cryptocurrency, the Power Company and the FBI would be shaking you down and likely shooting your pet dog in the process. Look at this graph from the Utility Company. The power company did nothing except take full advantage. And believe me, the Utility Company is no stranger to the indoor AC capacitor failures. It is one of the most common Air Conditioner repair calls, so it happens to lots of customers every year, and the Power company takes full advantage of the customers’ misfortune. Does the Power company warn customers of this common problem? No. 

Is there a simple fix the power company could deploy? Yes, they could turn off the outside AC breaker for the customer. All AC units have outside breakers. This would spare the customer the giant and unexpected electric bill. But, instead, it is PAYDAY for the Florida Electric Utility Company, helping to pay for the bloated CEO Salaries of these monopoly enterprises. 

 

The Icing on the Cake, the HVAC ripoff shows up:

The RIPOFF HVAC guy puts on quite a show. He should know the problem instantly, but that’s not how the game is played. He has equipment and takes electrical readings… says the unit might be low on refrigerant. Eventually, like a genius, he finds the problem, replaces the indoor capacitor. He charges $80 for the indoor capacitor and $400 for the labour. The old story of the consumer as fertilizer.

What is worse is that this is now considered the industry standard. Think about it. An indoor capacitor replacement of roughly 10 microfarads costs under $10 from ACE Hardware, where they have them in stock. Removal of the top cover of the air handler requires removal of just four sheet metal bolts. One bolt holds the capacitor in place in a sheet metal strap, usually on the blower baffle. Discharge the cap and replace it. The job takes ten minutes. To put this ripoff HVAC guy in perspective, that’s a wage of $2400 an hour. A surgeon performing a triple coronary artery bypass is paid $1800 by Medicare.

Here is a YouTube video to show you the process: 

The outdoor cap replacement is shown below:

What is wrong with this picture?

Welcome to America, a shyster at every corner. Human nature is not going to change. The HVAC man isn’t going to suddenly become honest. The Florida Electric Utility Monopoly doesn’t give a crap about your situation. After all, they encouraged Autopay. If not for Autopay, the customer would have caught the sky-high bill in one month. 

How to prevent this mess:

New Air Conditioning Hardware or at least a new hardware strategy, is in order. There is no way at present to make capacitors redundant other than putting them in parallel with each other, and that is not useful here. This is stagnant technology. 

Smart Option 1: Stop using AUTOPAY. It is a dumb idea. Upgrade your AC units with either mini-split or inverter window AC units. Central Air is intrinsically inefficient and stupifyingly expensive. Further, you get tethered for life to the HVAC Ripoff guy. Another option is an indoor Air Conditioner. They must be vented to the outdoors, but they work very well. We tested the use of the new inverter window AC units. They cost about $400 for a 12,000 BTU unit and they run off standard 120-volt power.  

NEVER NEVER NEVER USE AUTOPAY… PERIOD!

Retired individuals and couples must cancel AUTOPAY immediately and avoid using it under any circumstances. It’s not a convenience—it’s financial suicide. Stop feeding the Florida Utilities with AUTOPAY. When something goes wrong, they take advantage. They never tell you. They just collect. As monopolies, they don’t care to be consumer-friendly. They are consumer predators. You pay, or they are privileged to cut off your power. No due process necessary. Happy breathing if you are on CPAP.

Instead, install a new DIY 12,000 BTU window air conditioner with inverter technology. These units cut costs and eliminate the need to deal with HVAC contractors. In our testing, just three of these AC units kept a 1600 sq ft. double-wide mobile home cool throughout the brutal Florida summer. That solution costs about $1,200, compared to $6,000 for a central air replacement. No service visits, no overpriced repair bills. If one unit fails, the other two continue cooling. Manufacturers design these systems to last 15 years or more, the same as a $6000 central AC unit lasts. With their higher SEER ratings, many qualify as Energy Star appliances. You might have to wait until TACO removes the Tariff for a better deal. 

Why should you consider this setup?

Because it’s efficient. It is a DIY install. No HVAC shyster needs apply and you never have to deal with them. These saddle-style units preserve your window view. If you have double-hung windows, you can open the top sash in cooler seasons to bring in fresh air. Some models even include heat pump functions for winter use.

Below is an example of an indoor portable AC unit.  This photo shows the indoor unit and the outdoor vent configuration. It is great for renters or a spare room when guests come to stay a few days. 

 

The TRIPLE WHAMMY RIPOFF!

I cannot stress strongly enough that when an indoor capacitor, in particular, fails, you are going to get ripped off from both the Florida Utility Company Monopoly and the HVAC repair guy. One of the leading causes of run capacitor failure is power surges and outages caused by the  Florida Utility Company Monopoly. This is especially true in areas where you see a hodgepodge of utility poles in less affluent neighborhoods. Simply stated, less affluent neighborhoods and rural regions enjoy more power outages and appliance failures. 

 

 

The kindly Utility Monopoly will rent you a surge protector, and some will even sell you an insurance policy for your appliances, which their spiky power damages. Can you imagine this? Where is the incentive to distribute cleaner power without spikes? There is none. They have relieved themselves of any obligation to provide clean power. 

For those astute in Physics or Electronics:

Capacitors fail because they heat up or get surges in voltage.  For those of you who dabble in electronics, putting capacitors in “PARALLEL” will reduce the heat of the circuit and extend capacitor life. 

 

We are doing some experiments in this area. For example, if one requires a 15 microfarad run capacitor on their indoor blower, they might use three 5 microfarad run capacitors in parallel. This would provide the run capacity value of 15 microfarads and distribute the heat across all three caps. The great advantage here is that if one of the three caps failed, the other two would continue to run the indoor blower unit. It is a thought but nothing replaces the real requirement of avoiding AUTOPAY for Utilities and keeping track of your monthly bills. Those Utilities are merciless and faceless. Don’t feed their scam.

Dashboards:

Some Utilities offer dashboards so you can track your daily power use, should you go out of town. But stop the AUTOPAY!

Remember the Florida Electric Utility Monopoly will be delighted to give you the plague of spiky power, at the same high price of the affluent neighborhood, and then offer up the pricy monthly antidotes. Even to this day, after dozens of complaints to the Utility, my lights blink when my neighbor’s AC Compressor turns on or when I use my Vitamix. 

SURGE PROTECTORS:

Other options may be useful. Think of your home as a command post fending off the Florida Electric Utility Monopoly’s spiky power and natural events like lightning strikes. A whole-home surge protector is easy to install and cost-effective, but not for the Do-it-Yourselfer unless you are comfortable handling electrical circuits. If you are going to hire an Electrician, get a price in advance, or they will take you for a ride. It is human nature these days.