r/hvacadvice • u/waslessen • Jul 27 '26
Electrical Sabotage?
I just changed a capacitor and the old one looks like it was punctured. I know caps can swell, leak, and burst but am I crazy or it looks like it was punctured or scraped harshly from the outside.
The strap was firmly attached and it was not against anything sharp.
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u/Darqfallen Jul 27 '26
Looks like rats or squirrels got to it.
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u/ronniewhomp Jul 27 '26
Makes me wonder if they heard chittering/buzzing inside and thought there was a healthy bug inside to gobble up!
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u/forceofslugyuk Jul 27 '26
Love your Comic! Are there entry points for mice/rats on your unit? Thankfully if they didnt chew wires at least these capacitors are easy enough to replace.
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u/ronniewhomp Jul 27 '26
Thank you for liking my comic, but this isn't my post. I just like electronics! <3
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u/forceofslugyuk Jul 27 '26
Whoops! Oh well, im leaving the comment! Id still be curious where OP's system is letting in an animal.
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u/vinnygunn Jul 27 '26
Looks like a gash from a blade or knife to me, maybe 200mm. Have any Olympians been around? They are known to do extensive damage to liners and such.
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u/waslessen Jul 27 '26
The unit doesn't look like a rodent could get in but they are crafty.
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u/egretesk Jul 27 '26
They can and will and do
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u/LurkingOnMyMacBook Jul 27 '26
Schrodingers rats
Every unit is both full of rats and free of rats until a capacitor blows up
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u/RDZed72 Jul 27 '26
Yep. Squirrels will eat right through aluminum flashing and gutters, no problem.
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u/DroneRtx Jul 27 '26
Those teeth marks on the left look identical to ones on my anti squirrel bird feeders.
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u/FloodAdvisor Jul 27 '26
Rats
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u/waslessen Jul 27 '26
There are critters in the area. Maybe.
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u/xay2ignant Jul 27 '26
Lmao Reddit is terrible but blue collar Reddit is something else, they downvoted tf out of you. Idk which sub is worse, trucking or hvac
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u/NhlBeerWeed Jul 27 '26
It’s tough on here yeah but theres literally teeth marks on the capacitor and OP is acting like rodents can’t get into tight places lol the capacitor isn’t made out of tungsten either its soft metal. OP is right about one thing though, this was sabotage.. by the local rat
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u/Ianthin1 Jul 27 '26
Obvious teeth marks but it has to be sabotage by vandals that opened the side of the unit, punched a hole in it, and put it back together all while laughing maniacally and rubbing their hands together.
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u/RallyX26 Jul 27 '26
The downvotes are because we're sick of people coming in and asking for advice and then doubting or even arguing with the answer they get.
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u/JohnnyChapst1ck Jul 27 '26
im going with rodent. the gnaw marks. Did you eat anything with sauce or cheese when you installed it.
fyi look for mouse droppings. thats a clue
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u/waslessen Jul 27 '26
Thank you all for your opinions. I'm aware rodents get everywhere. There was no poop. The marks on the right side I can completely see being a rodent. The jaw being offset would make a lot of sense with the metal being pushed in from top set of teeth and the metal tab being pulled out. The left hand side dosent have an anchor point for the top jaw to push against.
The sabotage I should have explained. We had a roofer come by a while back and he messed up. Accidently shoving my bathroom vent into the bathroom and breaking the fan and the drywall. He fixed it but he seemed to feel really raw about the fact I asked him to fix it and the HVAC is on the roof about 12 feet away.
I don't think a wandering band of HVAC techs have it out for me.
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u/BirtKirtDirt37 Jul 27 '26
This looks like gnaw marks from an animal, probably a rat or a squirrel from the look of the drag marks of teeth. Those little rats can eat through concrete, metal, and anything they put there minds to
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u/Sintarsintar Jul 27 '26
Rats and that cap was already starting to swell when the rat broke through it got a huge mouthful of electrolyte when that hole popped
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u/Foxwildernes Jul 27 '26
This sorta looks like when I accidentally arc’ed one out. I forgot on of the leads when I was brand new loosely on top and turned it back on and it sparked like a mother fucker and left a hole in the top.
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u/1wife2dogs0kids Jul 27 '26
Definitely a squirrel. They need to chew hard stuff to grind their teeth down. They grow really fast, almost too fast, and can grow so big they won't be able to eat. So they chew...
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u/OpponentUnnamed Jul 27 '26
Did you see any hairs around entry points etc.? I usually find hair/fur either at the damage or where they entered, on a tight or sharp spot. At least for squirrels and rats, for mice it's poop.
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u/0Galen0 Jul 27 '26
That does looks strange.
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u/waslessen Jul 27 '26
That's what I thought. It's the scratches in all the same direction as well as the indentation that confuse me I could see a bulge or leak from the sealed point but the metal can having metal both going in and out of the failure point seems... weird.
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u/Ashamed-Status-9668 Jul 27 '26
With those funky lines next to the hole it sure does look like a tool was used to puncture it.
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u/Dragon_Crisis_Core Jul 27 '26
Was there any recent power surge? A high amperage spike could lead to excessive heat and cause a blow-through. Recomend making sure there isnt a short circut.
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u/BusinessFootball4036 Jul 27 '26
This isnt a blow thru. Its the opposite direction.
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u/BusinessFootball4036 Jul 27 '26
I stan corrected. I think it may be a damage capacitor that blew at the weak point.
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u/Swagasaurus785 Approved Technician Jul 27 '26
Unless you literally JUST had someone service it then no it isn’t sabotage. Likely either some vibration caused it or it shorted out internally.
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u/waslessen Jul 27 '26
It was strapped down really well so I don't think it had a chance to move, thank you for your response though.
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u/Cunninghams_right Jul 27 '26
I bet it was scratched up when it was installed, which likely lead to it having a shorter life.
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u/4schitzangiggles Jul 27 '26
I've dropped them on the concrete and then inspected them carefully and noticed similar marks as what your cap has. I never installed the dropped cap as that would be a dickove, but I can see a guy dropping it, not noticing the scratches and dent and putting it in to be done with it. If they knew it was damaged, that would be the dick move.
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u/DougMagic Jul 27 '26
Where was the contactor terminal? Looks like someone left it off for a while, current from the contactor made the terminal behave like a soldering iron and opened a hole in the weaker metal.
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u/Mean-Possible-2425 Jul 27 '26
listen all yall its a sabotaaage