Tumble Dryer Capacitors
A dryer that hums away without turning the drum has usually lost its motor run capacitor. It is the cheapest thing that fails on a tumble dryer and it puts more machines on the kerb than any other single fault.
Does My Tumble Dryer Have a Capacitor?
Most vented and condenser dryers built around an induction motor carry one. That takes in the bulk of the Hotpoint, Creda, Cannon, Ariston, Indesit, Hoover, Candy, Philips and Beko machines still in daily use.
Pull the back panel off and look near the motor. You want either a plastic bodied cylinder with flat blades sticking out of the top or a plain aluminium can of much the same size. Nothing of that description in there means the motor is driven from an electronic module and none of the parts on this page will help.
What Size Capacitor Does My Tumble Dryer Need?
Whatever came out is what goes back in. The value is stamped on the body of the old part as a figure followed by uF, MFD or µF. All three markings mean the same thing.
Take a part stamped 9uF 450V. The 9uF is the capacitance and that figure has to be matched exactly. The 450V is a ceiling rather than a target, so a 450V part drops straight into a dryer that had a 400V one in it. The reverse is not safe.
Dryers sit mostly between 4uF and 10uF, with 20uF turning up on some Hoover condenser models. A value either side of the right one leaves the motor weak or hot, sometimes both at once.
Which Tumble Dryer Capacitor Do I Need for My Make?
| Make | Size | Fitting | Product |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hotpoint | 6.3uF | Tag spade | Buy |
| Hotpoint | 8uF | Metal case | Buy |
| Hotpoint Aquarius | 9uF | Metal case | Buy |
| Creda | 9uF | Metal case | Buy |
| Cannon | 9uF | Metal case | Buy |
| Ariston | 9uF | Metal case | Buy |
| Merloni Indesit | 9uF | Metal case | Buy |
| Indesit B200 | 7uF | Tag spade | Buy |
| Candy | 7uF | Tag spade | Buy |
| Hoover | 7uF | Tag spade | Buy |
| Hoover | 7uF | Metal case | Buy |
| Hoover condenser | 20uF | Metal case | Buy |
| Whirlpool | 7uF | Metal case | Buy |
| Beko | 10uF | Tag spade | Buy |
| Philips | 6.3uF | Tag spade | Buy |
| General Electric | 6.3uF | Tag spade | Buy |
Go by the value on your old capacitor rather than the badge on the front. More than one manufacturer swapped motors partway through a model run without telling anybody.
Tumble Dryer Capacitor Sizes If You Already Know the Value
These are the plain Ducati metal case parts. They suit any dryer taking that value whatever the make.
| Size | Product |
|---|---|
| 4uF | Buy |
| 5uF | Buy |
| 6.3uF | Buy |
| 7uF | Buy |
| 8uF | Buy |
| 10uF | Buy |
| 20uF | Buy |
Anything on this page showing as unavailable, drop us a line and we will let you know when more are landing.
Browse by make:
- All tumble dryer capacitors
- Hotpoint tumble dryer capacitors
- Hoover tumble dryer capacitors
- Indesit tumble dryer capacitors
- Merloni Indesit tumble dryer capacitors
- Candy tumble dryer capacitors
- Creda tumble dryer capacitors
- Philips tumble dryer capacitors
- Ducati metal case capacitors
What Is the Difference Between a Tag Spade and a Metal Case Capacitor?
Same component, two different bodies. What decides it is which one physically fits where the old one sat.
Tag spade is the plastic bodied version with flat blades on the top face. The wires already on your machine have push-on connectors that lift straight off those blades.
Metal case is a bare aluminium can. Usually the same 6mm blades, but a different diameter and a stud or clamp underneath for mounting.
Electrically there is nothing between them. Measure the body of the old one and look at how it is held in place before ordering. Send us a photograph with the mounting in shot if you would rather not guess.
What Are the Symptoms of a Failed Tumble Dryer Capacitor?
Humming with a stationary drum is the obvious one. These are the less obvious:
- Drum picks up and keeps going if you help it round by hand
- Dryer trips the electrics partway through a cycle
- Motor drops out once the machine warms up, then restarts when it has cooled
- Domed or swollen top on the capacitor
- Oily film around the base of it
Swelling or leaking is conclusive. The rest point at the capacitor without proving it.
One thing to rule out before you order anything. If the motor spins up freely and sounds perfectly normal but the drum sits there, that is a snapped belt rather than a capacitor. We do not stock belts, so you are better hearing it now than after the part arrives.
How Do I Replace a Tumble Dryer Capacitor Safely?
Take the plug out of the socket before anything else. Switching it off at the wall is not the same thing.
Now drain the capacitor before your fingers go near it. These hold mains voltage long after the plug is out and the shock they give you is a nasty one. Bridge the two terminals with the blade of an insulated screwdriver, better still a resistor if there is one to hand. Expect a small snap when it lets go.
Photograph the wiring while it is all still connected. A two terminal capacitor is not fussy about which wire goes where. A four terminal one has to go back exactly as it came off.
On most dryers the capacitor lives behind the back panel near the motor, held by a clamp or a single screw. When you refit, check the new one is not resting against the drum casing. Heat is what kills them.
What If a New Capacitor Does Not Fix It?
Right value fitted, still humming, drum not moving? At that point it is not the capacitor. The usual cause is the motor itself.
Whether that is worth chasing depends on the machine. Motors can often be repaired or rewound and on a well built dryer that can be money well spent, so get a quote before writing anything off. On a budget machine the quote will frequently come to more than a new dryer. That is your call to make, not ours. The one thing we would say is do not buy another capacitor, because the fault is not there.
If the drum will not shift by hand at all, that is a seized bearing rather than an electrical fault. Same answer, worth getting looked at before you decide anything.
Common Questions
Can I fit a bigger capacitor than the original?
No. Match the printed value. Going up in capacitance pushes more current through the windings and the motor ends up running hot, which shortens the life of the whole machine. Voltage is the only figure you are allowed to increase.
How long does a tumble dryer capacitor last?
Eight to twelve years as a rule, often nearer the bottom of that than a washing machine manages, because a dryer runs hot by design. One living in a garage or a warm utility room gets through them quicker still.
Is 6.3uF the same as 6uF?
Near enough that the two get sold interchangeably, since a 5% tolerance swallows the difference. If your old part reads 6.3uF, order 6.3uF. If it reads 6uF and only 6.3uF is to be had, it will run happily.
Can I test a capacitor without a meter?
Only in the obvious cases. A domed top or an oily film underneath gives it away, but plenty of dead capacitors look untouched while sitting well below their rated value. Short of visible damage you need a meter with a capacitance range on it. More than 5% off the printed figure and it is finished.
Is a run capacitor the same as a start capacitor?
No. A run capacitor stays in circuit the whole time the motor is turning. A start capacitor is in for the first second or so then a switch drops it out. Dryers use run capacitors.
Does the voltage rating have to match exactly?
It has to be the same or higher, never lower. A 450V part where a 400V one was is fine so long as the capacitance matches. Dropping the voltage rating is asking for an early failure.
Not Sure Which One You Need?
Send over the figure printed on your old capacitor, plus the model number off the dryer if you can find it. We will point you at the right one rather than have you guess.
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