Electrolytic caps dry out.

Tweakers' Asylum

Tweaks for systems, rooms and Do It Yourself (DIY) help. FAQ.

Posted by Al Sekela (A) on February 3, 2010 at 16:06:45

In Reply to: How Many Years Can You Expect AMP Caps To Last? posted by Dynaudio_Rules on February 3, 2010 at 12:24:37:

They dry out by themselves, but do so more rapidly if they get warm in use.

Testing for this is difficult. Specialized esr (equivalent series resistance) meters may tell you when they are close to failure. The simplest way is to weigh them and compare the weight to a new unit of the same size and capacity.

Caps that have been without bias for a long time may need to be reformed by bringing the voltage up slowly. This is why some techs use Variacs to bring up old amps.

I'd be careful with caps more than ten years old, but some might last for decades longer.

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Follow Ups Full Thread

Topic - How Many Years Can You Expect AMP Caps To Last? - Dynaudio_Rules 12:24:37 02/03/10 (14)

The caps in my PS Audio 100C. . . - risabet 20:43:21 02/04/10 (0)

raises some questions about purchasing earlier and vintage gear.. - ramw 07:42:18 02/04/10 (2)

RE: raises some questions about purchasing earlier and vintage gear.. - Dynaudio_Rules 09:34:04 02/04/10 (1)

Me too ;-) P.S. - ramw 10:34:26 02/04/10 (0)

RE: How Many Years Can You Expect AMP Caps To Last? - ramw 03:52:09 02/04/10 (0)

Electrolytic caps dry out. - Al Sekela 16:06:45 02/03/10 (0)

RE: How Many Years Can You Expect AMP Caps To Last? - Ron Oehlert 15:28:49 02/03/10 (5)

Does This Mean Anything? - Dynaudio_Rules 15:45:54 02/03/10 (4)

RE: Does This Mean Anything? - Ron Oehlert 18:31:50 02/04/10 (2)

RE: Does This Mean Anything? - Dynaudio_Rules 18:52:39 02/04/10 (1)

RE: Does This Mean Anything? - Ron Oehlert 15:18:59 02/06/10 (0)

Anyone with any ideas for the above post?...nt - Dynaudio_Rules 12:44:04 02/04/10 (0)

RE: How Many Years Can You Expect AMP Caps To Last? - jimmyjames 12:48:52 02/03/10 (0)

RE: How Many Years Can You Expect AMP Caps To Last? - analog_sa 12:36:47 02/03/10 (0)

Follow Ups

Electrolytic caps dry out. - Al Sekela 16:06:45 02/03/10 (0)

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