Question

Can you ohm a capacitor?

Answer 1

You can’t really "ohm" a capacitor the way you would measure the resistance of a resistor, because capacitors are designed to store electrical energy, not resist current flow in the same way. When you try to measure the resistance of a capacitor using an ohmmeter, it won’t give you a meaningful reading.

Here’s why:

1. **Capacitor Behavior:** A capacitor behaves like an open circuit to DC (direct current) after it's fully charged. When you measure it with an ohmmeter, it might initially show a low resistance because of the current charging the capacitor. But once it's charged, the resistance will rise and the meter will likely show "infinite" resistance or no continuity at all.

2. **Leakage Resistance:** In some cases, if a capacitor is old or faulty, it might have a small leakage current. So, if you measure it with an ohmmeter, you could see a very high resistance reading (not truly infinite). But this still isn't the proper way to test a capacitor.

### How to Test a Capacitor:
- **Capacitance Meter:** The best way to test a capacitor is with a capacitance meter, which will measure its actual capacitance value (in Farads, typically microfarads or picofarads).
- **Multimeter (in continuity mode):** You could also check if the capacitor is shorted or open by using the continuity function (it'll give you a reading if it's shorted, but won't show much if it's open).
- **Voltage Test (for Electrolytic Capacitors):** You can apply a small DC voltage (below the rated voltage) and observe how the capacitor charges.

So, in short: no, you can’t ohm a capacitor to measure its condition. Instead, use the proper tools for capacitance measurement.