Skip to main content

Electrician Red Seal · Question

During a routine inspection, an electrician notices that a bank of power factor correction capacitors is warm to the touch. The system power factor is consistently measured at 0.98 leading. What is the most likely issue?

A power factor of 0.98 leading indicates that the system is overcompensated with capacitance. Oversized capacitors can draw excessive leading reactive current,

Start free practice for Electrician Red Seal

150 questions · no signup required · 40 free questions per day

Start Practice →

Question: During a routine inspection, an electrician notices that a bank of power factor correction capacitors is warm to the touch. The system power factor is consistently measured at 0.98 leading. What is the most likely issue?

Answer options:

  • The capacitors are undersized for the load.
  • The capacitors are correctly sized and operating efficiently. ✅ The capacitors are oversized, leading to overcorrection.
  • The system has too many inductive loads.

Correct answer: The capacitors are oversized, leading to overcorrection.

Explanation: A power factor of 0.98 leading indicates that the system is overcompensated with capacitance. Oversized capacitors can draw excessive leading reactive current, causing them to overheat and potentially other system issues. If the capacitors were undersized, the power factor would remain lagging or close to unity but not leading significantly, and they would not necessarily be warmer.

Start free practice for Electrician Red Seal

150 questions · no signup required · 40 free questions per day

Start Practice →

More about Electrician Red Seal

Related Questions

More for Electrician Red Seal candidates

Ready to practice?

Free, no signup required. Build a wrong-question list as you go.

Start Free Electrician Red Seal Practice →

Related courses

Other Canadian certifications candidates often prepare for alongside this one.