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I just found out that electrolytic capacitors hardly leak whereas non-electrolytic capacitors leak and at times, leak a lot. Questions:

(a) what causes capacitors to leak?

(b) why do electrolytic capacitors hardly leak when wired correctly whereas if they are reversed, they leak a fair amount?

(c) why do non-electrolytic capacitors leak more than electrolytic capacitors?

Jesus
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    I think your question needs some clarification. When you say "leak", what is doing the leaking? Capacitors can have current leak through their dielectric. They can leak electromagnetic fields to their surroundings. They can also leak energy as a result of heating due to friction in the dielectric. – David Nov 05 '13 at 02:12
  • @David I didn't know that there were so many types of leak. I was thinking of current leaks through their dielectric. – Jesus Nov 05 '13 at 02:48

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Well you have it exactly backwards. I know of no other commercial capacitor type that leaks as badly as ANY sort of electrolytic capacitor. They leak both electrically, and chemically/physically.

  • Yeah, I think it's general electronics knowledge that electrolytic capacitors have higher leak rates than non-electrolytic ones like ceramics and oil-based capacitors. – DumpsterDoofus Nov 05 '13 at 21:41