Quick and dumb condenser question
 

Can you replace polarized condensers with non-polarized ones if the values/voltages are the same?

Thanks in advance for you help!

No. If you replace a polarized cap with a non-polarized one, bad things will happen, like possibly smoking the power transformer.

Ernie, what is the application? If you had, say a 1 mfd. electrolytic there would be no problem replacing it with a 1 mfd. mylar cap just as long as the voltage rating of the replacement cap is correct. You should be able to use mylar or polystyrene caps to replace electrolytics if you want. Mylar caps are non-polarized.

Replacing a NON-polarized cap with a polarized (electrolytic) cap would not work though. It's probably best to just replace with the same type that was originally in the circuit.

Capacitor problems
 

Ernie,

There is another type of non-polarized capacitor that is comonly used in speaker crossover networks. It's a non-polarized electrolytic. These things come in the usual electrolytic value, a few ufds. They can be installed either way. Most, if not all, of them internally are actually two electrolytics hooked up back-to-back, that is negative to negative. They can be used for filter applications if you can put up with a little more internal resistance.