This paper presents experimental results on the shut-down and start-up characteristics of a residential split system R410A air-conditioner with a capillary tube. During shut-down, the transient characteristics are evaluated by measuring the high and low side pressures and temperatures of the system. The dynamic behavior of the system after start-up is also investigated at the standard cooling capacity rating condition of which the dry and wet bulb temperatures for the indoor and outdoor are 27/19.5 and 35/24 degreesC, respectively. All experiments are performed in a psychrometric calorimeter. The cooling capacity, power consumption, dehumidification capacity and cycle characteristics after start-up are analyzed. The test results show that the cooling capacity and the coefficient of performance (COP) after start-up can be expressed as the combination of two exponential functions of time, approaching the cooling capacity of steady-state. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Ltd and IIR. All rights reserved.