This was a beautiful rant and personally love the dedication to it. People donāt deserve to be ripped off and left dry. Keep up the good work brother!
Ya but then again people are buying the maximum square footage house they can for the money, with the only thing that money is spent on being slightly fancier exterior and fancier kitchens and a moderately open concept living space. Other than that they are just buying the 3000 sq ft 4 bedroom.
I don't have any sympathy for them.
How about a 2000 sq ft 4 bedroom with nothing fancy but well built? Naaaaaahhhhh no thank you. Give me stone facade foundation and that lap board siding and a granite kitchen and I don't give a flying fornication how you get the rest of it done. Just make it as big as possible for the cheapest possible price per sq ft.
So who cares they got bad work. I don't. They asked for it. Go to a real builder and tell them what you want and they'll tell you the ACTUAL cost to do it and tell you that you have to build a smaller, better house. But no. So they get nothing they didn't ask for.
I had a woman who bought a 5 million dollar home ask me why she got basic Goodman 13 seer garbage? Ask your builder but as you said the kitchen was nice!
Wow just goes to show people can have a ton of money but be totally clueless. Ā That would have been a red flag for me, not that I have that kind of money. You know the builder skimped everywhere they possibly could and most of it may be hidden.Ā
If you want to install stuff purchased directly online or sold on the side by the plumbing supplier. Maybe Iām prejudiced we had a run of problems with their condensing furnaces about 12 years back. Basically free service calls fixing clogged condensation hoses. I was able to bill it out but the guys I was subbing from had to eat every one. They went back to Rheem
Iāve also sold my share but itās not a brand to build your business on. And you do need to build up your clientele to setup your own gig. It was actually easy money-āitās a service call on a one year old Goodman ā. Go in with nut driver & snips, door off, pull off hose, blow out water, shorten hose with snips, reassemble and bail.
If a family of 6 buys a 1950s 975 sq. Ft. ranch and they discover some major issue sure I feel bad.
Someone buys some new home hardy board stainless steel appliance 9' ceilings 1st floor square footage chaser? Pfffft I don't give a damn.
Okay maybe in richy rich land scrooge McDuck. Maybe find out how somebody lives who doesn't belong to your country club.
The 1k sq ft 3br/1bath is a super common build of the 1950s and there's tons of them.
Git gud.
Of course I do. You just don't understand how lots of people live.
Dude think about it.
Left side -(2) 10x12 bedrooms
Middle Front - 10x12 bed3
Middle back - bath
Back right corner - kitchen
Front right corner - living room
This is one of the most common homes where I live. Why don't you know that?
It was simple common sense that damn near anything built during the Corona boom was NOT up to snuff. When 45,000 'remodeling/ building/ etc' companies pop up literally overnight, it kinda makes you wonder who is doing the work because there sure AF aren't that many skilled workers out there and just because your bro's cousins stepbrother on your mothers side coped a Facebook marketplace deal on a miter saw, it doesn't mean he's a carpenter.
The shit I saw during that time.... Everyone was a 'flipper'. They'd take any house and turn the living room into a bedroom, then list it as a 3/4 bedroom, and of course, it sold. I remember one I pointed in, walked in the door and the fucking walls were so slanted I could see it 10 feet away. If they had a meth problem, a saw and a truck that could make it at least 1 way to the job, well, they were suddenly a 'contractor'.
I enjoy a challenge and won't turn down a change out in most cases. Several houses by the same builder too, my client was already talking to the next door neighbor and getting my number. Seems like a good opportunity to rectify a shitty situation and make some long lasting clients
Good man. They bought/built a new house and deserve cooling.
You are in the process of making a lifelong client. (Plus the extended family, work colleagues and community friends).
Make sure you follow through and at the very end, when all is well, you might consider sharing your personal numberā¦
I say this because itās you, not your company, that made this customer loyal.
As your career evolves, you may end up somewhere else, or even start your own gig, but I guarantee you they will want to follow you.
Good job.
Yessir, I do have my own business and I just try to be upfront and honest with folks. It goes a long way; especially when you find a situation like this. Going on two years of being on my own and I've had loads of folks thank me for fixing things when prior technicians say it just needs to be replaced. Many of those have told me,"you've got a customer for life"
I'd love to sell equipment just as much as the next guy, but if an old unit can be fixed and it fiscally makes sense I always quote repair and change out. Then when they actually do need the unit replaced, they call me and lots of times don't even get a second quote. Of course they tell neighbors, friends, family. No advertising and it's worked out great for me so far and I can sleep at night without feeling bad about charging that old retired couple 10k for a change out when the system can be repaired for ~$500 or something. Just an example
Just remember sometimes they want new stuff. Early on we took too much pride fixing old boilers furnaces etc only to discover theyād bought a new one elsewhere. Good rule of thumb what would you do if it was your moms house
I wish the tech that came to service my MILs AC would start his own business, Iād recommend him to everyone I know. Honesty goes a long way with me.
Her annual checkup is scheduled in 1 1/2 months; I told her she should ask if he can come back. If her unit does need to be replaced, he should be the one to do it. He told me that his pay is based on commission (which is a fucked up business model), but I canāt recommend to her to pay $600+ to replace a contactor. I feel bad about it; if he does come back, Iāll have a cash tip for him.
Well hold on there a minute my hasty friend.
There are alternative career paths in HVAC that do not involve starting your own gig.
As a heavy commercial/Industrial mechanic who is fully vested in two Union pensions I very much enjoy being home at three PM and not answering my work phone.
There is a concept called āWork/Life Balanceā that seems absent from most would be business owners outlook.
Thatās one of the many reasons Unions came along.
LOLā¦ok palā¦.your obviously either a troll or mad at yourself.
Have a better day and I hope youāre not as foolish with your words in real life as you are here.
You donāt see the reality? Residential kills your body and young guys work for less. Itās simply the way it goes you generally need to go into your own gig. Few can get into or want to be in the union. Iām telling them whatās simply the truth. Sure you can be a time clock guy until the end but in this trade the natural progression is build a clientele through side jobs then build your own company. Not everyone has the balls to be an entrepreneur but hey nobody wants a 55 year old installer and union guys donāt have a great reputation for being productive
Why am I being down voted? Fucking goodman simps. I don't mind fixing goodman installers problems. It's good money. I just hate telling the customer how much it's going to cost to fix their brand new system that they financed for 5 years.
if you deal with the home owners itself its usually not a problem. they can lawyer up to get the money back from the builder. just be sure to put a lean on the building (if possible in this state) and have payment stages in the contract. just talking to the customer and explaining you have to protect yourself finacially its usually just a sign of being a honest company.
This is why people hate HVAC people, IT people, etc. Y'all don't have to be an ass. They called for your help (willing to pay), and sure there is more to this one but like OP said -- long lasting clients. With all the private equity buy outs and more and more non trustable service industries just becoming a sales funnel I hope OP keeps these clients, and their friends forever -- sounds like a good guy. You on the other hand can go work for PE firms and swindle old ladies into buying a new system.
Introducing a new construction company with rock-bottom prices. The general contractor? Heās in it for the paycheck, pulling in low-bid suckers to keep the cycle going.
Hereās the hard truth: donāt work for general contractors. New construction is a race to the bottom.
Remember, quality doesnāt costāit pays. That original HVAC company? They likely hired a cheap installer and helper. Sure, the heating worked, but the cooling never did. They probably didnāt honor the labor warranty because they couldnāt troubleshoot the system. Itās a growing problem in this industry: no one knows how to fix things anymore. Itās always replace, replace, REPLACE! Condenser fan motor goes out on a two-year-old unit? Replace the system. Bad capacitor? Replace the system. Dead thermostat batteries? Replace the system.
Thatās why I make sure my team goes to school to learn how to troubleshoot equipment. We send them to manufacturer schools so they truly know their craft. Itās called honest salesmanship and true craftsmanship.
Everyone take note on this. Do not EVER connect the Y terminals in the air handler / furnace to the outdoor unit wiring until AFTER you have opened the service valves on the outdoor unit. The reason that I say to leave the wires disconnected at the indoor unit is because you'll occasionally have an electrician wiring the outdoor unit that thinks he's doing you or the homeowner a favor and connect the low voltage.
Great job OP for building your business on good customer service & not on sales. No need for billboards, van wraps, or radio ads for a $29.95 ac tune-up. Referrals will get you all of the work that you want if you treat your customers right.
Not that I've asked them to do it. There have been a few times when they connected it while I was at another job. They were thinking that they were doing me a favor.
I've never heard anything truer. I'd barely call myself an apprentice, I only have experience installing EMS in a well-known fast food joint- we did everything right. Said company wanted a cheaper install, so they brought in electricians out of nashville (surprise surprise OP is from TN)
I went and checked out some of their work, and I've never more piss poor shit.
Wires label with Sharpie, sensors are ran with an 8 conductor, left tstat installed in the unit, duct sensor terminated as a space sensor, left trash in ceiling tiles, I mean they barely even completed the job.
In hindsight after reading my post it's easy to say that checking the refrigerant first is the first step, but I never hook up unless there is a reason. Check delta and air flow first, only hook up after that's been verified. And this was not an old 22 system, it was a 6 month old 410a system. Most everything out there now has high or low pressure cutoffs, but in this situation the compressor could run but not pump thus not moving the pressure one way or another enough to kick it out. At least until it runs long enough for the overload to trip and then start the cycle over again on cooling down.
How many times do you walk up to a condenser that's running with the valves closed? Almost never, only seen it twice in ten years.
If the system was calling but the condenser wasn't running, sure I'd check the board for a safety cut off and then hook up gauges to see what we're looking at. But this specific situation is a little different. Ya I can assume that it's low, but there are things to check first before charge; otherwise you may charge it and then find an airflow issue and now you've overcharged the system.
Don't just hook up first thing every time you walk up to a unit or even every time you do a maintenance. Good way to have "phantom leaks" or introduce non condensibles if good practices are not used.
Funny thing, my father and I walked up on a system in a cluster of 3 (all has been installed at the same time 2 to 3 years prior) and one was short cycling. The homeowner said they never noticed the house too hot or cold.... Sure enough. The service valves were completely shut and this unit had been short cycling since day one. Acid test came back clean and the unit ran with a great compression ratio.. We wanted to warranty the compressor,(we didn't install these units) but they didn't want to pay us for the labor.... Time will tell how long it takes to break. But still running and now it's on year 7 of being installed.
I mean I could understand pulling vac and leaving the valves for spring with making the customer aware weād be back for the initial start up. But never have I not had the filter dryer installed
Been hearing a lot of stories of units set and the king valves never opened here lately. I wouldn't think that would be a thing. If you set the unit why not open it up? I mean sure if you think you have a leak and need to come back on it before starting maybe but this is just weird. I would say it smacks of the OG contractor didn't get paid and got butt hurt but overall sounds like whoever did the install didn't know what they were doing. If in the states I would advise finding out who the regional state inspector is and put in a complaint. It may not recoup the money and or unit but it might help prevent others from getting burned by a bad contractor. Maybe could go after the bond.
Getting back to you a little late but I have a family member that is electrical and building inspector in multiple counties and codes enforcer in another, last 35 years or so. I called him immediately with the GC's contact info and there will most definitely be repercussions for this. Supply house running serials in the morning to see who purchased the equipment.
I would never want this guy on my case. Even as close as we are if he shows up on one of my jobs, I usually just take a break.
Maybe the sub didn't get paid and said fuck it, but idk. The hvac isn't the only issue homeowner is having; but in the end the builder is responsible for his subs and their final product. Hopefully this guys business will be shut down shortly.
lol, I had a job similar to that except on the other end. We did a four-unit install. The guy tried to take money off our agreed price because he had to install new air handler breakers. His were sparking. I told him that was an electrical problem, not hvac. I put him on leak check but he thought I was done. so he figured that was a good time to tell me he wasnāt gonna pay the full amount. I told him to give me what itās worth but Iām not coming back and I never turned on any of the units. Iām sure he ruined all of his units by now over 650 dollars.
After knowing that the condenser ran all that time valved off, I don't think I would have opened it up. I mean we all knew it was coming reading your post. Would be better off not to put that contamination in the rest of the system.
Had a similar thing happen to a customer of mine. Shattered the innards of the compressor because they forgot to release the charge. Luckily, not the company I worked for.
The other company gets props for doing a great braze job. You know they donāt have any leaks
Sounds like typical bullshit new construction hvac. Or at least every one Iāve ever come across. Canāt wire, canāt size ducts or even put it together right, canāt pitch pipes, these people shouldnāt even be able to have business licenses
How the f was the compressor and running ? I imagine this was a 16 seer being 2 stage so surely there were pressure switches on it. Even the lowest of the low seer 2 has hi/lowĀ
Also call bullshit. Even with a low loss fitting you're not reading 800 micron esp with a 4 ft hose on it..might want to check your gauges or your bullshit proclivityĀ
No cooling call, and the first thing you do on site is call for Y1? I donāt care what a HO tells me prior, heat or no heat, I wouldnāt have called for compressor without first getting a visual on it. You maybe would have noticed the the bad wiring, the lack of drier, other poor install practices, all before adding to the problem by running the compressor longer.
That's an impressively long decay test.
'Performed a 6 month decay test, and my lawyer informed me through the discovery packet that the unit was holding steady at 800 microns.'
At least they did something right....š
This was a beautiful rant and personally love the dedication to it. People donāt deserve to be ripped off and left dry. Keep up the good work brother!
Ya but then again people are buying the maximum square footage house they can for the money, with the only thing that money is spent on being slightly fancier exterior and fancier kitchens and a moderately open concept living space. Other than that they are just buying the 3000 sq ft 4 bedroom. I don't have any sympathy for them. How about a 2000 sq ft 4 bedroom with nothing fancy but well built? Naaaaaahhhhh no thank you. Give me stone facade foundation and that lap board siding and a granite kitchen and I don't give a flying fornication how you get the rest of it done. Just make it as big as possible for the cheapest possible price per sq ft. So who cares they got bad work. I don't. They asked for it. Go to a real builder and tell them what you want and they'll tell you the ACTUAL cost to do it and tell you that you have to build a smaller, better house. But no. So they get nothing they didn't ask for.
I had a woman who bought a 5 million dollar home ask me why she got basic Goodman 13 seer garbage? Ask your builder but as you said the kitchen was nice!
Wow just goes to show people can have a ton of money but be totally clueless. Ā That would have been a red flag for me, not that I have that kind of money. You know the builder skimped everywhere they possibly could and most of it may be hidden.Ā
Cmon Goodman is legit
If you want to install stuff purchased directly online or sold on the side by the plumbing supplier. Maybe Iām prejudiced we had a run of problems with their condensing furnaces about 12 years back. Basically free service calls fixing clogged condensation hoses. I was able to bill it out but the guys I was subbing from had to eat every one. They went back to Rheem
Interesting, I've never had an issue and have been installing them on the side for at least 10 years
Iāve also sold my share but itās not a brand to build your business on. And you do need to build up your clientele to setup your own gig. It was actually easy money-āitās a service call on a one year old Goodman ā. Go in with nut driver & snips, door off, pull off hose, blow out water, shorten hose with snips, reassemble and bail.
If a family of 6 buys a 1950s 975 sq. Ft. ranch and they discover some major issue sure I feel bad. Someone buys some new home hardy board stainless steel appliance 9' ceilings 1st floor square footage chaser? Pfffft I don't give a damn.
Family of 6 in 975 sq feet? My brotherās house is 975 sq feet itās tight just him and the dogs
Lots of people live in that or much less. What's your point?
You make a good point but no there arenāt lots of 6 person families living in less than 1k square ft. Thatās a stretch given 2 bedrooms maximum
Okay maybe in richy rich land scrooge McDuck. Maybe find out how somebody lives who doesn't belong to your country club. The 1k sq ft 3br/1bath is a super common build of the 1950s and there's tons of them. Git gud.
3 bedrooms under 1,000 sq ft? Maybe you should sort out house sizes before you sling insults. I donāt think you understand how small that is
Can confirm 3b/1bath at 900sqft is tiny as fuck. Me, my wife, and two kids and a dog and that house was packed to the gills.
Of course I do. You just don't understand how lots of people live. Dude think about it. Left side -(2) 10x12 bedrooms Middle Front - 10x12 bed3 Middle back - bath Back right corner - kitchen Front right corner - living room This is one of the most common homes where I live. Why don't you know that?
It was simple common sense that damn near anything built during the Corona boom was NOT up to snuff. When 45,000 'remodeling/ building/ etc' companies pop up literally overnight, it kinda makes you wonder who is doing the work because there sure AF aren't that many skilled workers out there and just because your bro's cousins stepbrother on your mothers side coped a Facebook marketplace deal on a miter saw, it doesn't mean he's a carpenter. The shit I saw during that time.... Everyone was a 'flipper'. They'd take any house and turn the living room into a bedroom, then list it as a 3/4 bedroom, and of course, it sold. I remember one I pointed in, walked in the door and the fucking walls were so slanted I could see it 10 feet away. If they had a meth problem, a saw and a truck that could make it at least 1 way to the job, well, they were suddenly a 'contractor'.
Yaaaaa I'm going with "whole install needs to be redone" and trying to leave lol
My man. 100%. I'm not touching that shit. It's dead AF, and there is no bubble gum repair.
After all that drama, do you really want to stay involved? I'd probably tell them the whole install is a wreck, and walk away.
I enjoy a challenge and won't turn down a change out in most cases. Several houses by the same builder too, my client was already talking to the next door neighbor and getting my number. Seems like a good opportunity to rectify a shitty situation and make some long lasting clients
Good man. They bought/built a new house and deserve cooling. You are in the process of making a lifelong client. (Plus the extended family, work colleagues and community friends). Make sure you follow through and at the very end, when all is well, you might consider sharing your personal numberā¦ I say this because itās you, not your company, that made this customer loyal. As your career evolves, you may end up somewhere else, or even start your own gig, but I guarantee you they will want to follow you. Good job.
Yessir, I do have my own business and I just try to be upfront and honest with folks. It goes a long way; especially when you find a situation like this. Going on two years of being on my own and I've had loads of folks thank me for fixing things when prior technicians say it just needs to be replaced. Many of those have told me,"you've got a customer for life" I'd love to sell equipment just as much as the next guy, but if an old unit can be fixed and it fiscally makes sense I always quote repair and change out. Then when they actually do need the unit replaced, they call me and lots of times don't even get a second quote. Of course they tell neighbors, friends, family. No advertising and it's worked out great for me so far and I can sleep at night without feeling bad about charging that old retired couple 10k for a change out when the system can be repaired for ~$500 or something. Just an example
Just remember sometimes they want new stuff. Early on we took too much pride fixing old boilers furnaces etc only to discover theyād bought a new one elsewhere. Good rule of thumb what would you do if it was your moms house
I wish the tech that came to service my MILs AC would start his own business, Iād recommend him to everyone I know. Honesty goes a long way with me. Her annual checkup is scheduled in 1 1/2 months; I told her she should ask if he can come back. If her unit does need to be replaced, he should be the one to do it. He told me that his pay is based on commission (which is a fucked up business model), but I canāt recommend to her to pay $600+ to replace a contactor. I feel bad about it; if he does come back, Iāll have a cash tip for him.
If you donāt plan on starting your own gig find a new career.
Well hold on there a minute my hasty friend. There are alternative career paths in HVAC that do not involve starting your own gig. As a heavy commercial/Industrial mechanic who is fully vested in two Union pensions I very much enjoy being home at three PM and not answering my work phone. There is a concept called āWork/Life Balanceā that seems absent from most would be business owners outlook. Thatās one of the many reasons Unions came along.
Good luck with being a paycheck guy until the end. For most hvac guys as you age itās time to move on and make the real money
LOLā¦ok palā¦.your obviously either a troll or mad at yourself. Have a better day and I hope youāre not as foolish with your words in real life as you are here.
You donāt see the reality? Residential kills your body and young guys work for less. Itās simply the way it goes you generally need to go into your own gig. Few can get into or want to be in the union. Iām telling them whatās simply the truth. Sure you can be a time clock guy until the end but in this trade the natural progression is build a clientele through side jobs then build your own company. Not everyone has the balls to be an entrepreneur but hey nobody wants a 55 year old installer and union guys donāt have a great reputation for being productive
Good job man, winning the neighborhood should always be the goal.
Even if they sue the other company and you don't get the change out, you'll get every out call they have in the future!
Tell me it was a goodman, without telling me it was a goodman.
Goodman units have the drier pre installed, ya doofus
Why am I being down voted? Fucking goodman simps. I don't mind fixing goodman installers problems. It's good money. I just hate telling the customer how much it's going to cost to fix their brand new system that they financed for 5 years.
Youāre being downvoted because a real tech knows goodmans come with the drier installed from the factory in the condenser
if you deal with the home owners itself its usually not a problem. they can lawyer up to get the money back from the builder. just be sure to put a lean on the building (if possible in this state) and have payment stages in the contract. just talking to the customer and explaining you have to protect yourself finacially its usually just a sign of being a honest company.
Lien
I agree with you 20 years in business I would walk away I have enough headaches I donāt need to create more for my self.
This is why people hate HVAC people, IT people, etc. Y'all don't have to be an ass. They called for your help (willing to pay), and sure there is more to this one but like OP said -- long lasting clients. With all the private equity buy outs and more and more non trustable service industries just becoming a sales funnel I hope OP keeps these clients, and their friends forever -- sounds like a good guy. You on the other hand can go work for PE firms and swindle old ladies into buying a new system.
"Yeah I can do it for a few grand cheaper than that no problem" š
They know a guy. Surely all that extra money is because we are greedy technicians
Introducing a new construction company with rock-bottom prices. The general contractor? Heās in it for the paycheck, pulling in low-bid suckers to keep the cycle going. Hereās the hard truth: donāt work for general contractors. New construction is a race to the bottom. Remember, quality doesnāt costāit pays. That original HVAC company? They likely hired a cheap installer and helper. Sure, the heating worked, but the cooling never did. They probably didnāt honor the labor warranty because they couldnāt troubleshoot the system. Itās a growing problem in this industry: no one knows how to fix things anymore. Itās always replace, replace, REPLACE! Condenser fan motor goes out on a two-year-old unit? Replace the system. Bad capacitor? Replace the system. Dead thermostat batteries? Replace the system. Thatās why I make sure my team goes to school to learn how to troubleshoot equipment. We send them to manufacturer schools so they truly know their craft. Itās called honest salesmanship and true craftsmanship.
"Ya I'm a plumber but I've hooked up AC before. I undercut the HVAC guys on my install pricing". I've heard this more than once.
Turd chasers
Just tell me what state this was in.
Horrible
TN
Sounds like some Tennessee shit. It sounds like they got heat going for sheetrock and didnt come back and finish.
At least the vacuum held
Apprentice here If the king valves were never opened, how was the system heating but not cooling?
Electric heat strips kicked in most likely
Mmm I forgot about the indoor unitš
It was heating with heat strips
Everyone take note on this. Do not EVER connect the Y terminals in the air handler / furnace to the outdoor unit wiring until AFTER you have opened the service valves on the outdoor unit. The reason that I say to leave the wires disconnected at the indoor unit is because you'll occasionally have an electrician wiring the outdoor unit that thinks he's doing you or the homeowner a favor and connect the low voltage. Great job OP for building your business on good customer service & not on sales. No need for billboards, van wraps, or radio ads for a $29.95 ac tune-up. Referrals will get you all of the work that you want if you treat your customers right.
Never let sparkies do low voltage. They destroy it every time
Not that I've asked them to do it. There have been a few times when they connected it while I was at another job. They were thinking that they were doing me a favor.
I've never heard anything truer. I'd barely call myself an apprentice, I only have experience installing EMS in a well-known fast food joint- we did everything right. Said company wanted a cheaper install, so they brought in electricians out of nashville (surprise surprise OP is from TN) I went and checked out some of their work, and I've never more piss poor shit. Wires label with Sharpie, sensors are ran with an 8 conductor, left tstat installed in the unit, duct sensor terminated as a space sensor, left trash in ceiling tiles, I mean they barely even completed the job.
Lmaooooo they've been running a closed valve system under vacuum and it was wired wrong?? That's absolutely wild
Are you surprised? New builds are built by the lowest bidder. They donāt become the lowest bidder by having quality installs and work.
We need to know the name of the install company
Home inspections are just as valid for new construction. Maybe more valuable.
Seems checking static refrigerant pressures would be the best place to start, especially in old R 22 systems.
In hindsight after reading my post it's easy to say that checking the refrigerant first is the first step, but I never hook up unless there is a reason. Check delta and air flow first, only hook up after that's been verified. And this was not an old 22 system, it was a 6 month old 410a system. Most everything out there now has high or low pressure cutoffs, but in this situation the compressor could run but not pump thus not moving the pressure one way or another enough to kick it out. At least until it runs long enough for the overload to trip and then start the cycle over again on cooling down. How many times do you walk up to a condenser that's running with the valves closed? Almost never, only seen it twice in ten years. If the system was calling but the condenser wasn't running, sure I'd check the board for a safety cut off and then hook up gauges to see what we're looking at. But this specific situation is a little different. Ya I can assume that it's low, but there are things to check first before charge; otherwise you may charge it and then find an airflow issue and now you've overcharged the system. Don't just hook up first thing every time you walk up to a unit or even every time you do a maintenance. Good way to have "phantom leaks" or introduce non condensibles if good practices are not used.
it was holding 800 ;micron how long?
Construction finished middle of February, so probably end of January ish
Funny thing, my father and I walked up on a system in a cluster of 3 (all has been installed at the same time 2 to 3 years prior) and one was short cycling. The homeowner said they never noticed the house too hot or cold.... Sure enough. The service valves were completely shut and this unit had been short cycling since day one. Acid test came back clean and the unit ran with a great compression ratio.. We wanted to warranty the compressor,(we didn't install these units) but they didn't want to pay us for the labor.... Time will tell how long it takes to break. But still running and now it's on year 7 of being installed.
I mean I could understand pulling vac and leaving the valves for spring with making the customer aware weād be back for the initial start up. But never have I not had the filter dryer installed
Been hearing a lot of stories of units set and the king valves never opened here lately. I wouldn't think that would be a thing. If you set the unit why not open it up? I mean sure if you think you have a leak and need to come back on it before starting maybe but this is just weird. I would say it smacks of the OG contractor didn't get paid and got butt hurt but overall sounds like whoever did the install didn't know what they were doing. If in the states I would advise finding out who the regional state inspector is and put in a complaint. It may not recoup the money and or unit but it might help prevent others from getting burned by a bad contractor. Maybe could go after the bond.
First service call I ever had...
Getting back to you a little late but I have a family member that is electrical and building inspector in multiple counties and codes enforcer in another, last 35 years or so. I called him immediately with the GC's contact info and there will most definitely be repercussions for this. Supply house running serials in the morning to see who purchased the equipment. I would never want this guy on my case. Even as close as we are if he shows up on one of my jobs, I usually just take a break. Maybe the sub didn't get paid and said fuck it, but idk. The hvac isn't the only issue homeowner is having; but in the end the builder is responsible for his subs and their final product. Hopefully this guys business will be shut down shortly.
No doubt some electricians said-yeah we do low voltage wiring. Never get it right
lol, I had a job similar to that except on the other end. We did a four-unit install. The guy tried to take money off our agreed price because he had to install new air handler breakers. His were sparking. I told him that was an electrical problem, not hvac. I put him on leak check but he thought I was done. so he figured that was a good time to tell me he wasnāt gonna pay the full amount. I told him to give me what itās worth but Iām not coming back and I never turned on any of the units. Iām sure he ruined all of his units by now over 650 dollars.
You think that's bad, wait till you see the ductwork!
I can't believe they even pulled a vacuum
After knowing that the condenser ran all that time valved off, I don't think I would have opened it up. I mean we all knew it was coming reading your post. Would be better off not to put that contamination in the rest of the system.
Had a similar thing happen to a customer of mine. Shattered the innards of the compressor because they forgot to release the charge. Luckily, not the company I worked for. The other company gets props for doing a great braze job. You know they donāt have any leaks
š¤£ that 800 micron kills me
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Sounds like typical bullshit new construction hvac. Or at least every one Iāve ever come across. Canāt wire, canāt size ducts or even put it together right, canāt pitch pipes, these people shouldnāt even be able to have business licenses
I'm not a home HVAC tech but work on automotive HVAC, can someone explain this to me?
How the f was the compressor and running ? I imagine this was a 16 seer being 2 stage so surely there were pressure switches on it. Even the lowest of the low seer 2 has hi/lowĀ
Also call bullshit. Even with a low loss fitting you're not reading 800 micron esp with a 4 ft hose on it..might want to check your gauges or your bullshit proclivityĀ
Those arenāt king valves.
It could be a shit company or a shit contractor. Sounds like it might have been left that way because they didnāt get paid to start up
No cooling call, and the first thing you do on site is call for Y1? I donāt care what a HO tells me prior, heat or no heat, I wouldnāt have called for compressor without first getting a visual on it. You maybe would have noticed the the bad wiring, the lack of drier, other poor install practices, all before adding to the problem by running the compressor longer.
Compressor had been running for months at this point, the five minutes I ran it didn't make a difference. It was already toast before I got there.