anyone need HVAC help?

[Anonymous No.906438]

[Anonymous No.906820]

No, I'm good. Thanks though, OP.

[Anonymous No.907017]

I've got an OLD oudoor central ac unit that is leaking freon around the charging valves. Is it possible to replace the valves?

I have freon to charge the system, but do not have a way decompress the system and store existing freon in a bypass tank. That I can think of. I'd like to not waste everything in the system since the stuff is worth its weight in gold now.

[Anonymous No.907022]

>>906438
Not falling for that again.

[Anonymous No.907048]

>>907017
get a 'valve core tool' for the type of refrigerant. lets you change the core without losing charge.

[Anonymous No.907152]

>>906438
I keep finding myself drunk and alone at home on friday nights with nothing but my anger issues to keep me company... what do?

[Anonymous No.907156]

>>907152
Clean your evaporator and condenser coils. Check your vents for mold and dust. Replace your a/c air filter. Make sure you shut off the breaker before spraying anything. Local HVAC stores like Johnstone and Tropic Supply (may not be in your area) have the best coil cleaners. If your outside coils are very bad, I recommend Viper coil cleaner. It makes dust fucking melt.
Pic unrelated

[Anonymous No.907207]

>>907152

Offer your HVAC assistance in a /diy/ thread. Not certified? Who cares! You stayed at a Holiday Inn last night, didn't you?

[Anonymous No.907231]

>>906438
Any experience with gas fired unit heaters?

I'm trying to troubleshoot an old unit that will fire up initially just fine, reaches temperature okay then wont refire after it needs to start heating again. If i close the gas valve, I can hear a click like the gas solenoid closing I think So i think that needs to be replaced.

[Anonymous No.907248]

>>907156
I hate johnstone supply as well as carrier distributors, those assholes at the counter are useless, and their merchandise are over priced. I prefer johnson or solar supply. On another note, guys please change your filters often

[Anonymous No.907249]

>>907156
>it makes dust fucking melt
It does that to the fins too

[Anonymous No.907263]

I've got an alt. current motor I got off an old washing machine, hooking it up to a 15a light switch. Seems super weak. The power rating on the side say 1/4 hp. Ideas?

[Anonymous No.907264]

>>907207
>certified
>/diy/
You must be new here.

[Anonymous No.907266]

>>907263
Uhh... Toss it? What state are you in? What are you using it for? You could probably find an old condenser fan motor for free if you need something similar. Or an evap blower motor.

[Anonymous No.907267]

>>907249
Follow the instructions, and don't leave the shit on there.

[Anonymous No.907309]

>>907048
I will try that. Thank you!

[Anonymous No.907333]

>>907309
Is it something like pic related?

[Anonymous No.907351]

>>907231
You're sure it's getting a call to heat the second time? Are the main burners not refiring or the pilot?

[Anonymous No.907369]

>>907333
no it looks like this

it has chambers to isolate the valve so you can change it out.

[Anonymous No.907379]

>>907369
Mine looks nothing like that. Pic related is mine. (Ice is from freezing rain) It's got a slow leak from around the area in blue on bottom.

[Anonymous No.907405]

>>906438
>>907152
>>907156
>>907207

[Anonymous No.907409]

>>907405
kek, not op.
I wonder how many people on here actually have an epa certification? judging by the average advice I see I would guess less than half.

google anything before you try it....


also my evaporator fins are already nice and clean thx.

[Anonymous No.907419]

>>907409
>elitist attitude
You're the reason certified specialists have to beg people to hire certified specialists with bumper stickers.

[Anonymous No.907424]

>>907419
nah man, I do appliance repair. all the fun, more money, less ladders, roofs, crawlspaces, and emergency midnight calls.

I just really do get a kick out of how many people on here try and give hvac advice without having a clue how it works in the real world.


if it makes you feel any better appliance repair has the same problem... half my customers go "why do you charge more than joe blow on craigslist" .. the other half are saying "joe blow on craigslist scratched my floor, charged me x amount, didn't actually fix the problem just limped my machine along, and now doesn't answer my calls anymore" ....

[Anonymous No.907427]

>>907409

[Anonymous No.907435]

>>907379
Thats a pump down valve, theres a useless putty that you can use so it wont leak while the service cap is on, its suppossed to stop the leak, but what actually happens it acts as a gasket

[Anonymous No.907438]

>>907409
Ok

[Anonymous No.907442]

>>907435
Any brand I should be looking for? Or a better description than useless?

[Anonymous No.907465]

>>907442
I meant useless because the putty doesnt do its intended job, either way its called high side leak lock, and make sure the cap is tightened properly

[Anonymous No.907472]

>>907438
>>907427
nice to see that some folks on here really do real work. Hi5

[Anonymous No.907477]

>>906438
Hey OP
I'm renting a house and the electric bill skyrockets when I have the heat turned on (GA winters aren't bad, therm set to 70, off during daytime, vents closed in two unused rooms, 1400sq ft house, same size basement but no vents and does have visible insulation on ceiling)
How can I check for leaks or other minor fixes?

Thanks a ton!

[Anonymous No.907482]

>>907477
not op, but start sealing all the airleaks in the house.. caulk around windows, put those little gaskets behind the wall outlet and switchcovers... make sure your doors fit tight or put the felt around to seal that... then go through your ductwork, seal all the seams in it with foil tape.. make sure you don't have holes.. make sure that you don't have any vents or returns covered by furniture... you need a good return along with the vents, air has to circulate back for it to work well..

if nothing changes then maybe get your system checked.. if your in georgia do you have a real furnace? or a heat pump with emergency electric heating? make sure if it's the latter that the outside unit is clean and not covered with shit... lastly make sure that your thermostat isn't doing something stupid like running the resistance heating constantly instead of running the heat pump first...

clean yo filters bro... you know it needs done.

[Anonymous No.907493]

>>907379
if you take the cap off, at the bottom of the stem there should be a little nut called the packing nut. tighten that. if it doesnt have one, do what OP said and apply BLUE leak lock to the threads of the cap and tighten it up

[Anonymous No.907604]

>>907231
pull the hose off the ventnor motor and clean out the hole with a drill bit or coat hanger... not while its running tho.

[Anonymous No.908107]

Going to have to replace my furnace and AC relatively soon. Any brands to suggest and/or avoid?

[Anonymous No.908245]

>>908107
Get a few quotes from a few rwputable contractors, research their company to make sure they back up their work and the type of warranty they offer

[Anonymous No.908250]

Hey, bro with the heater problems. Give me the year and model of that unit

[Anonymous No.908277]

>>906438
I've got a domestic split system, which has a problem. In cooling mode the liquid line starts frosting/freezing after about 15 minutes running time. The system then switches the compressor off for as long as it needs to feel better then it starts again to go through the cycle again. On really hot days it only runs for 10 minutes before suffering and takes much longer to recover. I've had the refrigerant checked and it's good. The tech who came to do it suggested that the capillary probably has a partial blockage. I assumed the same myself as that was where the frosting starts from. Tech suggested replacing the whole thing as it would be cheaper than the repair. I'm hoping OP can provide any other option. It's a no name chinese crap (about 6Hp) that was here when we bought the house. Under 10 years old.

[Anonymous No.908303]

>>907248
Where are you from? The Johnstone supplies here in minneapolis are fantastic

[Anonymous No.908305]

What do you guys charge for capacitors? our lowest price is 249 and our highest is $411 based on what plan the customer is on.

[Anonymous No.908507]

>>907477
Wait a second, what kind of heating unit do you use? A fully-electric one?

[Anonymous No.908710]

>>908507
I'd assume so since the only utility bill is for electricity

[Anonymous No.908719]

>>908710
the question should be do you have a heat pump? or just a regular air conditioning unit with resistance heating?

[Anonymous No.908721]

>>907379
Are you from Montreal?

[Anonymous No.908722]

>>907409
>I see I would guess less than half.
>I see not a whole lot.

[Anonymous No.908723]

>>908719
Based off this, I'm assuming a heat pump

[Anonymous No.908724]

>>908722
so thats 3 people with certs and one angry english major...

[Anonymous No.908808]

>>908723
want to save money turn it off.
Check superheat subcooling for ultimate efficiency, change filter

[Anonymous No.908811]

triple evacin 2 daikins splits on wednesday 1 single stage the other 2 stage. Still new to this trade kinda nervous.

[Anonymous No.908818]

>>>908808
>want to save money turn it off.
Fortunately it's been warm enough to have all hvac turned of for 3mo straight. I'm asking for advice for when the outside temp drops to 40 and less (which is frigid for Georgia)
>Check superheat subcooling for ultimate efficiency, change filter
Seriously man I don't know what the fuck any of that means. Except for change filter (I assume air filter) , which my landlord did 3 weeks ago

Thank you all for the help though

[Anonymous No.909787]

>>908277
Bumping in hope OP or someone sees it.

[Anonymous No.910084]

>>909787
http://www.achrnews.com/articles/115038-ice-breaker-diagnosing-a-restricted-capillary-tube

How does he know it's a blocked cap