HVAC problems

>>1203821
You're retarded. You should be paying him more.

Your fan not running has nothing to do with a condensation line. If your fan motor was bad he probably should have replaced it same day, unless it was after 5 or something, but sometimes A/Cs have odd fans you have to order.

You don't have the know-how to find out if the fan is powered or not, and that's the important part. You can't do it. If it's getting power but not spinning, you may have a bad motor or a bad capacitor. If you don't have power to the fan, you may have a bad relay, transformer, breaker, etc.

>>1203821
Window units? Don't they only last like 7 years and only cost like $150? No point in dropping another $120 on two busted ACs. Just get new ones. Or, save up your pennies and invest in a house size AC of some type. Central, split unit, whatever. Something that will last more than a few seasons. If you rent, well, just kill yourself and get it over with.

>>1203840
>Inside unit
>Outside unit
>Condensate line
>2 units, 1 for upstairs
>The fucking OP image

File: Pro-to-Handle-HVAC-Repairs.jpg (1MB, 2122x1415px) Image search: [Google]

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>>1203829
Everything I searched lead me to cleaning the condensation line as step 1 if it has never been done before. I don't get how it could be tied with the fan but many searches online said to do that if you're not getting cold air so I did it anyways.
>If your fan motor was bad he probably should have replaced it same day
I believe all he said was the capacitor was bad so he rewired it so the power went straight to the fan, I think? He never changed any parts, only rewired and he wasn't there very long. I even had him inspect the other units just in case (because I couldn't understand why 1 unit would randomly begin failing one day while the others were fine) and he said all was fine. Within 24 hours the next unit gets the same problem and now the one he fixed is causing trouble again. This is why I'm a little upset on calling a repairman again.
>If it's getting power but not spinning, you may have a bad motor or a bad capacitor
I think it could be a bad capacitor based on all my research. I tried "kick starting" it multiple times in both directions trying to get the fan to come on but it was no good.

My biggest concern though is why the unit that was "fixed" isn't blowing out strong cold air anymore.
>>1203840
It's a house size AC, if that's what you call it.
I own the house but I was actually planning on renting it or selling it soon since money's getting tight, now this AC problem is going to make things get even tighter.

>>1203821
Your problem is your condensing unit is just photoshopped above your condensate line. Pretty clever ruse. Remove photoshopped unit and install real condenser, and you should be fine.

>>1203862
The problem is that modern fans arent meant to be repaired. They contain logic boards and you can't really troubleshoot them at location. If your guy took the fan unit back to his shop where he has a solder rework station and spent some time troubleshooting and replacing components, I would be impressed. This would be more than 60$ and is why its not done, because the cost would rival that of a new fan.

What is more likely is that your man found the wires coming out of the back of the fan and snipped them. Then bypassed the fan logic board completely and used wire twists to connect it to the thermostat fan control wires. This fix used to work in older units, but modern units are too complicated for this.

>>1203821
If the unit is running and you have no air blowing in the house then what you have is an iced up A coil. Put the AC into fan mode and let the ice melt off the coil. This will happen anytime you have high humidity and then try to cool the house off in one go. Problem can be made worse by low refrigerant level (charge), but that is less common.
The fan outside can't be wired directly to AC. I has to have a starter and run capacitor. Those are very simple to fix. Just turn off the units power first. Generally when those go bad they bulge on the top. Use the same farad rating. You can use a higher voltage rating, but never lower.

Threadjack.

Bought an old house last fall. It never had central air. We bought a new furnace, A coil, and condenser. I have the furnace installed and A coil, Condenser is placed outside and I have it wired up with electricity and low-voltage.

I called the local HVAC and they are coming out Friday to braze the connections and charge the system. My question to the HVAC bros out there, should I run the lineset or leave it for them? Someone said they will want to use their own lineset so they can charge me more. Someone else said not to run it because they might want to exit the house in a different spot (not that they have a lot of choices), and someone else said I should just run it so it will be cheaper.

I asked the woman on the phone but she was just the dispatcher and had no idea, she just said that they need to have power run.

What do you think /diy/?

>>1203981
If you trust your contractor and they are licensed and bonded legit contractors you want to have them do it. If something happens down the immediate line they will be liable.

If you are hiring Pedro from the Home Despot parking lot, you want to do it yourself.

>>1203862
This is why every man should know basic electrical troubleshooting skills.

This guy right here is a prime example.

You need to learn to take the cover off your AC units and figure out how they work. Buy a multimeter and google 'HOW TO READ AN A/C ELECTRICAL DIAGRAM.'

Turn the power off first though. In fact, post the model of your outside unit. I'll fucking walk you through the diagram if you post it.

>>1203981
Run the lineset. It's your house. Make sure they have plenty of extra on both sides. Don't seal it up before they actually do the work, just in case they bitch.

You're saving about 100-200$.

>>1203988
>>1203992
It's happening again!

The lineset will actually be pretty easy, it runs right down a joist bay since I re-positioned the furnace. Just need to drill one hole in the wall.

I just don't want to get it in place and have the guys say he "has" to use his own for liability issues or some shit.

The company is a large reputable company, I'm not worried about that part. I would do it myself but by the time I get the vacuum pump, a/c manifold, refrigerant, and silver solder, I'd going to be in $300+ and have 20 pounds of refrigerant sitting in my basement. Plus if I fuck it up badly, then I get to buy a new condenser.

>>1203821
As always, need more info.
Are these ductless units? Or do you actually have 3 AC like OP pic and 3 furnaces/air handlers in the house?

The outside unit is comprised of a fan, a compressor and some electrical stuff. Are both the fan and the compressor running? Are the pipes frozen? Is the compressor covered in ice? Are both pipes above outside air temp?

>>1203821
I see the problem. He replaced your outdoor unit with a cardboard cutout.

>>1203997
Just an FYI guys, the crook showed up. Clearly just didn't want to deal with it so he quoted me $968 to run the lineset which I already cut all of the holes for and to braze the connections and top off the R410.

Said they don't normally do installs on customer equipment despite the dispatcher saying they do them all the time.

>>1205837
Dispatchers are generally retarded, just so you know. They hear 'install' and think all installs are the same. If I were the guy I'd just to T&M labor, get the shit done and leave. But, seeing as they didn't install it, I can understand them not wanting to be liable. Your best bet t this point is to find a friend to do this for you.

Why are all homeowners retarded?
Air conditioning doesn't get fixed for 60$ this isn't putting in a new lightbulb. Labor is expensive and air conditioning is a luxury.

>>1205837
Contractors would prefer to sell you their equipment because the profit margin is huge; a landlord I know bought a new boiler for his apartment building for around $12k, and found a guy to install it for labor/ materials. Contractors were quoting him well above 20 for the job, so you can imagine many contractors are not happy when they lose out on money to be made like that

>>1205842
Yeah, I have a guy traveling 2 hours to do it for me who is charging $500.

>>1207476
Except I work in the trades, $1000 to braze 2 connections, with a nitrogen sweep, vacuum evacuation, and topping off is no where near $1k worth of labor. That was the "I don't want to do it" price. I over quote all the time for shit jobs I don't want to do. It's just annoying when the dispatcher even says they do them if no one wants to touch them.

The funny part is I regularly charge $50 to change light bulbs for customers. In this market we charge $100/hr for labor and have a half hour minimum. People gladly pay too because changing the bulb on a 30 foot pole is not something they can do. That being said, when granny can't change the bulb on her front porch light because she can't stand on a step stool, I don't charge her $50.

>>1207609
If anything goes wrong with your unit the company that brazes it in is now married to that unit. I wouldn't touch anything a customer wants me to put in how do I know you didn't drop it out your pick up now I need to replace a 2 k condenser because I wanted to make 500$

>>1207476
I would fix my own air-conditioning if I could. But the stupid laws make it so I can't purchase the refrigerant. The labor itself is brain-dead easy.

It's like changing the oil on my car. I could do a better job in half the time for half the price if I was able to do it myself.

>>1207825
>But the stupid laws make it so I can't purchase the refrigerant.

Not if you live in the US and order online. I get mine via Ebay.

My Robinair vacuum pump, generic oil/dye injector and generic gauge set (a fucking Bourdon tube is a Bourdon tube) came via Amazon. Nitrogen regulator via Ebay, nitrogen cylinder via Craigslist. Info via contracting forums and truck forums.

My trucks blow nice cold air and life is good.

File: Walmart R134A.png (56KB, 804x682px) Image search: [Google]

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>>1208777
>My trucks blow nice cold air and life is good.
>trucks
>R134A
>$3.99 a can a WalMart

>>1208789
One can doesn't fully charge an empty system after component replacement. I have two trucks I just serviced after condenser and line replacement as well as my bros vehicles (he paid his share of the R134 jug). Baby cans are adorable but not cost effective for full charges.

The little cans suck less than the overpriced kits with the babby single guage and fill hose, but those kits aren't usable to pressure test the system with nitrogen and dye before vacuuming them down prior to servicing.

The old school can piercers are nice for draining the last bit of solvent or paint from spray cans though.

Holy shit, so much bad/wrong information in this thread. My fault for thinking 4chan was more than /b/tards.

>>1203961
This
Number one most likely situation for AC that has been blowing cold and suddenly stopped cooling while moving air around.

Should be able to open a panel in there and see the coils and the ice on them.

>>1203821
If your fan isn't running it must not be getting power, I would say it's probably a fucked up capacitor or something in the little box. Something you won't be capable of fixing either way. Just go to walmart and by a fan for $40 and stay cool for 1 day while you wait to get a real ac person there tomorrow