HVAC Pros Battle System Complexity

“I went through last season with a fieldpiece DR58 and had mixed results. Sometimes it would pick up everything, sometimes water would get on the tip, sometimes it wouldn't get anything. I replaced the diode half way through summer and it helped, but still had some mixed results. I'm looking into an ultrasonic leak detector, but I don't want to have to pressurize with nitrogen every time I need it. If I were to see low pressures and equalize the system by dunking the TXV in warm water”

“Two brands in particular have given me trouble Trane units from 2015-2020. I always check the u-bend in the condenser on these. I never get any hits with my heated diode, anywhere, inside or out. Not the pressure switches. I'll top up and be back a few weeks later because low again. Put nitro in behind the refrig. Still can't find anything. Check all the Schraders incl the discharge and true suction port, nothing. Lennox units from 2019-2021. I know it's likely the evap but leak dete”

“I am helping a friend who has a walk-in freezer with an outdoor compressor unit. The compressor occasionally fails to start until the whole unit is power-cycled. The Refrigeration company says they have no clue what is w…”

“Backstory: Vacuum pressure switch fail LED. Did all he diag and got it spinning again. While I was verifying functionality I noticed some braided wires dangling uncomfortably near the flames. Also noted the excess lint build up (which I will clean regardless). TLDR: Area these wires safe to be here? submitted by /u/rnrp0 [link] [comments]”

“This 6.6 MVA transformer has been leaking like crazy so we decided to open it up and put new gaskets in, core is super nasty with lots of metal residue on it, decision is being made whether to replace or just shove her back in service. 66kv-4.16kv dyn3 submitted by /u/ikesy [link] [comments]”

“FYI for anyone in future Worked out without splicing any wire the included Y harness wire worked and test the LWCO using the test button and it stopped the furnace and then started as expected”

“So I posted here previously about getting our system replaced or repaired, and I was happy to find a local company willing to do the a-coil replacement. But then they showed up for the job and the new unit won’t fit through our attic access stairway, the access is 22.5” which is code locally, but the new coil is 23”. They tried different things but said I’d have to make the access hole bigger and to call them back when that’s done. So, is this a common issue ? And wouldn’t they check something l”

“Not really looking for advice. I just had an odd troubleshooting experience. A buddy of mine replaced the contactor on my unit while I was away from home and the unit started having similar issues. I shot voltage back down to the contactor and then popped it open to see if there was evidence of arcing only to find that ants were preventing the contactor from closing. submitted by /u/SeaQuiet4105 [link] [comments]”

“Hello everyone, I need help. I ran wires from the AprilAire directly to the furnace control board: Rf to R, Cf to B/C, and Gh to G. All pictures were taken before the connection. The system is working, but it looks like the dehumidifier isn't controlling the fan. Any advice? submitted by /u/MKfromVlad [link] [comments]”

“Could the melted plastic cause arc/shutoff? submitted by /u/Next_Entrepreneur_43 [link] [comments]”

“Hi folks Need some advice , obviously I know you cannot diagnose from afar , just need some ideas to know if my AC guy is incompetent or taking me for a ride. I have a Carrier air handler model FXM4X6000AL, installed vertically in the garage. Over the last few years , I’ve had ongoing recurring issues . Every two years or so, I’ll notice water seeping from the baseboard which is directly underneath the handler. When this happens , I’ll remove the filter, to discover it’s soaking wet from the coi”

“Hello, I am based out of a Chicago suburb. I have a two zone system. One of the zones seems to not close completely. An hvac guy came out today, and suggested replacing the motor as well as the attached duct work. It’s not clear to me why the duct work needs to be replaced. The damper location is easily accessible in the utility room. I was quoted $1700 for both motors+duct work replacement. Is this reasonable, great, terrible? Also, could someone educate me on why the duct work might need repla”

“I’ve never seen one of these on a normal residential system. I wonder if it has to do with that it’s a 3 story condo with 3 zones, condenser on the ground outside and the air handler all the way up in the attic? What’s it doing here? The system next door doesn’t have one. submitted by /u/lost_horizons [link] [comments]”

“My Air handler shuts off about twice a year due to what I assume to be a clog which causes my Safety switch to trip. Well it just happened again and instead of getting maintanence over here (9pm) I decided to look at it myself. My float switch is working perfectly, but as you can see there are no caps or any ways to access the drain line for maintance other than removing. At the top of the P trap there is a Hex style fitting, can I remove this? And if I do, what can I expect as far as a mess occ”

“Hello, I recently had a new york AC unit installed and it came with this board that they mentioned was a sensor to detect leaks. I didn't pay it much mind at first, but I noticed today that the board had this blinking red led. It's a steady single blink at regular intervals. The team didn't leave a manual or anything and I had trouble finding one online. Can anyone confirm for me if this light means normal operation? Or does it mean there is an issue? submitted by /u/Faux”

“I already had a full electrical panel replacement this year, so I'm just trying to save my bank account from another hit. submitted by /u/Iamnotaselfawareai [link] [comments]”

“EDIT: I appreciate the input from everyone and learned that I made some incorrect assumptions about this being a quick project that an unqualified homeowner like myself could manage to comfortably do. Please help a guy out. I believe we have Dirty Sock Syndrome and I bought a cleaner to fix the issue. I also plan on cleaning the drain pan. We moved in less than a year ago and I truly don’t know a thing about HVAC. I’ve looked at diagrams and different units, but I need help. How am I supposed to”

“After some bad weather last night with multiple power blips, our HVAC quit blowing cold air. This morning I went and check on it and found a burnt wire at the contactor. My wife recently had two major surgeries and money is extremely tight, so I would like to try and DIY the repair. Fairly handy with electrical work. I have previously changed the capacitor, and even the condenser fan years back in this unit without issue. I feel confident to install a new contactor. My question is it will be oka”

“Having trouble with this heat pump I just installed we have 24 volts everywhere outside, but contactor won't pull in unless if I unwire the red wires on the outdoor unit, does this mean I have a short? Even if I have 24 volts between common and red outside. submitted by /u/International-Ad6126 [link] [comments]”

“Blower won’t shut off. I have to shut power to the handler off. I noticed this happening after a roofer was in the attic area where AC related wires are. I’m thinking that a wire was accidentally damaged while they were up there but that might be a coincidence. This is what I’ve done so far and I’m looking to see what else I could do before calling a technician. Thermostat fan set to auto and set to OFF. Still runs Took thermostat off, still runs Disconnected the G (fan) wire from the thermostat”

“Our AC unit had stopped working and got a $468 quote from a company to simply replace the capacitor. Yeah we’re not doing that. Only issue now is that the wiring looks different from any tutorial videos I’ve seen on YouTube. Is this normal? There are three wires attached to the common, and only one on Herm. I would imagine there should be at least one on fan submitted by /u/Practical_F [link] [comments]”

“Never seen this in any carrier condenser. Wiring schematic shows a typical capacitor/contactor setup. Straight cool condenser. Planning on taking it out and wiring it up normally. System is still working surprisingly. submitted by /u/kvngdaryl [link] [comments]”

“Hello I am dealing with a contactor that won't properly pull in, confirmed with the multi meter (240 volts on left side, 0 on the right, and when I tap it it pulls in) I can't find any label on the contactor though, does anyone know which contactor this is and where I can find a direct replacement ? https://preview.redd.it/prpt86n2ekih1.png?width=2110&format=png&auto=webp&s=11373138f9dca19eb242ddaee8659da7384ba106 submitted by /u/Dominicrooij [link] [comment”

“We had a guy come out to tune up our ac. They suggested a new disconnect box, but stated the unit was functioning properly. I'm no expert but this looks like it is bypassed. Opinions please? submitted by /u/sirkikurass [link] [comments]”

“Hey everyone, Today, I ran a definitive 20-minute touch test under a warm 80°F outdoor load to trace the temperature line from my outdoor unit. I started pinching the thin liquid line from the basement wall inward. It was completely warm up the exact second my fingers hit this large brass aftermarket reducer/adapter fitting right outside the coil box, the pipe immediately dropped in temperature and turned noticeably cool. Not ice cold but cool and creates a bit of sweat? Since the temperature dr”

“Hey guys, looking for some confirmation of what I'm already pretty sure of. I am doing a startup on a brand new 20seer Bosch IDS heat pump, with a bosch cased coil inside, on an older oil fired furnace. On startup I noticed the liquid line sweating so obviously I am looking for a restriction somewhere- but as I looked closer I noticed it sweating all the way out at the outdoor unit into the condensing coil. My liquid line service port probe is reading a high side pressure that is 50psi lower”

“I know the condenser coils are neglected and need cleaning, but is it necessary to replace an entire unit just because there's a leak in the tubing at the exit of the aluminum coils transitioning to copper? Is it not possible or cost effective to replace a section of tubing? The tech said he's tried repairing those before but it never holds, so he tried to sell me a brand new unit both condenser and evaporator for $15k. I asked him to put the panels back on and my family is camping out i”

“Gree mini split. Beeping from the outdoor unit. No error code. Proper weigh in charge. Voltage correct. So, none of my guys have ever heard of the outdoor unit beeping. It’s doesn’t have that option… well it turns out the compressor was grounded. We still don’t know where the beep came from. It doesn’t show an audible in the diagram. submitted by /u/heldoglykke [link] [comments]”

“I have a bvent that was flagged as improperly connected and leaking back into the attic. I've been calling hvac companies to take a look to see how much it will be to seal it but they all want to charge a fee to just look at it. I'm curious how much it would cost to have an hvac tech come and fix this. Roughly. Also is this something that is fairly easily fixed or does the entire pipe need to be swapped out? I know nothing about hvac so please be gentle. submitted by /u/Roirr”

“My AC Condenser started blowing a 3 amp fuse on the board today when turning on. So I replaced the capacitor and 24v contacter which seems to let it run but now it runs non stop. The day pics are before the night pics are after. I replaced a CONT1P030024V with a packard C140A. Did I do something obviously wrong or is there a short in my thermostat / control board / wiring that I’m missing? submitted by /u/GM_Quitter [link] [comments]”

“Can someone explain the 24v connections on this contactor and how the CTD plays a part in it? I don't understand brown wire that goes to the contactor. submitted by /u/JJRtree81 [link] [comments]”

“I recently had some issues and it ended up being a bad ecm board on a x13 blower motor from 2011 in the attic air handler. I was a week out from my scheduled annual hvac checkup and I replaced the motor myself. Hooked it back up as the original and everything worked as it should after. I had the blue wire going to tab 2 I'm assuming it's a speed tab and the white in tab 4 on the motor. Then ac tech came when I was at work but my wife was home. I arrived about an hour after he got here. H”

“I posted the other day about this and didn't get much input. I have three Trane units and one went out the other day. When the company I have been using for some time came, they replaced the capacitor and, since they've been on me about cleaning the coils I decided it was time. However, their estimate was frankly pretty shocking at $14,000. Now when the guy was at the house that was the amount for removing and cleaning the coils, removing and cleaning the blowers, and cleaning the ducts.”

“Ground and bond time. My neighbor had this issue”

“The return probe is reading way colder than it should, how do I fix this? They are side by side. submitted by /u/Ok-Rest-8066 [link] [comments]”

“So today, I havent' been able to get readings of my temp sensor to show up on myspool.com Their website mentions they are having issues submitting tickets to support but no mention affecting sensor readings. The website is hosted by AWS which has some issues according to Downdetector. Just wondering if I am the only one having sensor issues. Thanks. submitted by /u/TechGuyworking [link] [comments]”

“I've got a 21 year old Goodman GMV80704BXA system that's worked well enough in my small old house. A few weeks ago the outdoor condenser fan intermittent stopped working. I replaced the capacitor as that's been necessary a couple of times over the years, and it worked okay for a day then the problem returned. Condenser fan shuts off after 2-3 minutes. I went out of town for a week, came back and the system worked great for day. And then it came back. Since then here are the troublesh”

“So I had a company come out to diagnose my hvac not cooling. They said the evap coil was leaking, and it would cost 4k to replace the evap coil plus another 4k in add ons because they don’t make that evap coil anymore and they would have to redo that whole part of the system. So I went and got the model number off the coil, and it’s readily available. I can buy one today for $900 retail. Is this a common scam to pad the invoice? Also for their total estimate I could have the outdoor unit and eva”

“Starting this past Monday, the condensate float safety switch keeps tripping at least once a day. I've taken my shopvac and vacuumed out the lines up here and also down where it drains into the masterbath below it. I've poured vinegar down the lines, I've snaked the lines and removed some clogs but nothing too big. I even called out an HVAC company who came and said everything looks fine. They just poured some special cleaner down the line and said call us back if it keeps happening.”

“Some garage doors on this boat house I'm helping a guy with aren't working. There's 5 in total, all have line power. None are working. I noticed I'm not reading any secondary voltage on one, haven't tested the others. Could lightning have fried all the control transformers? submitted by /u/Potential-Figure-716 [link] [comments]”

“Any one having trouble with the fieldpiece app? I have to constantly close the app and reboot it… tools link up quick but it’s annoying. Like if I put my phone down for a minute and the screen locks I’ll unlock the phone and everything will be disconnected, and I’ll have to reboot the app. submitted by /u/mjp4733 [link] [comments]”

“So there is a problem with the outdoor duel(?) transformer. Sometimes it is not sending a power to the contactor to close. Not sure why they did it like that. Not even sure what to ask for at the wholesaler if it is the transformer and not the wire I replaced. submitted by /u/Doogie102 [link] [comments]”

“​"Slide copper tubing and wire insulation over the probe to prevent breakage." ​"This is a great way to prevent the probe from snapping due to accidental impacts during leak detection." submitted by /u/HVAC_Man777 [link] [comments]”