very frustrated

[eliteconcept]

First off I am not trying to Do it myself. I just want to know if my repair guy is messing around.

I bought my house last year. It had a new furnace installed before the folks sold it, (they fixed up the house and sold it). It is a 93% eff Goodman downflow furnace. Heating it worked great all winter, no problems.

The weather here is starting to heat up and I wanted to get someone out to give the A/C unit outside a once over since it is not new. My dad recommended I call a guy he knows that works for a local heating and cooling shop, to help save me a few bucks. HE IS CERTIFIED AND all that good stuff, so NO FLAMING PLEASE. He has done work on the side for my parents before and they said he did a good job.

So I gave him a call and long story short he has tried to run a new thermostat line, tried 2 different thermostats, and tried a new circuit board in the furnace and the A/C unit outside still will not cycle on, NOR will the FAN/circulate Mode operate. He claims he tried to use some sort of "self test" (i'm not sure what he called it exactly) on the A/C unit outside and said it turned on, so he does not believe that unit is bad. Though I was not home when he tried that, the girlfriend was there. I'm becoming very frustrated because he has come over 3-4 times now and its still not ready for the warm weather. I've told him we need to get this running because I can not stand the heat and humidity in Indiana.

I work with computers so I understand to and extent that sometimes everything can be hooked up perfect test out in working condition and there can still be issues and they are very difficult to hunt down. But does this sound like it should be a somewhat easy fix for someone who is trained? Or is he trying to screw me into a costly repair? Any suggestions or advice is very much welcomed, I am very close to calling a company but I am leary of just about everyone at the moment.


Thanks so much in advance,
Ryan

[coolwhip]

No offense, but thats what you get when try and be a cheapass and call a screwball. I have no sympathy for you.
Call a reputable company to service your equipment, one that is licensed and insured.

Goodman install...I bet no permits were pulled either.

[bob hubbard]

That guy is in way over his head if hes swapping out parts ! A trained hvac guy will bypass the t-stat to know if its working ! This guy sounds lost ! Call someone else ? Bob h

[Shophound]

Here's where your problem started:



My dad recommended I call a guy he knows that works for a local heating and cooling shop, to help save me a few bucks.


It got worse here:


He has done work on the side...

As for his "self-test" method:


He claims he tried to use some sort of "self test" (i'm not sure what he called it exactly) on the A/C unit outside and said it turned on, so he does not believe that unit is bad.

He probably pushed the contactor in with a screwdriver and declared, "Uh yup. The compressor runs. I just can't make it pull in without me screwin'driver."

In a nutshell, ditch this clown like a bad habit and get someone in who knows what they're doing.

[mayguy]

I sure hope he is not charging you the board that is not needed and other parts??

[HeyBob]

Now if you had called the company that guy worked for and he was sent out and ran into some technical issues that were over his head he could call his boss and get some guidance.

However he can't call his boss because he isn't supposed to be doing what he's doing.

Unfortunately, you are now his guniea pig and it's going to cost more than if you had called a licensed contractor in the first place.

[dash]

I sure hope he is not charging you the board that is not needed and other parts??

No need to,he got those from his employer ,five finger discount!!


Hope not!

[HVAC Teacher]

I've tried to respond to this thread 4 times without sounding disrespectful.

Bottom line: easy diagnosis / simple repair

I'll leave it at that.

[mr horsepower]

do you think he's just wanting to be around your girlfriend when your not home? :rolleyes: :confused: :eek: :mad:

seriously, if he cant determine the nature of that specific problem w/o resorting to swapping parts out to see if its going to work afterward tells me you need to get him away from it before parts WILL have to be replaced. im sure he's not certified in the HVAC field if he's stumped by this problem. call someone else, good luck. :)

[HVAC Teacher]

Eliteconcept, if you think the advise here is a little harsh, "believe me it's not". Every tech. reading this thread is shaking his head in disgust. My first semester students (with no field experience) are reading this along with me. Even they know how to go about making it work.

[glennac]

Does he own a multimeter and can he read it?

[eliteconcept]

i'm not going to get too defensive but, we have all made bad decisions in our life, i'm just looking for guideance /advice not *tisk tisk tisks*

I fail to see how the fact that a person who would do work on the side of their main job would have anything to do with the quality of work they do. I have done computer work on the side of my main job for 2-3 years now. It doesn't effect the way I do the job. And in relation to what the companies I work for charge, I offer a fair and cheaper fee to do the same quality work. I'm not saying that IS what happened to me in this case but I'm not sure how important that is. I wanted to save money, which everyone wants to do, and esp. me with student loans that I have in repayment. I got word of a person that would be willing to look at my situation since he does that line of work. It just so happens it has not turned out well for me so far. I'm here just looking to see if the troubleshooting was standard or if he is messing around a bit. If you think its something major just let me know, not that I could fix anything but I'd at least like to have a "thats something major" or thats "thats something simple", i'd have it running in 10 minutes.
At least I know what to expect should I/ when I call a business to come out
Thank you.


Sorry to rant

[eliteconcept]

I read my last post back, and I just wanted to let everyone know that I am not trying to disrespect anyone.
If the agreement is based on the information provided that it is an easy fix then I'm calling a company pay them their $x and be stress free.

If its not an easy fix i'll get the window A/C out of the shed and put that in this summer...I DO NOT HAVE lots of spare money

Thank you and once again I am not trying to be disrespectful or rude.

Thanks
Ryan

[coolwhip]

Lets say he caused an electrical short and burned your house down...what then? Would you tell your insurance company you had beaver cleaver working on your system?

If you call a licensed contractor, they will fix your problem, and give you a parts/labor warrantee. I know I would.

[HeyBob]

It's impossible for us to diagnose online. I will tell you this, a competent service tech will have the answer and a proper diagnosis in a very short time.

Call another service company. Let the tech know that arrives that someone else messed around with it also.

[mr horsepower]

EASYYYYY DIAGNOISIS. easy fix depends. might need new thermostat wiring ran, or control wires outside, or might have a bad thermostat, ... whatever fix is needed should not boggle the mind of an A/C tech. the repair could take a little while. it just depends.

[eliteconcept]

I understand it is impossible to diagnois online, I just as I wouldnt expect to diagnois a computer over the phone with a user. Merely be able to say thats Major or thats minor.

I do appreciate your guys help.
I'll be calling a few places here shortly to get this solved.

[madcitysw]

Um.. Some A/C has a limit switch that will cut the 24V power if the pressure is too low because of low coolant. Could this be your problem?

[eliteconcept]

I hope not, he checked the coolant levels before he went to fire the system up.

[mr horsepower]

Um.. Some A/C has a limit switch that will cut the 24V power if the pressure is too low because of low coolant. Could this be your problem?

run elite, run. apparently that 'tech' has a computer and is online today. :D :D

[madcitysw]

run elite, run. apparently that 'tech' has a computer and is online today. :D :D

I take that as a joke :p

[ItshotinBama]

i'm not going to get too defensive but, we have all made bad decisions in our life, i'm just looking for guideance /advice not *tisk tisk tisks*

I fail to see how the fact that a person who would do work on the side of their main job would have anything to do with the quality of work they do. I have done computer work on the side of my main job for 2-3 years now. It doesn't effect the way I do the job. And in relation to what the companies I work for charge, I offer a fair and cheaper fee to do the same quality work. I'm not saying that IS what happened to me in this case but I'm not sure how important that is. I wanted to save money, which everyone wants to do, and esp. me with student loans that I have in repayment. I got word of a person that would be willing to look at my situation since he does that line of work. It just so happens it has not turned out well for me so far. I'm here just looking to see if the troubleshooting was standard or if he is messing around a bit. If you think its something major just let me know, not that I could fix anything but I'd at least like to have a "thats something major" or thats "thats something simple", i'd have it running in 10 minutes.
At least I know what to expect should I/ when I call a business to come out
Thank you.


Sorry to rant

I hate to sound judgemental here, but my question is, would you potentially get fired from your employer for doing your " side" computer work if they found out? Not sure about your industry, but side work in AC is a roll of the dice at best. Most AC companies I know provide plenty of work for guys. Side work to me indicates someone that may be less than honest.

From the consumer's standpoint, if he messes up you have no safety net. No company to stand behind his work. No supervisor or technical help if he gets stumped. What if he gets hurt while working on your property? Workman's comp isn't paying? Would your insurance pay?

Lots of things to deal with to save "a few bucks".

[techace79]

we work our roughin guys 50-60 a week now that is wide open. the ONLY work i will do like that is for them to make a nice pluck on sunday, and never do any service on the side or for friends and stuff like that. sorry to hijack this thred but do you think maybe a customer may look at you differently for selling a side job for your guys? all they do is "patch up" or replace duct work in a low crawl. i usally give them a choice and they ussually take it. i think ihave the most loyal crews in the world, but they seem to work fastest on sunday but its ok sorry to rambel any thoughts.

[beenthere]

I hope not, he checked the coolant levels before he went to fire the system up.



This guy is in over his head.

[HVAC Teacher]

Elite, Make sure to inform the service tech what has been done to your system by this guy so he can make sure everything is in order. From what you are telling us, if he cannot figure out this SIMPLE problem he is not qualified to know if the AC is properly charged. He clearly has no idea what he is doing! Just being honest - the members of this sight amaze me. They know their trade!

[tinknocker service tech]

after reading this tread i can feel for you. I still cant tell you what is wrong from here and making a quess is no better then the guy you had put the system in.

I can say there is no way he can check the refrigerant with out the system running. All he can know is there is refrigerant in the system and nothing more. I also dont think it is the cause at this time.

Call a real tech explain to him what was done so he can make sure every thing is wired correctly and let hin take it from there

I cant fault you for trying to save a few bucks but you seem to have fallen into the old trap called the side job mentality all i have to do is put it in and run
IF YOU CANT REPAIR IT THEN DONT INSTALL IT.......

[wconell]

There can always be something serious happen to cause your condition, but your problem is usually typical and easy to find and repair.
Heating works great, No outdoor unit, no indoor blower- that gives it away for the most part. A volt meter and a jumper would solve the rest.
If your furnace is working now, but no indoor "fan on" or call for the outdoor unit, the problem lies in the wiring, thermostat, or somewhere between there and the indoor furnace. If I missunderstood and the indoor blower runs, the problem is at the thermostat, wiring or open outdoor control.
We hear all the time "My brothers best friend", "A friend of a friend", "A guy who used to do a/c work". Then "we" are there "again" fixing stuff that has been rigged, bypassed, jumped, assembled wrong, and patched to the point it takes an overhaul before we can even start to check out the original problem.;)

[eliteconcept]

problem solved.
I guess the Jumper from RC to RH was not in the terminal properly. He just cut a new jumper wire and put it in and presto.

maybe the secondary thermostat that was used for testing was bad? I dunno
but the system is running

[slimwoodie]

should be a simple fix .....:rolleyes: