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Originally Posted by coolwhip

You still here?

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You still here?

Originally Posted by beenthere

5 pounds a year, is not alittle leak.

When I get the equipment, I will repair it. For now, I have bought more time.
I realize the expense on tools, but will have to buy it all gradually. I'm not Donald Trump.

Originally Posted by dirtyboy103us

thats how i got into the trade
owned a duplex and spent all my money remodeling and ten minutes after i moved in my first tenet in 92" the condenser quit called out a company and xxxx.00 for just the outside, found a guy to do a used system xxx.xx and 45 mins later cooling with a six month warranty and he told me flat out he just took it out of another house thats when i said thats what i am going to do for work went to school and 15 years later I'm here its a good trade and never let anyone discourage you, it sure is not rocket science.

and you will soon figure out that

find yourself a local one man show who needs a hand once in a while and he will be glad to show you the ropes but the big guys will hate on you hard

Thanks! Good to hear some encouragement!

welcome

thats how i got into the trade
owned a duplex and spent all my money remodeling and ten minutes after i moved in my first tenet in 92" the condenser quit called out a company and xxxx.00 for just the outside, found a guy to do a used system xxx.xx and 45 mins later cooling with a six month warranty and he told me flat out he just took it out of another house thats when i said thats what i am going to do for work went to school and 15 years later I'm here its a good trade and never let anyone discourage you, it sure is not rocket science.

and you will soon figure out that

find yourself a local one man show who needs a hand once in a while and he will be glad to show you the ropes but the big guys will hate on you hard

Originally Posted by jpsmith1cm

All told, you need $5000-$7000 worth of good tools to make a decent stab at doing HVAC correctly. That doesn't factor in the cost of education.

thats alot of money

Originally Posted by beenthere

5 pounds a year, is not alittle leak.

Should be easy to find at that rate.

5 pounds a year, is not alittle leak.

I began doing some preventive maintenance on my units a year ago. I clean the coils, debris out of the condenser, etc. Just doing that, I had no service calls in 2009. Except for the one with a small leak which is the I one charged last week. Even then, my boss who is retired from the trade, came out and charged it last year. He is the one who encouraged me to do certain maintenance to keep my units alive.

The unit I charged was one of my own. The tenant has been working out of state a lot. I have been doing more thorough preventive maintenance since going to school. I am now measuring amps, voltage. Writing down cap sizes, model #'s- just to be prepared when I get a call some day.

When I put guages on this unit, my low side was only 34 psig, the high side was 201 psig. Coils clean, no airflow obstructions. This thing has had a leak since 2005. The accumulator is leaking slowly. I have to add about 5 lbs every year. The unit is about 24 years old, so I am getting all I can out of it. No one was going to be living there for a while, so I shut unit off and waited to hear from the tenant when he was coming back.

So I passed my test, bought some refrigerant and did it myself. I am not a hack! I put my best effort into everything I do. I realize I will always have a lot to learn especially now. I am fortunate however to be able to utilize my own units to do so. I don't just learn what they are teaching me in class, I read a lot on the subject.

So I added the refrigerant as a vapor a little at a time letting the system run for about 15 minutes in between. The outside ambient was 80, so I knew I wanted the high side at about 115*/242psig.
I added until I had 68 psig/40* and 242 psig/115*. Being it was my unit, I knew I could leave it and come back to check SH and SC to confirm all is well.
The fixture temp was pegged at 90 when I arrived. When I left it was abround 78.

Should I replace the accumulator on a 24 YO unit? I have been told it isn't worth it if you are only adding a little each year. No law saying I have to repair the leak.

As far as my tenants go, they get the best occomodations in our houses! I am not a slum lord! I wouldn't leave them in an unsafe position just to save a buck. I have the mechanical ability to do this job. Since 85% of break downs in AC units is electrical and gate operators is in the 95% range, I think I'm a little ahead of the average joe that thinks he can wrench on his A/C to save a buck. I realize the complexity of the refrigerant side, I am not trying to belittle the difficulty at all.

Actually, my tenants get the best with me repairing everything in my houses, because I have a vested interest in the outcome. I would never take on a job I feel incompetant doing! So thanks for the advice of giving up, but no thanks. For those of you that want to help me, thank you!

Hire a pro, your renters pay too much in rent each month to have you mickey mousing around with the A/C units.

Originally Posted by anotherFNG

Don't worry. Not a DIY. I just earned my Universal Certification two weeks ago. I bought my first jug of R-22 and charged my first unit Friday.

I intend on getting into this trade because automated gates aren't as in demand as HVAC and not quite as interesting!

I hope that you realize that it takes more training than you are likely to have received to determine if a system needs more refrigerant. You may have improved the temperature of the air leaving the unit, but you may have left half a dozen issues unaddressed.

I would ask you to provide more info, but we don't discuss technical matters in open forums.

I encourage you to learn, but I would discourage you from proceeding without a lot more training.

Originally Posted by coolwhip

Welcome...now go away.

You guys are are too much!!

Welcome...now go away.

Originally Posted by anotherFNG

Hello all!

I have been lurking through this board for a while now. I like what I have read and decided to join in.

I am a student. Not the full blown HVAC course. I am almost finished with a troubleshooting and maintenance course.
I currently install and work on automatic gate operators. I enjoy troubleshooting and doing this gave me the courage to learn about HVAC.

I also own rental properties, so I have a need to be able to repair my own equipment. This is the one area I have the most expense in, since I couldn't do it myself.

Looking forward to learning more from all of you!

aFNG

stick to gate repair

Originally Posted by anotherFNG

Don't worry. Not a DIY. I just earned my Universal Certification two weeks ago. I bought my first jug of R-22 and charged my first unit Friday.

I intend on getting into this trade because automated gates aren't as in demand as HVAC and not quite as interesting!

Automatic gate openers work on R22? Cool!

Originally Posted by anotherFNG

I was thinking, I should clarify about my A/C guy getting greedy, so as not to offend anyone.

When he was a one man show, he would repair systems. He did preventative maintenance. As the years went by, he hired more and more people. His company transitioned into a change out company. I suppose his guys only knew how to install, I don't know, but I can't afford that.

I was surprised, because I considered him somewhat of a friend.
I didn't mind him raising rates, I understand business. But he knew I was small time and couldn't afford to replace units left and right. I'm sure he was largely unaware, but things didn't change when I discussed it with him.

On the bright side, I was encouraged to do what I had been wanting to do for years. Take an HVAC class. Now I am eager to swich careers.
I find it fascinating.

There ya have it.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not trying to discourage you, just trying to make sure you see the path ahead clearly.

Originally Posted by anotherFNG

Thanks everyone!

Yeah, I guess I didn't think the username through.

I have already learned that any tool with HVAC anywhere in the description
= $$$$!

I definately would like to get into the trade! But you don't know how greedy my A/C guy got over the 15 years I was loyal to him, so even if I only do my own units, I will save big $$$!

It is interesting to read the things I am being taught at school discussed here. Hopefully some day I can contribute!

In the last 8 months, I have invested almost $1000 in new test instruments.

I am looking at investing another $1000 or more over the next 12-18 months in new, better test instruments.

What does your budget look like?

There is a difference between making repairs and making correct, lasting repairs.

You mentioned charging your first unit. How was that unit charged? SH/SC? Did you repair the leak? Evacuate it to 500 microns? Change the drier? Flow nitrogen during any brazing performed? Did you weigh out refrigerant?

All told, you need $5000-$7000 worth of good tools to make a decent stab at doing HVAC correctly. That doesn't factor in the cost of education.

I was thinking, I should clarify about my A/C guy getting greedy, so as not to offend anyone.

When he was a one man show, he would repair systems. He did preventative maintenance. As the years went by, he hired more and more people. His company transitioned into a change out company. I suppose his guys only knew how to install, I don't know, but I can't afford that.

I was surprised, because I considered him somewhat of a friend.
I didn't mind him raising rates, I understand business. But he knew I was small time and couldn't afford to replace units left and right. I'm sure he was largely unaware, but things didn't change when I discussed it with him.

On the bright side, I was encouraged to do what I had been wanting to do for years. Take an HVAC class. Now I am eager to swich careers.
I find it fascinating.

There ya have it.

Thanks everyone!

Yeah, I guess I didn't think the username through.

I have already learned that any tool with HVAC anywhere in the description
= $$$$!

I definately would like to get into the trade! But you don't know how greedy my A/C guy got over the 15 years I was loyal to him, so even if I only do my own units, I will save big $$$!

It is interesting to read the things I am being taught at school discussed here. Hopefully some day I can contribute!