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I've been doing hot/cold side for 30 years, so I've got a little experience under my belt. My current employer has locked into some major school districts - so I think my days of awful greasy...

I'm one and done on those units as well. Went to a warehouse that was being refurbished. They had about 8 of these units about 30' up and only access was with a scissor lift. I don't know about you...

Thanks for all the tips. I'm going to change the cap tube anyway, should've been done with the new evap as a precaution - OEM cap tube is going in with new drier and deep evac.

To kklobas -...

The deal - typical reach in sandwich station at typical pizza shop. Cap tube R134A. Unit has new evap (cap tube NOT replaced). Unit erratic temps, would occasionally rise for no reason, then drop...

SS, a few questions:

When you say "reed switch/PCB board", are you talking about the rack start switch?

Is the rack start switch actually inside the machine (conveyor), or by the front loading...

Dumb question - does the unit have a delime switch behind it? If its in delime mode, it would stay running while the delimer does it job.

I do all aspects of HVAC-R as well as hot side.

What I love? Never a dull moment. Different places 3-4 times a day. Some customers can be real buttheads, but most are generally cool people. You...

You'd be surprised. I've run into where the line sets are looped under the ceiling and over time friction leak occurs. Fast leak - likely on the high side. Its not insulated, either. Could be rubbing...

I once had a customer that called frantic for service. "Please, tell me you have someone in the area", he pleaded with dispatch. "My main oven is down and I'm going to open in 30 minutes!! Help me!!"...

Just curious, how were you turning it? I had one the other day, an SS-120 (or 125) that was frozen solid. I had a couple of big crowbars working this thing back and forth - it would barely move and I...

That is, unless you have hot side under your belt. Still averaging 5 OT per week, and with the addition of a few new customers, it looks to stay that way.

Now that I'm home, I decided to google the controller. This thing literally has hundreds of settings.

One of them is "Parameter F3 Fan on/off during defrost". I had no idea. Possibly NOT a bad...

Trippin is right - I predict we'll be seeing much more of these little controllers. I wonder how those teeny tiny relays can handle the amp draw of the elements (but in my case, there were 3 rows of...

I just came from a call. WIF warm, coils iced frozen. This has one of those new digital controllers mounted in the condensing unit (its actually a new package Heatcraft unit).

First thing I do is...

Out of curiosity, what should the delta T be?

And I only thought Trane units needed the coils split. Do most brands need it done?

I don't think there's a tech in this field that hasn't had a major face palm incident. I've taken off a cover to change filters, only to have a sudden gust of wind come out of nowhere, blow the cover...

This brings back nightmares for me. I had this one location that lost this compressor nearly every year. Luckily the customer got tired of this clunker and swapped out the unit.

Something tells me Mike will be there next weekend to plug in the ice machine.

They didn't try to bribe you with a free dinner? I get that a lot - was at a brand new restaurant and some dip**** pushed a mop handle into a main breaker, the one for the dish machine. Turn it on,...

Yup. Anything under 50 hours and I feel like a lazy bum. But I also do refrigeration, commercial food service, so I'm easily pulling 10+ hour days and I'm going to be 50 this year. Few months ago I...

At least the compressor wasn't under warranty. I've done that once, toss away a compressor that our parts dept said wasn't under warranty, then our warranty dept called asking where the compressor is.

I don't have much to add to EC's postings; he has hit it all pretty much on the head.

Turbochef does have tech support as well, but my experience with them has been lukewarm. They WILL help you...

Update to my thread: Well, to be honest, I will never know exactly WHAT the problem was. However, when I arrived, the unit had been unplugged and sitting, waiting for me to work on. I decided to plug...

This is good to know. Thanks.



When I added a couple of ounces, the condenser did warm up slightly, but then back down. Tubing was warm entering the condenser, not hot like you would expect....

Nope, small under counter. I suspect the unit has been shoved behind this wall for so long that it overheated - I know what overheating can do to a 134A system, but this is 404A - so I'm not sure...

Ok - but with that low a suction, am I looking at a bad discharge valve or suction valve?

No CPR valve and its a tin can Tecumseh.

Makes sense, True MFG may have been giving me numbers that would relate to it being at -15. I did add a squirt of a few ounces, but it didn't seem to make a difference.

It IS shoved into a cubby next to a fridge, so the heat generated can be horrendous. However, this was pulled out and allowed to run in conditioned ambient air (70 degrees). The compressor continued...

Ok, I got an odd one here. Customer complaint unit not getting below 15. Cold enough to make ice, not cold enough to freeze ice cream. Unit was working fine for years.

Check unit and sure enough,...

I can't add much more to what Ectofix wrote.

I'll add a couple things you may already have - orifice kit. You'll be cleaning out a lot of pilots. Comes in handy to clean out burner orifices as...

HVAC with refrigeration AND hot side experience can pay over $30/hr.

The more you know, the more you'll make.

Chinese restaurant in the center of the big city - WIC down - condenser located on roof. Went to roof to find cages spread out with bird seed in them.

They would trap pigeons, snap the heads off,...

Obviously didn't use enough pipe.

I believe that entire assembly is held in by two sets of allen screws on the frame on the outside. They should be gray siliconed over. Remove the silicone, unscrew the allen screws and the entire...

Not a pawn shop, but was at a flea market a few summers ago - woman was selling next to new Craftsman and some nice Snap-On sets. I asked her the price, she said, "give me a number". I said "how's...

What sucks about these intermittent problems is you will have 12 different techs offer you up 12 different solutions. I myself have had problems with gas valves not shutting the pilot off completely...

Sounds like you are low on refrigerant, not partially clogged, with those pressures.

I agree. I'm printing this out and keeping it in my truck.

Thanks all for the advice.

Between hot and cold side, its nearly impossible to keep it organized.

I need a box van.

Residential - home owner answered in a robe. She looked like a fat Rhea Pearlman.

Commercial - had to repair a water heater at a Taco Bell. Got in early to find the manager with her head dipped...

Was the plug OEM or something that looked replaced? Reason I ask is I've run into situations where the unit should've been 208, but the customer decided that was the wrong plug since it wouldn't fit...

This looks like my answer. My receiver is the size of the refrigerant tank. There's not enough info on the condensing unit to get an accurate manufacturer - and the charge amount was written in...

Ok, ran into an odd one. Typical call for a large WIF down. On roof, sight glass barely showing any refrigerant. Electronic leak check, found two leaks: One at low pressure control, other in suction...

I have a PS3 that my kid uses. One day my oldest told me her boyfriend plays a lot online - so he hooked me up with a few games. Once I got playing, I got hooked. I can spend an entire afternoon of...

And another thing: You know you've been around a long time when you're replacing equipment now that you replaced years ago - when it was new then. I remember putting in a Scotsman ice machine in this...

I don't remember my first call, but I remember my first big installation - only because I recently came upon it almost 20 years later.

We got a bid to install a new evap and condensing unit for a...

I once worked in an office building, massive complex. I swear, once they know they have in house HVAC, they want everything done, from wall painting to carpet repairs. I once had a woman complain her...

You say it pumps air just fine. Does it have suction on the line? Sometimes you gotta take them apart piece by piece. I had something similar happen to me: As soon as I disconnected a fitting, it...

Had a job at an inner city KFC - manager walked in one morning and found the place hot and no refrigeration. Went on the roof and found both HVAC units copper cut clean out of the condensers. Also...