Facility maintainence failure.

[Aalmaraz]

I went to one of my usual stores that I haven't been to for a few months and found some real gems. It was 95-100 out that day and they were complaining the dining room was hot (t-stat reading 78.) I went up the ladder and things got interesting. I found the cover for the compressor compartment off the unit and one end going into and damaging the condenser for the ice machine.

I hadn't been on the roof for a while, so I didn't think it was my fault. I thought I had at least figured out why the front was hot. Walked up to the front unit and it was running, not off on high head pressure. Someone had SHOVED SCREWS INTO THE CONTACTORS so it had been running 24/7 with head pressure over 400.

I took pictures and emailed them to my boss, he forwarded the images to the facilities manager in the area and let him know what I found just so he knows what is going on. He kindly responded saying that we were the last ones to go up there when I serviced the walk in like 3 months before, essentially blaming us. I talked to the GM and she said that some of the facilities people they have to paint, change castors, and other small stuff were up there looking at the AC a few weeks before.

I pulled the screws out and both compressors shut off. The RTRM board was flashing complete lockout. I turned the unit off, put my gauges on, installed the cover and put it in test mode. Both compressors were operating with head pressure around 350. I cleaned the condenser well and knocked it down to around 290-300. After that everything seemed fine. I cleaned the rest of the condensers and called it a day.

This should all end up getting resolved but it's pretty frustrating when you try and do the right thing and people try and turn it around on you. Anyways enjoy the show.

[ncboston]

I went to one of my usual stores that I haven't been to for a few months and found some real gems. It was 95-100 out that day and they were complaining the dining room was hot (t-stat reading 78.) I went up the ladder and things got interesting. I found the cover for the compressor compartment off the unit and one end going into and damaging the condenser for the ice machine.

I hadn't been on the roof for a while, so I didn't think it was my fault. I thought I had at least figured out why the front was hot. Walked up to the front unit and it was running, not off on high head pressure. Someone had SHOVED SCREWS INTO THE CONTACTORS so it had been running 24/7 with head pressure over 400.

I took pictures and emailed them to my boss, he forwarded the images to the facilities manager in the area and let him know what I found just so he knows what is going on. He kindly responded saying that we were the last ones to go up there when I serviced the walk in like 3 months before, essentially blaming us. I talked to the GM and she said that some of the facilities people they have to paint, change castors, and other small stuff were up there looking at the AC a few weeks before.

I pulled the screws out and both compressors shut off. The RTRM board was flashing complete lockout. I turned the unit off, put my gauges on, installed the cover and put it in test mode. Both compressors were operating with head pressure around 350. I cleaned the condenser well and knocked it down to around 290-300. After that everything seemed fine. I cleaned the rest of the condensers and called it a day.

This should all end up getting resolved but it's pretty frustrating when you try and do the right thing and people try and turn it around on you. Anyways enjoy the show.

NICE.

[NathanAZ]

wow, yeah i hate how if anything goes wrong in a customer house and you've touched it its automatically your fault that its not working and the blame gets put on you, even if it was a month or 2 afterwards.

[ncboston]

well, you WERE the last guy out there. (heard that more than once).

[zartangreen]

One of those painters probably worked in the hvac field for like a week and couldn't hack it hence hes a painter,, Im sure the thermostat is not that accessible. U actually saved them money by reporting,, As long as u know u have pics don't let it bother u,, Plus u emailed it so its there forever,

[KirtusJon]

I have a customer who rents his space for a pizza joint. I get a call that the roof started leaking and it had to be fixxed. The owner of the building now wants someone there to baby sit me when something is worked on. I asked them when it started leaking. They told me the day, 3 weeks since I was up there. The roofing company told them it takes 3 weeks for water to get its way to the ceiling, even when it was raining everyday. I have been doing monthly maintenance on these units for 6 years, with no issues. Here in Florida , it rains almost everyday, yet I did it not the tree trimmers that were there 3 days before it started leaking. Renter told owner I was not going to be treated like I child, and he was not waiting for them to show up to get his air fixed period. The owner backed off. I feel ya on this 1.

[n-e-w Jerz!]

i had a similar issue at Jordache jeans factory where the second stage compressor wasn't kicking in so their in house maintenance guy went to check out the problem without calling us out. so what does he do? he starts dumping liquid into the 1st stage circuit, cause that will solve the problem! then when it hits 100+ degrees it shuts off on high head. course the manager wouldn't own up to what was done and tells me "you have to fix it, we can't work like this", as if it's somehow my fault their in the predicament! i tried not to laugh and told him as nicely as possible to not let his in house guy lay a finger on the unit.

gotta love it when it hits 95+deg, the world goes to hell in a hand basket!

[Freightshaker]

We have a customer with a couple Trane screw chillers that are on an all inclusive contract. Their maintenance guys decided they would fix a bad flow switch instead of calling and somehow smoked three boards in the process with their jumper wires. When we told then they would have to pay parts and labor because they tore them up they called JCI. Not that it is JCI's fault but their guy didn't completely fix them which was also blamed on us and he threw away 10 years of detailed service records we kept in the cabinet. Gotta love it