ReplyPut a new whip on and she'll be good for another 35 years.
Professional Member*
Don't know how well you will see it from the picture. No cooling, outdoor unit not coming on. I pull the disconnect, spin the fan, and get the electrical panel ready to access. Go back inside and call for cool, return to unit and put disconnect back in. *POP* Ruh Roh.
Pull it back out quickly and start looking around underneath the ground cover to discover a previous electrical repair to conduit could not hold up to a roofer, cable guy or whoever stepped on it. Bare wire end poking up at me - don't know whether it was the ground or one of the legs. Upon questioning the tenant, she offered that fuses have blown in the past and she even got a shock once when pulling weeds in the vicinity of the unit.
The serial number for this Carrier was so old it was before the current pattern of week and year manufacutred in the first four digits. The only numbers that made sense were either 87 or 77 for the year. As I have never come across a unit with an electrical panel even remotely like this one (screwed to the back of a hinged door kind of contraption), I believe it just might be from '77. Which would make it the oldest AC I've ever seen still pressed for service.
Professional Member*
Put a new whip on and she'll be good for another 35 years.
Professional Member
Yea change whip and repost in WOP
Professional Member*
That would be near the intersection of where Wall of Pride and Wall of Stupidity meet.Originally Posted by Core_d
I don't believe a simple new whip would provide enough self esteem to overcome the shame of taking money for repairs to a system that old, decrepid and inefficient.
Only in a hardship case would I do that, and would charge next to nothing.
Professional Member*
Compared to selling a whole new system when all it needs is a $10 whip that takes a few minutes to change.
Professional Member*
A new whip and it'll probably last longer than a new system will...
Professional Member
I wouldnt scrap an old car over a battery even if I got a few more mpg out of a new one. You must admit an AC from 77 still goen strong is impressive.
Professional Member*
A ten dollar whip? That's what you would charge? Even on a side job I wouldn't charge less than fifty. Plus the disconnect would likely be deteriorated to the point where it needs to be changed. The rusted cabinet penetration for the old metal conduit would have to be plugged and a new hole for the sealtite fitting drilled. It has to be 100% safe and without question if I am the last one to touch it. And that's just to see if any other issues exist such as low on freon (almost a certainty), compressor function, CFM operation (already a bit stiff).
What you are suggesting in this instance is simply irresponsible, IMO. And I have to believe it's just an overreaction to extreme sales tech tactics.
Professional Member
So what kind of unit is granny getting?
Professional Member
I vote for a new whip too.... Just put a new cap in the same style unit and fired right up..
Guess I'm irresponsible too.
Did you walk away from this unit because of that???
Professional Member*
I read the word tenant in the original post. Which made me think that the person paying the bill may be a landlord. You know how they like to spend money.
And yes, when I said 10 dollar whip that was the "on the shelf at home depot price", not the "billed to the customer price".
Just my two cents, but I recently worked on a John Zink unit from that same vintage that was still working fine. Just needed a new contactor and it was good to go. I've had compressors fail in units that where less than a year old, installed new equipment and found leaks in factory joints, and had all kinds of other fun experiences with new equipment as well.
Professional Member*
Tenant would be correct; the fate of the unit is in the hands of the slumlord. I'll easily do the repair if she authorizes it. It is no great feat to replace a whip and a disconnect, hardly WOP material.
But she'll also sign off to the effect that, while power will be restored, safely and up to code; there will be no guarantees that the system is functioning properly. I get paid either way - I don't pay for the parts that I use.
That said, there are always those remarkable units that somehow survive the years are keep on trukin'. There are also a number of new units that have their issues. But those are exceptions to the rule, and I don't rule by exceptions.
I appreciate the can-do mentality only up to a point; there after it becomes a question of balance.
Regular Guest
Did it have the old Carlyle compressor? I have seen that style of Carrier and didn't think they were even as new as 77. It seemed like with those units- if they ran for four or five years then they would run forever.
Regular Guest
Many years ago I was dispatched to a Lennox GCS series unit that was down. I found the main breaker tripped on a 480V 3 phase unit, and without an obvious good reason. So I was following some kind of intuitive sequence as I often do and I had the system running with the blower panel off as I was following something down. The conduit entrance to this machine came through the blower section as often they do. So what it comes down to is an intermittent Phase to Ground fault in that conduit run, near enough to the RTU to see a flash and hear it. Its an intermittent arc at potential that is not dead in contact with ground. Sometimes it would not trip the breaker.
I then had to " show " the attending electrician the fault because he did not " get " why he was being asked to replace the wiring back to the nearest junction which in this case may have been the entire run. After he saw the demonstration he understood I knew what I was talking about.
Around the same era I was in a tight crawlspace repairing a leak on top of a walk in cooler by flashlight. When I cut the suction line I got lit up with electricity. I broke out my meter and found about 90V between the now separated suction line. I was " hot " to say the least. I seem to recall asking the boss to come by the job and file through circuit breakers while I remained reading the potential that had got my attention. It turned out to be the box lighting circuit. Now start to imagine how everything was grounded with this system, or not. As far as wiring goes I personally never assume it is right. I have corrected major control issues on very large and expensive systems that were not wired right from the get go.
Professional Member*
I wouldn't know an old Carlyle if it bit me on the nose. Two years with a Carrier dealer and I've seen plenty of mid to late 80's units. This was unlike any Carrier I've come across so far - so I'm thinking at least mid 70's.
No doubt it's impressive the way they used to make them. However when I repair them, I make damn sure they understand I'm standing behind my repairs only. All bets off concerning the rest of the system, regardless of whether it's amping, ohming, charged, performing etc properly when I leave.
My last on call week I took a call on the way to another about 9:30 PM or so. The gal said her unit stopped "pumping" again. I asked "again"? She then told me we were out a few days ago and read me the ticket - 521 kit added and run cap changed. She can tell the fan is spinning but doesn't hear the rumble of the compressor and she knows enough to feel the lines to see that they are neutral in temperature. I ask how old it is and she says about 23 years or so. I tell her it might be done then if the fan is spinning like it normally should and the compressor is not turning over; and she becomes quite upset. "Why did they make the repairs if this could happen so soon!?"
Good question. The tech didn't even broach the subject of replacement nor warn her of this possibility. Just took the money and road off into the sunset with another glorious 521 and run cap notch (20 minutes and what...five wires?) on his toolbelt.
The customer was not served well in this instance and it's not an isolated incident. And in her mind we are not to be called again or recommended to anyone.
Professional Member
I was thinking temporarily wire it to observe its operation then decide if a whip is in the customers best interest.
Professional Member*
being round..those are easy to roll to the truck when changed out...my neighbors still have one chugging away and not missing a beat
Professional Member*
Cut the conduit back 3" and just wire nut on another wire directly to the condenser with no conduit.
Around here, some idiots think that is ok.
Professional Member*
at least they use wire nuts!!!Cut the conduit back 3" and just wire nut on another wire directly to the condenser with no conduit.
Around here, some idiots think that is ok.
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