What would be reasonable labor charges

**TampaAC** · 03-02-2009, 08:55 PM

This is the problem with our industry. Where i love the fact that this is one of the last types of business in america where a worker can become a owner and there is not a WALMART of AC. There are so many unqualified people out there. We need tougher standers for who can own a company and need stricter regulations. Wow i can not beleivei just said that. Oh well.

**va302stang** · 03-02-2009, 09:19 PM

My old transformer didn't blow, it was just putting out 21 volts, not the specified 24. The transformer they installed I am 99.999999% sure they wired wrong and it popped as soon as they threw the breaker. They probably wired it to the 110 or 208 configuration. There is clean 242 volts on the two wires coming into the transformer. There is no issue there.

**jwiehagen76** · 03-02-2009, 09:30 PM

That is bad when the boss is stumped on an older system. The problem probably is not the transformer any way. best to find a good contractor in the area.

**smittyii** · 03-02-2009, 09:48 PM

Originally Posted by Tie Strap

thats sad to hear that even the boss couldnt figure something like this out. If I were you, I wouldnt have paid them anything as they haven't fixed the problem yet. Your still w/o heat. At this point, I would just find the orginial installers of the equip. or find another company. Good luck, and I hope everything turns out ok in the end.

p.s.
I would also reccomend that you not install the transformer, leave that to the pro's.

original installer? probably mr. coleman his self

it was his first!

**BamaCool** · 03-02-2009, 10:11 PM

Originally Posted by va302stang

Well, the guy came back yesterday with the boss. They fiddled around and determined that it was the transformer so they left to go get one. They came back about an hour or more later with what they described as a universal (110/208/240) transformer but they seemed to lack confidence in hooking it up. When they flipped the breaker I heard a loud pop, some scrambling and cussing. I let them keep working at it and an hour or so later they came and got me. They had taken a 110 volt transformer (my unit takes a 240 volt) hooked it to a plug, plugged it in and connected it to the heat pump. They explained that this demonstrated the transformer was in fact at fault because the system functioned fine when supplied with 24(+) volts. They declared that the other transformer had blown for reasons unknown to them. They said it could be a short anywhere in the system ( I know this is B.S. because there is less than a foot of wiring between the breakers on the unit and the transformer) or it could have been a defective transformer. I asked if they could possibley have wired it up wrong but they said there was no way.

So they said they could uninstall the motor, capacitor, and relay and put my old stuff back or I could keep them and they would cut me a deal. I said the stuff is old, the blower works much better what kind of a deal are we talking about? They said $x plus tax. I said fine (frankly I just wanted them gone) and they asked if I thought I could order and install a transformer. I said yes and I can. Unlike them I understand basic electricity and I can decipher a wiring diagram.

So I have ordered a transformer that matches the original and I'll put it in when it gets here. I also went back behind them last night and soldered up the connections for the new motor and checked everything else over. Two days and over $x dollars and I still have no heat. Good thing I have a fireplace with blower and a couple space heaters.
More to follow.

From what I've read, I'd let you work on my unit, before I'd let those goobers touch it. Good luck to ya, brother!
Oh yea, don't mention that fireplace thing in the fireplace forum, they will swear up and down that fireplaces DO NOT PRODUCE ANY HEAT! Strange thing, considering mine kept my whole house at 80 when it was under 40 when my power was out for 2 days. Anyway, most of the time, you're going to find that something caused the transformer to go bad. Just a heads up.

**heaterman** · 03-03-2009, 09:00 AM

DIY, bad, granted. PROFESSIONAL HVAC company? I think not. Basic electric 101. Goobers give real techs a bad name. As for checking the heat exchanger, pretty sure there ain't one.

**va302stang** · 03-05-2009, 09:37 PM

So, just to close this thread out...
I got a new transformer installed it (with 5 amp fuses on both low voltage leads)and everything seemed to work fine. However, in testing it I have found that everytime I switch to emergency heat it blows the fuse on the ground side of the 24 volt. And... now that I think about I had switched the unit to emergency heat because it was so cold Saturday morning and the outside unit had a little ice on it. So I must have a short somewhere. I tried unplugging the 24 volt wires going into the sequencers (S1 and S2) for the heating elements but it still blew the fuse.

**beenthere** · 03-05-2009, 09:42 PM

When you find a company with real service techs. They'll be able to find and fix the problem.

**thatguy** · 03-05-2009, 09:57 PM

It's funny how it costs more to go with the cheeper companies...

**thatguy** · 03-05-2009, 10:23 PM

Originally Posted by heaterman

As for checking the heat exchanger, pretty sure there ain't one.

LOL, I see! It looks like I've skipped right past the part about the aux heat coils listed in one of the first posts

I saw the part about 30 years old and I got all worried

**va302stang** · 03-06-2009, 05:34 PM

It's funny how it costs more to go with the cheeper companies...

Cost wasn't a factor. I am relatively new in town, and this guy answered on a Saturday morning and said he would come out. The outside temperature was about 10 degrees and I have kids. The other person I got a hold of in town was not willing to look at a Coleman and referred me to this guy.

Anyway, I did find the root of the problem. I knew it had to be on the emergency heat circuit so that is what I started troubleshooting. I found that the thermostat had the X wire attached to the E (emergency) post. I looked in the installation guide for that model thermostat and that is one configuration listed. However, I knew right away the X (ground) should be on the C post and a jumper run between AUX and E. After correcting the wiring all seems to function perfectly.

Thanks,
Matt

**BamaCool** · 03-06-2009, 05:48 PM

Originally Posted by va302stang

It's funny how it costs more to go with the cheeper companies...

Cost wasn't a factor. I am relatively new in town, and this guy answered on a Saturday morning and said he would come out. The outside temperature was about 10 degrees and I have kids. The other person I got a hold of in town was not willing to look at a Coleman and referred me to this guy.

Anyway, I did find the root of the problem. I knew it had to be on the emergency heat circuit so that is what I started troubleshooting. I found that the thermostat had the X wire attached to the E (emergency) post. I looked in the installation guide for that model thermostat and that is one configuration listed. However, I knew right away the X (ground) should be on the C post and a jumper run between AUX and E. After correcting the wiring all seems to function perfectly.

Thanks,
Matt

Yea, that'll do it. Glad we couldn't help!

Maybe you should go in the biz, you could run those other clowns out of town!

**73Stingray** · 03-21-2009, 05:53 PM

Was that the first time in its life that anyone had used the "emergency" setting??

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