Most definitely needs to be on a horizontal run.
As far as the placement, I've always been of the 4 and 8 o'clock school. If the manufacturer recommends 10 and 2 o'clock, well......that is where it goes.
The TXV bulb on my Goodman SSX14030 a/c was installed in the "4 o'clock" position of the suction line.
The tech who installed it explained that for suction lines upto 3/4" the bulb should go in either the 4 or 8 o'clock position while larger lines should have it installed in either the 10 or 2 o'clock position.
The tech left all documentation including installation manuals. The TXV installation instructions specifically state that the bulb should be installed in the 10 or 2 o'clock positions without mention of suction line size.
Are there any issues with not installing the bulb in the 10 or 2 o'clock position as the documentation calls for? Does it affect the TXV's operation?
Also, the section of suction line that the bulb is installed on is not horizontal (it's on an angle). I have read that it should be installed on a horizontal run of suction line. Does this matter?
Most definitely needs to be on a horizontal run.
As far as the placement, I've always been of the 4 and 8 o'clock school. If the manufacturer recommends 10 and 2 o'clock, well......that is where it goes.
What happens when there is no perfectly horizontal run close enough? In my situation, the suction line is on a 20 to 30 degree angle to horizontal where bulb is installed. I'll try to attach a photo tonight.
Also, the bulb was simply taped to the suction line using electrical tape and covered it with insulation. The installer took the banding straps included with the TXV with him. Will this affect its operation?
It should be secured with the supplied bands, insulated, and should be located where oil in the line won't affect it's operation.
"Hey Lama, hey, how about a little something, you know, for the effort." And he says, "there won't be any money, but when you die, on your deathbed, you will receive total consciousness." So I got that goin' for me, which is nice. - Carl Spackler
It will not affect operation now, but the electrical tape will likely give way over time and the bulb will come loose. He really should have used the clamps that come with it. Do not use a regular hose clamp as dissimilar metals is bad. Find some perforated strips of copper at your local home improvement box store and brass fasteners.....or have him come back and do it right!
Post the pic if you can. Good practice is to plumb the pipes.
I attached a couple of photos. As you can see there is no horizontal section of suction line that can be used (unless I put the bulb inside the plenum). What's the best option?
I'm not inviting this guy back. He "forgot" to install the TXV when he put in the new furnace and a/c. I realized it several hours after he left the installation and called the owner who does the sales end. First he suggested it was installed inside the plenum to be hidden. I had my doubts and peeled back the seal around the suction line to check. Sure enough it wasn't there.
When the tech came to install the TXV, he collected the refrigerant in the condensing unit, installed the TXV, pulled a vacuum, and released the refrigerant back into the system. He checked that it cooled and that was it. I asked about checking subcooling and superheat and was told he didn't have the proper gauge with him and that it wasn't required. I spoke to the owner later and mentioned this to him and he claimed it wasn't required. I even had to install the "beer can" insulation around the TXV as the tech left it for me to dispose of.
As for pulling a vacuum, he pulled it to -30 psi which is all his gauge went to. Is this adequate for R410a? The manual calls for going down to 250 micron, but I'm not sure if it's the same as -30 psi.
Actually at the initial install they never check subcooling or superheat, but only looked for cold air coming out of the ducts. As for the furnace there were no checks for temperature rise or gas pressures. Again only checks that hot air came out of the duct. The blower fan speed wasn't set and when I asked about it I was shown the page in the manual that shows what speeds are available and how to make the adjustment. I could figure that out myself, thank you very much.
Can I take the tape holding the bulb off and use a plastic tie wrap to hold it on? I thought about the tape eventually drying up and not holding it on tightly.
I found another Goodman dealer who sounds very good (now that I actually know what should be done in a proper installation). I'm going to have him come in September for an annual service where he will check things like subcooling, temperature rise, and gas pressures for me. From what he said on the phone I'm going to have him come annually.
Maybe I missed something.
Is this a new install?
The installation was done a month ago. The installer came back a week and a half later to install the TXV (the fixed orface was installed initially even though a TXV was on the quote).
Most times I go to bat for the contractor.
Can't this time.
I feel you need to get a complete job. This isn't.
You're too mellow. Call them back and ask them to complete the job.
Bet you completely paid them. Ask 'em what the deal is.And when can you expect to be made whole.
No 30 psi is not the same as 250 microns. Psi is pressure. microns is vacuum
Semper Fi
Unfortunately I did pay them. They did a very clean install (from a visual appearance perspective). I didn't realize most of the missed items until after they left and I reviewed the manuals.
This company has excellent reviews online and I contacted a few of their past customers for references. After learning what they missed on my install, I contacted those other customers again and found that they had the same problems (fan speed not set, some checks not done, etc.). But the average consumer figures that the installation was clean, heat comes out of the furnace and cold air out of the a/c so everything must be setup correctly.
I feel that I'm really wasting time trying to get them to come back, because they clearly do not do the commissioning part of the installation. I may give it a shot, but I'm at the point where I feel I have to cut my losses.
The positive side is that there are 3 other furnace and a/c installations that will be done in the family in the next few months. Everyone was going to use my contractor until now. That puts a smile on my face.
should have used the straps that came with it then wraped it with cork tape. sounds like hack lazy installers.Not sure about paying someone to finish a job i already paid someone to do.I would call and ask to talk to the owner of the hack shop.Tell them your going to call the local news station to come do a story on it.If the news stations in your town do that kind of stuff.ours do if a consumer is haveing problems with a contractor. they will come to your home and do a whole story and air it on the 5 o`clock news.That really help the contractor,s reputation.