tech help

[tinman265]

I am a sheet metal apprentice with no service
experience at all. My worst nightmare came true today ,
walk in the door to a warmer than usual house. So I went
out picked up R-22, pump, and gauges. " How hard can this really be? " Well obviously for me anyway pretty tough! I am ashamed to say I do have a CFC card and have no clue whatsoever. I plan on taking service classes when I become a journeyman but I have ways to go yet. Any way I tried to pull a vaccum and I only managed to lose oil out of the exhaust on the pump. I hooked up everything according to the diagram that came with the gauges then reversed that.
Nothing worked! My company does not have a service division and after having a excuse to buy new toys I can no longer justify spending $150 on a tech coming out just to look. I have checked my filter I have cleaned my condenser. Any help would be greatly appreciated. I am frustrated as all heck! Thank's

[coco]

dont make things more complicated than they are. check filters . feel registers good flow coming out? are return airs free from obstructions? outside unit clean? coil draining properly? alot of easy things to check out first and foremost. ice on any lines? a dirty filter will usually promote a dirty a coil

[appltech1]

To bad you dont live next door. I take care of the people on both sides of me. No charge.

[t527ed]

did you try to pull vacuum on system with gas still in it???

[duc dowg]

what?

[torch man]

STOP!

Give more info and await answers before proceding. Then you may call a professional.

Torch

[bb]

You don't know of anyone you can horse trade with? Service for a few plenums?

[dave_slo]

Sounds like you are going to be warm for a while...

Go to the library and check out some books on HVAC servicing and refrigeration. Or jump over to Amazon.com and search for some books there. You need to learn the basics before you attempt to actually do something. This is not the site for DIY info, and even though you work in an allied trade, we can't for obvious reasons post the basic info you need to get started. that would violate this site's rules about DIY servicing. (anybody can read the answers to your post... nothing personal)

See if there is anybody at your shop who can give you a hand, maybe for a six pack or so you can get someone to stand over your shoulder and walk you thru it. But you still should get some book learnin' in first, so you know what the pressures and temps you will be reading actually mean as to what is happening with your system.

[ct2]

And whatever you do --DONOT CONNECT THOSE GAUGES BACK UP untill you know what superheat and subcooling are because you need far more than the pressure readings on a set of gauges to determine what (if anything) is wrong with your system

If you connect the wrong set of gauges to the wrong system or connect the wrong gauge to the wrong side of that system you very well could be in for an early 4th of July BANG!

[Black Adder]

I know you read a lot on here about pulling a vacuum on a system and yes it needs to be done, but you need to have an empty system in order to pull a vac. You only pull a vacuum when there is no gas in the system other wise you will have to recover the charge then pull a vac. and then weigh in the correct charge. Pulling a vacuum is not a trouble shooting technique for a no cooling call. Better call someone or find a buddy at work who knows what they are doing or you are going to do a lot of work for nothing. At the end of all your mickey mousing you will be worse off than at the beginning. A no cooling situation can be a very simple thing or a very complex thing. Start with the simple things first and then work your way through it.

[rasmussen6880]

if the units running most comminly is a lack of air flow. dirty filter/evap. coil or refrierant leak. take care of your super heat and it will take care of you.

[miami mike]

Originally posted by tinman265
I am a sheet metal apprentice with no service
experience at all. My worst nightmare came true today ,
walk in the door to a warmer than usual house. So I went
out picked up R-22, pump, and gauges. " How hard can this really be? " Well obviously for me anyway pretty tough! I am ashamed to say I do have a CFC card and have no clue whatsoever. I plan on taking service classes when I become a journeyman but I have ways to go yet. Any way I tried to pull a vaccum and I only managed to lose oil out of the exhaust on the pump. I hooked up everything according to the diagram that came with the gauges then reversed that.
Nothing worked! My company does not have a service division and after having a excuse to buy new toys I can no longer justify spending $150 on a tech coming out just to look. I have checked my filter I have cleaned my condenser. Any help would be greatly appreciated. I am frustrated as all heck! Thank's

Give us the condensor model/serial and make.

Lets start there.

[tinman265]

I finally found a service tech that did not know sheet metal! I owe him a couple plenums and a case of beer. When I showed him what I had done he laughed for a good couple minutes. Turns out instead of charging the system I was actually recovering it. This guy was good , let me pick his brain the entire time he was working and never gave me ****e for asking stupid questions. He found the small leak repaired it and charged it and now all is good. Thanks for most of your replys and concerns. I wont be attempting anything like this myself until I am properly trained.