Cary
11-05-2006, 01:08 PM
I am sure we have all been called on to fix someone elses mistake hey Im not perfect I think I made one my self once.
The thing is how should you react to a job that was either a self install or a very bad cowboy.
The job in question I was called in on a warranty claim for a Heller 8.4 kW crapbox. It was not heating, so I turned it to cooling mode and the compressor was cycling. I grabbed a guage set to put on and the customer told me its only been installed for 8 months it should be right for gas.
Yes I said it should but its not. The system was running in vacuum.
I pressure charged it with a sniff of 22 and 100psi of nitrogen and found a leak behind the head.
At this stage considering the pipe work was not enclosed in dust and the wall entrance was not weather or vermine proofed I informed the customer that it may not be a warranty claim is he happy to proceed if he has to pay and he agreed.
On pulling the head off the wall I found both flare nuts leaking. Both nuts were tight, so I undid them, cut the flares off them and reflared them. The the pipes did not feel right - too stiff. This is when the customer informed me "that's what the last guy did". I reflared the pipes, reconnected and pressure checked it to find another major leak in the wall cavity. The customer then informed me that there was an "elbow" welded in there. At this stage I informed him that the elbows were water grade not refrigerant grade and I then twigged that all copper was not annealed refrigerant grade and that's why it was stiff.
The customer said he had trouble purchasing 5/8 3/8 copper and could only source it from one outlet - he had supplied the tube and had a nebulous refrigeration mechanic do the install - name or receipt never to be located, he managed to drag up a name for this person - however it was MINE!!! I told him that was me and I did not do the original installation, or repair.
After cutting out the welds in the wall cavity I found two york presolded elbows soldered with soft lead - very badly and a major leak. I repaired the system, evacuated and recharged - all's going well.
As the customer has advised that another refrigeration engineer (name remains lost - now that's two in a row) recharged the air/con previously and charged for the 3kg of R22 without fixing the leak.
If you were in my situation - how would you charge the guy???
The thing is how should you react to a job that was either a self install or a very bad cowboy.
The job in question I was called in on a warranty claim for a Heller 8.4 kW crapbox. It was not heating, so I turned it to cooling mode and the compressor was cycling. I grabbed a guage set to put on and the customer told me its only been installed for 8 months it should be right for gas.
Yes I said it should but its not. The system was running in vacuum.
I pressure charged it with a sniff of 22 and 100psi of nitrogen and found a leak behind the head.
At this stage considering the pipe work was not enclosed in dust and the wall entrance was not weather or vermine proofed I informed the customer that it may not be a warranty claim is he happy to proceed if he has to pay and he agreed.
On pulling the head off the wall I found both flare nuts leaking. Both nuts were tight, so I undid them, cut the flares off them and reflared them. The the pipes did not feel right - too stiff. This is when the customer informed me "that's what the last guy did". I reflared the pipes, reconnected and pressure checked it to find another major leak in the wall cavity. The customer then informed me that there was an "elbow" welded in there. At this stage I informed him that the elbows were water grade not refrigerant grade and I then twigged that all copper was not annealed refrigerant grade and that's why it was stiff.
The customer said he had trouble purchasing 5/8 3/8 copper and could only source it from one outlet - he had supplied the tube and had a nebulous refrigeration mechanic do the install - name or receipt never to be located, he managed to drag up a name for this person - however it was MINE!!! I told him that was me and I did not do the original installation, or repair.
After cutting out the welds in the wall cavity I found two york presolded elbows soldered with soft lead - very badly and a major leak. I repaired the system, evacuated and recharged - all's going well.
As the customer has advised that another refrigeration engineer (name remains lost - now that's two in a row) recharged the air/con previously and charged for the 3kg of R22 without fixing the leak.
If you were in my situation - how would you charge the guy???