Memorable thing

[sachin230]

Can we share at least one strange / critical problem & its root solution in air conditioning by our own experiences? Either in designing or troubleshooting

[cadillackid]

back in the late 90s we fitted a local church with 2 brand new 5 ton package systems.. 2 stage compressors, 4 speed blowers, and a 92% gas furnace all in a package system and then ducted into the building with insulated duct-board... this was done for the noise level..

we got a call about a month later that there was no cooling in the left side of the sanctuary on a sunday morning.. found system severely short of R-22...

tore the thing apart.. could not find a leak.. charged it up ran it still found no leak....

2 weeks later same call comes in again... leak check nothing found, charged with dye..

a month later same call.. no leaks but found some dye around the low side service valve... replaced the core...

yep another leak call dye around the service port.. soldered in a complete new service valve...

took the old one back to our shop and even with the cap off it would hold 400 PSI nitrogen with no problems.. wierd...

3 weeks later call from Police.. 12 year old kid found dead in front of the A/C unit.. HIGH side service cap off and on the ground...

turns out the kids were sniffing the ***** to get a contact high.. the new service valve on the low side we really tightened the cap... so instead they pulled the high side cap off and the kid instantly froze his lungs with liquid 22 and oil...

a tragic story however it started a large campaign in my area to put locking caps on units back then... seems the fad faded as you omnly hear of isolated cases of ***** sniffing any more these days thank god....

the church built fencing around the HVAC units as have most buildings with them on the ground and of course many places now have cameras..

because the latest thing is for units to be stolen for the copper and aluminum in them.

-Christopher

[goshen]

hi Christopher
unfourtunatly we also had a very simmilar experiance only this time we were lucky to have closed circuite tv so we actully caught the idiodts
this time i see they actully got off easy .
best regardes

[sachin230]

Ask yourself

"Which is the best I attend / achieved in my field career".

[cadillackid]

Heck i feel like the HVAC system I have designed / buiilt / commissioned in my house is a great thing in my career.. has taught me to build and program from the ground up micro-controllers,

learned a lot about inverter systems, sizing coils, blower speed controls, zoning, humidity control, discharge air control...

all kinds of things I have learned while putting it together..

has also helped me with troubleshooting many different issues in the field.. although I must say i am mostly just called in on controls issues or design flaws.. I dont do so much of the standard refrigeration circuit or electrical troubleshooting..

but really to have done what ive done with my home system to me is something to take pride in..
-Christopher

[sachin230]

For everyone it is not easy to tell about the best thing done in field carrier.

[sneep]

Can we share at least one strange / critical problem & its root solution in air conditioning by our own experiences? Either in designing or troubleshooting

Just out of school. Had a dual cap tube feed system on a walk-in cooler. First and last I've ever seen. Wasn't there 10 minutes and determined one of the two cap tubes was plugged by using TECH Method I had just bought.
Cut the tubing to see the ends and one was plugged with solder. First job I used it on paid for the book. Twenty-two years later I still think it's the best book I ever bought in this trade.

[monkey spanners]

Can we share at least one strange / critical problem & its root solution in air conditioning by our own experiences? Either in designing or troubleshooting

I got sent to look at a milk cooling system that had been burning out its start electrics, capacitors, relays, contactors etc. It was on its fourth or fifth set

I found the vibration eliminator had restricted internally, (looked ok on the outside) and the unit was cycling on and off on HP causing the electrics to fail.
None of the other engineers had spotted this.
Got moaned at by the customer as it had taken four visits (not by me, i'd only been there once!) to fix, he also phoned the boss who gave me a telling off too just for good measure

[Magoo]

Got sent to a domestic A/C service, had to be there at a specific time. Arrived within minutes of specified time, walked into back yard to find the lady of the house sun bathing in the buff by the pool. Pole volted back to van and called in for another job.
OK I was younger and innocent then.