Welcome! Here are the website rules, as well as some tips for using this forum.
Need to contact us? Visit https://heatinghelp.com/contact-us/.
Click here to Find a Contractor in your area.

Not a question

Options
Eugene Silberstein 3
Eugene Silberstein 3 Member Posts: 1,380
in A-C, Heat Pumps & Refrigeration
Same issue.... New coil... no psssssssssssssssss when plug was pulled. Contractor couldn't pull vacuum.... Rechecked brazed joints.... no leaks....no vacuum....Isolated evaporator coil...... two cracked U-bends....Lot's of extra work....

Comments

  • Jeff Lawrence_25
    Jeff Lawrence_25 Member Posts: 746
    Options
    but a couple of pictures of a job

    We did an emergency changeout yesterday. Another company shot down the compressor as being a short to ground. We didn't even diagnose the problem, as she wanted a quote on replacement.

    The first system was put in in the late 1960's. The furnace was replaced in about 1989 or so, and the AC condensing unit was replaced in about 1997. The evaporator coil was the origonal and had never been changed.
  • Jeff Lawrence_25
    Jeff Lawrence_25 Member Posts: 746
    Options
    the refrigerant lines

    Were still the origonal to the house. It looked like the suction line was 3/4 inch water line (not ACR) and soldered with 50-50. The liquid line was 1/2 inch soft and there was 2 LL driers installed, one at the evap and one near the condenser. The LL 'reduced to 3/8 inch at the drier.

    The coil was a Carrier and had an expansion valve, as you can see.

    (Even though I resized the picture on my computer to 800X600, it doesn't want to post at that size, so I had to make it a clickable attachment. Sorry about that)
  • Jeff Lawrence_25
    Jeff Lawrence_25 Member Posts: 746
    Options
    Even with all that

    The most amazing thing was the condensate drain.
  • Eugene Silberstein 3
    Eugene Silberstein 3 Member Posts: 1,380
    Options
    All I can say is.....

    WOW!
  • Jeff Lawrence_25
    Jeff Lawrence_25 Member Posts: 746
    Options
    The one major problem

    with this one was a LEAK in the evap coil.

    We were running a bit behind, but we stayed careful with the work. We used nitrogento pressure test the lines and Mike laughed as his fittings at the condenser weren't leaking, but there was a leak inside. He walked in and sprayed the joints down. We could hear the leak, but the connections were good.

    I pulled the cover off the evap coil wrapper and eventually had to remove the coil to find and repair the leak.

    This was not very much fun and needless to say, I was not happy.

    The repair was complete and the coil was leak rested at 145 pounds. This is not something I want to do everyday.

  • Jeff Lawrence_25
    Jeff Lawrence_25 Member Posts: 746
    Options
    Yep, Professor.

    Kinda makes you wonder why she had humidity problems all these years.

    I put a condensate pump on the new system. This should really help out with that problem.
  • don_182
    don_182 Member Posts: 69
    Options
    That stinks.

    I always worry when I pulled the plugs from the lines and it
    makes no noise.

    I just drop my main line of equipment because I was seeing to many quality control issue.

    I would ask you why you did not take the coil back and get a new one but then I thought it was properly the only one they had in stock.

    No coils,no three phase package unit,sorry we dont have the expansion valve...And I'm thinking wow did we not know that 1/06 was coming up.

    Great find Jeff.



  • Jeff Lawrence_25
    Jeff Lawrence_25 Member Posts: 746
    Options
    Oh, I would have

    but I was 40 minutes away from the store and she needed AC that day (that was part of the contract).

    Beleive me, I was burning up the airways on my cell to the sales weasel.
  • Eugene Silberstein 3
    Eugene Silberstein 3 Member Posts: 1,380
    Options
    Let that be a lesson

    I mentioned that to another contractor friend the other day. If you remove the plugs and do not hear anything, return the coil!

    You have no idea what hassels you are subjecting yourself to!
  • Jeff Lawrence_25
    Jeff Lawrence_25 Member Posts: 746
    Options
    Perfesser,

    I install a wide variety of coils. Some come 'properly' sealed and pressurized, complete with a schrader valve, some have the rubber plugs (similar to what seals line sets) that the manufacturer needles in nitrogen (I hope!), and then the ones that have simple caps on them, similar to the caps on rolls of soft copper.

    A manufacturer told us on a tour once that there were rare occasions when the nitrogen leaks out through the rubber plugs. I'm careful on all of them....
This discussion has been closed.

Categories