Its hot in here 84deg but I am a lot hotter
πππ
At the condo we have slide out wall mounted ACs in a sleeve. 1 Upstairs 8000 btu and 1 downstairs 12000 btu.
All the appliances in this place were originally GE. In fact, I replaced the original GE dishwasher last year 1990 model, still worked fine but the plastic soap dispenser broke and even if the part was available, I wouldn't have bothered with it. The AC wall sleeves I think are GE as well.
During Covid the upstairs AC quit. I have no idea how old it was, but it wasn't original. I searched online and not much available during Covid, but I found a GE and ordered it and put it in. It worked for about 4 years great until the compressor quit. Some kind of foreign rotary compressor R-410. Put a line tap valve on it and the compressor ran but wouldn't pump. No warranty left. Tossed it and bought another one and installed it last year. Started it today and it runs okβ¦β¦so far.
Now to the downstairs. This one had an Emerson quiet Cool. At least 20 years ago it quit. Took it out and it had no charge. R-22. Leaked tested with an electronic and couldn't find the leak but it had one. Cut the tubing and pulled out the evaporator coil. Found the tubing on the bottom chafed. Brazed it up put the coil back and recharged and it ran the last 20 years.
Last year it still worked but the fan was getting noisy. Time to replace the unit as it was at least 30 years old.
Bought a Friedrich 12000 btu (R-32) and installed it last year. Worked fine all year. Today I fired it up fan runs no cooling at all. No TD on evap with my Fluke 52 and no condenser heat.. At my age I ain't pulling it out of the sleeve myself the bottom of the AC is about 6' off the floor.
Finally, I put it on "fan only" with the fan on high speed. I went downstairs and pulled the CB panel cover and put an amprobe on the dedicated circuit and the fan draws 1 1/2 amps.
Went up and put it on cooling. The amps went up to 6 amps so now I know the fan and compressor are on. Still no cooling. Compressor amps is low so no gas most likely
I bought this online some place. Called Friedrich tech support and luckily there was only one call in front of me. Talked with a really nice guy. Told him how I checked it and he agreed it was toast. They don't repair anything under 1 ton.
He gave me the name of a local appliance dealer whom I know (we bought a refrigerator and dishwasher from them). I have to have them come and do a "diagnostic report" $139 which he sends to Friedrich to confirm the diag and they will ship me a new oneππππ
After that, I was out in my 2007 F-150 and the AC isn't doing much, cools a little. I had a bone yard engine dropped in last Feb and ran the AC after that to make sure it was ok and it was fine.
I leaked tested it quickly with my electronic and found nothingβ¦β¦..until I pulled the plastic Schrader caps and found both of them leaking a little.
Maybe when they recharged it after the engine change the old Schrader valves didn't like being disturbed
π€π€π€π€ It's been quite a day
Oh, the other spare bedroom upstairs has a 6000 btu Frigidaire window AC that is 39 years old and was my mothers and still rrruns fine.
All China Junk!!
Comments
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Didn't you just tell me, "Looks like your getting yourself into a nice mess on this one!!ππππ"? Touche
8.33 lbs./gal. x 60 min./hr. x 20Β°ΞT = 10,000 BTU's/hour
Two btu per sq ft for degree difference for a slab
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Shoulda put a new motor or bearing in the emerson, would've been good for another 30 years.
are you sure the 4 year old "ge" wasn't pumping vs the ounce of refrigerant left in it and a wide open txv didn't mean it couldn't make a pressure differential?
the schraders do leak, that is why there is a cap. those plastic caps with the o ring also leak a little, you really need the metal cap with the flare if you don't want it to leak but the shaft seal leaks a little too so you will always have to charge an automotive system at least every few years. leaking a pound over 6 months is a pretty small leak, i don't know if anything other than immersion and pressure testing would find that.
i have 4 dehumidifiers bought over the last 15 years including a rather expensive aprilaire, all of which the charge has escaped from.
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btw 2 of the dehumidifiers are fiedrich branded. one i bought and when it stopped working i wrote them a letter saying it isn't cooling and here is a picture of the evaporator that looks oily and here is my receipt and it is in the 5 year sealed system warranty and the second one showed up via like ups with no explanation.
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The condenser coil in the Emerson was getting ratty. To pull the fan motor you have to take it apart like all window units and bend the tubing and condenser out of the way
The GE was a little 8000 btu. no txvβ¦cap tube no valves Put a line tap valve on the suction and it had pressure in it start the compressor and the gauge hardly move downβ¦.just not pumping. Cracked the line tap to make sure the line was was pierced and it was
The truck is 18 years old I have had it for 9 years and it never had freon put in.
I guess they make a tool to pull the car schraders out under pressure as well.
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Enjoyed the story, I suppose many of us in the northeast can certainly relate.
I just fired up my twenty five year old window unit at my shop/office. The unit is actually supposed to be mounted in a window, but I customized it to be mounted in a wall as I have not windows in my office. I was trying to hold off spending that extra dollar a day on electricity for as long as possible. Then I looked at the temperature on the wall mounted thermostat (for heating) read 83 degrees at 7am this morning. Luckily the Hampton Bay (Home Depot) unit came to life when I hit the "on" button. The unit is loud, vibrates a lot, and probably not that environmentally friendly but it works (for now).
Stay cool!
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I would like to tour a factory where these units are made. I bet they put one together in 15 min.
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The factory you need to see is the one where the tubing is made. I'm pretty sure all of the dehumidifier leaks are in the tubing in the evaporator.
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Try Mr. Cool. People will laugh but mine is 5 or 6 years still going
NJ Steam Homeowner.
Free NJ and remote steam advice: https://heatinghelp.com/find-a-contractor/detail/new-jersey-steam-help/
See my sight glass boiler videos: https://bit.ly/3sZW1el0 -
There are no us designs of window air conditioners available new anymore, they are all Chinese designs now.
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It does not matter which brands you buy. You can go to the $$$ store and see piles of no name brands and I am sure they all come out of the same factory as the name brands. And the price they sell for is so cheap.
They punch them out so fast they don't care if 1% or 2% fail (or whatever the # that the head bean counter accepts)
There is no quality control.
Like Friedrich told me 1 ton or less they go in the scrap pile we don't fix them. They already know the failure rate.
I have seen plenty of window units and splits run for 30-40 years.
Not anymore
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or 99% but they hold on past the 1 year warranty.
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Found this, wonder how true it is?
Top Air Conditioner Manufacturers and Companies in the USA
Air conditioners are made in every country, but only certain companies make theirs within Americaβs borders. What air conditioners are made in the US? Hereβs a list of those air conditioner brands:- CarrierΒ Most of the air conditioning manufacturing takes place in Collierville, Tennessee, and Indianapolis. Carrier has ductless, mini-ductless, and central air conditioning units. Carrier also has a wide range of heat pumps that can be used for heating as well as cooling.
- Goodman ManufacturingΒ Many other HVAC manufacturers are moving their production outside of the United States. But Goodman invested $400M in a new state-of-the-art manufacturing facility located just outside of Houston, Texas.
- ClimateMasterΒ The company will always be committed to making its goods in the U.S. The company operates a plant in Oklahoma City, which is 510,000 sq ft and which supports 600 American jobs. They also support over 1200 independent dealers by supporting their businesses.
- Lasko ProductsΒ Based in Pennsylvania, Lasko Products makes fans and heaters. They have plants in Tennessee and Texas, where they make both indoor and outdoor fans plus other things like heaters.
- Bryant is part of Carrier.Β Carrier is a part of UTC. UTC also owns Heil and Day & Night, among others. Bryant has ductless mini-split systems and central air conditioning systems.
- American StandardΒ American Standard is a purely American company and is committed to making its products in the USA. American Standard has a wide range of products like water heaters, furnaces, air conditioners, and more.
- York air conditionersΒ have two factories in Kansas and Oklahoma. These facilities employ more than 2,400 PEOPLE from Yorkβs home country of America! York has Mini-split systems, window units, and central air conditioners for the residential market.
- OceanAireΒ designs and manufactures a wide range of portable air conditioner units, including air-cooled and water-cooled air conditioners. OceanAire products are made entirely in the U.S.A.
- Friedrich air conditionersΒ are made in America. All of their products are made in America. Friedrich has air conditioners ranging from window ACs to whole-home systems.
There are only 8 or 9 companies in the residential HVAC industry left that are American-made.
But then I found this:
Friedrich - Last Room A/C Leaves U.S.September 24, 2007
SAN ANTONIO - Friedrich Air Conditioning Co., the San Antonio-based air conditioning manufacturer, has announced that it plans to move production of room air conditioners from its San Antonio plant to the companyβs facility in Monterrey, Mexico. According to Friedrich President and CEO Charles M. Marino, production at the San Antonio plant will end in November.
βAfter considerable deliberation and assessment of our business, the decision has been made to cease production in our San Antonio plant. This extremely difficult decision was made for competitive reasons and to ensure the future of our business. While I understand that this is sad news for our many dedicated manufacturing employees in San Antonio, I am proud that we have continued to manufacture here in the United States long after our competitors have moved production overseas,β explained Marino.
As the last manufacturer producing room air conditioners in the United States, Friedrich felt the move was necessary in order to compete with competitive products that are produced overseas, primarily in China. According to the U.S. Department of Commerce, over 9 million room air conditioners were imported into the United States in 2006.
When asked why Friedrich selected Monterrey as the site for its new state-of-the-art manufacturing facility, Marino explained that Monterrey offers a unique combination of assets.
βThe city of Monterrey was selected because of its skilled, stable work force, strong supplier base, and strategic location near the San Antonio headquarters. In addition, keeping production in North America will allow us to be closer to our customers and to get products to market faster. Ultimately, this will result in better customer service.β
Although Friedrich production is being moved to Monterrey, the company has announced that all administrative functions, including engineering, service parts, and warehousing, will remain in San Antonio.
Publication date:Β 09/24/2007I guess they held out as long as they could. There stuff used to be good quality thats why I bought it
0 - CarrierΒ Most of the air conditioning manufacturing takes place in Collierville, Tennessee, and Indianapolis. Carrier has ductless, mini-ductless, and central air conditioning units. Carrier also has a wide range of heat pumps that can be used for heating as well as cooling.
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the friedrich dehumidifiers i have were 100% made in china. i wonder how old that list is. islandaire may still be in the us. when i needed to buy a new fridge for my mom in about 2020, whirlpool made in mexico was the best i could do.
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I guess Mexico is better than Chinaβ¦..Maybe. The above post says they went to Mexico in 2007
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So the appliance tech was here today and confirmed my diagnosis. Refrigerant charge lost.
Then the search began for the invoice where I bought it. The company I bought it from provided that as I couldn't find it. They probably e-mailed it 2 years ago and I must have deleted it. Sent it to Friedrich and now waiting for a reply
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Friedrich,
I hate the way business is done today. It was much better in the old days. Yes it took longer back then but with much less aggravation.
People paid attention back then and things got done.
Now with all the texts and e-mails it is so easy to communicate that people pay no attention.
First I had to get an appliance company to confirm my diagnosis. Done , no issue
Then he wanted a copy of the invoice where I purchased it. Done no issue. Is that all you need do you need anything else? No reply
Then he wanted a copy of the service report from the appliance company. Done no reply. Do you need anything else? No reply
Today, he needs pictures of the model and serial #s even though its on his service companies report. Why didn't he give me a list of what he needed in the first e-mail?. Its like pulling teeth. A lot of extra nonsense for nothing
They just look for a way to deny the warranty.
Plus I noticed on the name tag (which you have to pull out of the sleeve to see it) that the unit was made in CHINA.
I guess Friedrich didn't like Mexico.
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Todays question was "Can you confirm your shipping address and contact information" which they already have. Unreal.
He just couldn't send me 1 e-mail with a list of the 4 things he needed. Every time I sent him something I asked what else do you need?
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They just want to make sure you're serious about wanting the warranty replacement, that's all. I mean, if you give up after just a few li'l emails, you really didn't want it that much after all, right? π
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this is why i still haven't warrantied my aprilaire that leaked a year and a half ago
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I guess they shipped it today he sent a tracking #. This guys e-mails are one word or two words . No explanation or information
I should stop complaining and be happy I have one on the way.
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like i said, i got no response, one just showed up on my porch a week or 2 later.
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I would like to be happy that the unit is on the way because the heat wave surely has started especially the next 3 days.
My mistake. Friedrich gave me a SO# not a tracking #. I called their twice and e-mailed once this week and after getting bounced around from voicemail to voicemail "its still in the warehouse" is the only answer I get, and its "supposed to be shipped next week"
I just hope the "warehouse" isn't in China.
The next few days are going to suck.
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the price was insane a decade ago but i think it wasn't that high.
looking at my e-mail, it was $35 in 2014
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Well the heat wave broke here today 74 now has been 90-100 for the last 6 days or so. Called Friedrich again yesterday and was told it would "ship by the end of the month", no specific answer.
Then this morning a TT from A Duie Pyle pulled into the condo so it is finally here. I thought the original one came UPS or Fedx but its a little over 100 lbs.
No I just have to figure out how this old guy will swap it. I did it last year myself but need to find some help.
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Had my brother over and we swapped the unit. New one works greatβ¦β¦β¦so far LOL.
Threw the old one in the back of my truck. Yesterday I ran a cord outside and fired it up. Compressor and fan run no cooling. Cut it up for spare parts. Saved the fan motor and both fan blades, two capacitors, circuit board and electronic controller air filter and plastic trim.
I am sure now that I save the parts I will never need them and this one won't fail in my lifetime. I didn't see any oil or signs of a leak and when I cut into it I got just a little puff.
I would have fixed it and donated it to someone in the condo that needs one (42 identical units) if I could have found some R-32 in small quantity.
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I hope you live longer than that. The part you will need is silphos. I have thought about making a recovery machine out of one of the dehumidifiers in my graveyard. the compressor is probably just fine.
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Too bad R-32 isn't sold in small quantities like R-134 is for cars
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Refrigerantguys sells small containers but they charge like 1/3 of the full cylinder for like 2#.
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With all of the leaks we can probably expect it doesn't make sense to buy less than, what is it, 25 pounds now?
Single pipe 392sqft system with an EG-40 rated for 325sqft and it's silent and balanced at all times.
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R-454B is sold in 20s I think. Don't know about R-32.
Its like the grocery store. They raise the price and put it in a smaller container so you get less but it "holds" the price down so you don't notice as much.
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No no noβ¦..
You keep the price same but shrink the product and attempt to keep the packaging the same. Get it right.
Single pipe 392sqft system with an EG-40 rated for 325sqft and it's silent and balanced at all times.
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like the box of plastic..er i mean chocolates i bought.
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Or selling toilet paper or paper towels by the roll when a roll isn't an actual measurement of anything. 1 roll equals 5! Whatever that means.
And for years now a lot of companies cut the width of a roll of toilet paper down by a huge amount. They're like an inch shorter.
Single pipe 392sqft system with an EG-40 rated for 325sqft and it's silent and balanced at all times.
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Like Bounty paper towels. They sell regular, doubles triples. Compared to what??
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Look at what "air" duster is now. It used to be R12 then R134a now it is one of the lower GWP refrigerants. You could potentially use that with a can tapper.
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Most are R-152A.
And yes you can. But probably not for R-32.
Single pipe 392sqft system with an EG-40 rated for 325sqft and it's silent and balanced at all times.
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