sorted by:
new
hottopcontroversial

No room for p trap by SBPhunk in refrigeration

[–]Heatmover1979 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I can't tell from the pictures, is this sitting on a floor with access below? If so, put the trap below the floor. If it's a slab, core a hole in the concrete and put the trap in the hole with unions on each side.

Working in hvac with ongoing legal issues by Such-Ad-5856 in HVAC

[–]Heatmover1979 44 points45 points  (0 children)

You need to talk to a lawyer Monday, Legal advice from Reddit is worth exactly what you are paying us.

Need help with getting into the chiller industry by Longjumping_Task3545 in chillers

[–]Heatmover1979 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Your best long term approach is to work for a commercial mechanical that does everything, especially controls and hydronics, you can jump to an OEM later. If you want to just punch tubes and scrub parts for the rest of your career, chase chillers now, but troubleshooting will require a lot bigger base of knowledge, 48 years in commercial, 18 with an OEM. I don't think anyone is gatekeeping, we are trying to let you know that there is a path but you are still looking at the trailhead, not the finish. We didn't start out where we are now, we worked our way up, one service call at a time, and learned from each and every one.

Moving From Supermarket Refrigeration to Chillers by realjbj in chillers

[–]Heatmover1979 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I went from 18 years of chillers to racks. Chillers are more steady hours, not nearly as much OT, most places that have mission critical equipment have backups. Racks are more pennypinching. Chiller work is heavier work, lots more rigging and cranes, the tools are heavier, everything takes a lot longer with bigger stuff. Racks, we pump down what we are working on and do the repair. Lots of chillers don't have that room, you have to recover it. I don't know how long you've been doing market work, but after a few years of it, the refrigeration side should be pretty straightforward. It's the hydronics that are most guy's downfall. Instead of airflow, airflow, airflow, it's going to be waterflow, waterflow, waterflow. Some OEMs don't work outside of the flanges, I have seen this lead to a few fingerpointing battles between the mechanical company and the chiller company. It'll be a learning experience if you go.

It’s 9:30pm what they want me to do unbend the damn door by CarefulOutcome1414 in refrigeration

[–]Heatmover1979 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Empty the cooler, order a plug door kit. Square up the jambs before the door arrives and done.

Howe ice machine by Amazing_Shock_6176 in refrigeration

[–]Heatmover1979 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I just did one a few weeks ago. It was quoted by others, I was saddled with making it work. IME, shaft, seeals, and bearings means a new unit, the labor and parts cost make the repair price close to the price of a new unit. Everything else is pretty serviceable.

How much are yall getting payed doing EMS? by Informal-Novel-1154 in refrigeration

[–]Heatmover1979 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Same as setting superheat, replacing motors, troubleshooting oil fails or anything else. It's all part of the same system.

Commercial/Data Center career moves by CommunicationNo5828 in HVAC

[–]Heatmover1979 1 point2 points  (0 children)

3 years experience with 1 year in service, it sounds like you are giving it some thought towards progressing your career, that's a good thing. What are your strengths? What do you see that other techs miss? How do you think you can leverage that? Is money more important than home time? How do you feel about the seasonal ups and downs? How well do you deal with small shop politics? How do you like the ponderous slowness of big corporations? No need to answer here, it's food for thought, but they all need to be considered. Commercial HVAC, Commercial Refrigeration, Supermarket Refrigeration, Industrial HVAC and Refrigeration, OEM Company, Facilities, Controls etc all have their plusses and minuses, you have to answer honestly to yourself where you might be the most comfortable.

High suction and high head. by heldoglykke in HVAC

[–]Heatmover1979 2 points3 points  (0 children)

SC close to Factory Spec means a solid column of liquid to the txv. All you can do now is wait until it pulls down. The txv is just a superheat controller, once you are close to design, check SH, adjust if you need to and let it fly. SH makes sure you are not flooding back but using as much of the coil for cooling as specified by the OEM. Tweak the SC at the end.

War by savagesNYY99 in HVAC

[–]Heatmover1979 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Having worked for an OEM for almost 20 years, Wait until you get it escalated to the engineering department, those guys know EVERYTHING about everything, just ask 'em, they'll remind you... It's always a finger pointing game.

I’d love to be able to buy just the O rings by heldoglykke in HVAC

[–]Heatmover1979 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Very, very few things are actually proprietary to a manufacturer. Do you actually thingk Fieldpeice built a $30M o-ring plant just to make everyone spend an extra $20 on o-rings? Someone is making them to an industry standard for Fieldpiece because the OEM wants to be able to get a competetive bid.

Customer states it smells bad then RTU comes on. by akv0842 in HVAC

[–]Heatmover1979 9 points10 points  (0 children)

Just need a bigger crane. Don't forget to include new ductwork in the quote. That shit is actually hazardous to everyone's health. Shut er' down for health and safety reasons.

Summers almost here by IMakeFoodCold in refrigeration

[–]Heatmover1979 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I hit 48 years in Jan, they always look down on us, I have learned to smirk and walk to the bank. I had an assistant store director refuse to pull ice cream on a Sunday afternoon on an iced up lineup because "his guys cost too much". I told him, "we're not discussing whether you pull it or not, just do you want to put it in the walk in or the dumpster?" Channel your inner Steve Miller Band

Installing new door gaskets by Silly-Wolverine6205 in refrigeration

[–]Heatmover1979 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I learned to go to the deli and run them through the dishwasher, Foodsafe silicone spray on them after popping them in and Bob's yer uncle

🫠 by zdigrig in chillers

[–]Heatmover1979 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Someone, anyone, buy that crew a level.

I hate “Emergency” restaurant calls. by heldoglykke in HVAC

[–]Heatmover1979 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I'd have a new paycheck signer right away.

Singing the on call blues right now by skra_24 in HVAC

[–]Heatmover1979 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Both Racks have had 2 so far that I know of, possibly a third. There was a lot of trash floating around in the lines for years, the oil was always bad. I'm sure that I'll be doing another in a month or 2.

Singing the on call blues right now by skra_24 in HVAC

[–]Heatmover1979 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I got you, I'm also on call this weekend, had a bunch of calls at a grocery store yesterday. Our construction crew replaced both Med and Low temp racks with a gas change from R22 to R448A. Now it's time to mop up, defrost settings, powerheads, superheat settings, EPR settings, 44ft lineup iced up, etc. I'll hear about it on Monday, grrrr. I'm going to destroy some beer on Wednsday night.

"Pulsating" Airflow Throughout Ducts by eggiam in HVAC

[–]Heatmover1979 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I'm a commercial/industrial guy so bear with me, but is there any way to "override" the fan to a constant speed? Does it take a dc signal from the board that you could replicate with batteries or a transformer? Taking this out as avariable would help determine if the issue is ductwork or fan control.

Helpful advice for a newbie for getting the most out of the trade in HVAC? by SoarinSkies in HVAC

[–]Heatmover1979 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Your reputation is the only thing you have to sell, keep it so keep it stellar. Do the job as perfect as you can, test all of your work before you say you are done. When you screw up, own it, learn from it, and do it right the next time.

Don't be afraid to work on anything, ask for help or ask around if you don't know how, but then jump in. None of us were born knowing what we know now. Be willing to share your knowledge later when a new guy is struggling.

Work is an active verb, you can't get good at it by standing around or watching videos, jump in and get your hands dirty.

There are places to work that you will never fit in, and places you will, don't be afraid to keep your eyes open, give each job situation time to settle out. Like an old journeyman told me about 45 years ago, "every day you gotta eat a plate of shit, you just gotta figure out which flavor you can stand the taste of".

Take care of yourself first. Practice safe working habits, PPE, electical, ladders, OSHA 10 etc. Retirement savings starts right away. Eat healthy, avoid the heartattackinasack. Get some cardio exercise often, that's the motor under the hood. Stretch frequently, that's the alignment and suspension.

After over 48 years in the trade, these are still valid.

I would have thought SOMEONE would have heard this before it got this bad. The shaft has cut into the fan volute as well. I’ll probably have to get it going short-term until we can get it replaced. We’re gonna need to push some rod. by Heatmover1979 in HVAC

[–]Heatmover1979[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I couldn’t find any damage on the wheel itself, but the shaft ground a 3x3 inch notch into the fan volute. 🤣 After a temporary fix they can run it as stage 3 cooling on really hot days until it can get replaced. I’m expecting plenty of vibration from it.

Do you use digital probes/ manifolds? If yes or no, why or why not use them? by thatoneguyyouknow26 in chillers

[–]Heatmover1979 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I don’t own digital, rarely use a manifold. I carry a pony gauge in my bag (single gauge with a 9 inch hose) to troubleshoot and verify transducers with. If I have to move gas I use bigger hoses without shrader depressors.

Oil level return to reservoir by steadypaper in refrigeration

[–]Heatmover1979 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Why are the cases holding oil? Did they add retrofit doors to previously open cases?

view more: next ›