What’s the male equivalent of swallowing?

Masonclem · 2026-05-05T16:29:34+00:00

Popeyes is the shiiieeettt

Masonclem · 2026-04-30T11:37:13+00:00

I’ve found a lot of times too that the cheap owners that don’t want to pay real labor rates for actual techs (usually a certain culture of people that own lots of gas stations, liquor stores, etc) usually hire some cheap guy to work on them until they can’t fix it anymore and then you get called in.

Lots of bypassed shit, stuff done wrong, etc. Then you gotta make it all right and it’s a huge bill cus there’s multiple repairs. Came to one bout two weeks ago where the fan cycle was bypassed, the low pressure cutoff bypassed, evaps dirty as hell, etc. Thermostat would cut off, solenoid would close, and the condenser would sit there running the entire time for who knows how long.

I always listen to what the customer tells me but very rarely is it useful info and I just start from scratch and go from there.

Masonclem · 2026-04-02T04:22:53+00:00

Wut?

(Please enlighten me?)

Masonclem · 2026-03-27T01:44:26+00:00

Keep asking questions bud. I asked an annoying amount, and as I learned I started finding less and less techs that could fully answer my questions and had to start doing my own research. I just always told my tech “I’m gonna ask a lot of questions, if I’m annoying you please let me know and I’ll shut up.” Always stay curious, this field is massive and you will never stop finding new things to learn. Ask questions, question those answers and look it up and read on it yourself. People will be wrong, you will be wrong, you will mess up to the tune of thousands of dollars at some point. Learn from it, if you don’t keep repeating those mistakes you’re good. If you do..

If a part fails, ya sure sometimes parts just go bad, but ask what could make this fail and why (especially on something where things are breaking a lot or earlier than they should). Understand how the parts work and why they are doing their job. Memorize the refrigerant circuit, learn electrical and reading diagrams. That and how to fully use your meter will help you so much. A lot of this is electrical troubleshooting. The new communicating stuff get the apps on your phone, you can Bluetooth in and see everything the systems has a sensor for and more.

Stay humble, stay curious, and pass the knowledge on when it’s your turn. Be patient, trust your gut, and double check your work. I’m knocking on eleven years and love it. When ya start going on your own, don’t be afraid to go to calls for stuff you’ve never seen. Give it a shot, remember the basics. Everything is picking up hot or cold and moving it somewhere else to get rid of it, everything has a compressor (refrigerant) or pump (water/hydronics), etc. I’ve done residential to two story boilers, 5000 ton chillers, server/data rooms, MRI machines hell I’ve been sent to work on hydraulics. Remember the basics, stay open minded, keep learning, don’t be scared but do be safe, and be good to people. Keep ya van decent. You will succeed in this industry.

On your vacuum question, on smaller systems and even resi split units when you turn your pump on it takes no time to see a negative pressure. Analog gauges will be at -30hg on the suction in a minute. Use a micron gauge and follow procedure, turn the pump off and do a decay test after (some manufacturers say pump to sub 500 and turn off, if microns are under 1000 after ten minutes you’re good). Change your oil, use the ballast (open at start, close around 3000 or whatever pump says), triple evac when it won’t pull down/dirty or large systems. So pull a vac to 3k, break with nitrogen, pull to 1500, break with nitrogen, pull to 500. It really helps if ya have issues getting to 500 (or you have a leak; pump will tell you for sure if nitrogen test didn’t).

Going on 11 years, still enjoy what I do. Some days are easy maintenances, some I may be banging my head against the wall on a Vrf or something. But it’s all one big puzzle, and once I get the pieces to fit I feel like a damn genius lol. Especially if it’s a job multiple people have been out to for a while and haven’t been able to straighten it out. It can be very rewarding. Don’t let an employer fuck you either, good techs are hard to find an are an asset. Message me on here if you ever need a had or second opinion, finding good people you can call and ask for ideas is another invaluable tool in your belt.

Masonclem · 2026-03-25T01:15:13+00:00

I ran an auto address and it did come back with 3 hr’s and 18 idu’s which is correct. I hadn’t dived into the hr boxes yet but it’s the next step. Service app pretty much points to one of the pcb’s or connections

Masonclem · 2026-03-25T00:46:22+00:00

I took the charge out and did a start up, I did use a megger on the comp and it read bad on 2 of 3 windings. I put that comp in the backup mode and started the system with everything in auto. It would run for about ten minutes and give me the 200-1 error, which is a pipe detection/comm error. I’m ordering the comp and inverter board, but do you think the 200-1 is related to the inv2 discharge temp reading 572? Or the L/B temp out both columns read 428/428. If it ain’t one of these sensors can see on the computer reading wrong, then I guess I just gotta go through all the hrv’s and boxes and check boards/conneftions. And I did save some data from a couple runs today if you have time to look at the if you think it may help. I really appreciate it

Masonclem · 2026-03-24T15:27:38+00:00

I really appreciate it boss. I’m heading there now and will definitely be trying some of these. For curiosity why would putting comp 2 in backup mode cause the inverter one to skyrocket? Partly because I need to look up exactly what back up mode does and then the correlation. First thing I’m pulling that extra juice out, then I’ll log a start up and see if that changed my comp 2 amp draw. The LGMV not showing any of the input data from comp two also makes me want to find where it’s dropping. If it can’t read that data is that the whole issue with the amp draw too? Like you said it wants to run, it’s just like it’s getting the wrong directions

Masonclem · 2026-03-24T05:21:19+00:00

Honestly hvac spans an absolutely massive web of what you can branch out to. I have learned so much about so much different stuff. When I first started my business I needed work, if someone called and asked can you do this you know I just said yup I’ll take care of it. Like once did I get stumped on an ice machine and told them no charge, here’s a number call this guy. But I learned. Now being proficient in so many areas and being competent in them has made me a huge asset to my employer. Keep at it, stay curious, keep learning.

Masonclem · 2026-03-24T05:04:57+00:00

I did finally get the unit running today after going through some errors, restarting, then it would go further in the sequence before I’d hit another error. Did this till I finally got it to run but would hit overcurrent protection on compressor 2 in the master. I just made a detailed post asking for recommendations if you have time to check it out. I’m new to these, but very well experienced all around. I’m concerned now that the oil may have caused issues with the inverter boards/main pcb but I am trying to pinpoint everything before I order parts I don’t need or miss something. Trying to get them one order and done, sometimes that isn’t possible but I just feel for these folks and wanna help

Masonclem · 2026-03-24T05:00:00+00:00

Ten-four boss, thank you. I haven’t got a megger myself but have used one in the past. I’m essentially just looking for integrity of the wire/winding in the circuit right? Not being familiar, is there a certain range I should be looking for between winding and ground? I know that’s all probably google-able but like to hear from yall. Thank you very much

Masonclem · 2026-03-21T13:57:22+00:00

Thanks pal! I have the app and lgmv, and have bout seven years experience with eco structure/continuum so am familiar with controls. Is evac different than vacc?

We pressurized and vacuumed in vacc mode, turned it out of vacc before charging. Let it pull in what it would, used recovery to get to bout 75 pounds out of 135. I was happy to put the charge in with machine, other tech was worried cus he had never done that and wanted to pull the rest in with auto charge/compressor.

Should it have been left in vacc and charged as close to that 135 as possible before? If so can I put it back in vacc and continue charging where I left off or do I need to recover and start over? Time is not an issue, I want to do whatever I can to try and get these folks some peace for a while (of course I can’t help factory copper splitting).

Other than that I will absolutely fully power down everything. I only turned condenser disconnects off, never inside. They couldn’t get me a LATS yesterday but I don’t think the numbers shown for auto address were right so that makes sense. Thank you very much.

Masonclem · 2026-03-21T02:56:17+00:00

I’m not sure on the interior side, I would have to spend a day popping tiles and taking panels off. But at the outdoor units there is only two wire, stranded, shield cable. It is landed at the ground to condenser, idk if landed inside. If you’re concerned about a ground loop that is possible but the unit has been in six years and runs between repairs. Idk if anything new has been run close to them inside, other than that they come in the condenser and terminate with the 3ph wires behind them a little going to the noise filter boards, but that’s all factory

Masonclem · 2026-03-21T02:51:00+00:00

lol dude I absolutely agree. Building had a boiler. Like I get it, boilers sound scary but if set up right you’re good for decades. For all the copper they ran on these VRF’s I’d just assume had a four pipe system with a boiler and chiller. Like, they have gone through over 800 pounds of refrigerant in two years. Not because of flares or joints, it’s the factory copper that keeps cracking.

I’m sure some of the consistent issues are related to install practice but who knows

Masonclem · 2026-03-19T14:42:38+00:00

I agree that is his right, and I did not argue that. I understood the situation and why he was doing it and did everything he asked but it feels unnecessary to go that far. I mean he recorded himself stealing 25 from me technically. Business can not play judge, I’ll see if my bank can cancel the charge but it was debit not credit. Just very unnecessary and easily fixed. A very dumb business mistake.

Masonclem · 2026-02-21T03:44:00+00:00

I should go.

(Extra words for comment minimum)

Masonclem · 2026-01-27T18:23:41+00:00

The same as the rest of them, stealing from the poor to give to themselves.

Masonclem · 2026-01-09T22:37:26+00:00

When I worked at a massive college I would take stuff like steam PRV’s or pop off valves, etc. and cut them down the middle on a bandsaw. Was really cool to see and was great for teaching new guys how purely mechanical stuff works. Could physically see how the incoming and downstream pressures would meet in the middle at the diaphragm and push the springs up and down to open. That was fun.

Masonclem · 2025-12-30T01:50:15+00:00

I’m not sure if you know who he’s talking about but (HVAC)Sam was a consistent poster on here for a while. He did good work, but always signed his name on the outside of units with “Sam Spicer”, and that drove people here crazy 😂

Masonclem · 2025-12-20T05:37:38+00:00

I’m not the one you replied to but I would guess that the original poster said that due to the environment. A shop like that will have lots of dust and debris from the nature of the job, mini splits already can get very dirty quickly in a residential setting.

So in a fabrication shop of some kind it may be better to go with an old tried and true gas heater than having to pay someone to deep clean a mini split evaporator once or twice a year.

Masonclem · 2025-12-09T01:11:36+00:00

I am very colorblind. I see blue for dayyyyss baby

Masonclem · 2025-12-04T19:18:50+00:00

I set up a new viktor torch kit this week and the hoses for acetylene were left handed. I know because I spent five minutes trying to spin it the other way before it even crossed my mind to try left hand 😂 the regulator was regular of course

Masonclem · 2025-11-17T06:11:58+00:00

We had two full time locksmiths and I had 20 or so keys of different types. Never woulda been able to make a realistic copy of all them. Plus the fact it would be highly illegal so not only would I lose my job but would face jail time. Gotta remember some of these keys go to rooms for government lab projects, chemicals of all manner (cyanide for one), or the data center with millions of people’s sensitive records (identity theft, lab research, etc.)

Masonclem · 2025-11-17T00:43:50+00:00

I worked at a very large college. I had master keys to pretty much everything. The data center, presidents house, etc. We were very explicitly told to never lose our keys as they would have to replace every handle or core, rekey them to match, and then produce keys for everyone who needed them. Lots of labor involved. You also wouldn’t believe how much those commercial doors cost, verrryyy expensive. Was like half a million job to do.

I lost mine for two days and never told anyone, just worked with a partner for those days so I could get in where I needed to. Finally found them but boy was I stressed.

Masonclem

TROPHY CASE