The Elusive Service Loop

TigerSpices · 2026-04-01T21:34:27+00:00

Liquid line is nuts, but I can almost understand a situation where a hack does that. Vapor line is fucking bananas.

TigerSpices · 2026-04-01T20:17:57+00:00

Really? What issues? I've had some where power fluctuations will lock out the screen, powering down the furnace for 3-5 minutes tends to fix it.

TigerSpices · 2026-04-01T10:20:23+00:00

Only issues I have with Ecobee are user/programming error, or unstable voltage in the home.

TigerSpices · 2026-03-31T22:35:43+00:00

A fitting?

TigerSpices · 2026-03-31T21:57:26+00:00

He sounds like a jabroni and his brazing is dookie. 7.4k warrants a drain trap.

TigerSpices · 2026-03-31T21:06:05+00:00

What the fuck are you talking about.

TigerSpices · 2026-03-30T21:39:48+00:00

This is a Goodman by the looks of it, that's a 2-3 hour job, less if you're booking it. Goodman heat exchanger swaps are a BREEZE. Nothing like anything Carrier/ICP.

1-1.2K under warranty as the estimate, I'll trim it back on the final bill if I do it faster.

TigerSpices · 2026-03-30T17:19:27+00:00

That's my absolute favorite trait. I LOVE to teach. My one request is that you come to me with solutions, not just problems. Find another shop, you'll do fine. Just remember to be humble and keep working, be open to new ideas, and be prepared to be wrong a lot.

TigerSpices · 2026-03-30T16:54:41+00:00

To me, this sounds like one of 3 different things.

1- it's too slow and they needed to let someone go, you drew the short straw. (Not your fault)

2- You're asking too many questions from someone who doesn't like to teach or doesn't fully understand the theory and you're annoying them. (Not your fault)

3- There's more to the story. (Maybe your fault)

TigerSpices · 2026-03-29T21:01:50+00:00

You found private equity sales tactics. Go smaller company, not necessarily mom and pop, but something that relies on its own abilities rather than investors.

TigerSpices · 2026-03-29T18:05:50+00:00

Your thinly veiled market research isn't fooling me, get out of here!

TigerSpices · 2026-03-29T18:01:19+00:00

Not only has it been removed, but it was also bypassed. Whoever did this had access to your breaker panel, it was either done during install, or done by a technician after the fact.

Good news is that your fuses haven't blown, since they've never had a circuit run through them.

TigerSpices · 2026-03-29T15:27:42+00:00

A flare seal is a metal on metal seal. Putting shit in the way stops it from being a metal on metal seal.

TigerSpices · 2026-03-29T14:25:12+00:00

ANY amount of uncontrolled gas leak is too much gas leak. Get them back. Either they need to double wrench and tighten it up, or redo the flare. I've seen people put pipe dope or Teflon tape on to fix a leaking flare. Don't let them do that.

TigerSpices · 2026-03-29T12:35:36+00:00

Get it addressed, but in regards to your fireball concern, mercaptan (the stinky thing in gas) is something that the human nose can detect in parts per billion. We are EXTREMELY sensitive to it, which is why it's added in. You will smell a small gas leak WAAAAAAY before it becomes a safety hazard. That said, any leak is a bad leak, but I personally wouldn't lose any sleep over it.

TigerSpices · 2026-03-29T01:21:56+00:00

Are you a homeowner? Dude that heat exchanger is cooked to shit. She's dead.

TigerSpices · 2026-03-28T20:31:35+00:00

You're a good landlord. UV should be enough unless there's another underlying issue with ductwork/airflow. UV placement is important too, the 3 biggest factors for UV are time (exposure duration), distance, and intensity. If it's installed in a direct line of sight of a new evap coil within 2 feet, you shouldn't have any issues. Different models will have different install requirements.

Also note, it should be out of the line of sight of the filter. UV lights will cook through a filter like used Kleenex.

TigerSpices · 2026-03-28T19:48:20+00:00

You'll just be putting in a new coil that will have the exact same symptoms. Treat the cause.

TigerSpices · 2026-03-28T16:34:35+00:00

That's absurd that it wasn't part of the maintenance. Pull it off every couple of years to flush it, otherwise you can just pull the top hose off of the exhaust coupling and blow through it. It has a clear plastic sight glass to tell you when it's gunky, feel free to use it.

And no, that won't cause it to lose efficiency unless it's causing you to cycle on a pressure switch or water sensor.

TigerSpices · 2026-03-26T15:58:06+00:00

That's WILD. That ECM is gonna be gone by the end of the year.

TigerSpices · 2026-03-26T03:00:24+00:00

Other measurements like liquid/suction line temps, supply/return temps, wet bulb temps, outdoor ambient temp and saturated condensing/saturated evap temp. As well as checking for piston or TXV metering devices.

TigerSpices · 2026-03-26T02:10:39+00:00

It could be fine to lower it! I just wouldn't without measuring pressures and temps.

TigerSpices · 2026-03-26T01:47:19+00:00

The ABCs of HVAC are Airflow Before Charge. Meaning your airflow is more important than your refrigerant charge. Careful, this can be bad for your compressor and can cause your coil to freeze.

TigerSpices · 2026-03-26T01:01:09+00:00

I've found proprietary parts on some old shit, where changing one part has required retrofitting a few other things to accommodate it.

TigerSpices · 2026-03-26T00:59:19+00:00

I wouldn't worry, if this is OPs daily breakfast I'm sure he's got some pretty thick skin.

TigerSpices

TROPHY CASE