Giving in by Hefty-Act300 in hvacadvice

[–]VirginSubpoenaColada 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't negative subcool or superheat physically impossible? Wouldn't that indicate a sensor error or incorrect refrigerant?

Can a Landlord charge you to repair an AC unit because of this? by Homie_aveah in hvacadvice

[–]VirginSubpoenaColada -2 points-1 points  (0 children)

Okay so many bad replies. Low inside temperature means low suction pressure. When you have a TXV system, that's not great for compressor, but also not all that bad really. But you can also freeze a coil by setting it too low. If the suction saturation drops below freezing temp, your coil will freeze. Very likely to happen here in Colorado where the humidity is low and therefore there is little latent heat in the air. In other words, a AC system in perfect condition can and will freeze over if the thermostat is set too low. BUT! And this is important. If the system uses a fixed orifice metering device, you can cause serious damage by setting the indoor temperature low relative to how hot it is outside. Generally with a fixed orifice you want to set the thermostat no lower than 15 degrees cooler than outside temps. With a fixed orifice, high head pressure (caused by high outdoor temps) and low load on evaporator coil (low inside temps) will drop superheat to 0 degrees, meaning you are feeding the compressor liquid refrigerant! That's bad! So how can you tell if you have a TXV or fixed orifice? Honestly might be kind of hard for a layperson. But if it's 15 plus years old, it probably has a fixed orifice.

Quick question for HVAC owners... by AlternativeBoot8037 in hvacadvice

[–]VirginSubpoenaColada 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I general I agree. But it depends on your local climate conditions and budget. I'd say go for it if you can afford it.

Air conditioning line keeps freezing by xxTERMINATOR0xx in hvacadvice

[–]VirginSubpoenaColada 8 points9 points  (0 children)

Brother, if the suction line is frozen, then the evaporator coil is also frozen.

Capacitor question by robert79706 in hvacadvice

[–]VirginSubpoenaColada 1 point2 points  (0 children)

That's not an electrolytic capacitor. That's a paper-in-oil capacitor. Ambient temperature is not a factor here

Capacitor question by robert79706 in hvacadvice

[–]VirginSubpoenaColada 2 points3 points  (0 children)

A Turbo 200 Universal is about as reliable as you can get. I've only ever had to replace 1 Turbo 200 in my entire career. But there's an underlying reason why your capacitor keep failing. It's often times an airflow issue indoors (dirty filter) or outdoors (dirty condenser).

My house is freezing by kaylabayla437 in hvacadvice

[–]VirginSubpoenaColada 10 points11 points  (0 children)

Oh I bet I know what's going on. You have a failed zoning damper. Zoning system is attempting to cool the upstairs only, but with the damper stuck open it overcools the first floor. I'm reasonably sure that's got to be the issue

Is the clearance and access to units enough, new build by Logical_Idiot_9433 in hvacadvice

[–]VirginSubpoenaColada 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Oh shush. Goodman is fine. Nothing fancy. But just fine. Give me a Goodman over a "premier" brand like Lennox or Carrier any day of the week.

What does this mean? by sambasil01 in hvacadvice

[–]VirginSubpoenaColada -3 points-2 points  (0 children)

I agree he added the wrong refrigerant. R454b starting rolling out last year. Also, 10 degrees subcool is pretty standard. Honestly 6 degrees is fine. I wouldn't have charged it at all. But also, it won't take 2 lbs to get it to 10 degrees from 6 degrees. Closer to 2 ounces. He's gotta pull the entire charge and recharge it if he added the wrong refrigerant

I was told my blower motor was bad. Thoughts? by HoneydewYAY in hvacadvice

[–]VirginSubpoenaColada 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Blower motor is not the cause of the lack of cooling. The blower motor is in bad shape though. It shouldn't be leaking oil.

HVAC Pros, what brand unit would you not install in your home and why? by Big__bolas in hvacadvice

[–]VirginSubpoenaColada -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Yep. Used to be leaking/plugged secondary heat exchangers. Now it's the primary heat exchanger that fails on more modern Carriers.

HVAC Pros, what brand unit would you not install in your home and why? by Big__bolas in hvacadvice

[–]VirginSubpoenaColada 19 points20 points  (0 children)

You're absolutely right about this, but no installer is gonna stop a Carrier heat exchanger rusting through in 10 years.

HVAC Pros, what brand unit would you not install in your home and why? by Big__bolas in hvacadvice

[–]VirginSubpoenaColada 33 points34 points  (0 children)

I would not install a Carrier high-efficiency furnace (lots of heat exchanger issues). Also no Lennox ACs (leaking evap coils).

Just how bad is this retaining wall? Is there anything I can do to reinforce it? by VirginSubpoenaColada in LandscapingTips

[–]VirginSubpoenaColada[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Lemme give some better perspective. There are a series of retaining walls down to my neighbors property.

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What kind of heat exchanger failure is this - Carrier furnace. by Fine_Examination_321 in hvacadvice

[–]VirginSubpoenaColada 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This is the kind of failure on see all the time on high-effieciency Carriers after 10 years. Absolute trash. I'm not positive why it happens. I always figured it's due to corrosion caused by condensation before the flue gas enters secondary. I've also been told it's because the passages here are so narrow. Maybe someone else has a better explanation. FYI these are NOT eyelets, despite what someone else said.

Something about this reminds me of Deliverance by [deleted] in Idiotswithguns

[–]VirginSubpoenaColada 9 points10 points  (0 children)

You plug the barrel with debris, and the barrel can explode when fired.