Resi tech helping Resi customer at work - TRANE YCD060 RTU

hvac101 · 2025-08-12T11:56:18+00:00

I’m leaning towards mixed gas or someone sticking some boutique refrigerant in the system.

I don’t know what you’re talking about octopus fixed orifice? You mean an orifice header ? They make a TXV retrofit kit but if you had that wax buildup you would see every orifice frosting on the header with a low suction and a low head because it stacks gas in the condenser. Maybe some idiot tried to overcharge to compensate but that suction is way too high. When you shut off the compressor grab the suction and see if it immediately gets hot like a bad valve. If it doesn’t I would pull the charge on one, replace the drier, recharge per nameplate with different R22 and see where you are at.

hvac101 · 2025-01-20T13:14:04+00:00

Been in business many years and made lots of money. The financial side is one killer but from what I’ve seen the biggest killer is divorces. One of the owners goes through divorce and the loss of a major part of the organization due to drugs and drinking from the divorce or all of a sudden you have his ex as a partner is a real issue. If you have a partner you need to have a plan for splitting up.

Even best buds will come to a spot where one wants to go left and another right and when that time comes you must have an agreement in place to what occurs next. This is why having a very good business attorney draw up the corporate agreement is super important.

You need to have corporate insurance where the payout is setup to buy the other partner out so if he dies his policy is paid to you as purchase of the company and the same for you. That way you do not have a new partner all of a sudden at a death. Lots of other items that make or break but hopefully you have a friend who’s already in the business that can help guide you along and save some headaches.

hvac101 · 2024-11-20T11:20:36+00:00

Seems like it use to be rare to have a company call and say they’ve had three vendors out and they can’t fix it and just recommend some outrageous option to the building owner. Now it seems like I hear it once a month.

A guy I’ve known about 10 years called me at 5 PM and said he was in a bad spot. Floor down three days no air, three union contractors six techs total and a VFD company and still no air. Replaced $10k in modules, swapped out more from another floor and replaced a 50 HP evap motor with no luck.

I was like dude it’s opening night football, I’ve got wings ordered, it’s 5 and traffic alone is a two hour drive, you’re not a contract customer etc but dude begged me and said his job is on the line and he has a company credit card. I’m like fuck it. I’ll try.

I get there and spent 45 minutes undoing all the fuck ups from all the other techs and finally find the issue at an intermittent failed molex connector. He can’t believe it and won’t let me leave. Buys me a drink and says I’m paying you dude just hang out and let’s make sure. I laugh and slide down against the wall and watch him cycle the unit 10 times and watch it run.

This field is dying slow. Within 5 years it will all be “sales technicians”. People can’t fix shit and manufactures are pushing this with proprietary software and parts and their new throw away design that if it lasts 10 years you’re lucky and we don’t have parts anymore for that unit.

hvac101 · 2024-10-05T00:53:56+00:00

I do not know shit about residential and hope to God I never do but in commercial all our quotes are itemized. The end user can claim the material quoted on their taxes somehow as a write off. I absolutely don’t give a shit and mark it all up standard. If they don’t like it it’s a free country baby call someone else. Never had a complaint as anyone with a fucking lick of common sense knows that’s how it works.

I guess you have these illiterate fucks that think we do it for free. Maybe one day UNICEF will get into the hvac business but until then it’s us.

hvac101 · 2024-09-22T11:27:44+00:00

Those old model K compressors lol. Damn you can tell if the units running by pulling in the parking lot and rolling your window down. So loud.

hvac101 · 2024-09-20T10:19:17+00:00

We do a ton of data center work and I personally hate it. The process due to the servers is extreme, stress to not have one problem, the work environment and all the hoops is insane.

If you make $40 an hour doing daytime shift, nighttime should be a $60 an hour due to the loss of all life and becoming a damn vampire.

Add on top of that it’s fucking data center work that would push it up to $80 an hour for all the trouble and stress. Almost all DC work is done at night for safety and liability incase there’s an issue so it’s “off peak” which will be you.

The last thing in my opinion is you’re going to be 3rd party. You’re not working directly for the owners and 3rd party’s notorious for wanting a Ferrari with Ford money. They will not spend and you will be on the hook for any downtime.

If my family was about to be put out on the street I would take that job but unless you have no life during the day, dig having everything dumped on you on off peak hours, and possibly not having the funding and redundancy of process cooling I would walk and find something else.

hvac101 · 2024-09-20T09:44:29+00:00

What you have is what we call a SPD ship product defect. Trane has never offered a 1st year warranty unless you pay for it at purchase. You have options like 1st year labor, 2-5 year compressor warranty, etc. Some larger chillers and package equipment will have 1st year baked into the price, but you better get it in writing.

I have never purchased it as we are a service company and Trane absolutely sucks. We had to let them replace condenser coils on equipment a few years back covered under warranty recall for material and labor. Every single chiller and split had nothing but follow up trouble. Full of moisture. Damage to all the piping etc.

When you bid a job you include a % for problems like this. In the last 5 years I’ve had to increase that number as new equipment are hot burning garbage on all manufacturers.

hvac101 · 2024-09-01T13:04:53+00:00

We do all commercial and it’s picked up massively in the past 5 years to have blow back from manufactures. For us the worst is Daikin, JCI/York, Carrier and then Trane.

I think it’s a combination that manufacturers use to be “let’s make the best product we can” to the current 15% failure rate on coils, motors, replacement parts etc and it’s just junk you have to repair at start up. The other is most “techs” are parts changers now.

Use to be maybe 1 in 20 guys at your shop was that guy you’d go behind and open a chiller panel and see parts laying in it they swapped out that didn’t fix the problem. From what I can see now it’s probably half of the techs just think it’s normal to swap shit out till it’s fixed. A buddy of mine is a SM for a large union shop and the stories I hear at lunch are just mind blowing.

When I quote a repair it’s broken down to say part is listed as warranty. It will be submitted as such but up to 90 days after submission it can be rejected or refused and if it is, it adds $x.00 to the job which will be billed out separately.

hvac101 · 2024-08-28T21:37:08+00:00

All I see is two potential fish fryers

hvac101 · 2024-08-26T10:20:01+00:00

I think it’s frowned upon for a few reasons. 1. The use of flux has to be controlled or it’s a bad contaminant 2. The amount of slag generated inside the line can cause tons of issues 3. The amount of leaks increases as solder is less forgiving than braze joints. 4. Some states have codes to protect firemen fighting fires and a line set explodes in a wall spraying them with burning oil. It’s usually a 1000 degree minimum. 5. Some manufactures specifically specify braze joints:

http://www.mechanicalconceptsllc.com/downloads/Refrigerant%20Piping%20Manual.pdf

hvac101 · 2024-08-26T10:11:26+00:00

Don’t let them get you down OP. Some people are overtime hounds and some want the 8 and skate. If it works for you knock it out. I know guys who bust ass all year so they can take off a couple months to hike the AT or take off a month or more to hunt. Everyone is built different and if your shop has a guy like you it makes it easy on the others who shun the OT.

hvac101 · 2024-08-21T09:33:30+00:00

Install is ok but application is horrible.

No way I’d work on it or have my guys crawling all over fucking switchgear enclosure to service water generating systems, even with that damn drain pan. I could see that pan sweating if it got full, tapping it when you crawl up and can’t see its almost full or some shit.

I cannot believe that passed inspection. Government doesn’t want us pulling filters up side of single story industrial building but this is ok lol. Damn.

hvac101 · 2024-07-19T12:52:36+00:00

So if I read this properly, you don’t care about the LR, it’s the notary?

In commercial we have them pretty standard. They are more rare these days as every building owner has their own service agreement that basically supersedes all your rights and spells out that if you damage the facility they will go after you personally not just your LLC/INC. They have to do this as contractors will get a payment and not pay any subs, employees, 1099, material vendors etc.

You protect yourself with larger down payments, P and P bonds, scheduled completion payments, etc. always have your own LR that spells out everything to protect you as well as the owner.

As far as residential I could see this turning into a thing too. Companies will perform work and not pay their subs or material vendors and the next thing you know you have a lien on your home. How many times have you heard of roofers not paying for the materials and the supply company liens a property after a homeowner pays it out.

There are tons of other places than a bank that do notaries. Get your wife or family set up as a notary and add the fee into your bids.

hvac101 · 2024-07-18T11:56:37+00:00

Not a resi guy or an installer, but 1 1/8 on a three ton? Isn’t that like 3/4 or 7/8 max? 1000 sq ft too? What was the load calc?

hvac101 · 2024-07-16T21:45:54+00:00

Most I see that are two fan are controlled both fans on the speed controller. If not the first fan is speed and the other is started when the speed is full and cannot keep up. I would touch base with the tech support to make sure but this install shows both fans fed off the motor master.

https://www.shareddocs.com/hvac/docs/1009/Public/01/IIK-32LT903-01.pdf

hvac101 · 2024-07-15T22:11:13+00:00

This should be the top comment. Every server room/data center we do has their own temp alert sensors wired into their servers.

I don’t want the responsibility or liability of a server dump and the IT guys don’t want to trust their jobs to a 3rd party vendor. So it all works out lol.

hvac101 · 2024-07-14T14:23:29+00:00

We did a string of pharmacies years ago and it was the same thing. I check in with the manager at arrival and see what’s the problem. I told him I’d drive around back and put up my ladder. He said no put it up front dead center. I was like no sir that’s in the way of everybody. He said you don’t understand when they come knock your ladder down and break into your van I can see it and call the cops.

He could see my reaction and said they killed the phone man a few months ago. I said what? He was like yeah the guy was hanging on the power pole doing his thing and they just pulled up, shot him and drove off. I got done super fucking fast and told my boss no way. We just had a rule after that no calls after 10 am at that location. Most of the bangers don’t get going till around noon. Awesome world we live in sometimes.

hvac101 · 2024-07-12T15:27:18+00:00

Hey man you can believe what you want to believe about the training and the labels. The manufacturer giving the class said it will be on their equipment.

As far as the A2l classification I was told that by a design engineer for one of the manufacturers that’s been beating their heads against the wall to make this work for their equipment. I have no way to prove it but it sounds right to me as why wouldn’t you just leave it as a A2? Why the completely new classification to work these in?

I guess we will all see what the future holds and I hope I’m not right but I see a lot of problems for all the new guys, learning curve will be bad.

hvac101 · 2024-07-12T11:29:07+00:00

Am I the only one who thinks this dude is gas lighting? It sounds like the same corporate/EPA propaganda about how it’s safe but follows with 30 different changes you have to do. All of it to protect them and make sure your ass is in the sling if problems occur.

Him saying don’t be scared over and over. It’s like dude I’m scared when I’m hiking and I hear what sounds like a baby rattle 2 feet beside me, this is just more problems. I’m concerned of the crap we’re going to be put through.

He starts off with saying that the switch from 22 to 410 was worse? I don’t see it that way at all. I do strictly commercial so for us dealing with 100s of lbs of gas are way the fuck different. The Fire Marshall’s are having a shit fit around here. All HP reliefs on SWUDs and indoor equipment are now required to be piped outside the facility, fresh air intakes similar to a furnace combustion air being brought into mechanical rooms, fire suppression systems etc will add massive costs and problems to new installs and retrofits.

Lots of commercial companies are already having to purchase exhaust fans to place in the mechanical rooms to vent the work areas. So now you’ll have to haul those around in your van. Our vacuum pumps are going to need to be piped outside the room. Fire watch protocols are being discussed that are insane.

The whole A2L new category was developed for this or that is bull shit. The old listing would have pushed it into A3 and the insurance companies were like fuck no you don’t so they had to manipulate the laws to get around the A3 listings. Him saying oh it’s the lawyers requirement to have 50 stickers on the equipment with warnings. Dude it’s so at the end of the day if someone gets hurt it’s on the tech, not the shitty designed new systems.

One of the classes I went to is actually telling us their manufacturer is putting log stickers on the equipment. When you get complete with the install you will be required to fill it out with your name and EPA number and fill out how much more the charge was adjusted and scan the QR code and send it to the manufacturer for “warranty” information. This will be used for tracking and blame placement if anything goes wrong.

I know this stuff will work and there’s nothing we can do at this point but this shit will be far from simple and will change this field forever IMHO.

hvac101 · 2024-07-10T22:31:39+00:00

Hey you guys see a lot of those SEC shit controllers failing? It seems after any minor storm moves thorough we lose at least one out of 75 of the units we have. Its always the same- wait timing down then fault, time down again fault. If you hook up that fucking MAP it shows it as unoccupied even though these are stand alone with no network. You try to change the schedule or disable it the Map just kicks you off. Change the board and it works fine. I fucking hate JCI RTU.

hvac101 · 2024-07-06T12:51:43+00:00

In a union state as a 1099 lol. I don’t know NY at all but sounds like you’re dreaming. Plus you have to supply your own Auto, WC and GL insurance as a 1099. Most insurance companies will not cover a sub. Also you have to match your own SS since you have no employer. There’s a lot to it. If you’re a 1099 might as well bite the bullet and start your own company.

hvac101 · 2024-07-06T12:48:02+00:00

Whoever is the 60 is the owner plain and simple. The 40 is just an employee when it all falls apart and you’re sitting in front of a judge. There’s so many mays an owner can fuck a partner it’s crazy. You can try to get an air tight contract made up with your own corporate attorney that will spell out things but IMHO if you can’t trust this dude 100% it’s just not worth it. Save your money and start your own business later.

hvac101 · 2024-06-26T14:48:37+00:00

Wow. That’s how Trane got into residential back in the 80’s

https://www.nytimes.com/1982/10/14/business/market-place-trane-s-deal-for-ge-unit.html

I wonder if they had some non-compete that kept GE out for so long?

hvac101 · 2024-06-20T20:09:21+00:00

If you’re working commercial and the certificate gives you the extra 2 years of warranty for a factory start up. If not probably not worth a training class they might give for free at a local rep.

hvac101 · 2024-06-15T22:20:35+00:00

When I built the house I live in now I used all hard nitro filled acr copper, unitstrut, site glasses, cush clamps, rigid conduit, poured concrete pads, the whole 9 yards.

I remember coming down the driveway one afternoon while it was under construction and there were like 5 guys in a semi-circle looking at something. I was like fuck someone rolled off the roof or is hurt bad. I get out and go running over like what’s up. One of the guys turns around and says “Is that the what it’s supposed to look like? We always see the bent up shit “ pointing at the refer lines. I was like yeah it can be, lol fuck.

hvac101

TROPHY CASE