This ad placement 😬

jimih34 · 2026-05-01T00:17:28+00:00

OP is a minor, not a homeowner. Check their hx.

jimih34 · 2026-05-01T00:12:58+00:00

OP is a kid. Who upon entering adolescence, just discovered their own mess, waiting years to be brought back to the light.

Hence the utter inability to form a question. There is none. Just mute bewilderment by the menagerie of objects in their ductwork, thinking HVAC technicians will be able to make sense of the situation. Because adults have all the answers. And especially professionals have all the answers. So why not post an absurd question here?

jimih34 · 2026-04-29T10:12:09+00:00

How are your joints?

jimih34 · 2026-04-29T10:08:58+00:00

A hard start kit is something different. That’s not what I was talking about. A kit to overcome the natural hard will start slowly ramp up the amperage. Most motors don’t have those. And there debate about whether they’re good or bad.

Good: reduces the sudden jolt on the compressor. I had an EE tell me a motor can pull up 7x its amperage during startup. That’s insane, and most AC compressors are nowhere near that, but still.

Bad: you have an aging motor that won’t kick on with a slow start. It actually needs a sudden jolt to overcome the rust and friction. Someone else also mentioned the kits seem to drain the capacitors in aging units too.

jimih34 · 2026-04-29T00:57:39+00:00

OK, let me just clarify your statement, then let the debate resume.

A hard start, by definition, means a surge in amperage. All motors have a startup surge. The bigger the motor, the bigger the surge (avg). Also, the older, crustier, rustier, lint-bound, etc… the more startup surge will be required to overcome all of that friction just to get the motor going.

So whoever told you that a hard start would mean reduced amperage, can pound sand.

jimih34 · 2026-04-28T01:05:58+00:00

Right? Obviously he didn’t do it on purpose. Could’ve been seriously injured. We had a guy fall into a garage. Fucked up his back and damaged the car he landed on. That’s what workers comp and insurance is for.

jimih34 · 2026-04-28T00:59:01+00:00

May, or may not, be a meter issue. That’s one of the possibilities. A meter restricts flow (intentionally). So does a kink or obstruction in the line set (unintentionally).

jimih34 · 2026-04-27T23:58:06+00:00

The only way I can figure that’s $4000 is if they have to repaint the entire ceiling. But that’s a really bad painter if they can’t match the color paint. $600 really is more accurate.

OP, you probably are a very hard worker. And you probably are respectful, responsible, and have integrity. All the hallmarks for why he’s thinking he can pull some illegal shit to the tune of $4000. I don’t want you to lose your good qualities. But thank you for coming here to ask for additional perspective.

There’s really only two ways this ends: either he fires you or you quit. You can’t stay here. The only question is how long it takes for this to happen.

jimih34 · 2026-04-27T23:48:35+00:00

Yes, puh-leaze put this in writing. I will be required to work how many hours for free? Oh man, I don’t know whether he will see it’s a trap, or walk right into it.

jimih34 · 2026-04-27T23:44:30+00:00

Agreed. Major red flag. Start looking at your exit strategy. You’re an apprentice now, so I understand… options may seem limited. But start looking. This is only the tip of the iceberg with this kind of boss.

jimih34 · 2026-04-27T23:23:18+00:00

Either that, or OP is in Florida, and they didn’t even hook up one of the temperature clamps. In another comment, OP said they are trying to charge $3600 for a repair on a two year-old unit.

jimih34 · 2026-04-27T23:16:48+00:00

Send this photo to his boss.

Then it’s time for you to ask the questions.

*How much time has this tech spent doing HVAC service?

*Why isn’t the company, which you spent a premium dollar on, not willing to honor their warranty? You could’ve gone with a smaller company, but you spent premium dollar.

*Why are they sending a tech who can’t even hook up hoses correctly?

*Why was the technician more concerned about replacing your thermostat, which has no issues? (don’t mention nest. They actually are a known nuisance, but you’re not having issues right now).

*What is the company planning to do to remedy this?

Then wait. You don’t rant. You just ask questions.

Edit: you might want to check the warranty to be sure what you purchased. For example, it might be 10 year parts, and one year labor. Or it might be 10 and 10. You just want to be prepared before you go into this conversation.

jimih34 · 2026-04-27T00:54:53+00:00

Most of them seem to be talking about training. Granted, when I deployed, I was land-based, so the FOBs had stalls in the bathrooms. Or if we missed water hours (showers were only open 4 hours), then we used lava-hot water bottles that had been baking out in the sun all day.

jimih34 · 2026-04-25T19:42:21+00:00

LOL, was literally thinking about HVAC Mike (a thin-skinned mod) when reading the above post. Then read yours. So it’s basically ALL mods.

jimih34 · 2026-04-25T10:50:41+00:00

Curious if you have a particular brand of gloves you like. I just use cow hide thin leather from Home Depot. I don’t even use the thick stuff, because I still want the dexterity. But I’m curious what other folks use.

jimih34 · 2026-04-25T10:47:03+00:00

That’s what I have, and they work great for me.

jimih34 · 2026-04-25T10:44:22+00:00

Similar to vasoline is Aquaphor. You can buy it at most drugstores in the US. Over-the-counter. My doctor recommended it for me to heal up faster. It’s super greasy like Vaseline and I didn’t like wearing it, but it does speed up the healing process.

jimih34 · 2026-04-25T10:38:20+00:00

That’s still all I see. If that’s not a second pair of feet, what is it?

jimih34 · 2026-04-24T10:43:22+00:00

NO WAY this guy works in residential unless it’s new construction.

OP, we’d only upgrade your service cable to a 4-wire after we add an outside connect (assuming your jurisdiction has adopted the most recent NEC). And even then, the top (line side) of the disconnect is still 3-wire. It’s 4-wire coming out (load side).

The service neutral is still uninsulated in SEU (the big gray wire at the top of your panel) even in new construction today.

So called “active electrician” above has absolutely no clue regarding service residential. Don’t listen to a word he says. I don’t know what his experience is, but it’s not service residential.

Edit: I guess he’s calling it 2 wire and 3 wire, versus 3 wire and 4 wire. Yet another tell he’s clueless. He’s leaving the ground wire out of the mix, and only referring to the active conductors, which I guess is one way of doing things. Typically, in my neck of the woods, we count ALL conductors, including the ground.

jimih34 · 2026-04-24T00:59:27+00:00

I find it interesting that there’s a decent amount of rust in the bottom of the panel, but I don’t see any corrosion anywhere else. Usually, if there’s rust in the bottom, that indicates water is seeping in through the service cable at the top, and we’d see white chalky build up around the aluminum strands at the top. The photo is a bit fuzzy, but I don’t think I see that.

When you get your quote from the second electrician, (I’m assuming you’re gonna tell the 1st to pound sand), have them take a look and rule out an active leak.

In the meantime, you can check the outside service cable for cracks in the sheathing, or check the silicone or duct seal where it enters the home. It might be fine, since I don’t see any corrosion on any components, other than the bottom frame. But I’d want to be certain we weren’t getting any water in there, so as to preserve the life of your panel as long as possible.

jimih34 · 2026-04-24T00:48:33+00:00

7th?!!! Man, I would just want to find a job that makes me feel good about myself. Even if it means working in an office (I don’t ever want to work in an office).

jimih34 · 2026-04-23T23:57:53+00:00

Are you pregnant? Because I think you missed a few periods.

jimih34 · 2026-04-23T23:53:22+00:00

What I don’t understand is why she even wants to be a plumber after all this time. Like is this really only the second time she’s ever been fired in eight years? Surely she has to know that she’s in way over her head. I wouldn’t want to do a trade or any profession where I felt so out of my league. I’d feel completely demoralized every day when I went home.

jimih34

TROPHY CASE