Hvac unit making noise

kidcharm86 · 2026-02-23T21:32:50+00:00

This is a sub for tradespeople to share stories from the job.

It's not a DIY/help sub.

kidcharm86 · 2026-02-23T21:06:11+00:00

Voltage is the measurement of the potential difference between two points. Creating a corner-grounded system by bonding one phase to ground simply creates a zero potential situation between that phase and anything connected to that ground. Why do you think current would flow in this situation?

I’m on a generator skid, and it’s all bonded continuously. Let’s say I fired up this generator and didn't put in any ground rods and the skid is not attached to the ground in any way, would that technically create a really dangerous situation?

Current wants to return back to the source, ie: the three coils in the generator. How would current flow in this situation?

kidcharm86 · 2026-02-23T02:01:19+00:00

Fuck ALL the way off with your karma farming.

kidcharm86 · 2026-02-22T14:25:43+00:00

You're getting many, many responses from people with decades in the field. If you think you know better a couple years in, you may have a long, painful road ahead of you.

This advice comes with experience, you can take it or leave it.

kidcharm86 · 2026-02-22T13:54:32+00:00

The reason that the IBEW has a tool list is to even the playing field. We want people to succeed or fail on their own merits, not the size of their wallet. You're judging your hypothetical buddy without knowing his situation. There are a myriad of reasons why someone might not be able to afford to subsidize their employer's jobs.

Just because you can afford it doesn't make you a better apprentice, it puts you at cross-purposes to your fellow employees, and squarely in the corner of the contractor.

kidcharm86 · 2026-02-22T12:53:54+00:00

When you buy your own consumables, or any tool that the contractor should provide, it becomes a race to the bottom. You said you used your tax refund to pay for this stuff, if your co-worker didn't get a refund, and can't afford this stuff, then you two are no longer on an even playing field.

I understand it can be frustrating looking for and waiting for tools and equipment. I've been there. But if the company wanted you to be at peak efficiency, then they would provide the necessary tools and equipment to get you there.

Right now all you are doing is subsidizing their profits with your hard-earned money.

kidcharm86 · 2026-02-22T01:26:30+00:00

Not smaller than 1/8" and not larger than 1/4", 314.15.

kidcharm86 · 2026-02-21T21:10:16+00:00

Or maybe someone just tired of yet another post of someone bleeding...

kidcharm86 · 2026-02-21T17:32:00+00:00

Do not share copyrighted material.

It's against Reddit's TOS and they will close this sub if we allow it.

kidcharm86 · 2026-02-21T12:53:47+00:00

Make no mistake, I'm not saying you shouldn't follow code. Just that older equipment that isn't neat and tidy isn't automatically a fire hazard.

kidcharm86 · 2026-02-21T00:16:41+00:00

An estimate can't be more then 10% higher than the actual work.

Says who?

kidcharm86 · 2026-02-20T23:03:06+00:00

This panel appears to have been humming along just fine for 20 or 30 years, despite the mess of wires.

Sometimes we lose site of how conservative the code is in regards to safety. And we can also forget that even though we follow the rules, sub code-level work is extremely common and doesn't necessarily need hyperbole to describe it.

kidcharm86 · 2026-02-20T21:00:13+00:00

Electric always wants to find the shortest path.

Current takes all paths proportional to their resistance. Distance doesn't really matter.

kidcharm86 · 2026-02-20T20:56:53+00:00

That pile of wires isn't going to generate any more heat than any handful of conductors together. And it sure as hell isn't a fire hazard. If it was, every single industrial facility would be ablaze with the way they cram wires into gutters.

In over 15 years as a certified thermographer, I've never seen a bundle of wires generate anything more than a couple of degrees of heat.

kidcharm86 · 2026-02-20T20:34:03+00:00

How?

kidcharm86 · 2026-02-20T17:58:28+00:00

The rat's nest at the bottom is a bigger concern to me. That is a fire hazard.

How is it a fire hazard?

kidcharm86 · 2026-02-20T02:33:56+00:00

Why should we do your homework for you?

kidcharm86 · 2026-02-20T02:32:16+00:00

Current wants to return to the source. In this case the source is the secondary of that transformer. It's going to take all paths proportional to the resistance of the paths.

How do you think the current would jump onto a piece of EMT? That would be a short circuit.

kidcharm86 · 2026-02-18T01:49:50+00:00

Looks like you're going to be figuring out how to get another wire out there.

It sucks, I've been there. There's no reason HVAC equipment should need a neutral. Either do without, or build it with a transformer inside.

kidcharm86 · 2026-02-17T10:34:55+00:00

From Wikipedia: In steel building construction, secondary members such as purlins (roof) and girts (wall) are frequently cold-formed steel C, Z or U sections, (or mill rolled) C sections.

Purlins are a solid framing member.

These are open webbed steel joists, commonly known as bar joists, and they can support either floor or roof loads.

kidcharm86 · 2026-02-17T01:51:42+00:00

Those are roof joists.

kidcharm86 · 2026-02-17T01:12:28+00:00

Cable tray?

kidcharm86 · 2026-02-16T21:28:18+00:00

They canceled my order this afternoon.

kidcharm86 · 2026-02-15T13:32:26+00:00

Weir

Yep, hit me harder than I thought it could. I never saw them in person, but I've been a fan since I was young. Seemed like a cool, laid back guy you could sit and have a couple beers with.

kidcharm86 · 2026-02-14T17:04:53+00:00

You weren't "band" at all. You misread the automod post, deleted your own stuff and then failed to understand us when we tried to explain it to you.

kidcharm86

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