Back in Sept 2019 near Charlotte Motor Speedway 2 year old house. Never cools on 90 degree day or better says homeowner. Looks like bad TXV on a 2 year old Trane with the black flex with 3 mixing boxes. Why do they paint mastic on the jacket of the flex and used 1/2 gallon on 1 mixing box. Had a 300 head and 55 suction. Pumped down the unit. My helper trainee calls me from attic said straw was in the line set. So we cut both line sets blew out grass seed and straw and a pebble. First one I have seen in 35 years. Cut out dryer with straw in it. I left the TXV cleaned out line set best we could. Install new dryer, it pulled down to 500 micron. Cooling great. Home owner calls me 2 weeks later and says its cool. I will be surprised if it will last 3 more years till warranty is up. But another new housing area with 50% Trane the other 50% Lennox. I wish my camera was running when the hay was blowing out the suction line. A shout out from Charlotte. Like your video's.
Trane use to be fantastic for quality..however lately the equipment seems cheaper and quality of construction seems to have gone done too. Big corporations dont care..sales are sales to make profits. That looked like a piece worked house..as most new construction is these days. No nitrogen used at rough in, who knows if proper vacuum was originally pulled. I've seen it first hand around here..Ryan Homes is a huge one for crap. Good video..be safe out there.
If you would increase your hose size 1/2 inch and remove the Schrader valves, you would have pulled a vacuum in about 5 minutes. I use nylog on all my joints and lots of nitro like you do. I use a 3 CFM Robinair 2 Stage Vacuum pump. Cost like a hundred fifty bucks. I don't use manifolds ever. Just your standard T at your vacuum pump with 2 1/2 inch hoses. Appion valve core remover tools. I purge LOTS of nitro to either remove air but also it pushes the oil onto the interior walls of the refrigeration lines so it will keep your vaccum time down. Pulling the vacuum in 3 minutes down to 350 microns. I love watching the videos and try to glean something new every time I watch your set up.
@Maximus Decimus Meridius there is no second or third vacuum and the standing test works just fine. This is no new Secret. This process has been around for a while. Each to their own I see people still using quarter-inch hoses. I'll do my three to five minute vacuum while others sit there and wait on the vacuum pump to finish for 30 minutes to an hour. My vacuums are so fast and by the book that I can usually sit around and wait for the vacuum pump to finish and have the charge dropped and everything all in one sitting. Keep in mind this is doing everything by the book. I remove the Schrader valves, I use half-inch hoses, I use nylog, I change my vacuum pump oil, and I purge nitrogen through my refrigeration lines prior to evacuation. Try this process a few times and you'll do it without even thinking twice and you'll see that it cuts down the average time of most HVAC techs. Also, you should have your micron gauge at the service port to receive an accurate vacuum guage reading. I change any and all seals that look bad on my refrigeration hoses. I clean my micron guage before every job. To achieve this vacuum you need to be careful not to skip any steps mentioned.
Back again to watch perfection at work! You were being so gracious calling that a huge mess! For me, I have seen better 'bowls of sphagetti' in my toilet during flu season! (Sorry! Could not help myself!)
Sir, do you release the charge into the vacuumed line set or break the vacuum first with N2? I was taught with other types of equipment to release into vacuum which makes more sense to me. Some equipment manuals day otherwise.
I have been doing HVAC/R work for 44 yrs. I agree with everything you done except for the Micron Level. I have experienced refrigerant leaks between 300-500 microns. I usually evacuate to 200 Microns. NEVER had a leak at that level. Other than that, good job.
Wish I had the time to work like that, I work transport refrigeration at a dealer for a boss who doesn't understand how this stuff works, it's always go go go get it done now, most of the work we do is half assed to get it done quick.
I’m in Florida and bought a Meritage Home in a new development and lots of the home owner have had problems with Lenox AC units the builders installed. Lots of problems with the Lenox evap coil rusting and leaking. TXV valves problem etc.
How is it installers fault unit is corroded? I have been doing hvac work for 21 years and all brands have their own problems, but when you have copper and aluminum together you are gonna have corrosion.
Rookie question . I need a Trane txv I can’t find ain’t txv as generic as pistons or does it have to be Trane? . I thought I could get any txv for the same capacity and refrigerant but aparently I was wrong
Several years ago I got a new Trane AC system. The following season I turned on the AC and it started short cycling. Turned out one of the reasons for the short cycling was the TXV was stuck. Seems to be a common issue with Trane systems.
The flex and box duct system is common in south. It is less expensive and can be installed easy and fast for production. If done right, the duct will work properly.
We just moved into a new build community in Florida. Meritage is the other builder. I hear people with their homes complain about so much after living in. We had another builder. Hopefully we will have better luck. Only time will tell.
Thats what FROSTS MY BALLS about Trane,and Lennox. Not thoroughly vetting a contractor before giving them the keys to the car. I was a BRYANT dealer. I pretty much worked alone other then the 4 warm months but I was anal about doing the job right AND aesthetically nice. All new Furnces installs got a new cold air return drop,canvas connectors for noise, 4" wide air filter track ( I included 3-4" wide pleated filters ),red emergency switch plate, concrete slab under furnace with 2" blocks on the corners just in case the homeowner had a water leak like a corroded hot water heater tank. Outside, I'd dump bags of pea gravel before placing a God awfully heavy a 36x36x2 solid concrete pad with blocks on the corners. No landscaper named Paco is going to fuck up my install by weed wacking the paint off and fucking the coils up. NOW.........I do commercial service where all that attention to detail is irrelevant. I have no say cuz I work for someone now.LOL I miss having my business.
It’s crazy the amount of hack jobs in your area . I’m in Missouri I’ve been doing this 25 years . Wiring not in conduit , open switches the flex duct systems . How do they achieve the efficiency
Well Trane is owned by ingersoll rand, it only says so much. We had parts from grinders that we repaired that would go bad right after we installed them.
You didn’t close your manifold off before shutting your vacuum down? Just wondering not trying to troll I’ve always closed everything off before shutting vacuum down.
So I have had a issue for a month or so with my system sometimes cooling excellent and other times not worth a crap. Have had the company out 5 times. It’s a 410A system icp 2.5 ton. Yesterday he said the expansion valve was bad because the pressures were off, the superheat was not correct and that means this valve. System was installed in 2018. It has froze up the evaporator coils 3 times, runs all day and the temperature inside increases between 2 and 5 degrees - doesn’t seem to keep up - sometimes the air is really cool sometimes it’s not cool enough to call air conditioning. Does this sound like the valve problem is right to you?
I will say the new "AMERISTAR" all aluminum coils look pretty nice.... They now use a large bore "DISTRIBUTOR" which allows the use or either the small "BULLET" type piston with a built in sleeve you can remove, or you can remove the sleeve and use a larger 'DANFOSS/GOODMAN' type piston as i do.... Nice change and the coil was sharp.. I use them for mobile homes when people don't wanna pay to change to a entire Rheem/Ruud air handler. Trane.... No thanks!! I soured on Trane/American Standard over the 9 out of every 10 compressor i changed was to replace their shitty orange "PUMPKIN" compressors... If those weren't failing at or near the 10yr mark, their txv's or brown fan relays fail one.. Literally (9 OF 10) compressor i buy and change go in the Trane/American Standard brand..... 9 OUT OF 10 or 90%!!!!! yearly!!
backup wrench on flare nut, best way to tighten them is one handed, which has a far less risk of twisting/winding anything up., of course not everyone has very strong hand grip. I don't look very strong, but I regularly break, snap and shear things off if I'm not careful, like screw drivers I've been snapping the tips off them for 30 years, philips and flathead both. no, not cheap junk ones I'd bend them removing from the packaging lol (not pointing fingers at harbor fright or the garbage chinesium from local box stores) wink wink ;) ;)
Whenever I remove the metering device I always blow nitrogen through both sides to remove any foreign particulates before reassembly especially if the TXV has been replaced before. Just piece of mind I guess.
My 1976 house needed a new furnace and AC in 2014. I had a lennox put in. It's been problem free. Virtually silent. I turned it on the other day it was 80 inside and the air coming out of the register was 54. I am very happy with it. Came with a 10 year parts warranty and I added a 10 year labor warranty for a couple hundred bucks at time of purchase. It takes the 5" filters and even though they are rated for 1 year I change them every 6 months. So far so good.
After watching quite a few repairs of various makes by different people, as well as repairs I've done myself, they all look to be of acceptable quality. The care taken by the installer is at least as important as the brand of A/C.
@@HienLe-qh6mo I asked that question to see what he would say. My 22 year old Concord condenser ran for more than 5 months. I bought a new Goodman condenser this year before summer came. I topped it off with 134 and ran it for about a week. A fan hit me and sold me a full new tank of 410a. He said I probably fried my new $1,950 condenser using 134. The only problem I saw was the gauge would go up and down. I sucked out the mixed freon and put in straight 410. The pressure is stable now. These a/c techs are getting over on people. I'm not going to allow that to happen to me. I will never call one as long as I can do the work.
@@blackericdeniceDo you have the EPA 608 certification allowing you to handle refrigerants such as R-410a legally? You can do all other works on your AC units except handling refrigerants.
Also on a vac once you hit below 500 microns. If you close your manifolds and turn your vac off, you shouldn't go back up above 500 microns. If it does then you'll need to vacuum again and bring it down lower in microns. This is proper practice. should never turn the vac off before closing manifolds. That just leads to more chances for your lines to get moisture
I have a question about equipment. Those temp. Clamps are really expensive for what they are. I bought 2 Klein Clamps that came with the K-type thermalcouple AND Kleins version. They cost $20.44 through Amazon. I tested them side by side with fieldpiece and they were pretty much dead on. Anyone have experience with these Klein clamps ? I thought $20. was a good price compared to what Fieldpiece of crap wanted.
Thermocouples are essentially reaaaaally simple stuff - it’s two kinds of alloy crimped together. That’s it. As long as the alloys are made of the correct metal, there’s not really anything to screw up for a manufacturer. Ie, the quality of the plastic surrounds, etc, not really a factor.
Prolly dirt in system. What about all the dirt in the refrigerant that was pumped down... hmm? I might think about new evap and full clean and recharge $$$ or they can have another company deal with that potential headache
A 3/8-inch vertical liquid line will loose about a 1/2 psig per foot of rise, plus the the run across the attic. Is there enough subcool to prevent flashing in the liquid line? 348 psig = 106° Saturated - 8.7° subcool = 97.3° liquid line temperature Rising 2 stories onto the attic approx 20 ft So there would be a 10 psig loss in pressure at the top of the rise. 338 psig = 104° Saturated - 8.7° subcool 95.3° liquid line temperature With such a long run across the hot attic picking up unknown amount of heat, that will drive the subcool down. If the line temperature gets close to or above the saturated temperature it will start to flash, especially downstream of the filter-drier. Would have loved to see your line temperatures at the evaporator. Especially after the system came out of hot pull down. Maby pushing the subcool up to a solid 9° or 10° to ensue a solid column of liquid at the TXV. This is more of a problem with these newer units that have such a low condenser split of 10° vs 25°~30° on the older systems.
Hard to believe that is a new home! Glad I'm in Michigan with a basement and nice metal ducting that was put together by some guys who knew how to bend some sheet metal right! On a side note, can someone explain why TXV is better or why it would be used in place of the good old capillary tube?
More precise metering of refrigerant to control temperature. A fixed orifice can only meter the same at all times so you cycle the unit off and on for "control." TXV can adjust orifice size and pressures at the evaporator so the unit can keep running. Much easier on all the parts and electric bill. They both work, one just works more efficiently. EEVs are even better but require more sensors so... it's all a tradeoff
Take it from a tech at one of these “new construction” companies. I’ve seen the subs do things that would get you fired however, the production managers didn’t care.
It is disturbing the new construction home didn't have a 120 volt service outlet next to or built into the disconnect. You shouldn't have to be needing to disconnect the contactor to ad hoc AC power for the vacuum pump like that.
Bad TXV.. oh man there was a whole assembly line of bad Danfoss TXVs.. Installed a new unit with two people who never went through school for HVAC, and when I started up the A/C...the TXV frosted past and the system pumped down..oh man was I MAD. Went back to replace the TXV, same freaking problem. They sent the lead tech behind me to install another TXV (all factory parts) and that ALSO FAILED!! Long story short, the installed a new unit. No dirt, no foreign objects, just...crap. lol
@@FrostBlueFire I've been removing the txv's & just installing piston. I've done it with Carrier, Lennox, Trane, Goodman. Only need the piston adapter with the nut. Google the piston chart for piston sizes. 💪👍
I’m sure the valve was damaged during the installation with trash in the lines or failure to remove the bulb and protect the valve while brazing. Or worse they used a turbo torch.
Schrader is the one thing I actually know about! It’s just a valve, used on about all car tyres, most bicycle tyres (schrader and presta are the main types on bikes, and in my country also Dunlop) and apparently on HVAC gear. It’s got threads on the outside and a pin inside it that if you push it will let all the air out. The kind used in HVAC must be slightly different than standard car tyre stems because if you pulled a vacuum inside a car tyre those valves would just open up.
That duct distribution boxes is hack way of installing and cheap so they dont spend on true wyes or proper duct sizing. Most times those companies out bid the proper hvac pros out the door from these new construction jobs. Most times on aluminum coils, I'd use adjustable txvs because the aluminum coils dont get as cold as copper and also gives weird temps on gauges. Just a piece of mind
I am assuming you are talking about the vent right between the units? @21:28 If so, that's where the line sets from both units go into the wall to chase up to the attic, its not for the dryer. Its also where they bring out the condensate drains. @21:19 There appears to be two bath fan vents in the wall, as well as the dryer vent outlet above the 2nd story windows.
most home builders only want whatever is cheap. I rarely did new construction because subdivisions were paying less than $3500 for the hvac system on a 1500 square foot home. after paying my employees, It wasn't worth my time.
Are there no such things as wall brackets in the USA?, horrible outdoor installation, exspecially with the grade that unit was on, I’m with you brother, these new construction home builders are terrible, but sadly new homeowners fill our pockets, there is no money to be made in new subdivisions, hacks price them, also what ever happened to steel duct, not all this insulated spiral crap
Throw that widow maker "receptacle with alligator clips" in the trash! They kill folks. Take 5 minutes, Run an extension cord with a ground, work safe, it only takes one time.
I have a feeling he's the type fella with natural high resistance, 120v to ground/neutral just makes us cuss and let go, now 277V we pay respect to, it does hurt a bit. coworker about sharted his jeans when I wired an dryer outlet live in the mid 90's, USA so 2 legs of 120V, neutral and ground. I wasn't worried, didn't get shocked and connected the hot legs first, then the neutral and ground last. I was also on first floor of dried in new construction home, rubber insulated work boots on top of that, only way to get zapped, tough a hit conductor and ground/neutral. I still wire live more often than not, if it's newer wiring and not old cloth/tar coated/knob and tube(asbestos very likely) residential or 208V 3 phase at most, it only annoys me when I get zapped.
I have a different view of Trane selling parts to non-Trane dealers. If they close off those sales they are guaranteeing that non_Trane and supposedly inferior parts will be used and theoretically the units will fail more often. Does not that do more harm to the Trane reputation than an sloppy install that no one but another repair tech sees?
Trane parts are the inferior parts with an attached $100 Trane sticker applied to them. Almost all HVAC parts come from the same very few manufacturers
@@waynespringer501 I had multiple failures of a contactor in my old Trane heat pump. It used a beryllium copper part that doubled as a spring and and conductor to the contacts. Contamination on the contacts heated the spring and it turned into soft copper. The local Trane place would not sell me one since I "was not in the business" (I am a mechanical engineer who has designed AC equipment) and the internet wanted $85 for the original part. I got a generic contactor for $16 that has been working ever since and that was at least 10 years ago. But, I have to say that old Trane is 35 years old and still running.
Atleast the house was made in 2016!! Anything made 2020 to now is garbage projects that got put together during 2020 were slapped together to just call em a home
I have never seen a nice piping job or duct job in your videos. Are you not required to pull permits for installation or change outs. We need to educate the customers every chance we get. Where I’m at we have found a higher rate of coil failures in homes with spray foam regardless of the Ac brand.
I've been a commercial and industrial duct guy for 30 years . I would be embarrassed beyond words to have my name on that duct job. Flex should only be used to connect the pipe runouts to the grill boots. Where is the trunk line. Shady work.
They do that ridiculous duct jobs because it's the cheapest way. The installer has to do it so cheap because the builders beat their prices down so low against other installers
@@Paul-IE-Repairs that's what happens when you hire complete green folks and don't have anyone that has installed it before or knowledge and enough spine to bark at them non stop.... I have to cuss myself constantly to stay on my game in construction and other fields. the day you stop learning and improving is the day you become a loser, which sums up far too much of the world now days.
