It's always easy to comment "After" watching the videos. Tuesday Morning quarterbacks all over the place.There is no substitute for Steve vast experience out in the field, he has probably forgotten more than I will ever learn. Keep on giving her the ole GUNDY Steve, and thank you for the great RU-vid content.
I like the way you fix the things that are wrong and get more life out of the units. Not everyone has the ability to replace something when it breaks. Sometimes it makes more sense to just get it working. You seem to be fair to your customers without just throwing new systems as a fix for everything. Keep up the good work. Wish you could come look at my system in so. NH. Two zones with dampers that are all screwy.
i love that you fix the old units. not everyone has 10k laying around for a new one. I think keeping old equipment OUT of the landfill is much more environmentally friendly then putting new shit in all the time. I think people are to quick to recommend installing a new system. I feel money is the reason they do that but it's easy for people to say it saves electric, its more efficient, it will run worry free, require less maintenance. If it saves you 100$ a month in electric a month during the summer for the next 10 years you are not saving any money at all. its like the people that buy a new car because its more fuel efficient. Unless they drove 20k miles a month the increase in car payment will wipe out any savings of fuel. Its just an excuse to get new shit...
Hey Steve love seeing Miss Molly in your videos!!!! And love your channel!!! Keep doing what your doing Steve!!! Don’t worry about those people saying well… you should do this, do that. You do what you want. It’s your business. From one tech to another just be you!! Say hi to Miss Molly for me!!!! Thanks Buddy!!!!
I like the way Steve does his stuff... Id helicopter over him anytime hed be fixing my 1970s 3 ton Tappan Condensor unit. And best of all it still does not leak...
I'm old school since 1992 and i love working on the old caps and coil contact systems so reliable, compared to shit I work on today with inverters electronics sensors you rely on thousands of components,
I like various "fix it" channels. Im noticing a trend, many problems could be avoided with peanut butter and mouse traps, or a sharp eye and a .22 rifle. Keep them critters in check
It’s funny I read the comments and there’s those comments you should have done this why didn’t you do that. Then there’s people that reply say they been in the business for multiple years Steve did it wrong ugh. I agree start your own business start your own you tube then you can do whatever you like.
You have to save the compressor though, that's why the time delay is there. You just say it to the customer, and look at your watch to confirm the 30 seconds or 3 minutes.
Oh yeah, the wife certainly understood your wiring explanation 😂 My friend worked for FRANNY for a year and started installing systems himself, called me when it wouldn't run. He ran 120V to the 240V air handler and couldn't find the issue, unfortunately there's ALLOT of that going on out there...
Hey Steve. Do you have a recommended time interval of when to change out a working contactor? 3 years, 5years, 10 years Etc… Seems like most of the time if a transformer blows it’s often caused by a bad contactor. Seems like it would be good to try and change the contactor before that happens. Thanks.
I have a large commercial customer that has us change them every year with the belts and capacitors. Probably overkill but their property manager is an electrical engineer and doesn’t mind paying the bills
They can't outlaw them (Or wait, this is Bidens group of idiots were talking about), typically they just phase them out and then it's hard to get the parts.
Nice work. They are lucky the contactor didnt take out the fan or compressor. Had contactors weld part of the contacts closed and take out a compressor on one system and a blower motor on another. Not a bad idea to check voltage drop across the contactor while its pulled in, especially on older systems. Can save your customers hundreds of $ of future breakdown costs.
I didn't even know you check ohms on contactor. I thought if it had no obvious physical signs of being bad, and you had 240 volts in 240 volts out and 24 volts from the thermostat you were good.
Contactors are just bigger relays, so there is always a coil that is energized to close the contacts. That 24V coil has resistance and the Ohms can be measured. Then you can still have pitted contacts or sometimes the contacts melt and fall off.
Thermostat isnt a load its just a switching device (like a light switch) and shouldnt draw current, only allow voltage to either circuit. The contactor coil was too low of impedance, which would be drawing too much current and that took out the transformer (really its too much VA for the transformer, or pop the circuit breaker on the trans if it has one). The contactor coil reading under 1 ohm means a direct short. If you measured a 6" piece of copper with an ohmmeter, it would be the same, 1 ohm. Id expect to see a good coil something like 10ohm or greater, just guessing. The low voltage Steve was getting through the thermostat was likely worn contacts internal in the thermostat, causing a voltage drop. The contactor coil likely requires at least 19v to magnetically pull the contacts in, opposing the spring tension. Did I clear it up or confuse the heck out of you haha
@@somewhatcurious3085 But the thermostat contacts (R-Y) are in series with the load (contactor coil.) Just like how the contactor contacts are in series with the compressor / motor.
@@FrenchBeefCDN Don't forget that the homeowner changed the transformer, suddenly we have a bad coil in the contactor and contacts in the stat not working, that gives me a pretty good idea of what happened.
@StevenTheElder yes that and evaporator leaks are the main reasons why an older central air system ends up getting replaced in the north, along with replacing the furnace it was attached to at the same time usually.
I despise all these shysters trying to sell new equipment when it isn’t necessary. Shows their idiots, they don’t have the knowledge to fix the system so they try to sell a new one.
