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Cheap A/C “repair” – moral

JTC1 | Posted in General Discussion on July 16, 2007 06:13am

Friday was hot and humid here.  House seemed warm on the second floor in the evening but not unbearable. Central A/C – uses oil burner blower as air handler.

Saturday AM house still seemed warm when I woke up.  Checked thermostat setting – OK. Temp at thermostat was 82.  Shoved thermostat down to 60 – nothing.  The DW is now involved.

Basement to check breaker – OK. 

Out to A/C compressor/condenser. Yank the disconnect – 244V at the disconnect.

Open the panel on the unit, plug in disconnect, 244V at the relay. 0v at the thermosat wires.  A-hah says I.

Back inside – DW says what did you find  out? – I reply” it’s either the thermostat or the low voltage feed to the thermostat”.

Skeptical look from DW. DW thinking – this is going to go on all day. 

Open door to basement, see problem, and say to DW – “Would you like to fix it?”

DW – “Huh??” She comes over and I point to the emergency burner switch at the top of stairs – in the off position. 

DW flips switch and A/C starts immediately.  I went back outside, buttoned up the panel – repair complete.

Moral of story: Don’t be like me and overlook the obvious when trouble shooting. There were kids at the house Friday and one of them must have flipped the emergency switch when trying to turn the basement lights off. Well at least they turned out the lights!

Aside: Before anybody pounces, my burner has two emergency shut-off switches, one at the top of the stairs to the basement and a second “service” shut-off at the burner itself. Either switch kills power to the burner.

Jim

Never underestimate the value of a sharp pencil or good light.

 

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  1. User avater
    BillHartmann | Jul 16, 2007 06:50pm | #1

    The real moral of the story is to systematically test things.

    Even if you had not noticed the switch the path that you where on would have quickly slow that the transformer was not getting 120 and that would have lead to exaiming that problem and lead to the switch.

    .
    .
    A-holes. Hey every group has to have one. And I have been elected to be the one. I should make that my tagline.
  2. User avater
    BossHog | Jul 16, 2007 06:58pm | #2

    I think it's a good lesson - Always check the obvious.

    I know I've gotten burned on ovbious things before. Like the time our washing machine wouldn't pump water out and I called the repair guy. I got to pay for a service call because the rubber outlet hose was kinked.

    I've tried to teach my Sons this kind of stuff. Hopefully they've learned better than I have.

    (-:

    Nothing says "poor craftsmanship" like lumpy duct tape [Red Green]
    1. brownbagg | Jul 16, 2007 07:31pm | #3

      another hvac trick, on the outside units, ants will get into the big black plastic relay cause it to stick. This will kill power to outside unit. just push it in a couple times to free it up.

      1. JTC1 | Jul 16, 2007 07:45pm | #4

        Fixed my FIL's A/C once during a heat wave - no real A/C guys available for a week or so.

        Told him I would be able to determine if power was available where it should be - past that I was lost.

        Opened panel on side of unit - found huge wolf spider had crawled into relay at just the wrong time and had gotten squashed when relay closed - first A/C cycle had dried his body - glad I was not around to smell that! Could see hairy legs hanging out of the relay.

        Learned that dried spiders make pretty good insulators.

        Scraped dried spider out and the A/C worked fine.

        Jim

        Never underestimate the value of a sharp pencil or good light.

        1. Brooks | Jul 16, 2007 09:29pm | #5

          "Scraped dried spider out and the A/C worked fine"Ugggh!

        2. reinvent | Jul 17, 2007 12:34am | #10

          That would have been a good pic for HVAC training seminars.

      2. rasconc | Jul 17, 2007 03:26am | #11

        Normally called a contactor, had that happen to mine years ago.  Used contact cleaner.

  3. ClaysWorld | Jul 16, 2007 10:55pm | #6

    If you write a little note and post it on the furnace sw and the upstairs sw to remind for the next time.

    I stick duct tape with all kinds of stuff on it in my rentals/ and home.

    I'm good to remember stuff for like a week, must have been all the lead paint chip snacks.

    1. JTC1 | Jul 16, 2007 11:36pm | #7

      The problem is I would have to look at the switch - both are clearly emblazoned with the official red, oil burner, emergency shut off switch plates.

      It was not until my third trip past the switch at the top of the stairs that I noticed the switch was off!

      If I had really been "the brightest bulb in the box", I would have seen it on my way to the basement the first time.

      The frosting on the cake is that I installed the switch at the head of the stairs as part of a service upgrade project (about 10 years ago). Thought it might be a good idea to be able to shut down the furnace from a more remote location than the SEP or the unit itself - still do.  Switch with red plate is right next to the red fire extinguisher.

      I thought as you got older, you were supposed to be able to remember what happened a long time ago, but not be able to remember what happened yesterday.

      Oh well.

      Jim

      Never underestimate the value of a sharp pencil or good light.

      1. User avater
        BillHartmann | Jul 16, 2007 11:39pm | #8

        You can get switch guards to prevent the accidently tripping of the switch..
        .
        A-holes. Hey every group has to have one. And I have been elected to be the one. I should make that my tagline.

        1. JTC1 | Jul 16, 2007 11:43pm | #9

          I know - there is one on it now.

          Thanks.

          Jim

          Never underestimate the value of a sharp pencil or good light.

  4. User avater
    IMERC | Jul 17, 2007 08:46am | #12

    time for a gaurd on that switch???

    Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming

    WOW!!! What a Ride!
    Forget the primal scream, just ROAR!!!

    1. JTC1 | Jul 17, 2007 01:58pm | #13

      Already there....99.10 to Bill

      Thanks.

      Jim

      Never underestimate the value of a sharp pencil or good light.

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