Nice to see you actually fixing something that old. The vast majority of HVAC companies would just tell the homeowner they have to replace the whole thing.
That's exactly what I was thinking too. And it's not HVAC guys, people don't want to troubleshoot. I mean, I get it- it's one of the ways they can guarantee it will work for you. But as customer, when a new unit is going to cost 2,500 bucks, it's frustrating.
@@kevinmach730 With the labor rates many companies charge in high cost of living areas, messing around with rusted shaft fan motors could easily get into a 4-digit dollar bill. Then, knowing Murphey's Law, something else would fail a week later. As a handy homeowner, I try to fix things, but I can certainly see why a company wouldn't want to risk the callbacks/unhappy customer to attempts fixes on a unit that is obviously living on borrowed time.
@@bnasty267 As someone with decades in the service business, I totally agree with you about not wanting callbacks and thought I made that clear in my post. Sometimes it's the only way to make sure it's fixed and I make sure customers are aware I can't guarantee a fix will always work or whether it's worth it. But sometimes it's like using a hammer to kill and fly, and of course these guys are going want to replace things because of troubleshooting they either can't or don't want to do when they can sell you a new one and make much more. It's definitely a risk and I agree in this case, that unit looks pretty damn old.
shoot Replacement would be the smart option just to save them money in the long term. The compressor is probably about shot too and energy inefficient. Leave the air handling unit after cleaning it good and put in a new compressor unit so they save a ton of future service calls.
@@bnasty267 a absolute facts rhat thing is a recipe for disgruntled customers whod think you sabatoged it because you fix one thing only to show another problem downstream. You know that compressor unless previously replaced along with the contacts that are clearly in a state of disrepair can and will fail at the worst time possible. Usually days after a service call right along with the capacitor. Show them its age, say I can do this to get it running temporarily or we can install a new unit less the AHU for x dollars and at least give them a choice stemming from a place of knowledge and common sense. That unit was a relic.
It's a good case for a dual pole contactor. Last year my AC went out, and I managed to self-diagnose it to be the starter capacitor. I also noticed my contactor was noisy (and only single pole), so I upgraded that as well to a dual pole contactor. A year later, and it's working just fine. I likely spent around $50 for both parts. I half considered replacing the fan as well, but decided against it as not really necessary. A lot of people argue for replacing the whole unit because of age. There's an argument for that, but honestly it's a discussion for the homeowner. I'm a DIYer, so it's very much worth it for me to spend $50-$100 on parts and save all those labor costs for what I'd consider fairly simple maintenance tasks to extend the life of my AC. If you're comfortable working with AC voltage, this stuff isn't rocket surgery. Replacing the whole unit would cost several thousand bucks to replace, and my unit, while 20 years old, is still fairly efficient compared to new ones. My $50 in maintenance cost has already saved me money by getting an extra year out of the AC. If you figure 20 year average lifespan, and $3000 to replace an AC, it comes out to $150 a year in cost. It also depends on where you live. In MN AC is nice, but the days you absolutely need it are likely around 1-2 weeks every summer.
NEC 2020 ACs must be on a GFCI. This service call reminds of the reason why this is now Code. I read that a guy jumped a chain link fence, landed on an AC, and touched the fence&AC with his hands and got electrocuted. They found there was no ground wire. A GFCI breaker now prevents this situation. Interesting vid....thx for recording it.
I wass yelling at my screen . 2AMPS to ground ? That would trip my GFCI instanlty .. here in Europe'( Belgium ) code required a main GFCI( RCB ) of 300mA on front of everything ( every socket / appliance / lamp / etc ) and for wetrooms an extra GFCI of 30mA . for jacuzzi we even put a 10mA GFCI . Suprises me this is not the case in USA and other countrys .. you can still have sockets not protected by a GFCI ..
@@kittsdiy The code change mentioned above pretty much means almost everything residential in the US needs to be on a GFCI. Anywhere near water has been a requirement for many years. BTW, our GFCIs trip at 6mA ;)
@@bnasty267 yep i know 6mA is way to low to put whole house on it . and some stuff has startup leakage ( solar inverters etc ) . That's why we have 300mA as main GFCI for the whoel fuseboard . And 1 or more 30mA for wet rooms . Also we have to have A type GFCI's .. AC type is nog allowed anymore . And when more then 1 EV charge point we even have to install a type B RCB ( GFCI ) . Oh and all our brakers are douple pole or 4 pole ( 3x400V + neutral ) .. so the neutral is also disconnected when turning a braker off
@@bnasty267 Almost everything on GFI? Not really. What’s needed is kitchen counters, fridge (if within 6’), dishwasher, disposal, bathroom counters, laundry room, all outlets in the garage, and outside. That leaves living room, dining room, bedroom, & hallways.
@@icevariable9600 Yeah, yeah, but those all require AFCIs, so you might as well do a dual function (CAFCI/GFCI) since they're basically the same price as either function separate. The painful ones are the dual-poles, at $100 or more each, and now they're required also. A $90 panel can end up having over a grand worth of breakers in it. Crazy
Me watching this with not a single ground line in my house.😅 The AC was replaced a while before I bought it, so hopefully that has a ground line, but from what I've seen of the rest of the house, that was probably done wrong too.
Right here we are drawing low-bat lol 😂. You seem very honest a lot of companies would have told the homeowner that they needed to replace the whole unit for big bucks. Great job👍
No, the only reason why you can touch it is not because the current is going down through the ground wire, it's because there is no potential difference between you (at earth potential) and the frame, which is at the same potential. No potential difference means no current flows. That is, no current flows through you because there is no potential difference across you.
Great video! But I have to point out that sometimes you say "power" when you should be saying "current". I remember you corrected yourself on that issue on one of your earlier videos but maybe you forgot. 😉
So the million dollar question for me is- why didn't the breaker trip? If you have current on the ground, it should have created a surge that was detected by breaker-- and shut that Fall Out 4 era air conditioner off instantly. Better check your PIP Boy for more information- strange things are afoot.
IIUC, the circuit created by the motor shorting to ground would look something like this Power->motor->Ground So the circuit was current limited by the internal resistance of the motor, which drew about 2.4 amps. Which implies the motor shorted to create a resistance of 50 ohms.
@@icevariable9600 Because with AC current, the return path should technically be the neutral, not the ground. The ground is there to prevent exactly this scenario. Say you have hot wire somehow touching both motor and the metal case of the air conditioner. In theory, this could actually energize the device itself and not trip a breaker. Someone could touch it and get a jolt. Now if there is a ground wire that also runs back to the breaker, as soon as the case becomes energizer, current should travel along that ground and at a very high rate- enough that the fuse breaker trips. In truth, it's a bit more complicated that this because this is likely 240, in which case a neutral is not technically needed in many cases. But the principal about about the ground is there for is essentially the same.
@@stevesether So enough to energize case but not enough to trip the breaker. I mean, it's either that or there is some other strange wiring issues from the branch circuit itself that feeds the air conditioner that cause this not to work like it theoretically should have, IMHO.
@@kevinmach730 Ah! I understand now. Yeah, I see, the hot hitting the ground causes a surge on the ground wire, since it's getting the full current since there is no load, tripping the breaker. And, same with the neutral, but without the violent "pop!". For some reason I wasn't putting it all together in my pea brain. Apprentice here. :)
Really interesting path of electricity...the least resistance path all the time. It's amazing how well built those old units are. It needs a major condenser cleaning and since you are there and all is opened up, I'd replace that contactor and the capacitor as long as the customer will understand the cost savings and peace of mind in doing it now. Not sure how those fan blades got all damaged but I'd be worried about the new motor bearings keeping it vs. replacing it if its available. And yes, that fused disconnect should be replaced with a breaker.
But remember, it will take any and all paths it need to in order to get back to the source, the one with the least resistance will just have most current.
Correct me if im wrong but when you were getting 2 amps on the ground wire you were saying if the unit wasn't grounded that would energize the frame. The reason the unit is grounded is so if the frame became energized it would short out and trip the breaker. The 2 amps you were reading on the ground is technically also in the frame as it's all connected. A breaker should trip no?
You say a breaker should trip. Ideally yes. But the current in the ground wire is a tiny 2 amps and clearly not enough to trigger a breaker. When you say the frame is energised, you have to be careful as to what this means. It's not quite as simple as saying "it's energised". What matters to you as a person is whether there is a potential difference across your body when you touch the frame. If the answer is there is no potential difference, or if it is less than 50 volts AC RMS, then you're safe and get to live another day. If on the other hand there is a voltage difference across you when you touch the frame....and it is more than 50 volts AC RMS then there is a chance you might not live to see another day. By connecting the frame to ground, and one side of your body, notably your feet are also at ground potential, if you come into contact with the frame, then there is no potential difference across your body and hence little or no current flows through you.
@@deang5622 I agree with most of that however it's the amps that have the potential to harm you rather than volts. A police taser can be around 50,000V. As far as the "2 amps" on the ground it just seems odd. It's a path to ground with essentially no resistance so should spike to where it trips a breaker. I don't see how the fan could be operating on 120V through the ground, I just don't see that being possible. Lastly, and I'm open to possibly being wrong here but I don't see how this is an example of a "ground functioning properly". The ground could be disconnected and it would not add any additional danger to this particular setup aside from it not being protected going forward but it would not energize the case.
@@jimscalm3231 I am not an electrician, but I generally agree with you on both points, but one of them very strongly. The ground would have no resistance, and should trip the breaker. That's what it's there for, to provide a no-resistance path that electrons would prefer and thus create a surge of electricity and then kill it altogether. As to your second point, that's more of a slippery slope. it is a ground functioning properly in the sense it's giving it a favorable path over you touching the unit. In other words, if that ground wasn't there, I speculate it's possible you could become the preferred path. Think of it this way- an "energized" appliance with no ground doesn't truly have any energy going through- just potential- that is, until you touch it and become the ground. At that point, other circumstances that decide how good of ground you are, determine the ultimate outcome.
@@kevinmach730 you make interesting points. I will counter your last example with the appliance that is not why the ground is on there in my opinion. The ground is a safety. I think this way. If you took a bare hot wire and touched it to the ground it would spark and pop the breaker. All the places on an appliance that a person could touch with the potential to become energized all link to 1 spot on the appliance which is grounded to ensure nothing ever becomes energized as it will trip the breaker. The wire in the video with 2 amps (in my opinion there's no voltage and that is harmless to touch at this point) but it is essentially bringing those 2 amps to the case where people are touching. If removed it doesn't increase the possibility of the 2 amps going to the case - It is the source bringing it to the case. Just my opinion.
Wow, must be a cash-strapped customer? I would think, for long-term reliability, you'd want to just replace the whole unit. With the condition that unit is in, you'll probably have another service call in a couple years for another issue.
Or it could last another 10 years. Keep in mind, stuff today isn't built nearly as well. Not trying to do go all "old man" here, but people want inexpensive (or their perception of inexpensive) and manufacturers have answered- for better or for worse and the quality just isn't there in most cases. Central AC units used to last 20-30 years and now they often lasting less than 10.
@@kevinmach730 Did you see the fins and corrosion on that thing? Even if it does last another decade, the increased efficiency of a new unit would pay for itself in the same time. While I don't necessarily disagree with your statement that "they don't make things like they used to", people also don't care for things like they used to. I feel like that plays a major role in some things "not lasting" like they used to. It used to be that there was someone cleaning aircons seasonally. Now, professional labor is so expensive and ppl are so lazy/uneducated and just expect it to last with zero maintenance.
They really should fix that disconnect. Or at least label it so the next guy knows. You can get contactors fairly cheap. I might replace that with a 2 pull down he road.
With the fan running through the ground circuit I wonder if that would short out on the dog while it's peeing on the A/C? I also wonder if the dog's pee caused the fan to short.
VERY GOOD VIDEO BEN. IM A ELECTRICIAN HERE IN NYC N YOU VERY HONEST WITH HOMEOWNER FIXED THE MOTOR MOST COMPANIES WOULD HAD SAID REPLACE THE UNIT. I SEE YOU HAD A YOUNG APPRENTICE THE YOUNGEST I SEEN LOL. KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK MI LOVE UR VIDEOS
Maybe the owner can erect some chicken wire around the perimeter of the concrete pad to keep the dog away. Seems that all male dogs like to pee on condensers.
Very good! I've never encountered a situation like that. Good service response. Did you change the defective disconnect? I'd be interested in learning how the fuse holder became separated.
Od imagine since theyre plastic it just broke into to halves due to age and normal wear and tear over the years where it became brittle and then was probably dropped a few too many times. I new disconnect was definitely the way to go. Many Newer units have fused disconnects built in them there days so you can eliminate the external fuse box and just run to a properly sized breaker and kill power at both ends when servicing.
That is pretty interesting. Grounding is a pretty interesting when things go wrong. Thanksfully you and the dog are safe! BTW I didnt see any condenser cleaner. It would have been really nice to do that when the motor was out 😉
Great 2-for education video - first, the importance of ground and second, the proper place for child labor (shop only - it's difficult to charge full rates for young labor on the job site)... Seriously, thanks for the education on the first topic.
This might explain why the primary cause of refrigerant leaks are at the evaporator coil. Copper tube, aluminum fins, water (condensate) and current combine to create a perfect galvanic corrosion.
What would happen if you were using a generator that had a N/G bond and the panel had a N/G bond like you showed in your video? I'm curious if something shorted out like this when you had a generator and panel both with N/G bonded. You said in your video that it wasn't a huge risk to run like this whereas code says only one bond.
Thank you. An interesting situation. The previous owner of our home had wired around the fuses in the junction box to our A/C compressor. The system was old enough that it drew too much current and repeatedly blew fuses. So he saved on time and money for replacement fuses and risked burning the house down. Not a good solution.
That's not correct. You can have current on the ground wire and for the wire to be at ground potential. If the ground wire is very long and carrying current, then you will have a small potential difference along its length, so in this circumstance then I might be inclined to agree with you. But the voltage is going to be low and not enough to kill you.
Yeah, that's completely wrong- it's still a ground and it's doing it's job. Somewhere along the line, a breaker should have activated and that's a separate, although very important issue.
![[UA] NAVI проти G2 Esports | Blast Premier Fall Final](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/QWlIm4FGESQ/mqdefault.jpg)
Nice to see you actually fixing something that old. The vast majority of HVAC companies would just tell the homeowner they have to replace the whole thing.
That's exactly what I was thinking too. And it's not HVAC guys, people don't want to troubleshoot. I mean, I get it- it's one of the ways they can guarantee it will work for you. But as customer, when a new unit is going to cost 2,500 bucks, it's frustrating.
@@kevinmach730 With the labor rates many companies charge in high cost of living areas, messing around with rusted shaft fan motors could easily get into a 4-digit dollar bill. Then, knowing Murphey's Law, something else would fail a week later.
As a handy homeowner, I try to fix things, but I can certainly see why a company wouldn't want to risk the callbacks/unhappy customer to attempts fixes on a unit that is obviously living on borrowed time.
@@bnasty267 As someone with decades in the service business, I totally agree with you about not wanting callbacks and thought I made that clear in my post. Sometimes it's the only way to make sure it's fixed and I make sure customers are aware I can't guarantee a fix will always work or whether it's worth it. But sometimes it's like using a hammer to kill and fly, and of course these guys are going want to replace things because of troubleshooting they either can't or don't want to do when they can sell you a new one and make much more. It's definitely a risk and I agree in this case, that unit looks pretty damn old.
shoot Replacement would be the smart option just to save them money in the long term. The compressor is probably about shot too and energy inefficient. Leave the air handling unit after cleaning it good and put in a new compressor unit so they save a ton of future service calls.
@@bnasty267 a absolute facts rhat thing is a recipe for disgruntled customers whod think you sabatoged it because you fix one thing only to show another problem downstream. You know that compressor unless previously replaced along with the contacts that are clearly in a state of disrepair can and will fail at the worst time possible. Usually days after a service call right along with the capacitor. Show them its age, say I can do this to get it running temporarily or we can install a new unit less the AHU for x dollars and at least give them a choice stemming from a place of knowledge and common sense. That unit was a relic.
Awesome seeing you working with your son, you are a good and patient teacher and he is doing well, Keep up the good work guys
It's a good case for a dual pole contactor.
Last year my AC went out, and I managed to self-diagnose it to be the starter capacitor. I also noticed my contactor was noisy (and only single pole), so I upgraded that as well to a dual pole contactor. A year later, and it's working just fine. I likely spent around $50 for both parts. I half considered replacing the fan as well, but decided against it as not really necessary.
A lot of people argue for replacing the whole unit because of age. There's an argument for that, but honestly it's a discussion for the homeowner. I'm a DIYer, so it's very much worth it for me to spend $50-$100 on parts and save all those labor costs for what I'd consider fairly simple maintenance tasks to extend the life of my AC. If you're comfortable working with AC voltage, this stuff isn't rocket surgery. Replacing the whole unit would cost several thousand bucks to replace, and my unit, while 20 years old, is still fairly efficient compared to new ones.
My $50 in maintenance cost has already saved me money by getting an extra year out of the AC. If you figure 20 year average lifespan, and $3000 to replace an AC, it comes out to $150 a year in cost.
It also depends on where you live. In MN AC is nice, but the days you absolutely need it are likely around 1-2 weeks every summer.
NEC 2020 ACs must be on a GFCI. This service call reminds of the reason why this is now Code. I read that a guy jumped a chain link fence, landed on an AC, and touched the fence&AC with his hands and got electrocuted. They found there was no ground wire. A GFCI breaker now prevents this situation. Interesting vid....thx for recording it.
I wass yelling at my screen . 2AMPS to ground ? That would trip my GFCI instanlty .. here in Europe'( Belgium ) code required a main GFCI( RCB ) of 300mA on front of everything ( every socket / appliance / lamp / etc ) and for wetrooms an extra GFCI of 30mA . for jacuzzi we even put a 10mA GFCI . Suprises me this is not the case in USA and other countrys .. you can still have sockets not protected by a GFCI ..
@@kittsdiy The code change mentioned above pretty much means almost everything residential in the US needs to be on a GFCI. Anywhere near water has been a requirement for many years. BTW, our GFCIs trip at 6mA ;)
@@bnasty267 yep i know 6mA is way to low to put whole house on it . and some stuff has startup leakage ( solar inverters etc ) . That's why we have 300mA as main GFCI for the whoel fuseboard . And 1 or more 30mA for wet rooms . Also we have to have A type GFCI's .. AC type is nog allowed anymore . And when more then 1 EV charge point we even have to install a type B RCB ( GFCI ) . Oh and all our brakers are douple pole or 4 pole ( 3x400V + neutral ) .. so the neutral is also disconnected when turning a braker off
@@bnasty267 Almost everything on GFI? Not really. What’s needed is kitchen counters, fridge (if within 6’), dishwasher, disposal,
bathroom counters, laundry room, all outlets in the garage, and outside.
That leaves living room, dining room, bedroom, & hallways.
@@icevariable9600 Yeah, yeah, but those all require AFCIs, so you might as well do a dual function (CAFCI/GFCI) since they're basically the same price as either function separate. The painful ones are the dual-poles, at $100 or more each, and now they're required also. A $90 panel can end up having over a grand worth of breakers in it. Crazy
I think I'd charge them for a new fan blade at that point. 😆
Thanks for the great video
Thanks Ben !!
Me watching this with not a single ground line in my house.😅 The AC was replaced a while before I bought it, so hopefully that has a ground line, but from what I've seen of the rest of the house, that was probably done wrong too.
Right here we are drawing low-bat lol 😂. You seem very honest a lot of companies would have told the homeowner that they needed to replace the whole unit for big bucks. Great job👍
Just found your channel. This is good stuff. Well done 👍👍👍
No, the only reason why you can touch it is not because the current is going down through the ground wire, it's because there is no potential difference between you (at earth potential) and the frame, which is at the same potential. No potential difference means no current flows. That is, no current flows through you because there is no potential difference across you.
I've been in the business for 3 decades and have never seen something like this
LoL, @ 4:46 that ZIIPPP made me Jump
Great video! But I have to point out that sometimes you say "power" when you should be saying "current". I remember you corrected yourself on that issue on one of your earlier videos but maybe you forgot. 😉
So the million dollar question for me is- why didn't the breaker trip? If you have current on the ground, it should have created a surge that was detected by breaker-- and shut that Fall Out 4 era air conditioner off instantly. Better check your PIP Boy for more information- strange things are afoot.
How does current on the ground cause a surge in current?
IIUC, the circuit created by the motor shorting to ground would look something like this Power->motor->Ground
So the circuit was current limited by the internal resistance of the motor, which drew about 2.4 amps. Which implies the motor shorted to create a resistance of 50 ohms.
@@icevariable9600 Because with AC current, the return path should technically be the neutral, not the ground. The ground is there to prevent exactly this scenario. Say you have hot wire somehow touching both motor and the metal case of the air conditioner. In theory, this could actually energize the device itself and not trip a breaker. Someone could touch it and get a jolt. Now if there is a ground wire that also runs back to the breaker, as soon as the case becomes energizer, current should travel along that ground and at a very high rate- enough that the fuse breaker trips. In truth, it's a bit more complicated that this because this is likely 240, in which case a neutral is not technically needed in many cases. But the principal about about the ground is there for is essentially the same.
@@stevesether So enough to energize case but not enough to trip the breaker. I mean, it's either that or there is some other strange wiring issues from the branch circuit itself that feeds the air conditioner that cause this not to work like it theoretically should have, IMHO.
@@kevinmach730 Ah! I understand now. Yeah, I see, the hot hitting the ground causes a surge on the ground wire, since it's getting the full current since there is no load, tripping the breaker. And, same with the neutral, but without the violent "pop!".
For some reason I wasn't putting it all together in my pea brain. Apprentice here. :)
She betrayed Grampa!
Quite the informative video, on another note what do you use to film your videos,phone , GoPro, Camera?
man as old and beat up as the compressor unit was they should just replace the whole thing instead of just the fan motor
Really interesting path of electricity...the least resistance path all the time.
It's amazing how well built those old units are. It needs a major condenser cleaning and since you are there and all is opened up, I'd replace that contactor and the capacitor as long as the customer will understand the cost savings and peace of mind in doing it now. Not sure how those fan blades got all damaged but I'd be worried about the new motor bearings keeping it vs. replacing it if its available. And yes, that fused disconnect should be replaced with a breaker.
But remember, it will take any and all paths it need to in order to get back to the source, the one with the least resistance will just have most current.
Love your channel!!!!
Correct me if im wrong but when you were getting 2 amps on the ground wire you were saying if the unit wasn't grounded that would energize the frame. The reason the unit is grounded is so if the frame became energized it would short out and trip the breaker. The 2 amps you were reading on the ground is technically also in the frame as it's all connected. A breaker should trip no?
You say a breaker should trip. Ideally yes. But the current in the ground wire is a tiny 2 amps and clearly not enough to trigger a breaker.
When you say the frame is energised, you have to be careful as to what this means. It's not quite as simple as saying "it's energised".
What matters to you as a person is whether there is a potential difference across your body when you touch the frame.
If the answer is there is no potential difference, or if it is less than 50 volts AC RMS, then you're safe and get to live another day.
If on the other hand there is a voltage difference across you when you touch the frame....and it is more than 50 volts AC RMS then there is a chance you might not live to see another day.
By connecting the frame to ground, and one side of your body, notably your feet are also at ground potential, if you come into contact with the frame, then there is no potential difference across your body and hence little or no current flows through you.
@@deang5622 I agree with most of that however it's the amps that have the potential to harm you rather than volts. A police taser can be around 50,000V. As far as the "2 amps" on the ground it just seems odd. It's a path to ground with essentially no resistance so should spike to where it trips a breaker. I don't see how the fan could be operating on 120V through the ground, I just don't see that being possible.
Lastly, and I'm open to possibly being wrong here but I don't see how this is an example of a "ground functioning properly". The ground could be disconnected and it would not add any additional danger to this particular setup aside from it not being protected going forward but it would not energize the case.
@@jimscalm3231 I am not an electrician, but I generally agree with you on both points, but one of them very strongly. The ground would have no resistance, and should trip the breaker. That's what it's there for, to provide a no-resistance path that electrons would prefer and thus create a surge of electricity and then kill it altogether. As to your second point, that's more of a slippery slope. it is a ground functioning properly in the sense it's giving it a favorable path over you touching the unit. In other words, if that ground wasn't there, I speculate it's possible you could become the preferred path. Think of it this way- an "energized" appliance with no ground doesn't truly have any energy going through- just potential- that is, until you touch it and become the ground. At that point, other circumstances that decide how good of ground you are, determine the ultimate outcome.
@@kevinmach730 you make interesting points. I will counter your last example with the appliance that is not why the ground is on there in my opinion. The ground is a safety. I think this way. If you took a bare hot wire and touched it to the ground it would spark and pop the breaker. All the places on an appliance that a person could touch with the potential to become energized all link to 1 spot on the appliance which is grounded to ensure nothing ever becomes energized as it will trip the breaker.
The wire in the video with 2 amps (in my opinion there's no voltage and that is harmless to touch at this point) but it is essentially bringing those 2 amps to the case where people are touching. If removed it doesn't increase the possibility of the 2 amps going to the case - It is the source bringing it to the case. Just my opinion.
That's crazy
No kidding. Had never personally seen a failure like that before.
I would not have known what to do with that thanks for the info
Wow, must be a cash-strapped customer? I would think, for long-term reliability, you'd want to just replace the whole unit. With the condition that unit is in, you'll probably have another service call in a couple years for another issue.
Or it could last another 10 years. Keep in mind, stuff today isn't built nearly as well. Not trying to do go all "old man" here, but people want inexpensive (or their perception of inexpensive) and manufacturers have answered- for better or for worse and the quality just isn't there in most cases. Central AC units used to last 20-30 years and now they often lasting less than 10.
@@kevinmach730 Did you see the fins and corrosion on that thing? Even if it does last another decade, the increased efficiency of a new unit would pay for itself in the same time.
While I don't necessarily disagree with your statement that "they don't make things like they used to", people also don't care for things like they used to. I feel like that plays a major role in some things "not lasting" like they used to. It used to be that there was someone cleaning aircons seasonally. Now, professional labor is so expensive and ppl are so lazy/uneducated and just expect it to last with zero maintenance.
@@ewicky You make good points about the efficiency aspect.
@@ewicky yep, preventive maintenance does wonders for the longevity of things!
Or a couple days....
Interesting. Love these troubleshooting and explanation videos
Very nice points to watch for. Is the young man related to u?
They’re brothers. ☺️
@@naomisahlstrom Thank u!!
That unit has not been serviced in ages !!! WTH !!! 🤔😐😕
They really should fix that disconnect. Or at least label it so the next guy knows. You can get contactors fairly cheap. I might replace that with a 2 pull down he road.
Later in the video the disconnect is replaced. :)
Safe isolation not possible. Make it a double pole breaker/isolator.
Greetings from Reno, Nevada.
It’s good to see “young blood “ in the trade.
So if Im understanding correctly, was the issue of the ac unit still receiving power due to a faulty disconnect panel?
With the fan running through the ground circuit I wonder if that would short out on the dog while it's peeing on the A/C?
I also wonder if the dog's pee caused the fan to short.
3:29 and 5:54
I ‘d like to have witnessed the competition testing also. Good video
VERY GOOD VIDEO BEN. IM A ELECTRICIAN HERE IN NYC N YOU VERY HONEST WITH HOMEOWNER FIXED THE MOTOR MOST COMPANIES WOULD HAD SAID REPLACE THE UNIT. I SEE YOU HAD A YOUNG APPRENTICE THE YOUNGEST I SEEN LOL. KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK MI LOVE UR VIDEOS
Bro stop yelling and use punctuation
NO ONE YELLING THIS IS HOW I TYPE ALL CAPITALS
@@panama-sx2oh That’s what he means, stop using all caps. It makes you look like you’re still in 1999 on Yahoo.
Maybe the owner can erect some chicken wire around the perimeter of the concrete pad to keep the dog away. Seems that all male dogs like to pee on condensers.
Dog pee is bad for the coil also it’s looking like it needs a good coil cleaning and great information about the motor
@@sciatl2505 It's the ammonia in the pee that corrodes the copper or aluminum
OMG, as crufty as this thing is, I'm surprised it holds refrigerant.
You are a very dangerous guy. Stay away from electricity.
Great video, great explanation of the process.
Very good! I've never encountered a situation like that. Good service response.
Did you change the defective disconnect? I'd be interested in learning how the fuse holder became separated.
Od imagine since theyre plastic it just broke into to halves due to age and normal wear and tear over the years where it became brittle and then was probably dropped a few too many times. I new disconnect was definitely the way to go. Many Newer units have fused disconnects built in them there days so you can eliminate the external fuse box and just run to a properly sized breaker and kill power at both ends when servicing.
Very cool service call. What area are you guys located in?
We're in Southwest Minnesota! Yourself?
@@BenjaminSahlstrom Rochester, NY
Waiting for you to start up the mini split🤔
Very informative video 📹 👍 👏
you need new fan blade out of balance
That is pretty interesting. Grounding is a pretty interesting when things go wrong. Thanksfully you and the dog are safe! BTW I didnt see any condenser cleaner. It would have been really nice to do that when the motor was out 😉
That’s why you call an HVAC tech vs electricians who don’t do PM on units like coil cleaning.
More service calls!!
Great 2-for education video - first, the importance of ground and second, the proper place for child labor (shop only - it's difficult to charge full rates for young labor on the job site)... Seriously, thanks for the education on the first topic.
This might explain why the primary cause of refrigerant leaks are at the evaporator coil. Copper tube, aluminum fins, water (condensate) and current combine to create a perfect galvanic corrosion.
What would happen if you were using a generator that had a N/G bond and the panel had a N/G bond like you showed in your video? I'm curious if something shorted out like this when you had a generator and panel both with N/G bonded. You said in your video that it wasn't a huge risk to run like this whereas code says only one bond.
That's good to know!
Pretty wild. Great that you shared. Never know what your going to come across
Thank you.
An interesting situation.
The previous owner of our home had wired around the fuses in the junction box to our A/C compressor. The system was old enough that it drew too much current and repeatedly blew fuses.
So he saved on time and money for replacement fuses and risked burning the house down. Not a good solution.
New fan blades as well as a motor is what should have been put on that thing.
Can find in through the gas line for the heat8 also.
Yes, anytime there's voltage or current on the ground. It's not a ground no more
That's not a good thing at all
That's not correct.
You can have current on the ground wire and for the wire to be at ground potential.
If the ground wire is very long and carrying current, then you will have a small potential difference along its length, so in this circumstance then I might be inclined to agree with you. But the voltage is going to be low and not enough to kill you.
Yeah, that's completely wrong- it's still a ground and it's doing it's job. Somewhere along the line, a breaker should have activated and that's a separate, although very important issue.