I found this on the internet and I think it was so well done I had to find it on UA-cam to leave a comment. I don't know who the gentleman was that did the video but he was very clear and did a great job explaining the process he does and why. I'm just learning female homeowner that has an older home. Thank you for helping to explain what should be done in a tune up for an AC system and what to look for. I know this video is for professionals but an educated consumer is something a single female "needs" to be about everything when we own our own homes. It's sad that most maintenance and repair businesses are not honest with female home owners. The only defense we have is the BBB and educational videos and books so that we know what "should" and "should not" be done. If we don't learn about all the things we need to maintain we will spend money on companies that are dishonest and give us false information. Sometimes they can even do damage such as fires, leaks etc., to our homes if those things are not done properly. It's a sad thing that so many people are so dishonest now. They don't care about anything except for their profits.
@@HVAClearning thank you so much for your reply. I appreciate your time and understanding. It is a man's world and I don't see that changing soon. I really appreciate the link! I'm hoping my system will check out to NOT have leaks and adding some attic fans and having a professional person to do all the check ups. I was fortunate enough that my ex referred me to a guy he knows very well. He came the same day I called and came back today to clean the system. He will return tomorrow and I will run my AC as usual and hope it does well.🤞🙏🤞 If I have to replace my system at least I know it comes from an honest person. He doesn't like the new systems but he understands why they changed. He also explained how the new systems have to be done and that is NOT easy and so many things can go very wrong. Unfortunately I live in a hot area and going without for even a day isn't good for my old frenchie dog that is my joy. If I have to drive around the block with my car AC blasting to keep him cool I will. I know, that's sounds crazy but I love animals and their lives are my responsibility. Again, thank you!👍🙏🇺🇸
Good explanation. A neighbor that bought the north house here on the farm that has extremely low indoor air-flow and also has been low on R-22 refrigerant over many years & never corrected So the neighbor called an HVAC contractor, the technician had a digital manifold cage that was showing high superheat and low 1°F sub cooling, and of course the superheat was high because it was flashing gas through the TXV. When the sub cooling got to 2°F and the superheat get down to 16° F & he said the unit was overcharged & took the cages off; actually the target SH of the TXV was probably 10° F, and because it was flashing gas through the TXV it was still well above its target SH. Nothing was ever said over the years about the extremely low airflow which had been a major problem since the A/C was added to the oil heating system in 2005. Such is the horrible level of HVAC service we have been getting here in SW WI over the many years since the A/C was added.
Right-on Will my man; he had the digital gauges but didn't even know enough to charge only by sub cooling. The target TXV superheat was probably 13° to maybe 10°F, it was probably flashing gas yet keeping it at 16° SH...! You watch SH to see if it's in a normal range when SC is right...
I have a preventative maintenance contract on my Lennox. The first person who came out looked at my filter which I had saved when I replaced it. The filter, old, was filthy and had a slightly oily spot on it. She blew out the pipe even though it was currently dripping. Just changed filter again and same thing. Very dirty. I had already had my condensing unit cleaned with top being removed. I have noticed that the vents closest to the inside unit have more dark dirty looking dust. What do I need to have my representative look at?
Gotta clear the drain line on check ups or in my opinion you charged the customer 65 bucks to check out a working AC unit. Basically did nothing of any good. Cleaning the condenser and clearing the drain is about all the good you can do for them.
This video did nothing to visualize the Preventove Maintence aka Tune Up ... the geneal public dosnt need to know this, as tune ups are quick cash, as long as you are lower then average cost for tune uo to competators to drive business, and the cleaning must be supurb, i also show clients before and after photos so they know the service was done....
All I got from the video was talk to homeowner and sell them piece of mind. Clean the unit and keep extra capacitor on hand. Multiple HVAC friends have told me tuneups are a waste of money.
@@2lotsill Good chance then your HVAC friends don't know what they are doing. A/C tune ups are important an the reason why is because coils do leak and capacitors and contractors do get worn out over time. Condensate pumps need to be cleaned or replaced. P-traps on units need to be cleaned to keep from water backing up and over flowing the pan causing damage to the unit or damage to a finished basement or ceiling depending on location of furnace/air handler . People tend to either not run filters causing the blower motor to get filled up with dust causing poor airflow and not allowing the system to work properly. As well as not changing filters for a extended period of time causing for the system to freeze up due to lack of airflow across the coil. Homeowners also buy very restrictive filter from the big box stores and their duct work/ blower motor is not able to handle that kind of filter which again would cause low airflow issues. Homeowners are unable to check refrigerant levels on their own to be able to determine if their units is working correctly or check the static pressure across the coil to see if the coil is starting to get build up from dust from not running a filter or not changing the filter enough or even from people smoking in the house.. Low refrigerant and poor airflow means pre-mature failures shorter life on your compressors and higher electric bills due to longer run times or if you had butt crack bubba came over and over charged your equipment now you have liquid refrigerant flooding the compressor and again pre-mature failure on your equipment. We also check to see if the system was properly commissioned after install if its newly installed (they never are). We check to see if we can get better de-humidification out of the system better air flow. All of this means more comfort and lower cost to run your equipment. Having annual maintenance done on your equipment is important. We don't just clean off your condenser coil there alot more that goes on that most people don't know about or would know about. You just got to find a good contractor who goes over everything an is looking out for your best interest not just lining his pocket with your hard earned money not providing a A+ service.
Very vaige! #1 when you check voltage on a capacitor you check it across herm and common. #2 it can be very tough to find out what metering device you have because it can be encased in a plenum or in the coil case.
The trick i use to figure out txv or piston is by covering half of the condenser coil. If my head pressure skyrockets and the auction pressure barely moves I have a txv .if they both raise considerably then there is a piston.
First of all quit referring to these maintenances or check-ups as Tune-ups your misrepresenting what your actually doing, and stop telling these ( especially new ) techs to gauge up to units on check-ups, it’s actually only for diagnostics, if your statics pressures and temp splits are ok, typically your refrigerant pressures are good, check the things that actually could cause damage like restriction in condensate drains and loose electrical connections.
I agree. Take temperature differences, clean condenser with mild coil cleaner. Take amp draws, check caps and contactor, flush drain lines. Sale batteries, for tstat, smoke detectors, and co detector. Look for problems. Loose duct runs and unwrap boots, aerators on sinks, loud barh fans, UV lights for clean air, your company stickers on AC, or its time for that new system. PM's should bring $600.00 extra into your company.
@@behvac In your opinion how long should a typical tune up take, with your approach? Also, give or take, what is your success rate with add ons such as UV lights, eac, etc?
@@Brian17177 We still use paper on our Maintenance Contracts. The AC has 22 items on a check off sheet. If you want your company to be worth anything you must sale PM's. A fall and spring check on most home systems. Avg time to clean and check is about 2 hours. My dispatchers must email, send post cards, and make the phone call or take it that is about 20 mins per customer, another 15 mins if it is raining or customer does not answer phone call 30 mins before we go to there house. Drive time round trip or to next call 1 hour. Tech takes about 30 to 40 mins to do the check up. Hope he sales a Air Scrubber, or replace the duct, If customer has old leaky duct. CO detector, Vapor barrier under house. Sales and more sales to stay in busness. This is a hard busness. 2 break jobs, oil change, tax tag and ins. and 8 new tires last week. Hard to find good help that knows what to look for or how to fix the problem.
NEMESISxM1G yes you can. The digital gauges usually have pressure temperature charts pre-programmed in for at least 30 different refrigerants. You just set the mode to the refrigerant you are using if you want to take instant superheat or sub cool readings by hooking up the temperature probes that come with them. Take a look at the Testo 549. It is a basic set that is affordable andvery easy to use and rugged for everyday work. It also gives the added feature to zero it out so it doesn't have to be sent off to be calibrated. I am being serious when I say once you have tried digital gauges the analogs will be thrown in the trash! Oh, by the way, your co- workers need to get with the times too!!!
If you run out of batteries for your digital gauges you are the same guy that runs out of refrigerant, oxy/acetylene, nitrogen, seals, etc. I have analogs for backup but they are the last thing I choose to use. Don't let old school guys tell you that digitals make you dumb because the gauges do all the work for you. Techs that didn't understand ac with analogs aren't going to magically understand with digital gauges either. It just simplifies the process.
Check temperature differential on supply and return should be a 18-22 degree difference.
I found this on the internet and I think it was so well done I had to find it on UA-cam to leave a comment.
I don't know who the gentleman was that did the video but he was very clear and did a great job explaining the process he does and why.
I'm just learning female homeowner that has an older home.
Thank you for helping to explain what should be done in a tune up for an AC system and what to look for.
I know this video is for professionals but an educated consumer is something a single female "needs" to be about everything when we own our own homes. It's sad that most maintenance and repair businesses are not honest with female home owners. The only defense we have is the BBB and educational videos and books so that we know what "should" and "should not" be done. If we don't learn about all the things we need to maintain we will spend money on companies that are dishonest and give us false information. Sometimes they can even do damage such as fires, leaks etc., to our homes if those things are not done properly.
It's a sad thing that so many people are so dishonest now. They don't care about anything except for their profits.
@@HVAClearning thank you so much for your reply. I appreciate your time and understanding. It is a man's world and I don't see that changing soon.
I really appreciate the link! I'm hoping my system will check out to NOT have leaks and adding some attic fans and having a professional person to do all the check ups. I was fortunate enough that my ex referred me to a guy he knows very well. He came the same day I called and came back today to clean the system. He will return tomorrow and I will run my AC as usual and hope it does well.🤞🙏🤞
If I have to replace my system at least I know it comes from an honest person. He doesn't like the new systems but he understands why they changed. He also explained how the new systems have to be done and that is NOT easy and so many things can go very wrong. Unfortunately I live in a hot area and going without for even a day isn't good for my old frenchie dog that is my joy. If I have to drive around the block with my car AC blasting to keep him cool I will. I know, that's sounds crazy but I love animals and their lives are my responsibility.
Again, thank you!👍🙏🇺🇸
Great attitude and very informative, thank you!
Good explanation.
A neighbor that bought the north house here on the farm that has extremely low indoor air-flow and also has been low on R-22 refrigerant over many years & never corrected
So the neighbor called an HVAC contractor, the technician had a digital manifold cage that was showing high superheat and low 1°F sub cooling, and of course the superheat was high because it was flashing gas through the TXV.
When the sub cooling got to 2°F and the superheat get down to 16° F & he said the unit was overcharged & took the cages off; actually the target SH of the TXV was probably 10° F, and because it was flashing gas through the TXV it was still well above its target SH.
Nothing was ever said over the years about the extremely low airflow which had been a major problem since the A/C was added to the oil heating system in 2005. Such is the horrible level of HVAC service we have been getting here in SW WI over the many years since the A/C was added.
Right-on Will my man; he had the digital gauges but didn't even know enough to charge only by sub cooling. The target TXV superheat was probably 13° to maybe 10°F, it was probably flashing gas yet keeping it at 16° SH...! You watch SH to see if it's in a normal range when SC is right...
I have a preventative maintenance contract on my Lennox. The first person who came out looked at my filter which I had saved when I replaced it. The filter, old, was filthy and had a slightly oily spot on it. She blew out the pipe even though it was currently dripping. Just changed filter again and same thing. Very dirty. I had already had my condensing unit cleaned with top being removed. I have noticed that the vents closest to the inside unit have more dark dirty looking dust. What do I need to have my representative look at?
Overall good video thanks for the tips!
Lots of GOOD information here. I used most of it today.
We also measure cfms and static pressure
Static pressure is one of the biggest things that gets overlooked and it tells you so much about the system
Gotta clear the drain line on check ups or in my opinion you charged the customer 65 bucks to check out a working AC unit. Basically did nothing of any good. Cleaning the condenser and clearing the drain is about all the good you can do for them.
This video did nothing to visualize the Preventove Maintence aka Tune Up
... the geneal public dosnt need to know this, as tune ups are quick cash, as long as you are lower then average cost for tune uo to competators to drive business, and the cleaning must be supurb, i also show clients before and after photos so they know the service was done....
This is more info about the technicians that do the maintenance not the homeowners
All I got from the video was talk to homeowner and sell them piece of mind. Clean the unit and keep extra capacitor on hand. Multiple HVAC friends have told me tuneups are a waste of money.
@@2lotsill Good chance then your HVAC friends don't know what they are doing. A/C tune ups are important an the reason why is because coils do leak and capacitors and contractors do get worn out over time. Condensate pumps need to be cleaned or replaced. P-traps on units need to be cleaned to keep from water backing up and over flowing the pan causing damage to the unit or damage to a finished basement or ceiling depending on location of furnace/air handler . People tend to either not run filters causing the blower motor to get filled up with dust causing poor airflow and not allowing the system to work properly. As well as not changing filters for a extended period of time causing for the system to freeze up due to lack of airflow across the coil. Homeowners also buy very restrictive filter from the big box stores and their duct work/ blower motor is not able to handle that kind of filter which again would cause low airflow issues. Homeowners are unable to check refrigerant levels on their own to be able to determine if their units is working correctly or check the static pressure across the coil to see if the coil is starting to get build up from dust from not running a filter or not changing the filter enough or even from people smoking in the house.. Low refrigerant and poor airflow means pre-mature failures shorter life on your compressors and higher electric bills due to longer run times or if you had butt crack bubba came over and over charged your equipment now you have liquid refrigerant flooding the compressor and again pre-mature failure on your equipment. We also check to see if the system was properly commissioned after install if its newly installed (they never are). We check to see if we can get better de-humidification out of the system better air flow. All of this means more comfort and lower cost to run your equipment. Having annual maintenance done on your equipment is important. We don't just clean off your condenser coil there alot more that goes on that most people don't know about or would know about. You just got to find a good contractor who goes over everything an is looking out for your best interest not just lining his pocket with your hard earned money not providing a A+ service.
Another good video Doug. Former RRCC alumni summer 2017👏
That’s great tips but we don’t have this equipment to do the check, how munch does it cost
Thank you!
Too bad most companies don't give the technicians enough time to do a full maintenance
Very vaige! #1 when you check voltage on a capacitor you check it across herm and common. #2 it can be very tough to find out what metering device you have because it can be encased in a plenum or in the coil case.
The trick i use to figure out txv or piston is by covering half of the condenser coil. If my head pressure skyrockets and the auction pressure barely moves I have a txv .if they both raise considerably then there is a piston.
@@Clamjammer that's an awesome trick, gonna put that to use!
@@Clamjammer Oh my god that's a good one, thank you!
Great video brother, you do need A/c in texas. Keep it up.
Is that Mr. Smiley???
You should always take the top off and spray the coil from the inside out, it's the only proper way to do a clean and check
I personally find that this is only neccessary for units in which the coil is protected by stamped fins such as shown in this video
The formula for checking the capacitors is sometimes very inaccurate.
Diego because of inaccuracy in amp clamps
because you do the math wrong?
Some of the comments below are embarrassing to professional HVACR company owners. Some of you d never hire!!!
First of all quit referring to these maintenances or check-ups as Tune-ups your misrepresenting what your actually doing, and stop telling these ( especially new ) techs to gauge up to units on check-ups, it’s actually only for diagnostics, if your statics pressures and temp splits are ok, typically your refrigerant pressures are good, check the things that actually could cause damage like restriction in condensate drains and loose electrical connections.
I agree. Take temperature differences, clean condenser with mild coil cleaner. Take amp draws, check caps and contactor, flush drain lines. Sale batteries, for tstat, smoke detectors, and co detector. Look for problems. Loose duct runs and unwrap boots, aerators on sinks, loud barh fans, UV lights for clean air, your company stickers on AC, or its time for that new system. PM's should bring $600.00 extra into your company.
@@behvac In your opinion how long should a typical tune up take, with your approach? Also, give or take, what is your success rate with add ons such as UV lights, eac, etc?
@@Brian17177 We still use paper on our Maintenance Contracts. The AC has 22 items on a check off sheet. If you want your company to be worth anything you must sale PM's. A fall and spring check on most home systems. Avg time to clean and check is about 2 hours. My dispatchers must email, send post cards, and make the phone call or take it that is about 20 mins per customer, another 15 mins if it is raining or customer does not answer phone call 30 mins before we go to there house. Drive time round trip or to next call 1 hour. Tech takes about 30 to 40 mins to do the check up. Hope he sales a Air Scrubber, or replace the duct, If customer has old leaky duct. CO detector, Vapor barrier under house. Sales and more sales to stay in busness. This is a hard busness. 2 break jobs, oil change, tax tag and ins. and 8 new tires last week. Hard to find good help that knows what to look for or how to fix the problem.
Need to get with the times- analog pressure gauges are so yesterday. It's time to invest in a set of digital gauges!
duaneredman if you ran out of batteries?
Diego digital gauges have battery gauges on the display, the times my friend- the times!
Can u use the new digital gauges for refrigeration? I still used the old style my co workers always say to stick to the olds
NEMESISxM1G yes you can. The digital gauges usually have pressure temperature charts pre-programmed in for at least 30 different refrigerants. You just set the mode to the refrigerant you are using if you want to take instant superheat or sub cool readings by hooking up the temperature probes that come with them. Take a look at the Testo 549. It is a basic set that is affordable andvery easy to use and rugged for everyday work. It also gives the added feature to zero it out so it doesn't have to be sent off to be calibrated. I am being serious when I say once you have tried digital gauges the analogs will be thrown in the trash! Oh, by the way, your co- workers need to get with the times too!!!
If you run out of batteries for your digital gauges you are the same guy that runs out of refrigerant, oxy/acetylene, nitrogen, seals, etc. I have analogs for backup but they are the last thing I choose to use. Don't let old school guys tell you that digitals make you dumb because the gauges do all the work for you. Techs that didn't understand ac with analogs aren't going to magically understand with digital gauges either. It just simplifies the process.