The customer could not afford a new system nor could he afford to get a new coil installed. Actually its an A/H so it would have been a new A/H... so I just did whatever I could do for him and gave no guarantee it will hold up or no other leak will form. Found 3 nicks on distribution capillary tubes... well trying to fix the last one it snapped off where it entered the coil . LOL, can't believe I jerry ragged that sucker too. Four leaks fixed... Worked great when I was done but I think next time I won't do that..
I'm not Proud to do this...but customer could not afford new system or coil.
mofotech
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The customer could not afford a new system nor could he afford to get a new coil installed. Actually its an A/H so it would have been a new A/H... so I just did whatever I could do for him and gave no guarantee it will hold up or no other leak will form. Found 3 nicks on distribution capillary tubes... well trying to fix the last one it snapped off where it entered the coil . LOL, can't believe I jerry ragged that sucker too. Four leaks fixed... Worked great when I was done but I think next time I won't do that..
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I’ve been know to do that from time to time.
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As long as you got paid,and didn’t rape the customer I see no issues :cheers:
The system is super old. I think close to 19-20 yrs old. So it must of been installed right... Ah naw.. wait a minute.. I just remembered.. there was no FD on the LL... damn installers. Loll
Don't worry I did install a bi-flow FD on the LL. Recharged with 407c. Unit is Bryant hp system.
So the leaks interestingly leaked where there were plastic zip ties were attached. Who knew after so long the zip tie rubbing with the cap tube make nicks and eventually make it leak. I hope next year the customer changes the system before another major break down.
Definitely got paid and it was very reasonable for the customer.
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A tip I got from this site years ago for nicked distributor tubes. Strip out a section of #18 stat wire. Wrap it around the tube where the leak is keeping the wire tight to itself. Then solder over the whole thing. The tight wrap on the wire keeps the solder from entering the distributor tube. I have done it a couple times.
Ide be surprised if the tube sheet does not leak. Calls like these can come back to bite you. And you may have stated no warranty but that doesn’t mean the customer is going to roll over if a problem comes up shortly down the road.
Nothing wrong with repairing a rub out on a distributor of anywhere else but, ide make it crystal clear and put it in righting that if the coil leaks next week you are at square one and get pictures of the leaks you are repairing and advise you dont know if there are other leaks or not even if you know there is not.
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Nothing wrong with repairing a rub out on a distributor of anywhere else but, ide make it crystal clear and put it in righting that if the coil leaks next week you are at square one and get pictures of the leaks you are repairing and advise you dont know if there are other leaks or not even if you know there is not.
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:cheers:
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You should be damned proud. You did the right thing and you have the skills required To do it. Any fool can sell a new one or walk away.
PHM
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PHM
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You know I love the way this site will get behind someone for doing the right thing in one thread but then if they happen to do something wrong in another turn around and smack them around a bit if they need it.
Not saying the OP has done anything wrong in this or any other thread just you can see the backing in this thread.
Not saying the OP has done anything wrong in this or any other thread just you can see the backing in this thread.
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Couple of weeks ago I saw a refer leak on a condenser coil on an Intellipak, oil running down from midway in the coil. Got that building maybe a year ago. My first time there doing a PM. I do a quote for three hours just to determine if it was repairable.
That may sound like a lot of time to some, just to determine if it was repairable, but it's probably a few grand to replace that coil. And you've got travel time, time to check in and out with tenant, packing equipment to and from the roof, then doing all of the paperwork.
As it turned out, it took the full three hours.
Now keep in mind, I learned early on how important a leak check and repair is, and I got very good at it. And I almost never condemn a piece of equipment, repairs are cheaper and last a long time when done properly.
So, on this unit, verified a current leak with my H-10. But for the life of me, couldn't locate it with the soap bubbles. For those of that don't know what Intellipak is, the condenser coil is in the order of something like 6' x 8' feet and three or four tube passes deep.
Anyway, the coil was repaired in that same spot by the previous contractor, so fins already cut/ripped away.
Just couldn't pin point the leak, had to be on an inner pass that I couldn't get my mirror to. So, if I can't get my mirror to it, no way the torch is going in there.
Then it took me almost an hour just to do the paper work. Why? Because I couldn't figure out how to get the old coil out, and the new coil in. Well, that's not entirely correct, taking things apart is easy. But how to get it back together? And how many men?
I've replaced a few of those before, but this one was different. I eventually figured it out. Instead of going up through the top like the others, there's just a few screws, and it slides out the side. It'll be a bit tricky with the crane, but definitely doable.
Put a note in the write up that if I'm not on that job, the man hours [and other potential problems] would go way over the quote.
Bottom line, if I could have repaired that coil, I would have. We as a company would have made less, but as a service to the customer, it would have been the right thing to do. And as a side note, I absolutely know when I make a diagnoses like that, if they call for a second opinion, I am 100% covered.
That may sound like a lot of time to some, just to determine if it was repairable, but it's probably a few grand to replace that coil. And you've got travel time, time to check in and out with tenant, packing equipment to and from the roof, then doing all of the paperwork.
As it turned out, it took the full three hours.
Now keep in mind, I learned early on how important a leak check and repair is, and I got very good at it. And I almost never condemn a piece of equipment, repairs are cheaper and last a long time when done properly.
So, on this unit, verified a current leak with my H-10. But for the life of me, couldn't locate it with the soap bubbles. For those of that don't know what Intellipak is, the condenser coil is in the order of something like 6' x 8' feet and three or four tube passes deep.
Anyway, the coil was repaired in that same spot by the previous contractor, so fins already cut/ripped away.
Just couldn't pin point the leak, had to be on an inner pass that I couldn't get my mirror to. So, if I can't get my mirror to it, no way the torch is going in there.
Then it took me almost an hour just to do the paper work. Why? Because I couldn't figure out how to get the old coil out, and the new coil in. Well, that's not entirely correct, taking things apart is easy. But how to get it back together? And how many men?
I've replaced a few of those before, but this one was different. I eventually figured it out. Instead of going up through the top like the others, there's just a few screws, and it slides out the side. It'll be a bit tricky with the crane, but definitely doable.
Put a note in the write up that if I'm not on that job, the man hours [and other potential problems] would go way over the quote.
Bottom line, if I could have repaired that coil, I would have. We as a company would have made less, but as a service to the customer, it would have been the right thing to do. And as a side note, I absolutely know when I make a diagnoses like that, if they call for a second opinion, I am 100% covered.
I had a carrier Evap coil like that. 15 ton air handler four to five rows deep. First time I got there it was practically dry and put in three sticks of leak stop and charged it up. Anyway it didn’t work and it was very easy to find with the H 10. Could not make bubbles. I was picking up the leak around the tube sheets but figured it may have been in the middle of a tube and was traveling under the nickel coating.
I wasn’t so much concerned about the cost of the coil for the customers sake but was more concerned about the wait time. Carrier did not have the coil sitting on a shelf and would not have one until they did a factory run something like four months out and it was cool in a office along with some warehouse space
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