But you notice that AMPS are not discussed at all when dealing with SEER...therefore, your arguement is pointless, and misguided.
BTW, volts in the real world are NOT a constant. You will be amazed at how often you will have 215VAC one day, and 235VAC the next..what happens then to the wattage, or amperage? :) Edison Electric of CA showed me that one...its all in how they need to fill the coffers that month...
Notice you cant make a statement on those low RLAs....figures...
I hate to say it, but some of the most careless people I've seen around electricity were professional electricians and HVAC mechanics, and I've seen a few test for voltage on 480V circuits with their finger, even when they had their meter with them. The most safety conscious tended to be electronics techs who, ironically, worked almost exclusively on low voltage equipment.
Don't buy a meter that isn't UL or CSA approved, and don't trust Europe's CE mark because they'll pass almost anything (exposed jack metal close to the surface, 250V fuses for 600V).
Low resistance for voltage measurements isn't a problem with with items like motors, lights, and transformers only with transistors and chips and automotive exhaust oxygen sensors (ruins them). I've seen cheap analog meters rated for as little 1,000 ohms per volt (i.e., the
10V scale will give 10,000 ohms, the 50V scale 50,000 ohms), but you wouldn't want those anyway because they can be notoriously inaccurate in any case. Better analog meters are rated for at least 10,000 or
20,000 ohms/volt (lower figure for AC, higher for DC), but the worst digital meter I've seen was rated for 1 megaohm, with 10M being far more common, even among cheap models.
Still, don't use one around a gas leak.
I don't know of any meter that will do that when set to "volts," unless the voltage is so high that it arcs over internally and turns into a short.
They mean 300V AC + DC, period, even if one end of the wire is connected to the voltage source and the other end just dangles in free air.
You measure 480V only with high quality equipment rated for at least that much voltage, and you make sure that your meter probes and cables have not even the tiniest damage in the insulation, and you use only meter leads that both fit securely in their sockets and can't expose a tip if one pulls out accidentally -- that's why manufacturers went to insulator sleeves around banana jacks.
You got me here. How do you test a 480 volt service with your fingers? Also did you go to the funeral or visit them in the hospital when they got their hand blown off. I would like to know about this one.
Thanks for all the responses. Just to clear a point of contention. When the A/C unit is switched on, I do hear the clicking sound outside but nothing gets switched on in the outside unit. I guess thats what you guys were asking when you said whether the condenser and/or compressor were running. The only thing running is the inside blower.
I am guilty of doing what one of the posters has suggested- switching off the A/C and switching it on without giving it enough time (just couple of seconds time difference between the two). I have mistakenly done this a couple of times.
The handyman guy never showed up but he basically said that if he figured out that the compressor was the problem, he recommends replacing the entire unit rather than just the compressor. When asked the approx. price, he said "couple of hundred dollars" and won't go into specifics. Now I am thinking maybe Home Depot won't be a bad idea. At least they are reputable + hopefully I won't get fleeced + they will stand behind their work. What do you guys say ?
I say again, find a reputable licensed air conditioning contractor in your area and have your unit properly diagnosed. If you don't have any friends that have recommendations, try the yellow pages.
First, dump the idiot that you have working on the unit. Thats the simple thing right there.
Second, Home Depot is NOT a dealer. Home Depot is a third party outsourcing partner with Trane. If you want to put a few hundred EXTRA into the pockets of a company that will do nothing but contact a local Trane rep for you and have them come out to install a new unit, then go ahead...if you want to save a bit, call around and find yourself a a local, licenced, and insured company that can properly diagnose your equipment...not some jackleg wannabe handyman.
I had a call last night, Home Depot had a quote in, as did 4 other companies...said that the compressor was toast...the unit was shot...etc...
No one had diagnosed the ants in the contactor....a $45 part and a good service later, the unit was running like new... hey..its your money..you throw it at what you want..
Those people were "pretty sure" those circuits were dead, but I always cringed when I saw them do it. Also one of them had a habit of turning on any breaker that was off, without first asking around the job site.
I say try and find an AC guy who has more experience than your handyman. I'm not there to meter it, but it is very possible that your problem is as simple as a $50 contactor. Or a bad connection. Or a bad......
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