Good service from A/C repairman

The Sanity Inspector · 2003-09-02T00:53:15+00:00

So I went downstairs last week and noticed a nice littlestream gushing out of the chiller, housed on top of the furnace. Iturned the a/c off, set up some floors fans, and waited until thebeginning of the week to set up an service appointment. I called thesame well-known national retailer that subcontracted my furnace andnew ductwork a couple of years ago. The tech was a few hours late, but it became apparent that itwas because he had done a thorough job on the earlier appointments.He did a similarly thorough job with me. He was a squat, sixtyish old fellow, with a twisted ankle andrecovering from hernia surgery, full of apologies for not gettingthere sooner. As it happened, my problem was caused by the allergen-trappingfilter that I was using. It was simply too thick, even though Ichanged it every three months. Air flow went down, condensation wentup, and pretty soon it turned into a little Niagra in there. He inspected the rest of the unit, putting his pressure meterson the outside unit. (I stood with him in a nighttime shower, holdingan area lamp.) He screwed them on, waited for them to peak, shouted"Goodness!", and yanked the fuse out of the unit's electrical box. Itwas registering 400 psi--"Burst point!", he said. If I hadn't calledabout the unrelated leaky chiller problem, the whole thing probablywould have broken down in another week. So he went to work cleaning up the unit, hosing out the coils,checking the little electrical doo-dads, resetting some of them, allthe while admonishing me to have this done yearly. And I should watchto make sure future technicians did it right, as many of them werejust knocking around the service industry with just a few weekstraining to their credit. He also had a look at my ductwork andsnorted in disgust at all the corner-cutting the installers haddone--installers that had been sub-contracted by the same nationalretailer, btw. Flex ducting can't be just draped and squeezed in anyold way, nor can you just connect it...

Sep 02, 2003 25 Replies

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Bruce 22 years ago

CB doesn't get that everyday joes can take a test on epatest.com and then walk into Graingers and buy a PERFECTLY LEGAL jug for $49.50, just like I did. The green EPA card in my wallet is every bit as good as his.

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CBHvac 22 years ago

Read it again Sam...that 609 card, does not make it legal for you to buy

22....sorry..thats a MVAC card..and R22 ISNT used in automotive..but if you took the test, you would know that....and yes...there is a HUGE difference in what you can legally get with a MVAC or a real HVAC card....Grainger counter people did the same thing here...till an audit. 608...and anyone selling to you otherwise, is asking for a EPA audit.

Oh..and its not 49.50...if you are paying that now, you are getting screwed...oh...but thats why I always have given R22 away on service calls..LOL...$32.00 even...course, Grainger IS the highest priced so called supply store..about 2X what the local HVAC centers are for anything...remember that when you think you got a good deal. Now..this time next year, expect it to be in the $60-80 range like it was 3 weeks ago.. and for it to peak at over $150 a jug...also, if you knew about the legal aspect or R22, you would have known about the cutback in production...

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Steve Newman 22 years ago

WRONG.........see:

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can buy refrigerant under the sales restriction? The following people can buy any type of refrigerant under the sales restriction (for instance, R-11, R-22, and R-12), except for "small cans" containing less than 20 pounds of any ozone-depleting refrigerants suitable for use in a car air conditioner (for example, R-12 or HCFC blends): a.. technicians certified for Type I, Type II, or Type III equipment by a certification program approved by EPA under section 608 of the Clean Air Act. b.. employers of certified technicians, or the employers' authorized representatives, if the employer provides the wholesaler with evidence that he or she employs at least one certified technician. "Employers" includes building owners who have a contract with a certified technician to perform installation or service. c.. manufacturers of air-conditioning and refrigeration equipment, where the refrigerant is used in the manufacture of the equipment. The following people can buy any type of refrigerant under the sales restriction (for instance, R-11, R-22, and R-12), including "small cans" containing less than 20 pounds of any ozone-depleting refrigerants suitable for use in car air conditioners (for example, R-12 or HCFC blends):

a.. technicians certified for MVACs by a certification program approved by EPA under section 609 of the Clean Air Act. b.. persons who buy refrigerants only for resale to certified technicians (e.g., wholesalers, reclaimers). c.. persons who purchase refrigerants only for export outside the U.S. or shipment outside the U.S. on marine vessels

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CBHvac 22 years ago

I did....and guess what?

R22 is ONLY for sale to SIX OH NINE techs...thats 609..

BTW, its on question #20 on the 608 test...on a bus, that uses a R22 system...can a 608 licenced person buy R22 to repair it, and the CORRECT answer is no... So take it up with the EPA..

I will have to look, but its in the 608 book...that same example.

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Bruce 22 years ago

You can't read? What do I win?

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Dave 22 years ago

Thanks for reminding me of one of the reasons I left the business (try decaf, boss).

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