What did YOU do today?

[Curious Hound]

I don’t know much about HVAC units, but I just went through this early this season. Just feel the lines that go in and out of the outside unit. The insulated line should be cool, might be sweating, and the line from the compressor to the coil should be pretty hot, but then cooler when it leaves the unit and goes back into the house. If the return line is sweating, you are getting some cooling, just not enough. If they’re all about the same temperature, the compressor probably is not compressing even if it’s running.

I don’t know if you’ve heard of the “arctic air R22a“. It’s propane, and you can use it to top off the house system or your car system. Propane is much more efficient than the Freon, but of course it’s flammable, so you might not want to have the whole system full of it. I’ve used it many times. I bought this kit when I tuned up my home system earlier this season.

View attachment 118661
I put one can in one system (I have two systems, up and down). All pressures came out OK, and knock on wood, they’ve been working perfect all summer. I didn’t mind buying the three cans with the little adapter, because I always have to top off the F250 and one of the Lincoln’s a little bit.

I also recently bought a cheap gauge set with the adapters so I can hook it up to the house as well as the car. It was only $35. I’m sure you saw my post when I fixed the AC on the Road Ranger, and the 35 bucks was some of the best money I spent in a year.

View attachment 118662


Regardless, if you don’t know your HVAC guy really well, beware a common rip off with the service companies. They’ll tell you the service call is only $50, but if they have to add any Freon to the system, it’s $150 a pound or something like that. And then they tell you that you needed 9 pounds.

You want to have a look at the gauges the second they hook them up, and ask them how they’re going to measure the amount of freon they use if they have to add any. The most common ethical way is they have a little bathroom type scale with them, and they weigh the can before, and they weigh the can after.

If your system is already cooling at all, it should need more than a pound. If your gauges are really close to the optimum pressure, you could also estimate the amount of free on they’ll need. If they’re 10% off, maybe it’s a pound. There’s a label on the side of the AC unit outside, and the number of pounds they used in your system in your house should be marked on that label. It’s all pre-printed except for that number.

One of the little cans is 12 ounces for reference..

As always, I hope it helps

Rick, with all due respect, I will NOT mix different types of refrigerant in a system. R22 would be totally wrong and propane would be wronger. That is bad advice. I have many years experience in building maintenance, industrial maintenance, refrigeration, electrical (my true specialty), etc. The only troubleshooting step I could really do that I haven’t already done is a current reading on the compressor and I’ll get a battery for my meter and do that tonight. I don’t have gauges for household systems and I’m not eager to get into that game. It will cost less to have the tech come than it would for me to tool up to do the job. I have felt the lines. But that was unnecessary. If it was moving heat, the air coming off the condenser fan would be hot and the air from the ducts in the house would be cold. It’s that simple. The company I called is reputable. They’ve been taking good care of mom for several years. And I’ll be there watching and doing my best not to interfere unless the tech they send proves to be dumb.

 

[Rick W]

Damn, I stepped on a land mine again!

Just trying to be helpful, but my advice might not always be the best for everyone and I hate to call it advice, it’s just a little bit I know trying to be helpful.

 

[sgtsandman]

Damn, I stepped on a landline again!

Just trying to be helpful, but my advice might not always be the best for everyone and I hate to call it advice, it’s just a little bit I know trying to be helpful.

We have to keep the reputation of the forum and Jim in mind as well. Illegal and/or bad advice not only needs to be nipped in the bud, it MUST be. It's nothing against you.

As an aside, I have two dead refrigerators that I haven't been able to get rid of because of the refrigerant issue. I've been to busy to really actively pursue it but the few calls I made, appliance companies don't want to be bothered. And the scrap yard won't take them without a tag saying that the refrigerant has been removed.

 

[sgtsandman]

Ok, catch up time. Here is the pictures from yesterday's work.

House side of the tarp and the end running over the rafters are screwed down.

The front end has been laced to the frame.

And the other side has been secured.

 

[sgtsandman]

Today's work. The carport, porch enclosure panels, and the associated windbreaks, etc are installed. As wells as the cords run for the block heaters and lighting. I just need to hand truck the salt bin to the front porch and dig out the snow shovel and snow broom.

The side is laced down.

The cords for the back of the tarp. They secure the tarp and allow the rear of the tarp to lift so it acts like a pressure relief valve when it is very windy. I think this setup is part of the reason the carport has never been blown over or had the tarps ripped to shreds. It also helps that I have some of that sun blocking mesh in a couple of the rafters to act as a gust apron.

All ready for winter

 

[CamTheHedgehog]

Well... after washing the truck I went to Walmart to get some random sundries I needed.

Come out from the Walmart and there's a political ad, in the form of a plasticky business card, absolutely BURIED between the window seal and my window. Don't think much of it, other than "why didn't they put it under the wiper like every other flyer ever", but remove it anyway and go home.

Get back, get out of the truck, and notice something funny on the window seal where the card was jammed.

Upon further inspection, I find some decent damage to the seal. The soft, more foam-like rubber on the inside had been scraped off, and there was a tear about 1/8-1/4in long on the exposed part of the window seal. Some of the rubber material was even left on the card when I looked at it again.

These window seal/trim pieces are $50 each, plus the pain they are to install.

I sent a somewhat disgruntled but polite complaint to the campaign, and if they don't compensate me I might be filing a report with the local police, not sure how far I want to go for $50. But I also kind of want to prove a point, keep your hands off my property. Send me mailers, run ads, whatever. Just DON'T touch my Ranger!

EDIT: Yes, I left out the name of the candidate because I don’t like talking politics here, or online at all. (Doesn’t capture the necessary nuance) And no, I won’t tell you even if you ask.

 

[bobbywalter]

yeah ... fawk.

Well... after washing the truck I went to Walmart to get some random sundries I needed.

Come out from the Walmart and there's a political ad, in the form of a plasticky business card, absolutely BURIED between the window seal and my window. Don't think much of it, other than "why didn't they put it under the wiper like every other flyer ever", but remove it anyway and go home.

Get back, get out of the truck, and notice something funny on the window seal where the card was jammed.

Upon further inspection, I find some decent damage to the seal. The soft, more foam-like rubber on the inside had been scraped off, and there was a tear about 1/8-1/4in long on the exposed part of the window seal. Some of the rubber material was even left on the card when I looked at it again.

These window seal/trim pieces are $50 each, plus the pain they are to install.

I sent a somewhat disgruntled but polite complaint to the campaign, and if they don't compensate me I might be filing a report with the local police, not sure how far I want to go for $50. But I also kind of want to prove a point, keep your hands off my property. Send me mailers, run ads, whatever. Just DON'T touch my Ranger!

EDIT: Yes, I left out the name of the candidate because I don’t like talking politics here, or online at all. (Doesn’t capture the necessary nuance) And no, I won’t tell you even if you ask.

i am soooooo gonna trs flyer your windshield wipers to deathh.....were talking 1989 new york city phone book thick.....

 

[bobbywalter]

yeah.....help fix the oil leak.....

not even half way there.

 

[CamTheHedgehog]

yeah ... fawk.



i am soooooo gonna trs flyer your windshield wipers to deathh.....were talking 1989 new york city phone book thick.....

I may regret this, but challenge accepted. Next year at whatever the event is

 

[JoshT]

Well... after washing the truck I went to Walmart to get some random sundries I needed.

Come out from the Walmart and there's a political ad, in the form of a plasticky business card, absolutely BURIED between the window seal and my window. Don't think much of it, other than "why didn't they put it under the wiper like every other flyer ever", but remove it anyway and go home.

Get back, get out of the truck, and notice something funny on the window seal where the card was jammed.

Upon further inspection, I find some decent damage to the seal. The soft, more foam-like rubber on the inside had been scraped off, and there was a tear about 1/8-1/4in long on the exposed part of the window seal. Some of the rubber material was even left on the card when I looked at it again.

These window seal/trim pieces are $50 each, plus the pain they are to install.

I sent a somewhat disgruntled but polite complaint to the campaign, and if they don't compensate me I might be filing a report with the local police, not sure how far I want to go for $50. But I also kind of want to prove a point, keep your hands off my property. Send me mailers, run ads, whatever. Just DON'T touch my Ranger!

EDIT: Yes, I left out the name of the candidate because I don’t like talking politics here, or online at all. (Doesn’t capture the necessary nuance) And no, I won’t tell you even if you ask.

I'm scratching my head as to which window seal they damaged. Are you talking about the rubber molding around the windshield? If so where are you finding it for $50. I've been wondering about replacing that without removing the windshield. Mine is pretty weathered and rough after 25 years, and want to replace it when I eventually repaint the truck.

I think you handled it right. Unless it was a real small time local candidate, it's unlikely that the campaigner caused the damage. The campaign probably has a bunch of distributors that they pay a few bucks a day to run around and throw those ads on cars. Unfortunately, your complaint will most likely fall on deaf ears. Even if the compaign managers take it seriously and brief the distributors, they aren't watching them full time.

I completely agree with about don't touch my ride though. Send mailers, hand out flyers, post road signs if you must, but don't mess with my property.

 

[JoshT]

yeah ... fawk.



i am soooooo gonna trs flyer your windshield wipers to deathh.....were talking 1989 new york city phone book thick.....

I may regret this, but challenge accepted. Next year at whatever the event is

Oh boy...

Bobby, if you send me the flyer I can slowly start printing them off on the machines at work. By this time next year we can have a few reams worth ready to go. Forget the windshileld wipers, we'll cover the whole truck.

Disclamer: If my employer is reading this, I'm joking of course. I'm not going to waste company resources like that. Y'all (the federal government) already do a good enough job of that on your own.

 

[racsan]

Back when political flyers were a thing here Id remove wiper blades so they couldn’t leave their trash on my vehicle. One time I caught someone about to leave a flyer & yelled at them.

 

[CamTheHedgehog]

I'm scratching my head as to which window seal they damaged. Are you talking about the rubber molding around the windshield? If so where are you finding it for $50. I've been wondering about replacing that without removing the windshield. Mine is pretty weathered and rough after 25 years, and want to replace it when I eventually repaint the truck.

I think you handled it right. Unless it was a real small time local candidate, it's unlikely that the campaigner caused the damage. The campaign probably has a bunch of distributors that they pay a few bucks a day to run around and throw those ads on cars. Unfortunately, your complaint will most likely fall on deaf ears. Even if the compaign managers take it seriously and brief the distributors, they aren't watching them full time.

I completely agree with about don't touch my ride though. Send mailers, hand out flyers, post road signs if you must, but don't mess with my property.

It’s the seal/molding at the bottom of the driver’s side window, not the windshield. I should have been more specific.
If it was the windshield seal/trim thing, that’s probably a whole different animal.

And I can say with confidence that it wasn’t the candidate themselves who caused the damage, which is why I probably won’t chase this far. $50 is only worth so much of my time, and I was going to replace them eventually anyway.

 

[bobbywalter]

bad day today ..sadness. RIP Rocky.

i couldn't be more grateful..for such a fine animal.


Rocky was a service level animal and has been at my side for 6 years and actually saved my life one time.

the vast majority of people can never understand that level of trained working animal that only lives to serve you.

most people that meet me dont even know i am crippled up as i get around pretty good half the time.

the very few days he was not with me of the 6 plus years i was blessed to have his presence, he was with my daughter getting vet care where she worked ... then at home with my wife.... recently young bob had him for two days....

less then 40 days total separation in 6 years. he traveled all over this country with me wherever i went ...bar restaurant.... hospital....


life definitely wont be the same.

 

[Curious Hound]

So sorry for your loss. Anybody who knows dogs and saw the 2 of you together could sense the bond and realize how great he was. You gave him a great life and it showed.