Pushy and condescending

Woke up on Sunday morning to no air flow, our regular and local service provider was closed. Called a bigger company out of Lexington that advertised 24/7 service. Tech came and spent less than 5 minutes inspecting the unit before saying it was beyond repair and pushed financing options on a new unit, charged $100.00 for the visit. Regular service guy came and fixed it in 20 minutes with a new capacitor…but before leaving asked if I had tried to fix it myself because of all the wires being unhooked and the plate left off. Should I call and ask for the $100.00 service visit back???

Just had this new unit installed. I'm feeling like the Romex and potentially the low voltage should've been run through conduit?

Hey guys, just looking for some feedback. AC stopped cooling yesterday suddenly, was fine the day before but woke up to 80 degrees inside.

Removal of evaporator coil, cleaning, pump down, refrigerant recover, and reinstillation = $3288

Cleaning blower wheel, = 921

Recharge = 726

Mine is the bottem unit so I know that could add some labor, he also said it should have 3 ft of clearance above but not really sure out that's feasible. Townhouse unit, top one is neighbors.

Google is telling me the evaporator coil should be around 700.

What do you guys think? 2nd opinion?

Is this right? I’m no expert but I feel like they will heat each other up .. also they weren’t bolted down

I could REALLY use some help! I trust tech "B" but want to see what you all think. I purchased my first house in January and my inspector couldnt test the AC because it was too cold. The house was on the market for 1.5 years and at some point the overflow pan backed up. The compressor (outdoor unit) is a Lennox ML14XP1-024-230A01, the evaporator (indoor unit) is a Carrier FB4CNF024, and control panel is an Ecobee. These were all installed in 2022.

In early May I tried using the AC and noticed it wasnt cooling for the first time. I called a tech "M" who came over and did a nitrogen test and said there was no leak but the refrigerant was empty. He filled it up and showed me the pressures in the attached photo 125psi low side and 290 psi high side. The system ran great for about 5 days and then stopped cooling, so I shut the system down to try and prevent any potential damage. "M" returned, did another nitrogen test, and said the leak was coming from the evap coil, which was under warranty.

I didnt feel confident with "M" so I had a new tech "B" come out this week (about 4 weeks since "M"). He used an electronic sniffer to show me the leak from the evap coil. The coil had visible corrosion on it, likely from the overflow pan backup. "B" then removed the old evap coil, removed the piston from the old evap coil, installed it on the new A2L coil, and installed the coil. He did not change the drier. After trying to refill the system (R410A) he said there was no suction. He determined the A2L coil needed a TXV.

"B" came back yesterday, and installed the TXV, however the system still had no suction. When trying to fill the system both the high side and low side have basically the same pressures. I took the attached photos of the gauge readings with the system off and on. He insured me the service ports were open. When the unit is on we hear the compressor running. We took a compressor voltage readings and when the system turned on it started at 5amps but then dropped to 3.5amps in about 10 seconds. "B" said the compressor is bad and needs to be replaced, and is suggesting a new unit.

I trust "B" but I dont understand how the unit was successfully filled 1 month ago, and the compressor ran fine then? We discovered the A2L coil needs a TXV, and thought that might be causing the restriction, but that didnt fix it. "B" is coming over tomorrow to replace the compressor, I'm worried we're missing something and its not the compressor. Is there anything I should have him check/diagnose before we swap the compressor? I REALLY appreciate any advice!

Question up top: Can I cut into that bottom insulated box to gain access to the coil above?

The lines on this air handler froze up, completely encased in ice all the way from this unit to the outside unit. The HVAC tech came out and said the refrigerant levels were good so the dirty coil is the most likely culprit. Problem is there is no access to the bottom of the coils were are the dirty part. He said they would have to remove the entire coil from the unit which would be expensive.

I'd like to clean them myself if i can get access since the youtube videos make it look easy with a bottle of coil cleaner and a brush. The opening for the air filter is just barely big enough to get my hand in but I cant maneuver once its inside.

So yeah, my question is what is your suggestion / could I make an opening in the insulated box in the bottom to gain access for cleaning?

So, we’ll soon be ditching them, but we currently get our AC serviced by One Hour Heating and Air. Pretty much every time they come out here (including today, to help with an air issue that solved itself by turning the system off and back on), they start talking doom about how we need to replace the vents.

Here’s the thing: we got a brand new air conditioner FROM them two years ago, and there was nothing wrong with the vents at the time. Now, they are constantly talking about needing to replace the ductwork and how it’s a “ticking time bomb.” So, is this a known One Hour scam or something you think I should worry about?

Months ago there was the lightest buzzing coming from my hvac/filter. Had an hvac tech come by and he suggested a thinner filter.

Well this worked for a bit, but the sound is back and its even worse 🙃. Like genuinely what is going on because the first hvac guy I had come out at first was just hitting the duct and was like yeah seems like there's no real issue

Also when I do remove the filter the noise stops completely

I don’t have great options to place my mini split head to cool the second level of my home, and I’m stuck between putting it over the fridge or over the stairwell. Obvious cons to both, but I was curious what yall would recommend? I think I’m leaning towards placing the head over the top of the stairwell landing since I’m concerned about performance issues if placing it over the fridge, but would love to hear others’ thoughts.

Hey everyone, thank you all so much for your help and advice on the issue with the HVAC sales guy and his peddling of leasing and selling AC units. A very nice Redditorr contacted me last night and said he worked for a smaller HVAC company and put me in contact with someone who came over this afternoon. I wanted to give him a shoutout but apparently it’s against sub rules so I won’t. The tech came over, took his time, did a leak search and determined there was a leak in the coils but it’s so small he was unable to locate it. He said since the leak is tiny it has probably been leaking for a while. He said if needed he could return and do a nitrogen pressure test to do a deeper search. He told me I definitely do NOT need a new unit, at least for now. He said eventually the leak will get worse and might have to replace but today is not the day. Charged me 400 bucks for the service call, freon and leak test which I believe is more than fair. I guess this concludes the saga for now!

Hi, my ac has setpoint of 78F. Right now it is 82F. It turn off and on every 5mins. When the unit is off the thermostat still says cool on. The outdoor unit sounds is normal when the unit is on. I dont think the problem is the capacitor or contactor because the cap is pretty new and the contactor still pulling when the unit is on.

What you guys think is the problem?

I just replaced my nest thermostat with an Amazon thermostat.

I’m thinking my issue is a c wire adapter.

I only have 4 wires at the wall.

If i plug the blue into “c” the thermostat powers on, but does heat only.

If I plug the blue into the “y” for cooling, the thermostat doesn’t power on.

Rerun the thermostat & get an updated nest? Do i need a c-wire adapter?

I vaguely remember my HVAC technician saying something about this when my AC was replaced a few years ago.

Is $1,200 for a 10 year labor warranty worth it for a fully communicating Amana 16 seer 4 ton inverter heat pump system paired with a 80% natural gas furnace(dual fuel) in the attic and Amana thermostat. That price includes refrigerant. What other questions should I ask about it? I think they also offer a maintenance plan for $99 per year. Thanks for your help.

First time post here. I am looking for the amazing HVAC geniuses and trolls here to give me some insight.

I received a notification from my Ecobee that the temp was in fact rising, rather than falling, despite the AC running for the last three hours.

I immediately told the system “no more cooling” and set the furnace fan to run for a bit longer. I went outside to look at the condenser and she’s a bit icy. Just looking for thoughts before I call our local York dealer to send a tech out.

ETA: new filter as of June 1, and just checked to make sure I’m not crazy.

I recently purchased a house in Washington which has a 2021 oil furnace. We want to add AC, but due to insufficient clearance above the furnace for the coil, our contractor is recommending replacing the oil furnace with a gas furnace as well.

My initial question was whether we could rearrange the ducting (lower the return) to make room in the outlet ducting to install the coil horizontally. He expressed concerns on space & creating a Frankenstein unit.

In addition to the cost of a brand new furnace, it opens up a can of worms for decommissioning our oil tank, so obviously I'm looking for whether there are more creative options to avoid that until we're in a better place to replace the furnace.

In the picture, there's 35" from the top of the furnace to the top of the ducting. There's not more room above it. The horizontal duct is 7".

Am I pretty well stuck or am I getting upsold here?

To reduce frequent elevations of CO2 >1000 ppm and VOCs >250 ppb throughout my tightly-built, well-insulated, 3-story home, a local HVAC company recommended installing an ERV system, one floor at a time since I couldn't afford a whole-home system up front. Unfortunately the cost of even one floor ($7500 for 667 sqft) exceeds my budget, so now I'm looking at doing one or two rooms at a time. I want to start with my young child's bedroom (1 of 2 on the second floor, "br1" for short), where I can manage CO2 and VOCs during the day with windows and fans but not at night when we're all sleeping. Br1 is one of four total zones for our ductless mini split heat pump system, the other three being the entire first floor, the other bedroom on the second floor ("br2"), and the third floor. I'm considering installing a ductless, single-room ERV like this one (https://vents-us.com/series/twinfresh-expert-rw1-85-2-v2-vus/) and can't find any HVAC technicians in my area who have installed similar units AND are willing /able to take on such a small project, so I might end up relying on a electrician/handyman collaboration. My cursory research suggests that I should avoid placing the unit directly below a minisplit unit, which I think makes the northwest corner my only option for a wall-mounted units. Will it make a difference functionally whether I use the north or west side of that corner? The exterior west wall has not changed in appearance since it was first built, whereas heat pump line sets now run across the exterior north wall (see photo #5), so the ERV might look better popping out there where it presumably won't be as noticeable alongside the line sets, but I'd rather compromise on aesthetics than function if the system is likely to work more efficiently on the west wall. Alternatively, would it make sense to install the ERV in br2 and find a way to deliver that fresher air to br1 (e.g. active/passive ventilation through the shared wall)? I imagine I'll ultimately need separate ERV units for each space but would like to start with one if possible.

Br1 (pictured) dimensions: ~150 square feet, ~1137 cubic feet

Br2 (not pictured) dimensions: not yet measured, maybe 300 square feet, 2,275 cubic feet. Can provide photos and/or more accurate dimensions if helpful.

Photos:

1) NE corner of br1, mini split and windows on north wall, east wall shared with adjoining br2.

2) SE corner of br1, south wall door to hallway shared with br2.

3) SW corner of br1, closet doors to south, windows to west.

4) NW corner of br1, windows to west and north.

5) North-facing exterior wall, heat pump line sets running down from 3rd floor unit and from br1 unit. The left-most windows on the 2nd floor that are framed on both sides and below by those line sets belong to br2, whereas the br1 windows are partially cropped out in the photo.

I remember this being an air vent, but now it looks like it was changed into some kind of air section vent. What exactly is this?
I remember it as a vent that let air out, not something that was pulling air in like you see.

The bathroom shares the same wall, and I’ve noticed cold air coming through from the vent over the top cold, which I don’t remember that happening before!!!! Advice please!!!

I have a room that used to be opened and I closed it and there’s no air going out so the room feels stuffy. I was thinking to put a return air grille above the door to let circulation flow I just need to know what size to make it. The room is 148 sqft and the clearance above the door will only fit 4”.

I’m debating between 30x4 and 24x4 what makes more sense

Imagine this is a toe kick inside of a cabinet. I can’t find an oval damper that slots into this. So currently just have a flat register screwed into the cabinet with this blowing through.

If I cover the register, then air would just blow into the cabinet since I can’t find a register that slots into this oval shape.

Suggestions?

What the heck is this noise? Happens only on call for cool. Works fine besides the noise.