HVACR Videos Q and A livestream originally aired 12/14/2020 @ 5:PM (west coast time) where we will discuss my most recent uploads and answer questions from the Chat, YouTube comments, and email’s.
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Foreign, so, ah, it's time to chill out and get ready for a mediocre q, a live stream if you're old enough grab yourself your favorite adult beverage and if you're not stick with apple juice, put your feet up and relax. If you have any questions feel free to ask them in the chat and now, let's queue up the intro music yo yeah. I was messing with the mic just trying to see if you guys could guess what that was, that ratcheting sound going back and forth back and forth. I'm super stoked like a little kid, because you know i can't wait for christmas or people to get me gifts or anything like that.

I just kind of get what i want when i want it and i placed a stupid big order for canipix wrenches um. Actually, saturday, and surprisingly, they came today - i didn't expect them to come today, so i'm super stoked right now. So before the thing i was messing with the knipex wrenches, making the sound so um. The plan is, let's see, and it's funny too, because i'm gon na play a video uh.

Well, actually, no, i'm not gon na show that part of the video so never mind. Forget that scratch that i am gon na play a video during the stream. But it's not gon na show these but um yeah. I picked up a bunch of canipic stuff like right there, it's kind of sad but that's like 300 worth of wrenches right there, but uh yeah.

I have the super nice cobra wrenches right here, gon na replace my channel locks, i'm super stoked about those one of the guys that works with me has a nice set of these. So i'm super happy about those and then uh these right here right here. I plan - let's, let's hope, but i plan on these replacing my adjustable crescent wrenches. So super nice, let's, let's hope right there but yeah.

These are stupid, stupid, expensive, it's kind of funny, uh naka fire and security connor. Thank you so very much for that super chat, but um. I i noticed that you do those regularly. That's really nice of you connor, i'm i'm super humbled by it.

I really do appreciate it. So thank you guys very much um, but yeah. I got a whole bunch of different ones right here, so hopefully these will replace some uh of my my bigger crescent wrenches and stuff too so yeah, i'm super stoked about these, and it was actually better to get them in little kits so got these ones too. It just came in like three packs and then i bought an extra seven inch, one so super nice right here, all right, yeah, it's very, very cool.

I'm super excited about that. I've also got some really interesting wire strippers that they have. They have some really interesting wire strippers that go in and strip the wire straight, like you pull it out, so we'll see and it's like a little mechanical plier type tool. So i ordered those two, but those didn't come today.

So hopefully those will come soon, but hopefully you guys are doing great um. I'm super happy over here. Work is kind of slow, but hey i'm blessed to be healthy right. I guess that's the way to go about it.
So um. Let me see what we got in here. I don't see a replacement, torque, wrench i'll, never replace the torque wrench on my elbow. The torque wrench on my elbow is perfectly calibrated.

There's no need to replace that it clicks right when it needs to like legit. My elbow clicks all right, so as usual guys, i got a whole list of things i want to talk about. I definitely want to cover the questions that you guys have in the chat too, and do me a favor and let me see uh all right cool. We did that.

Do me a favor and uh, if you guys have questions or things that you want me to cover in the chat as usual put them in caps lock. It helps myself and the moderators to make sure that i see them. Okay and as usual, if i don't answer your question right away, just keep reposting it until myself or one of the moderators tells you to stop. Okay, sometimes there's a lot of stuff going on, and i just can't look at the chat a million times.

So let me see what we got going on in here. Brian m loves strippers and i love dykes. So it's all good man, my dikes, have become my strippers now so because i actually lost my strippers and i've been using my dikes as my strippers. So it's really cool yeah, all right um.

What is on my agenda today, as usual, just got a bunch of stuff i need to cover and then uh just talking about the videos and stuff that i released. So, while we're talking about that, i had two videos since the last live stream. As usual: okay um, the two videos uh the beer walking keeps tripping the breaker. That was the one where i made the mistake and reset the breaker before i checked the uh for a direct short on the line voltage side and there ended up being a direct short on the line voltage side.

So that was an interesting one um and then the walking cooler install on startup was the other one. So a couple questions about both of those videos that i want to go ahead and dive into here in just a second. So let me see, uh hamilton says it is jessica. Egan's birthday, we'll help you happy birthday, jessica, egan, happy birthday.

All right. Can i tell us about typical hvac questions in a job interview. Victor munoz is asking typical hvac questions in a job interview. Well, first off a job interview typically is going to be a way to gauge your personality.

Okay, so there's probably going to be hvac questions and there majority of the time you might do multiple interviews, usually on the first uh verbal, like phone interview or in-person interview. They're typically, sometimes they'll lump them all into one, but a lot of times, they're going to just do questions trying to judge your character whether or not you're teachable. What kind of experience you have that kind of stuff and then, as it goes further within the interview they might put in certain particular scenarios in front of you asking what you're going to do now as far as someone who doesn't have any experience getting into hvac? Just be honest: don't try to fib anything, don't try to make yourself seem any better than you really are just be upfront. Hey.
I just got out of school. If that's the case, you know whatever it is, but i mean no matter what your skill level is. Just be bluntly, honest and be sure to tell them things that you're not comfortable with okay, hey, you know what i don't have a lot of experience in refrigeration, i'm really interested in learning, but i just don't have the experience. You know you need to be upfront and honest people are looking for that.

It helps to give them an idea what kind of character you have if you're, upfront and honest with them. Okay, certainly there's all. I could talk for hours on job interviews, so just feel free. If you got any more questions, send me an email at hvacrvideos gmail.com, and maybe i can answer a little bit more.

Okay, all right, um. You need to tip my strippers. Well, apparently, someone came in and took my strippers because they just disappeared out of their their normal place like where they're stored they just disappeared. So i don't know what happened to my strippers, i'm kind of frustrated with that, but you know hey.

It is what it is: i've been using my dikes as my stripper replacement, and you know just kind of go with it: uh, so you're, working on a walk-in with 60 degree, section in 275, high side, any side, not maintaining temps, first and foremost jameson. The first thing i'm going to tell you is those pressures mean absolutely nothing to me. Okay, what means something to me is the saturation temperatures, okay, what the ambient temperature is and what your box temperature is uh. If you tell me the box temperature, if you tell me the ambient temperature and then you tell me the saturation temperatures of the refrigerant on the high and the low side, then we can kind of gauge a little bit more.

Okay, there's a lot more that you need to look into. Does the system have a receiver? Does it have an expansion valve? Does it have a clear sight glass? Does it have a head pressure control valve? That's a really loaded question so feel free to send me an email to hvacr videos gmail.com, and we can get into it a little bit more. Okay, all right be, who you are, that is exactly it like ray ray said. You need to be who you are don't be anybody you're not be completely honest and be open.

You know and remember something without getting an attitude. You are interviewing the company just as much as they are interviewing you, okay, so you need to ask the right questions that tells you about that. Company too now remember to ask those questions at the right time. Oftentimes.

You know they're going to have a list of questions for you and then they'll say hey. Do you have any questions for us? Then you need to start asking your questions. You know, what's the pay structure, you know, how often do you pay? What kind of benefits do you guys offer just that kind of stuff? Okay, so just remember interviews can be nervous. Okay, you can you, can i mean they can be stressful, i should say, and people can tend to get nervous and that's okay, but remember: okay, try not to get too worked up about it.
Just go in there be the honest person that you are shake their hands stare. You know stare at them. I mean, if you go in for an in-person interview these days, shake their hands, look them in the eyes and answer their questions clearly and honestly, and you should do just fine okay. If the interview doesn't work out and they don't hire you, then it wasn't meant to be okay.

It's just plain and simple, like that: okay, there's gon na be a place for you and sometimes there's places that it's just not gon na be a great fit and that's not the end of the world. Okay, just keep in mind, you don't have to get hired at the very first place that you interview so um. Where did i buy the wand that i rinse the coils with or what is it called so i bought it at lowe's home improvement. It's made by orbit, it's just a wand that you buy in the garden section, okay, so nothing fancy.

The reason why i like the one from lowe's is because, on the end of it, is all rubber. So if it runs across the condensers, it doesn't necessarily destroy them. If you go to home depot, they have some wands too. That do multiple features, but a lot of times they're like a hard plastic.

I, like the one, the orbit one from lowe's, because it has like a rubber material, so it kind of protects the condensers um. You know in a way so sitting here with your wife watching on tv, and she says: why is he talking about strippers and dikes, because strippers and dikes are really important tool to an hvac service technician. So just remember that, okay, all right um, all right. Can you get a scroll compressed, kenny scroll, compressor, get locked up, sure it's a mechanical moving motor with a valve or scroll assembly attached to it? Okay hold on so i've got a scroll set right here: okay, they fit together and if i can get it in there and it's a moving part that sits there and moves okay and if the scroll assembly, if something gets stuck in there, if a piece of The scroll, which is very rare, breaks off or if something gets stuck down in the motor on the shaft.

Yes, a scroll compressor certainly can get locked up. Okay, it is a mechanical part and it does happen. Alright, you can have bearing failures. You can have all kinds of issues within a scroll compressor, so keep that in mind.

It definitely can be locked up. Do i think, there's any more room for hvac youtubers chris young is asking well certainly that there's room for hvac youtubers, okay, but you have to understand something that um. I think a lot of people want to make youtube videos and they think that it's going to be this instant success and that it's going to blow up and all this different stuff um, that's not how it happens. Okay uh, my channel definitely grew very fast, but in the grand scheme of things it has now been three years.
I think on youtube. Okay and i've been extremely fortunate in the way that i am, but i'm just about to hit a hundred thousand subs. The subs really don't mean anything, that's the number that everybody pays attention to, but realistically that really doesn't mean much uh. Once you get past a few milestones, which is when you're able to monetize and stuff like that, it's really about the views and the watch time.

But that's a whole nother conversation, but is there room for more hvac youtubers sure there is because we need more people sharing their knowledge, but at the same time you have to know how to leave the drama at home, how to not be rude and just nitpick. On certain manufacturers and people i mean certainly i'm human - i i've said some things about manufacturers. You know hey this frustrates me, but again i try to be as open as honest about things: okay, so um yeah. I certainly think that there's more room for hvac youtubers, but just don't expect instant success, don't expect that channel to blow up or anything like that, because it's going to take a long time um.

I certainly have been fortunate, but you know that's not how it always happens. It doesn't always explode like that. So all right, hopefully i'll get on to something else. I got asked what component? What other component would you change when replacing a condenser fan motor god asked what other component would you change when we play a capacitor, i i don't know where you're going with that one i mean possibly condenser fan blade depending on the equipment and the shape of It um all right, so let me go um to my list of things to talk about and let's go ahead and uh.

One thing i wanted to cover real quick. You know i'm always preaching about the big picture. Okay, the big picture - diagnosis, uh, big picture repair, quotes things like that, okay, but it's really important to understand you know just because i'm thorough in my own way. I know i'm a peculiar person and um.

I think it's just kind of in my dna. The way that i analyze things and all that fancy stuff - okay, but just because i'm thorough - and just because i do a big picture - diagnosis and give a big picture quote - doesn't necessarily mean that the customer is going to approve that big picture quote. Okay, you understand that, so i always try to do my best and give all the information that way. I can cover my basis to make sure that i give an accurate diagnosis as to what the problem is, of course, when you're digging into something you want to find the problem, not the symptom right, because you can always find symptoms.
A failed compressor is a symptom. A failed compressor is not necessarily a problem. Okay, there's a very small minute percentage of compressors that just fail, but usually compressors are murdered. Okay, so that's why a compressor failure is a symptom and not necessarily a problem.

Okay, the problem may be something as simple as an expansion valve failure or an overcharge or an under charge, or lack of maintenance. Okay, so big picture diagnosis is when you look at everything and do your best now, you don't always find the exact cause, but do your best to find everything that could potentially be wrong with the problem at that moment at hand, understanding that, if you walk up For the very first time to a service call - and you find out that you have a grounded compressor you're, not necessarily going to be able to give them a big picture quote because you don't know what caused that compressor to fail. If you don't have history on the equipment? Okay, so you do your best to make some educated guesses. Now me personally, when i have a grounded compressor on a system that i'm not super familiar with, or even if i am familiar with it, especially like an air conditioning system, more than likely they're going to get a in the quote.

It's going to be to replace the expansion valve the refrigerant uh, adding a suction line, filter, dryer, purging the system and changing the liquid line, filter dryer and putting a hh core spoiling hh core to try to get the wax from the acid burnout out. Okay, that's going to be my my best educated guess essentially as to you know, try to solve the problem, but there's going to be a caveat in that big picture quote so that way the customer understands. Look we need to do all this. We need to change all these parts and then we're going to diagnose and see if there's anything else, wrong.

Who knows, maybe they've got poor airflow and it's been running with really low superheat for a very long time because of the poor airflow and it you know, washed the oil out of the compressor okay. So you you just understand that the customer is not necessarily always going to go for the big picture quote. Okay, so you do your best to give them the information. At least this is the way i handle it.

I always do my best to give them all the information, give them my recommendations and then they say you know what no that's a bit too much. We don't want it to cost that much. Well then i say: okay, here's the minimum repair. We can change the compressor in the dryer and move on, but understand, there's not going to be a warranty, and you know here lay it all out to him.

Okay, so, and it doesn't have to be a fight, it doesn't have to be a hostile conversation. It just has to be a look here. This is how it is we do this. We do this, we do this or we only do this.

Then you're not going to have warranty on this or you know. However, it may be okay, but just understand, there's not always necessarily going to be an approval for a big picture quote: okay, all right! Let me see what we got inside the chat here. Um, you didn't end up working there. Okay, what am i going on here? Okay support, oh i'm.
I understand what you're saying uh you're saying: capacitor was the correct answer. You didn't end up working there. Oh okay, so you're you're, saying that was an interview question. I got you okay uh, you know, but i don't know that.

That's quite necessarily a fair interview. Question i mean, because is the capacitor always necessarily bad? No, but is it a good practice? I guess it would have been how you answered the question. It's always a good practice that when you're changing a condenser fan motor that you change a capacitor and the reason why is um? Actually, it's kind of an archaic rule of thumb that we do, because now that we have super highly advanced meters, we can actually test capacitors and different things. But i mean i'm going off on a ramble anyways as we go, so i'm gon na go ahead and get back to this.

So all right, let's see um so as a owner partner of a company. What would i do different now? Looking back when we first went in with my father, hmm, that's a good question. Probably taken some business classes learn more about the operations of a business in the beginning, especially when you know we really partnered up understanding and then implementing a very good employee handbook, with rules and consequences and rewards for good and bad behavior. When it comes to technicians and service people - okay in the beginning, that would have been best because since then you know we don't necessarily do all of that and sure we can implement it these days.

But it's always a struggle to um to deal with things because there's times that we don't address issues when people have call backs, and then it just compounds and pisses me off and then i bottle it up and i don't necessarily address it and then something silly Happens and then i snap and then you know, problems happen so um you know, implementing proper procedures from the beginning would have been the best thing and obviously being trained in business from the beginning. Uh would have been a smart move for me all right. Let me see what else we got going on in here: uh, you've learned over the past couple years. Okay, i got you uh.

What would i say is the best refrigerant to get to negative 90. Oh hvacr whiz. I have no idea dude. I don't know the pressure temperature relationships, it's not necessarily the best refrigerant, but it's going to be an oil return problem.

If you get down to negative 90., i don't even know if that's possible, but getting in the low temperatures is when you start having oil return problems. So that's where you need to be really critical is to make sure that you have the right lubricant in the system that way it can actually travel and or you have oil separators and different things like that to protect the lubricant. So that way it doesn't leave the compressor um. You know that would be the biggest issue.
I would imagine, but i don't work on any uh ultra lows again. Negative 90 negative 90 seems extremely low. I don't know what that actual yeah anyways but um. I would imagine the lubrication would be the biggest issue with that so uh.

How often do i use that canon camera behind me uh, not that often at all, that's actually my wife's really inexpensive, uh canon, it's like a t3i, or something like that. I bought that for her a couple years back, so i just used it recently for a picture that i was taking all right. I'm gon na go ahead and get to uh yeah cascade systems, r for ultra low. So i'm gon na get to a couple of my questions, so um great question that i had today - and this is relating to my recent video, where i did a walk-in cooler installation and the question is: why did i not use a drop-in refrigerant for r404a and Instead, i used r448a okay, so some context, if you haven't seen the video uh, the customer supplied their own equipment.

That's a very common thing for me: okay, so the customer supplied their own walking cooler equipment and it already had the expansion valves and the solenoid valves already installed in the equipment, and it was set up for r404a refrigerant, okay, so here in california, technically there's no Police out there enforcing it, but technically we can't use r404a anymore okay because of the high gwp rating and all this fancy mumbo jumbo climate change, all that stuff, okay. So regardless, i really don't have an opinion on the climate change laws and all that stuff. I just it is what it is. The rules.

Are we can't use 404 anymore, okay problem solved, so i had to come up with a solution. The solution was uh. The refrigerant the flavor that i wanted to use was 448a. So here's why i go about choosing refrigerants or how i go about it first off i do a bunch of research talk to the manufacturer, talk to the supply houses, kind of think about things, look into the implications of certain refrigerants.

What's the, how available? Is it what are the costs? Okay, uh, very merging refrigerant, right now becoming very popular in medium temperature? In some low temperature applications is r448a okay. It still is a 400 series refrigerant. So eventually it's going to be gone too, but r448a has been my chosen choice as a replacement for r404a, but the thing is is that it is not a quote-unquote drop-in, refrigerant. Okay, drop-in refrigerant is a loose term that you use and typically or what it exactly means is.

Is that you can change the refrigerant without changing the oil okay, it does not mean you can mix refrigerants. We are not chemists, we don't ever mix refrigerants. It's not right, don't do it! Okay, so the system came set up for 404a and i had to change the expansion valve to convert it to 448a. So why didn't? I just use a drop in refrigerant, a 404 replacement that i wouldn't have to change the oil.
Okay, i don't want to have a bunch of different refrigerants out there. I want to stay consistent with the refrigerants that i have out in the field currently right now. I think i carry six different refrigerants. I think in my van i carry r22 r410a r404 r448a and there's another one.

Actually i guess i only carry five and r290 okay. Those are the five refrigerants that i carry in my van i'm still allowed to use 404a for repairs, we're just not allowed to use it for replacements and retrofit like if you change a compressor, technically you're supposed to change the 404 out to another gas. But that's not always going to happen, so i currently care five refrigerants in my van and two recovery cylinders and i do not oh and i carry 134. So it's six six refrigerants i do not want to have to carry any more refrigerants than i have to.

Okay, so yes, i could find a drop in replacement for r22, but i haven't had the need yet and yes, i could find a drop in replacement for 404, but why? Okay? I continue to use 404 when i can and if i have to change system out or something like that, i'm going to go with 448a and then i'm sticking with 448a for low temp and medium temp. It's just a matter of not wanting to carry a bunch of different refrigerants. In my van now coming out of the 90s, the mid 90s early 2000s, we had a lot of r12s in our r502 systems still out in the field. I still have like very minimal.

Maybe like one or two out there, and when that was the case, we had a lot of drop in refrigerants. There was hot shot. There was 409. 408.

Mp39. Mp66. All these different refrigerants that we were using to replace 502 and r12 okay. So i used to carry a lot of drop in refrigerants.

We had one for 502 one for r12 and you know it was just a pain in the butt. Okay, so the least amount of refrigerants i can carry in my van the better. For me, it's easier there's less mistakes, that kind of stuff, so that's the whole reason why i uh stick with r448a. I don't mind changing expansion valve and also i look at the future.

I remember having all these different replacement refrigerants out there and it was a pain in the butt. If i can go ahead and change the 448a and be good for the next five ten years or whatever, then that's what i'm gon na do and then you know i do my best to change everything to 448a when i can so that way, you know in The future we don't run into these problems, so all right, so let me see what else we got going on in here. I covered that question. I'm gon na mark it off all right um.

Why? Oh so, in my recent video i made a equipment stand out of unistrut, okay, the reason why i did that again, you know check out the video you'll see a little bit more, but the reason why i made that equipment stand was because of the weird peculiar Location and the airflow, so the condensing units were both the same brand. Therefore, the discharge, air and the electrical panels and the refrigeration lines were all on the same sides. In order to put the new equipment there, the discharge air would have blown into the inlet of the condenser of the other unit. So instead i was you know, forced with two decisions: either i make a stand and put the equipment one on top of the other.
Okay, which would have given them more room on their back dock or what i did was made a stand on the second unit that was in front of it. That was high enough that the discharge air goes over the other unit. Okay, that's what i chose to do um. I certainly could have made a stand over the walk-in freezer equipment and put the walk-in cooler over it, and it certainly would have worked, but it would have just made it that much more difficult when changing components.

Condenser fan motors and blades and different things like that. Nobody wants to have their head underneath there with a big heavy condensing unit on the top of it. You know just that kind of stuff. So um, you know they really don't store a hole.

They shouldn't be. Storing a whole lot back there, so that's why i did it that way and why didn't i just buy a pre-made stand. That was actually a question and that was a really good question, because i know in other places you can buy. Pre-Made aluminum equipment stands well.

We don't really have those here, they're not readily available, because we don't elevate our equipment, we're not in hurricane country or anything like that. You know. So we don't have equipment, stands, we don't have snow here, so i certainly could have gotten it, but i mean in the matter of the week and a half from when i got the equipment to when i you know, did the job. I just made the stand out of unistrut okay, and there were certainly mistakes too, by the way that i made with that unistrut stand in hindsight.

The way that i constructed it, i should have put the crossbar on the top. Someone pointed this out in the comments i should have put the crossbar on the top over the sidebars. Instead, i met the sidebars up with the crossbar, so it was even and supported it with l brackets on the inside right there well had i put the crossbar on the top. It would have just been added security that if any of the screws on the bottom ever came loose, it wouldn't fall down right away.

Essentially, okay, so certainly things i could have done better about that. It's funny because, as i'm editing the video, i think i even said it in the video like hey, you know what i should have put a crossbar here or hey. I should have supported it there i mean i still might go back and make some support adjustments, but you know i'm not perfect all right. So i'm going to mark that one off the list and then i'm going to take a look at the chat, real, quick and see what else we got going on in here.
How does changing the refrigerant affect the new equipment warranty and that's a great question mark. I actually wanted to address that one. It's in my list of things, so all right that equipment is not it's not a package unit; okay, it's not like you're buying a carrier package unit with 410a in it. Okay, that was a a factory installed expansion valve, but that equipment is actually spec'd for multi-refrigerant right on the equipment label.

It says it's capable of working with all these different refrigerants, okay, so so long as i stay within the approved refrigerants for that equipment. Essentially, it's just the btu rating okay, but um. You know the refrigerant manufacturers. They don't care as long as as long as the refrigerant mixes with the oil and the compressor correctly and different things like that, it's it's no different to them.

Okay, so no! It did not void any warranties on the equipment uh. Yes, the customer did pay for factory installed components. Um, you know. The the thing is is that when the customer orders the equipment, i tell them hey ship out 448a and they shipped out 404..

So, instead of shipping it back and which i certainly could have just shipped it back or refused it and said it's wrong, it was just easier for me just to change the expansion valve real quick, because i did do some calculations and made sure uh. You know that the expansion, or that the uh, the nozzle and the system was sized correctly there's a lot of stuff. You have to look at it's not just as easy as changing the expansion valve. So keep that in mind.

Um see what else we got in here, uh have i ever worked on a temp start unit uh. I think i might have it's just a icp brand or a carrier knockoff temp star, so i i mean i don't really have anything special to say about it. I'm sure i've worked on one here or there um, let's see uh. You ran a call today on a furnace with a failing heat exchanger four months out from being out of warranty.

They were waiting for it to be out of warranty to sell them a new furnace, oh you're, saying the other company was that's a bummer. You know oftentimes, if you reach out to the manufacturers, they will usually honor that warranty if it's within a certain window, usually four to six months. So if you raise enough of a head, you know fight um, all right, so that answers that one uh. What is the best superheat and sub cool for rooftop units x-ray? Bravo, so that's another question that i have on my list here to cover, so let me mark these off so that way.

I know i already answered that one um and then where's the other one right here um. Why do i where's my? I have that question in here right now? Where is it at um? I have it right here. Well, i'll find it in a minute. So, okay, as far as package units on the roof, x-ray bravo's question is: what's the superheat and sub cooling rules of thumb? Okay? Well, that's actually not an easy question: okay, because everything depends on the equipment manufacturer and how they set up the equipment, all right um.
If you want to know what the super heat should be well, the super heat typically when we're paying attention to superheat on package units is when it has a fixed, orifice, mirroring device. Okay and then you're going to use a target superheat, which is typically based off of the indoor air conditions. So the indoor air conditions, the temperature, the wet bulb the outdoor dry bulb, is going to help you to know what your target superheat should be on. That particular equipment, but you always have to lean on the manufacturer too same thing - goes for the sub cooling.

It depends on the efficiency of the unit and how they set it up. Okay and it is going to change you know, so it's kind of hard to give you an exact rule of thumb. I mean there's general rules of thumb. I don't have them off of the top of my head, but i mean for the most part, your best bet is to weigh the refrigerant in the system.

Start it up. Look at the evaporator temperature for the most part laska. Thank you very much for that. Super chat man, i uh.

Oh that's a bummer laska, that's that's a real big bummer dude! I'm sorry about that! Um that sucks man, my you know, i feel for you dude, but you got to do what you got to do to be able to sleep at night bud so um, i'm sure you're going to sleep better on one aspect, because you feel comfortable. Knowing that you were honest, um but yeah, that's a bummer that you lost your job today, dude so um, but yeah. As far as the rules of thumb, you need to lean on the manufacturer. Pay attention to your condensing temperatures, pay attention to your evaporator temperatures: okay, um! You know, of course, the superheating sub cooling matter, but you really want to lean on the manufacturer to find out what kind of numbers they want to see and then kind of go from there or depending on the indoor conditions too.

Okay, all right um. Let me see what else we got going in here. How does the changing already answered that question um? Let me see what else we have in here. Have i ever already answered that question cool.

I'm answering those ones as we're going along, so um all right. We're going to get to my next thing right here. So i had an old video and i had a really interesting question and i kind of i get this one a lot actually with this video. So i want to cover it because it's been a while a while back, i released a video and it was titled.

The other company couldn't figure this one out either. Okay, so at the beginning of the summer, actually the end of the spring, but right before summer started, i started helping out some customers that were a little bit out of my area. Doing some work, for you know uh one of my restaurant customers, but not my normal restaurants, okay, so locations that were out of my area. But when the first lockdown happened we were slow anyways, so i decided to help him out.
I went in as a second opinion for a really problematic walk-in freezer that they had spent thousands and thousands of dollars of invoices that they paid the other company and the other company couldn't figure it out and it was the silliest problem in the world guys. You definitely need to go watch that video again it's titled, the other company couldn't figure this one out either. Okay, spoiler alert, i'm going to tell you right now the the bottom line the other company had changed. It was a qrc walk and freezer evaporator.

They had changed a transformer, they had changed circuit boards, they had changed, evaporator fan motors multiple times the evaporative fan motors. It had been iced up multiple times. They changed all the sensors in the box. They could not for the life of them figure out why the evaporator kept icing up okay and when i walked in as a fresh set of eyes.

It was really easy once i got it cleaned up and de-iced and went through all the invoicing that they wrote. It was like solving a mystery, i started reading everything and i'm looking, and i was blown away with the amount of money that the customer already paid to the other company bottom line when they did the installation of the equipment. Okay, the drain did not have enough slope on it. In fact, the drain was actually the drain line was actually pushing up on the drain pan in a way that water would never escape the drain pan.

There would always be standing water in there and that water would compound and freeze and continually ice the box up so much that it kept icing up that the fan blades would hit it, and then it would stall the motor out and burn the motors out. Okay - and it happened multiple times the customer, the other company couldn't figure it out. That's why they changed circuit boards and all this different stuff. They realized they miswired it and all these different things, and it was all because the drain wasn't pitched right by like a half of an inch okay.

So i corrected that problem solved so with that video again go check it out. The other company couldn't figure this one out either with that video once i finally figured it out, i said in the video you know when i made it like: hey, they had spent this much. You know all these invoices thousands of dollars and all the comments are always like. Why do i not say what the name of the other service company was? Okay, first off, i'm not a person that comes on here and talks about or names other service companies um.

I have no problem saying hey this. Other service company had an issue because nobody knows who it was. So it's it's really easy for me to say this was the problem. Okay, but - and actually i can tell you that the other service company service technicians watch my videos because they comment on my videos, so the other company knows about this okay.
They know that i made this video regardless. Why did i not go to the customer and say this company did all this and make it plain and simple and spell it out and tell the customer to sue the other company and all this different stuff? Okay, the easiest answer to this guys is bottom line. I was honest with my customer. I just i did not go in there and say the other company screwed up.

They did all this stuff. They did all that blah blah blah. No, all that i did was go in fix the problems, give them a list of problems that i found, and i give that information to the customer, and i let the customer make educated decisions on how they want to proceed from there. It is not my business to play the person that points fingers and says you need to sue them.

You need to not pay these invoices. That's not my business! That's not what i'm here for okay, plus as a service company from experience when you start getting involved with drama and stuff like that, the customer tends to not want to pay you because they want the other service company to pay your invoices. So therefore, i would go a very long time, while the other service company is fighting the customer and i wouldn't get paid okay. So it's easier for me just to keep my opinion out of the matter just give them the facts.

Let them make decisions and make sure that the customer pays me in a prompt matter and what they do after that fact, is their business okay. So i'm not here to go point fingers and push and pull and try to start crap because it just makes it harder for me to get paid. That's the simple answer to it! So, all right, let's see what else we got in this chat right now, um. Why is it in all caps uh, you remember that vid such a waste of money for the customer yeah definitely uh make a video on how to id refrigerant on non-labeled units uh gamma, arman mandires.

I probably butchered your name like crazy. That is definitely a difficult thing to do. I've covered it in other videos before um feel free to send me an email, maybe i'll i'll, have it prepared for the next live stream and i'll cover some quick ways to do that. So hvacr videos at gmail.com all right, uh, a pro, doesn't bad mouth as competitors yeah, you know it's just i just prefer not to get involved in any kind of drama.

Hey guys, i'm going to tell you right now, too, there's a behind the scenes. What you i don't know if you guys know this or not, but behind the scenes there is a bunch of drama on youtube between all hvc people. It's a bunch of negative drama and i choose not to get involved in any of that either. I just i'm not a person that i also came from a time before social media, so i know the younger generation sees social media as a way to like talk crap to people and bully people.
I still like social media is still confusing for me, but i'm just not a person that likes to start crap or be involved in crap. I've got much more important things. I'm busy enough in my own life to have to worry about drama and things like that. So i just keep my nose out of it and let everybody else do their thing.

So all right, um yeah, no need to be pointing fingers. That's that's exactly true, but you do need to be honest. That's the important thing you need to be honest and state. The facts to the customer, you know and then, if they ask you questions well, what's your opinion? My genuine answer will be look.

I you know you guys got to do what you got to do. That is my answer. If the customer says did they do something wrong, you know i i'm not going to get involved in what was wrong and what was right. Here's what i had to fix you guys can make those decisions.

I just let the customer do it. Okay and then they choose to do what they want to do so um. Speaking of how long will i let a customer go on an invoice chris young? Well, it really depends uh. So at the beginning, the first lockdown i had one customer that came to me.

They didn't even ask they just came to me and they said we're not paying you for 90 days, and i said no, you guys need to pay me within 30 days and they said no 90 and i said then i'm not doing your work anymore and it Was a very small customer too, by the way it wasn't one of my giant customers, and so then they were like all right: fine! Well, then, a bunch of stuff happened and they had emergencies and uh, guess what they tried to call other service companies, brand new service companies and say we're not going to pay you for 90 days. They couldn't find nobody to work on their equipment, so guess what? After about back and forth, when they had walk-in, coolers and stuff all kinds of issues down, they finally called me back and got an immediate corporate approval and got me paid within my uh 30 days and then and then, when they came back, they were like. Well, we can only pay you in 60 days and i said no, not gon na happen. Okay, you're going to pay me within 30 days or i'm not going to do your work like plain and simple and they were holding on back invoices and i said, and i'm still not going to do your work until i get the money in hand for the Other invoices, okay, so when you deal with corporations and stuff guys, there's no cod, nobody pays you on the spot uh when you're dealing with corporations, everything's checks and 30 days later and 60 days later and stuff like that.

Okay, so of course we have some bigger customers that um, you know when everything started happening. They pushed us back to 60 days and they're giant customers. So you know we we kind of work with them on that kind of stuff, but when it's a small mom-and-pop you know small operation and they're, not paying me, you know they can pounce in. So we ended up getting back in with them.
They ended up changing the pay rate and we and everything ended up being okay, so clint gascow. Thank you so very much for that. Super chat, bud and his super chat simply says stay positive and that's the truth guys. I was talking with someone in the chat yesterday and i'm going to cover something else that i want to cover too, but between another person on social media.

We were talking about something and the topic of problems comes up and guess what you guys. First world problems. We should be grateful for first world problems. First, world problems are superficial problems like i can't afford this new tool.

Okay, that's a first world problem and the way that i look at it is i'm thankful for my first world problems, and i try to tell this to my kids too. So just remember this we've got crazy stuff going on right now people are getting sick. People aren't working, you know it's horrible, there's some bad stuff in the world going on right now and if it's so petty that i can't afford to buy a tool right now, guys that's a first world problem, and i'm super thankful for that. I'm thankful that my family is healthy cross.

My fingers knock on wood. Whatever i got to do, i'm thankful that my kids have a roof over their head that my kids, i actually worry about this and i was having this conversation with someone recently too. I actually worry about my kids because my kids don't know they have no idea what it's like to do without guys growing up. I didn't live in utter poverty, but growing up i didn't live with my dad.

I lived with my biological mom and it wasn't a good situation. We we went without a lot, okay, um and i know you know in on the smallest scale. I know what it's like to go without and i'll. Never forget that.

But unfortunately - and i mean i'm happy that i can do this for my kids, but my kids will never know what it's like to go without, because i do my best to provide for them and i'm i try my best. So i'm thankful that i can provide for my children very thankful and i'm thankful for my first world problems because uh, like i said, there's so much bad stuff out there so um. I that's that's something i think about. Quite often when i get frustrated or angry or whatever is just like man, you know what, if this is, if this is all of my problems, this simple frustration - or this simple stress i am so lucky you know so just try to keep that in mind.

Okay, i know it's hard because, yes, i can still get frustrated, but all right guys do me a favor uh. We have 361 people in here and 145 likes on the stream smash that, like button, it definitely helps out the stream guys, please, okay, um. What is more, frustrating refrigeration or general hvac, and why is each more or less stressful? Well, for the most part? For me, refrigeration is typically more stressful, especially working in the restaurants, because there's usually a busy kitchen. They call me out there when they're busy.
I have to work in a small cook's line. Cooks are tripping over me, hot fryer. Grease is dripping on me, i'm trying to troubleshoot and do a big picture diagnosis but they're slammed and i'm in their way. So refrigeration can typically be more frustrating than air conditioning for me now in my situation, working on an air conditioner is super easy because you get to go for the most part you get to go up on the roof.

It's wide open, there's! Nobody bothering you! You got all the time in the world, you know refrigeration, your your! You know. People are at your neck, wondering what the heck's going on. When are you going to get out of my way? Kind of stuff? Okay, so for my situation, refrigeration's more frustrating, but i like doing refrigeration more because i find more of a challenge in it personally um. Let me see i already answered that one uh.

So what are what am i buying? First, a ferrari? No, i'm not buying a ferrari. I have no interest in a ferrari, even if i was a multi-millionaire. Just ferraris aren't my cut my type guys. I like tools - i said in the beginning of the stream for those just chiming in right now i was super stoked because i got a really awesome package in the mail today i ordered a bunch of canipix wrenches, pliers and stuff.

So i was super stoked that i got a bunch of those. I was blown away. Those things are ridiculously expensive, but i said it earlier. I'm super stoked because let's hope that it works out, but these guys right here i plan on these being replacements.

For my crescent wrenches in my tool bag, so i hope that it works out the way that i plan it. These things are awesome. They got a narrow jaw on them. They'll work a lot better, changing power heads on spoiling units um, let's see if they work out for me, so i'm super stoked about those um all right.

Let's see what else we got in the chat or i mean in my my stuff. Let me cut cross off this right here, um guys. I want to say something too. I don't think i say this enough.

I know there's a lot of you guys in here that are channel supporters um. Thank you guys so very much to all of you guys that support this channel and guys, even if you don't think you're supporting it, you are you're watching this right now. Okay, just the fact that you're watching it you're giving it a thumbs up. You leave me a comment in this: the live stream chat or a video chat.

That is the biggest support you guys can give me, because if youtube sees that you guys interact with me and like my content, then they show my content to more people which shows my views up and all that stuff. So, thank you guys from the bottom of my heart. Thank you so very much for supporting this channel. It is super humbling.
Now some of you have taken the opportunity to go beyond just a simple watch in the video we have patreon patrons. We have youtube channel members. We have people that super chat in here. You guys are awesome too.

Thank you guys, all so very much okay. Some of you have chosen. If you don't already know that i have merch available too at my website. Hbacrvideos.Com shirts, hats.

Beanies. All that different stuff, you guys, can feel free to check that out for those of you that already have. Thank you guys so very much, and i want to address this right now too. I don't do the best job at thanking you guys.

So if you guys have purchased any merch already, do me a favor tag me on social media, instagram, facebook, whatever send me an email with a picture of you and the merch it doesn't have to be wearing. It show me a picture anything and i'll make sure to give you guys credit on social media, i'm going to try to do a better job of that i'll tag. You guys in it just make sure you put your social media names in there. Okay, so i'm going to try to do that more often.

Thank you guys, all so very much again. This is all so humbling because it just started out with me making videos for my own employees, like literally just showing them like. Look, i'm really peculiar. This is how i like to do things, and then it turned into this thing where you know there's almost a hundred thousand of you guys subscribed to this and the you know it's insane.

So thank you guys, all so very much all right. Now, let's get back to this um, merry christmas to everybody, happy holidays, i'm a merry christmas person! So merry christmas to you, if you don't celebrate christmas, happy holidays, whatever you celebrate, i hope you have a great holiday season. This isn't over! I'm not wrapping this up, but i just went into a tangent um. What's the best superheat and sub coin for rooftops.

Oh, i kinda already said that x-ray. Bravo, there's no exact super hidden sub cooling that you want to follow so um thoughts on my vw bus because you saw one a while ago. So, vw bus is probably one of my dream: cars, i'm not necessarily a vw person per se, but a vw microbus is probably one of my favorite cars, but i kind of want to do a restroom, a resto, mod right. So i would love to have a nice multi-window, vw bus, but with a luxurious interior inside and an upgraded engine like, i would love to have one of those.

The same thing goes for like a 68 shelby like oh, my goodness, that would be a dream. Car of mine, but i definitely would want it to be uh modern inside with creature, comforts and different things like that. That's always been a dream of mine, but a vw bus for sure. Is it gabriel iglesias, i think uh.
I believe. That's the one. I think gabriel iglesias has a huge collection. I think i'm thinking of the right comedian has a huge collection here in california of vw buses.

It's insane uh, i'm envious. When i see some of the things that he drives so all right. Let me see what else we got in here. What does my dad think of my channel merch and all that stuff richard burton, so my dad is super proud.

He's super happy that i'm having fun doing this okay um. I don't treat this like a business guys. You know the videos hvacr videos is a business, it does generate revenue, but i don't treat it like that. I i don't ever want it to become something that i dread there's times that it actually gets that way when it's like.


12 thoughts on “Hvacr videos q and a livestream 12/14/2020”
  1. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars quietone610 says:

    You didn't hear it from me, but a few things you can do to make the Variable Frequency Drive (VFD) safe to use:
    –Get the manual. If it's online, download. Otherwise ask the company. Then thumb through it to find the following:
    –Fuses Recommended. These are the MAX size. They usually allow multiple types of fuse (CC,RK1,J,T); don't go off-type if you can avoid it. Get a Fuse Holder with three spaces. Mark the outside of the holder. with the size of Fuse it is supposed to be.
    –Wire/Cable size. This is MINIMUM Size. You need to ensure you're attaching the grounding wire to the Breaker Box that supplies your circuit. Don't get 'em too small.
    –Air space and ventilation required. Clean air a plus–sand filters necessary in the high desert.
    –IF you are running a single motor load, you don't need downstream Fuses.
    ****If the manual is un-findable, you need to go to the Electrical Code (L.A. County has one, but it's based on the N.E.C., that is, NFPA 70), flip to section 430 for Motors and Motor protection and be ready to calculate all of the above. (430.120-430.131). To sum up:
    –Use the VFD HORSEPOWER rating as your guide for how big a MOTOR you can take.
    –Conductors are computed from the VFD Input Current using section 310. All Wiring at 125% of the Input rating is fine.
    –Fuses based on the MOTOR HORSEPOWER is computed by finding the Full-Load Current (not the motor rated amperage) in Tables 430.250 and 430.249, and multiplying by a factor of 175% of that for Time Delay RK1, T, or J fuses, or by a factor of 300% of that for CC Fuses or Fast-Acting Fuses.
    ***
    Disclaimer: I do not own this Code and this is not my professional advice. If in doubt, trust an electrician or installer. I cannot be responsible for errors or omissions from this summary, and please please please do not come after me if it blows up anyway–I don't know everything.

  2. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars birger knepperud says:

    Love the 80s outro music! Great show! Are you in Barrhaven ?

  3. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars Ronald Youvan says:

    We don't shake hands anymore, we don't bump elbows anymore, we just smile and say good bye. Before we married I told my now wife (of 49½ years) if you want to talk to me, attract my attention first. (she frequently forgets) Tools are lost when they are left in equipment.
    Cupric Oxide is a black scale created by raising the temperature of copper in the presence of air, which can clog system parts so filling all piping with an inert gas (pushing all of the air out) prevents this oxide from being created. Ron W4BIN

  4. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars Kyle Pratt says:

    I’m really wanting a Fieldpiece digital scale or a Milwaukee heated vest!

  5. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars Dave says:

    Chris, the advise you gave for the young person at 59 minutes was priceless. The best advise that I still use to this day. Service area Nepean??

  6. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars Brian Kiehnau says:

    We have -70 Walk in freezer using ethane r170.

  7. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars Flying Adventures says:

    The very first intro song. What is it called? Brings back memories of my first couple of weeks of training at the airport. All those safety videos. lol Plus it a really good tune

  8. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars Winston Wright says:

    Enjoy the Knipex and let us know how they work so I know if I should save my pennies.

  9. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars Kale Kendel says:

    Yes Fluffy loves the air cooled v-dubs.

  10. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars Tyrone Sheppard says:

    Chris, to your point about that other service company that was unable to resolve the problem with that walk-in freezer job you did awhile back, you handled the PR on that correctly. As a HVAC/R technician since the 1990s, I can say it is wise NOT to talk about, throw stones at, or demean other companies or technicians. Ego and malice are the motivating forces for those who engage in that type of conduct. I was taught back in my early days in the trade that if we compare all we know about our skilled trade to all there is to know about our trade, we actually know very little, no matter how high our level of expertise may be.The same is true about life itself. Once you've been in the field long enough, you come across very difficult service calls that humble you, to say the least. Upon resolving those problems, you never forget them. They are the best teachable moments in the trade.

  11. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars hvac system says:

    I'm a hvac technician in KSA I'm interested working with if you need

  12. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars hvac system says:

    Hello how are you Chris

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