Hey this is a short episode of the HVAC school podcast. It's called a common screw up and as literally a common screw up or failure to screw up properly, I guess would be a more correct way of saying that, but I'll explain more. But before I do, I want to mention our sponsors, which is carrier carrier comm. We, our carrier factory, authorized dealers at my company in Kalos services.

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But let's start with why it's a common screw up, so technicians will use an impact driver. That's my first pet peeve and don't get me wrong. I love impacts, I've used an impact for years, but they take an impact and they use it until the thing starts to clutch and they strip out screws, and this is a huge problem, especially on rooftop units. If you've worked on rooftop units or large air handlers, large equipment you'll go up to them and they'll have all these different holes that are all stripped out and it drives me crazy.

Inside of a house, it's not as big of a deal. I mean it is a big deal, but it's less likely that the panels are gon na fall off on an air handler, but they do fall off a lot on rooftop units because you have these giant panels. They usually don't really have enough screws to begin with and then guys go and they use these impacts and they strip em out, and so my first thing is: don't strip out screws. If you want to do it the old-fashioned way to do it by hand.

That's fine: if you want to use a driver, then I suggest not using an impact. If your driving screws, I suggest, using a driver, something that's specifically a driver. I use a 12-volt Milwaukee and set the clutch on the thing. So that way, if you do happen to hold down the trigger too long, it's gon na clutch and not strip out the threads when you have an impact that does that same thing.

That kind of sounds like clutching: that's not clutching! That's impacting and it's gon na mess up the threads on the screws, in fact you're great. If your driving screws into wood like installing a deck or something they're great for that, but for putting on panels, you are gon na strip out threads using an impact if you're not really really careful. So I know a lot of you guys are gon na, be like I'm not giving up my impact. That's fine! Okay, do whatever you like, but I just telling you be really extra careful because I've seen all of these stripped out screws on rooftop units.

Another thing is: this is sort of a side note to this, but in a lot of cases, when panels do fall off the insulation also gets messed up, and so I see a lot of rooftop units, air handlers where the insulation is peeling off and guys just Leave it that's another pet peeve, make sure to put that back on very snugly. The best thing to do put a little spray glue inside of the panel on the inside of the insulation. Let it tack up spray glue is a contact adhesive, which means that it needs to tack up before you hold it together. I see a lot of guys spray it on there and immediately try to stick it together and they're like it.

Won't stick got ta. Let it tack up first get a little dry, a little bit usually takes 30 seconds or so, and then you can stick it together, maybe a little more in, depending on what you've got and then another great product to use. On top of that is butyl tape. A silver tape, but it has the really heavy duty adhesive on the back that works nice to kind of wrap around the edges, just a little bit to hold that insulation in place.

Silver tape is okay, but with silver tape it doesn't stick as well, and so you got to make sure that the surface is really clean and a lot of you don't have rubbing alcohol in your tool bucket there. So I suggest butyl tape as a better option. There's a lot of manufacturers to make it it's not cheap, but it really holds nicely so make sure to get that insulation back in. Obviously, if you lost it, then you're gon na have to get new stuff and put it in and that can be a pain and they get that.

But you don't want to leave in an insulated panel, either on an air handler or in a rooftop units. Gon na sweat, it's gon na cause issues. The next thing is, you run into a circumstance where you don't have all the screws, so either the screws are missing or when you put the screws back in they're too loose and I'm gon na raise my hand here, because I've been guilty of this at times. The screws weren't in there to begin with when I got there and so now.

Why is it my problem to put the screws in, but I'm telling you storms come through and just like, we had the Hurricanes in Florida we had hurricanes now on North Carolina South Carolina. We had all these winds and you just have panels flying off all over the place and they hit the roofs and they damage them. They blow off into parking, lots and hit cars. It's bad stuff, it's a really expensive screw-up, so make sure to put your panels back on properly, and this is what Eric sent me.

So he sent me a picture of a container of screws number 12 by three-quarter inch screws, so they were placed the stripped out number Ten's with number 12. Then they still have 5/16 drive. So if what stripped out was a 5/16 screw, you can put in this slightly larger number. Twelve screw 3/4 inches long 5/16 drive.

Now this part number is eight zero one, seven two two from ever built, I'm not sure if you find that specifically, but if you go to your Ace Hardware, your home depot or lowes you'll be able to find these number twelve 5/16 3/4 inch long screws keep Those on the truck, because now they make a good repair when a screw did get stripped out and the main thing is. You just need to make sure that you have enough screws and the things self tappers tend to not be the best, because in the process of tapping and a lot of cases, especially if you're using an impact again, you tend to kind of wallow out that hole. A little bit and they don't sit really tight, especially if then you over, tighten it so yeah. I would suggest using something like this.

These actually are not self tappers they're, just a sharp points on the end. So you have that sharp point which I guess you could drill into metal, but it doesn't have that drill point on the end of the screw. That then kind of tends to drill a little bit too large, especially with an impact again, this comes down to the fact that whose job is it - and this is a challenge in our trade, where you show up you're there - to do a maintenance you're there to Do a repair - and you see that this thing hasn't had the proper screws in it, for who knows how long and we can tend to get this attitude of like jeez? That's not my problem, but just trust me be the last one who touched the thing and you don't put the right screws in it, regardless of whether they or not, and that panel flies off in a storm and damages the roof damage as a car hurt. Somebody they're gon na be calling you and it's a fairly obvious thing: you're the last one who touched it, so you don't want to be in that position.

Whenever you touch a piece of equipment. You're gon na have to replace those screws. If you don't have them and it's something you got to build a customer for and then I guess that's what you're gon na have to do. Because again you don't want to leave it.

It can be a very, very costly screw-up. So there you go very simple. Keep some assorted screws. I would even suggest keeping some larger stuff, because some of them will have three-eighths screws just getting the next size up on the actual threads, and that way you've got what you need on the truck.

I used to keep a whole wide assortment of different screws that would pull out of old equipment and just have a whole bunch of stuff. In my little parts dish there and it comes in really handy and again you got to be a professional. You got ta solve these problems, even if it doesn't feel like it's your problem, sometimes so there you have it. Hopefully that helps, and we will talk to you next time on the HVAC school podcast.