Comments on: It Always Happens At Night

By: DrRick

DrRick — Sun, 25 Jul 2010 01:48:47 +0000

Hey John,
I think I found your blog through a posting of yours on a ham radio or boatanchor reflector.
It was referred to as “the best blog on the internet”
I have to agree that its one of the best!
My Rheem piece of crap central air unit died a few years ago. I noticed that it was icing up, so I asked my kids to leave it off until I could get someone to recharge it.
So, of course, the next day the breaker was blown. I had someone look at it and he said the compressor was shorted.
Do you have any thoughts on this? Also, do you know of a cheap place to get a compressor?
The heat never used to bother me much, but with the health problems I’ve developed the heat is unbearable! I need AC!, but the disability check doesn’t go very far.
73,
DrRick

By: neonjohn

neonjohn — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 17:07:41 +0000

Hey Ralph,

Even after fixing the sticking contact, the suction side pressure was low according to the pressure vs ambient chart stuck to the inside of the rig. Plus I could hear bubbles in the capillary tubes with my mechanic’s stethoscope. An additional clue was that the evaporator exit temperature was higher than I like to see.

I charged until I got solid liquid sounds at the capillaries which happened to coincide with the suction pressure matching the chart.

John

By: Ralph Marotta

Ralph Marotta — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 16:54:38 +0000

Hi John
Enjoyed reading and realizing that Murphy picks on others besides me.
But after diagnosing and correcting the cause of your freeze-up problem, I’m a little confused as to why you decided to add gas to the unit.
If additional refrigerant was needed, I think it’s a safe bet that there IS a leak in the system…..

Regards,
Ralph

By: Lee Bray

Lee Bray — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 11:28:36 +0000

Hey John

Do you have a photographic memory? You never cease to amaze me with all of the things you know and do.

Lee (Jacksonville, Fl)