About 10 years ago, I had a local HVAC guy come out when the thermostat fuse was blowing. He had😢 no clue, as he clearly was not a technician at all .. but wanted to quote me a new system. The system was over 10 years old, but I still didn’t believe him. I worked on it myself, completely self teaching from scratch as I went (it took a couple of afternoons) .. and found the reversing coil grounding out. I replaced the coil and fixed it myself. It ran for about 3 more years until the R-22 compressor motor lost a winding. As with most repairs on things, I’m a staunch DIYer when I can & call when I must. Most vendors/contractors suck.
Some are scammers . Others are too lazy or inexperienced to analyze a problem and choose the easiest route , load up the parts cannon and keep pulling that lanyard till the system works again . This is where scammers and incompetents can intersect , by replacing the highest value components first .
I did these types of repairs and second opinions for years here in Alabama. So many dishonest companies cheating people just trying to get by. I can honestly say that in the 13 years I was in my on business I never cheated anyone. If we don’t have honesty and integrity in life we are pretty much spiritually poor individuals !!!!
As an honest tech, I would say that 60% of second opinions that we give, wind up with a relatively inexpensive repair done by us. So many dishonest or inexperienced techs out there. At least I HOPE many of them are "inexperienced ".
The Company that "Fixed" our Heat Pump, which was just a service, removed the Orifice on the outdoor unit. The Guy said it's not needed and removed it. In Heat Mode, the outdoor unit sounded awful. I got confromation the Orifice (Piston) is required for Heating. The Company wouldn't come back as they said "You are wrong, I've been in the businees for 35 years so there is nothing to fix". I recovered the refrigerant into the Outdoor unit, disconnected the high side and put the Piston back in. Bought a Vacuum Pump and a Micron Gauge and drew it down to 45 microns. Sealed her up and opened the valves. So I turned into a DIY. Got advice from TH-cam what needed to be done. So far, all is good. The Heat coming out of the Ducts before the Piston was back in was 82 degrees. After my repair, 102 degrees, I didn't have a way to check pressures. R401a. It reallty sucks as a Homeowner when we feel helpless and seem to be the Victim. Love Ted's channel. Wish Ted lived nearby so I could get the System fully checked and serviced.
I'm not an HVAC guy, but I've been told by honest HVAC guys and also mechanics that there is absolutely no reason to cheat or scam a customer because there is plenty of work out there to make a good living without trying to cheat anyone.
So do we guys. No one can be an expert in all things. Interestingly, I've found myself having to defend that I believe, as a pro in certain areas, it's my duty to both educate and watch out for customers because, if they knew everything about my trade, many would not need me in the first place.
Yep, and I bet they had that thermostat configured for conventional / ac 1H/ 1C. That's why the electric heaters were on and there was no call on Y during the heat mode. And that's why orange was tied in with yellow outside. That way whenever the AC called from the thermostat it would power Y outside which would also power the reversing valve for cooling. 😎👍
I had a similar situation some 20 years ago. I had purchased an apartment complex. One of the ACs had failed. Called an HVAC repair outfit, they said it was shot, and the furnace needed to be replaced. I called somebody else, and he told me it was a miswire and he could fix it for $150. Done deal! Over the past 20 years, I've done about half a million dollars business with that guy. Sent him a check for $21K the other day...
Thanks for taking us along on this service call. I was almost expecting a dying t-stat battery rather than bad t-stat. Your approach and thoroughness remind me so much of my father-in-law of +30 years. He (Gene) has taught me everything I know about residential HVAC, plumbing, gas, etc. He is always looking out for the customer, always aware of the swindlers that are constantly trying to take advantage of any situation. Along with a seemingly endless supply of stories and examples of 1st hand experiences with 2nd opinions following other service people/companies diagnosis, he has passed his knowledge (and stories) onto his granddaughters so they can keep an eye open for scams.scammers. He has saved us many thousands over the decades. I'm not sure what I will do when he is no longer around to teach us any longer, those will be some big shoes to fill and high expectations to meet.
Ted, excellent diagnosis. Before I retired from the HVAC service industry, I would have enjoyed working with you. You have ALWAYS been a person that operates with integrity. Doing the next right thing for the customer has always been and will continue to be the mark of a PROFESSIONAL such as you. I enjoy following your uploads every week or so and I wish you continued success. Please stay safe out there.
Ted, I live about 90 miles East. I'd gladly pay your mileage and time to come work on my systems - you deliver such value to your customer. It's a shame - so many technicians are trying to pump their commissions up instead of actually fixing customers' issues.
I did HVAC for almost two years and I never liked telling people even honestly that they're better off replacing a system. I don't understand how these companies can do that dishonestly just for a sale. There's plenty of systems to condemn ethically.
I agree with your statement, but the real "problem" is that the employer is giving low hourly wages and high commissions based on upselling. They have devalued the work ethic and incentivized the sale.
Bro, you hold a special place in my heart. You need to write a book about your tranquil life. I would appreciate a guide on how to keep my 50 dollar hourly job as an employee while not following your supervisor's directions. The Owner is not me. I am not responsible for it. I am ethically not allowed to interfere. I am not ethically towards the customer, as you stated, but I am ethical towards my employer. Which is the responsible POC in this case? We submit three suggestions to Dispatch. One is to replace the unit, while the other is for repairs. You can tell us about that because we are not permitted to provide recommendations to customers while they are present. You are Welcome@@natepeterson7145
My work ethic is not devalued. I am ethical towards the business owner and his business. If I were to work for you and receive equal pay and treatment, I would comply with your wishes. If I end up running my own business, I'll do it my way.@@CJRoe
@@natepeterson7145 I hate people who opt to replace than to just fix it. FFS I bought a house several years ago and while it sat empty the basement flooded and messed up the furnace. The company who installed it came and replaced the control board, pressure switch and that was it. Charged me 700 bucks and 500 for the control board that I found I could have ordered for 200 dollars. I also told them that they jacked the price up when they ordered it from the same Amazon I could have. I mean you do not leave your amazon box in my basement. They then charged me double of what one off those pumps things costs too. They tried to charge me 4 round trips to come out and repair it. I got them down to the 2 they needed. They came out and checked everything and then came back with the parts only to come back 2 more times because they did not have all the parts they needed. Either way they quoted me 6k to replace the unit and I told them to stuff it and made them fix it. I seen the guy at a local eatery and told him that you feel the need to eat in public when you full know you tried to rip me off. He ran like a child with out his food. Screw people who rip people off. I wont call them ever again. I also want to point out they did a very shoddy job with the install along with it not being sized right and just too small for this house.
This is why I had to stop working for other people, they just wanted me to sell sell sell even when the customer didn't need it! I have a good heart and want what is best for my customers so I started my own business. I can't be associated with that half-assed-ness. Thanks for the video, got my sub and like.
Great job Ted, I appreciate your honesty. When I managed an HVAC company my mentor told me don't run the business during the week that would get you punched in the mouth Sunday. I don't understand the reason for dishonest tactics when you can make a great living doing it honestly.
I think it was tech incompetence. many techs simple don't know basic electrical control knowledge beside the color codes for the thermostat and lack the troubleshooting process/logic.
after 2 years in our new home I decided to have our HVAC checked before the Winter weather came in. After that visit the unit didn't work as usual. Intermittent and unreliable. Calls were made and was told it would be weeks before anyone would come out. I decided to look at the unit myself. What I found in the attic was an eye opener. Loose control covers, circuit board was loose and then I found it, the ground wire to the board was loose, I say loose as it wasn't tightened down. Any vibration would cause intermittent problems. This would certainly cause a second call and a quick fix for someone. from then on i do not allow anyone working on my equipment to leave with out me looking at it. I can say this after working with electronics in the military and civilian companies.
I've been professionally repairing electronics for a living for the last 10 or so years. I've never looked at an HVAC system in my life, but what I like about your videos is how you methodically work the problem. If a game console ends up on my workbench that isn't powering on, one of the _FIRST_ things I check is whether or not the motherboard inside is even getting any power. Lots of things could prevent this from happening. If the internal supply is non-working, if the input 12v rail on the board has somehow shorted together, or if there's a deeper failure somewhere else on the board. Heck, it could even be a problem with the power button! I feel like the thermostat is among one of the first things anyone servicing HVAC would wanna look at, too. I mean, that's what controls the whole system, right? You did exactly what was going through my mind in this situation, you thought "hmmm, we should make sure this thing is talking to the brain." You very quickly deduced it wasn't, and even had a simple, non-destructive testing method to confirm. This is very similar to how I repair electronics. Maybe I should switch gears and get into HVAC, lmao.
If I were an HVAC tech, the first thing I'll do is check the cheaper issues first before going to the more expensive issues. For example a no cool call on a straight cool unit, first I'll check if the condenser fan and compressor kicks on. If not, I'll check the capacitor and replace if bad, and if good, I'll ohm out the compressor and if the compressor is shorted to ground, I'll either replace the condensing unit or the compressor depending on whichever is cheaper. If it does kick on, and the condenser is blowing cool air, I hook up my manifold gauges to see if it's low on charge if it's not low on charge check the TXV if is faulty, and if low on charge I'll bust out the leak sniffer and check the everywhere for leaks and inform the customer that there is a leak if I find one. The only time I'll suggest a new system is if there is a compressor failure on an R22 system, an evaporator or a condenser coil with an unrepairable leak on an R22 system, or it's an old system that keeps having problems to the point that it is cheaper for the homeowner to get a new system than to keep on repairing the old system.
Sad fact is, experienced techs don’t make as much money for a shady company as poorly-trained “inexperienced” techs do. If a business makes a “mistake” that keeps making it money… it will keep on making that “mistake”.
Your gauges were set for r 22. You said you was gonna grab the 410. Could of been crucial, always wait at least 5 min of unit running before adding refer
I have been in the field over 30 years and 80% of the second opinion calls I go out on end up being what I would call errors in judgement. Alot of younger techs are not really techs and make mistakes. Either way the customer pays the price I suppose. I tend to think ppl are mostly good and just can't do the job.
I was in HVAC and then in industrial control systems for 41 years. I firmly believe (and I have found) that so many "technicians" cannot properly troubleshoot. They don't see the problem and they want to replace something. I have seen units declared bad due to broken low voltage wires, bad breakers, bad capacitors, contactors and thermostats. A HVAC is a fairly simple control system.
@@RobertTuck-vo8cw Those young tech are now only do replacements and not repairs. There was a short where the guy pretty much said that he replaced the outside unit because he did not want to replace the fan motor. I mean he said it in a short that he charged the people 4 grand because he did not want to replace the fan for a few hundered dollars. FFS people bashed me because I called him a thief.
This dishonesty is driven by companies moving toward "performance" based pay, which is just another name for commission. In the end you and the rest of the honest companies will be the ones left standing.
That was really interesting to watch. I think we got scammed recently. Had a shiny new system in our house that had a feature I'd never seen before... a reusable/cleanable electrostatic dust filter! I thought that was really cool, but the AC wasnt getting cold enough and the full-color LCD thermostat was complaining about low refrigerant pressure, so the HVAC guys came out and claimed the compressor was shot and irreplaceable, so they scrapped the whole system and replaced it something clearly much cheaper (that had the old disposable filters in it...) "...but don't worry, we offer financing!" for this completely new but cheapo system-- for $2000. I later found replacement compressors for the old system online.
Ted its the white wire it should be at w2 not w for heat pumps that explains the condenser not getting a call for heat and only aux heat energized. We have these types of companies here too give high estimates tontry to push a sale.
Very Sad. My brother had an issue with gas heating kicking out on stage two, extremely cold nights. The company who had been servicing the equipment for several years could not find the issue, even rewiring the stat saying it was installed wrong from the start. ( I installed it correctly 2001 freedom 90) They eventually told him it was a board issue and that was no longer available. So wanted to replace the unit. I told him to find a local guy whom was a Trane/American specialist. The guy came out asked my brother what had changed with the property since last year (even before looking at the equipment) Brother replied nothing, only the roof. The Guy said that was the problem. And sure enough, the roofers had put silicon up under the air intake on the concentric roof stack, probably thinking it was a storm collar. Just a service call out price, problem solved lasted another 5 years. Until another company talked him into a new system. I doubt it really needed to be change even then. Excellent systems.
There are a lot of those type of contractors out there Theodore , these people are lucky to have found you. To be sure your now on there radar for future work. Honesty is always the best policy, tell the truth and you never need to remember the lies. Nice work sir.👍👍🇨🇦
It is also possible that those technicians simply do not have the knowledge to do a proper diagnostic evaluation. Maybe a tech school graduate without much real world experience When they can not figure out what the problem actually is, replace the system is the easy answer. That is why most skilled trades require apprenticeships before you can be licensed to do work on your own.
just went through something similar. First guy was HVAC and wanted $7k to replace and add a ton of stuff to make my Air handler system up to modern code and "fix" my issue I was having. Sent him away and called a plumber who I trust instead. $200 and a check valve later and everything works fine.
I made a very long career out of repairing systems that “needed to be replaced”. You also will have a customer for life when you are honest and treat them fairly.
One time I had a rental unit I purchased from a family, where the old lady who lived there had passed. The hvac unit was 2 years old and I called the people on the sticker posted on the unit. They told me I needed a new unit because the current one, who ever did the work didn't do a good job. They didn't put a "pan" under the hvac unit inside, and secure the compressor outside. I got them to write that in writing. Then I informed them, these cosmetic issues do not warrant a new unit. Also that it was their company that had did the work. They quickly did a 365, sent out another tech who said the work was done well, the first tech was "new", even though he was the owner. I informed them since I have it in writing, I expect you to put in a new unit or do the work listed or I will file a complaint with the department that handles hvac complaints in my state. They quickly did the work and left.
I’m in the water 💦 well treatment business 50 years now started at 10 in family business as a plumber And I’ve never once sold anyone anything not needed and I’ve always had more work then I can keep up with ! The universe takes care of you there is no reason to be a bamboozler. I get customers every month that want a new system I sold them decades back they just expect it be ready and I build them right and it ends up with me walking them thru a couple of parts and working as new . Do the right thing you won’t get any lessons tossed at you treat customers as your family and you can’t fail .
I had great experience with the local Heating and Air Conditioning place out in Kalona here . My unit began icing over 1 year, so I cleaned the coil etc, which was in fact dirtier than hell. Those mobile home furnace/ACs don't "require" a furnace filter and I was running one anyway, but I mean it probably hadn't been cleaned in like 15 years. Next year it was icing up and weak -- it was low on refrigerant. The place got me charged up (and leak stop, which must have worked because it was like 10 years ago and the thing is still ice cold). I was shocked at the bill, the R22 was already around $150 a pound by then, so I was expecting a big bill, they'd stocked up when it was still cheap and were giving it little to no markup, they charged like $20 a pound for the refrigerant, the total bill was under $200!
When I find an honest tradesman, I invite that person to Thanksgiving dinner cause y'all are family. 😅 Taking care of a customer like they are your own mom or dad is a badge of honor.
I went behind companies for years trying to sell a new unit to replace one barely 5 years old. Just out of warranty over a bad TXV !!! Or burnt wire off compressor or 5 minute delay timer gone out. 7-8 thousand over a $150-$500 dollar fix !!!!
Ted, as always a super educational video. Like they way you have put in the short TV show responses blended in to your videos. Music is great. Have a Happy Thsnksgiving.
Did you happen to check the thermostats internal set up settings make sure it was probably set up for a heat pump and actually make sure that the reversing valve is set correctly between O and B. Additionally, as regards to the charge, did you check the evaporator foil? Make sure it wasn’t dirty. Do you happen to check the air filter? Additionally, the fan speed settings with the high head pressure and they’re gonna have a high head pressure anyways due to the smaller indoor coil acting as your condenser and heat
Hey Ted you should give Pro1 thermostats a try. Have had extremely good luck with them. T705 for conventional 1h/1c T725 for Heat pump with Electric backup T755s for dual fuel applications They are fantastic.
2:15 You a brave man. I never use my fingers to energize a contactor. Bad habit if some day you move to really high voltage/ three phase. I use an insulated magic wand.
I had to get a new water heater since it blew a hole in the side. While the technician was here, he said: Do you know that your heater and AC are over 30 years old? Of course I said, but if it isn't broken, I'm not going to fix it. He was trying his best to sell me a new unit. Watch yourselves out there!
I’m a service technician down south in East Texas . And I have these calls every year on a second opinion. And almost everytime they tell me the others recommended a change out . I find a little thing like that or nothing wrong other than age on the unit .
I like your work, i dont trick customers either. Thats being said not all of those guys are scammers, weve had them at our small company and a lot of those where misdiagnosis or just the youngers guys not knowing whats wrong and not wanting to call for help thinking there gonna get in trouble for it, or the lazy guy who just goes and does the bare minimum, and yes ive ran across the exact type were all talking about here from the big companies often where called for second opinions, and being honest im dissapointed in what this residential field is turning into nothing more than salesman and installers. I worked in factories working on coolers and ive worked in refrigeration ive worked on drives, plc's anything automated with sensors motors hydraulics and pneumatics. Those jobs where enjoyable to me because of the actual diagnosis solving that issue using your knowledege of fundamentals and deduction.
Dam shame I c the same from 1 of our locals ripping customers off they don't care 4 me cause I'm like u I tell the truth that job had 2 b a con. Good job hvac man
That is what happened to me when I called Smith Heating and Plumbing in Colo. Springs, they tried to sell me a whole unit two years ago and we are still running with the same old unit.......scammers!
Yeah I noticed the pressures were there but the Fieldpiece Digital Gauge was set on an R22 refrigerant setting with your R410A Condenser. Not really a big deal if you just going off the line pressures learn to mentally calculate 😅
I found a buddy's thermostat wired in to constantly call for cool R-Y connected, he had a neighbor work on it and wanted to sell him a new unit. It was pathetic.
I really enjoyed watching you go through a systematic troubleshooting process. Question. When you come out of HVAC school do you have enough knowledge to do it just the way you did?
It’s getting bad out their. The big next star company in my city is looking for service people. In their advertisement, they called their service technician sales technicians.
thank you for your video. It's good to be honest. One thing, your audience would appreciate it if you do NOT add music to your videos. Super annoying and unnecessary. I think everyone would rather hear you talking to us with relative information about what we're watching. I know a lot of TH-camrs feel the need to add the music but in most cases it definitely takes away from the video.regardless thank you again for taking the time to make this video.
Imagine the song and dance when after having replaced everything, they ended up replacing the thermostat. Incompetence is always followed up with a lie. A scam is when someone knowingly rips a person off. Incompetence is what would have cost this customer. Great job by the way. As a professional tech of over forty years, I truly believe that dishonest and scam are terms used way too often. Diagnostic skills are developed over a lifetime.
![[MPD직캠] 베이비몬스터 직캠 8K 'FOREVER' (BABYMONSTER FanCam) | @MCOUNTDOWN_2024.7.11](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/ylRx8QOuGXo/mqdefault.jpg)
An honest HVAC guy will keep a customer for life, please stay honest and you would never be out of business. Thank for sharing
About 10 years ago, I had a local HVAC guy come out when the thermostat fuse was blowing. He had😢 no clue, as he clearly was not a technician at all .. but wanted to quote me a new system. The system was over 10 years old, but I still didn’t believe him. I worked on it myself, completely self teaching from scratch as I went (it took a couple of afternoons) .. and found the reversing coil grounding out. I replaced the coil and fixed it myself. It ran for about 3 more years until the R-22 compressor motor lost a winding. As with most repairs on things, I’m a staunch DIYer when I can & call when I must. Most vendors/contractors suck.
Contractors are just diy'ers with a license. Most of em aren't very skilled.
Some are scammers . Others are too lazy or inexperienced to analyze a problem and choose the easiest route , load up the parts cannon and keep pulling that lanyard till the system works again . This is where scammers and incompetents can intersect , by replacing the highest value components first .
I did these types of repairs and second opinions for years here in Alabama. So many dishonest companies cheating people just trying to get by. I can honestly say that in the 13 years I was in my on business I never cheated anyone. If we don’t have honesty and integrity in life we are pretty much spiritually poor individuals !!!!
As an honest tech, I would say that 60% of second opinions that we give, wind up with a relatively inexpensive repair done by us. So many dishonest or inexperienced techs out there. At least I HOPE many of them are "inexperienced ".
MUCH respect for a guy who can call BS on himself [and the scammers].
Reversing valve wire isnt even connected in the thermostat.
I bet the thermostat was not configured for heat pump
The Company that "Fixed" our Heat Pump, which was just a service, removed the Orifice on the outdoor unit. The Guy said it's not needed and removed it. In Heat Mode, the outdoor unit sounded awful. I got confromation the Orifice (Piston) is required for Heating. The Company wouldn't come back as they said "You are wrong, I've been in the businees for 35 years so there is nothing to fix". I recovered the refrigerant into the Outdoor unit, disconnected the high side and put the Piston back in. Bought a Vacuum Pump and a Micron Gauge and drew it down to 45 microns. Sealed her up and opened the valves. So I turned into a DIY. Got advice from TH-cam what needed to be done. So far, all is good. The Heat coming out of the Ducts before the Piston was back in was 82 degrees. After my repair, 102 degrees, I didn't have a way to check pressures. R401a. It reallty sucks as a Homeowner when we feel helpless and seem to be the Victim. Love Ted's channel. Wish Ted lived nearby so I could get the System fully checked and serviced.
I'm not an HVAC guy, but I've been told by honest HVAC guys and also mechanics that there is absolutely no reason to cheat or scam a customer because there is plenty of work out there to make a good living without trying to cheat anyone.
Thank you for having your integrity and morals intact. So many people's moral compass is so jacked up, I don't know how they walk straight.
thank you for helping that poor lady. us women get bamboozled all the time.
So do we guys. No one can be an expert in all things.
Interestingly, I've found myself having to defend that I believe, as a pro in certain areas, it's my duty to both educate and watch out for customers because, if they knew everything about my trade, many would not need me in the first place.
Men get scammed too, it has nothing to do with gender.
My elderly boss just paid $300 for a new capacitor in her furnace. They run about $10 on Amazon.
The thermostat was programmed for gas furnace, instead of heat pump.
Looks like they had the white wire on w instead of w2. The fact that they were trying to sell her a reversing valve over that is wild.
Yep, and I bet they had that thermostat configured for conventional / ac 1H/ 1C.
That's why the electric heaters were on and there was no call on Y during the heat mode. And that's why orange was tied in with yellow outside. That way whenever the AC called from the thermostat it would power Y outside which would also power the reversing valve for cooling. 😎👍
I've had more than 1 of those T6 randomly change to default program for no apparent reason.
I had a similar situation some 20 years ago. I had purchased an apartment complex. One of the ACs had failed. Called an HVAC repair outfit, they said it was shot, and the furnace needed to be replaced. I called somebody else, and he told me it was a miswire and he could fix it for $150. Done deal! Over the past 20 years, I've done about half a million dollars business with that guy. Sent him a check for $21K the other day...
Just wonder how many crooks are in the business robbing customers?
She will promote your business and you will get more business. 👍
Thanks for taking us along on this service call. I was almost expecting a dying t-stat battery rather than bad t-stat. Your approach and thoroughness remind me so much of my father-in-law of +30 years. He (Gene) has taught me everything I know about residential HVAC, plumbing, gas, etc. He is always looking out for the customer, always aware of the swindlers that are constantly trying to take advantage of any situation. Along with a seemingly endless supply of stories and examples of 1st hand experiences with 2nd opinions following other service people/companies diagnosis, he has passed his knowledge (and stories) onto his granddaughters so they can keep an eye open for scams.scammers. He has saved us many thousands over the decades. I'm not sure what I will do when he is no longer around to teach us any longer, those will be some big shoes to fill and high expectations to meet.
Ted, excellent diagnosis. Before I retired from the HVAC service industry, I would have enjoyed working with you. You have ALWAYS been a person that operates with integrity. Doing the next right thing for the customer has always been and will continue to be the mark of a PROFESSIONAL such as you. I enjoy following your uploads every week or so and I wish you continued success. Please stay safe out there.
Glad to know there are good honest people out there. Thank you!
That was probably 1 of those Guys that Steve Lav says carrys a Tablet with them and wants to put in a New System.
God bless your heart! The hvac industry needs more people like you that’s for sure!! 👍🏼
Ted, I live about 90 miles East. I'd gladly pay your mileage and time to come work on my systems - you deliver such value to your customer. It's a shame - so many technicians are trying to pump their commissions up instead of actually fixing customers' issues.
I did HVAC for almost two years and I never liked telling people even honestly that they're better off replacing a system. I don't understand how these companies can do that dishonestly just for a sale. There's plenty of systems to condemn ethically.
I agree with your statement, but the real "problem" is that the employer is giving low hourly wages and high commissions based on upselling. They have devalued the work ethic and incentivized the sale.
Bro, you hold a special place in my heart. You need to write a book about your tranquil life. I would appreciate a guide on how to keep my 50 dollar hourly job as an employee while not following your supervisor's directions. The Owner is not me. I am not responsible for it. I am ethically not allowed to interfere. I am not ethically towards the customer, as you stated, but I am ethical towards my employer. Which is the responsible POC in this case? We submit three suggestions to Dispatch. One is to replace the unit, while the other is for repairs. You can tell us about that because we are not permitted to provide recommendations to customers while they are present. You are Welcome@@natepeterson7145
My work ethic is not devalued. I am ethical towards the business owner and his business. If I were to work for you and receive equal pay and treatment, I would comply with your wishes. If I end up running my own business, I'll do it my way.@@CJRoe
@@natepeterson7145 I hate people who opt to replace than to just fix it. FFS I bought a house several years ago and while it sat empty the basement flooded and messed up the furnace. The company who installed it came and replaced the control board, pressure switch and that was it. Charged me 700 bucks and 500 for the control board that I found I could have ordered for 200 dollars. I also told them that they jacked the price up when they ordered it from the same Amazon I could have. I mean you do not leave your amazon box in my basement. They then charged me double of what one off those pumps things costs too. They tried to charge me 4 round trips to come out and repair it. I got them down to the 2 they needed. They came out and checked everything and then came back with the parts only to come back 2 more times because they did not have all the parts they needed. Either way they quoted me 6k to replace the unit and I told them to stuff it and made them fix it. I seen the guy at a local eatery and told him that you feel the need to eat in public when you full know you tried to rip me off. He ran like a child with out his food. Screw people who rip people off.
I wont call them ever again. I also want to point out they did a very shoddy job with the install along with it not being sized right and just too small for this house.
This is why I had to stop working for other people, they just wanted me to sell sell sell even when the customer didn't need it! I have a good heart and want what is best for my customers so I started my own business. I can't be associated with that half-assed-ness. Thanks for the video, got my sub and like.
Great job Ted, I appreciate your honesty. When I managed an HVAC company my mentor told me don't run the business during the week that would get you punched in the mouth Sunday. I don't understand the reason for dishonest tactics when you can make a great living doing it honestly.
I think it was tech incompetence. many techs simple don't know basic electrical control knowledge beside the color codes for the thermostat and lack the troubleshooting process/logic.
after 2 years in our new home I decided to have our HVAC checked before the Winter weather came in. After that visit the unit didn't work as usual. Intermittent and unreliable. Calls were made and was told it would be weeks before anyone would come out. I decided to look at the unit myself. What I found in the attic was an eye opener. Loose control covers, circuit board was loose and then I found it, the ground wire to the board was loose, I say loose as it wasn't tightened down. Any vibration would cause intermittent problems. This would certainly cause a second call and a quick fix for someone. from then on i do not allow anyone working on my equipment to leave with out me looking at it. I can say this after working with electronics in the military and civilian companies.
I've been professionally repairing electronics for a living for the last 10 or so years. I've never looked at an HVAC system in my life, but what I like about your videos is how you methodically work the problem. If a game console ends up on my workbench that isn't powering on, one of the _FIRST_ things I check is whether or not the motherboard inside is even getting any power. Lots of things could prevent this from happening. If the internal supply is non-working, if the input 12v rail on the board has somehow shorted together, or if there's a deeper failure somewhere else on the board. Heck, it could even be a problem with the power button!
I feel like the thermostat is among one of the first things anyone servicing HVAC would wanna look at, too. I mean, that's what controls the whole system, right? You did exactly what was going through my mind in this situation, you thought "hmmm, we should make sure this thing is talking to the brain." You very quickly deduced it wasn't, and even had a simple, non-destructive testing method to confirm. This is very similar to how I repair electronics.
Maybe I should switch gears and get into HVAC, lmao.
If I were an HVAC tech, the first thing I'll do is check the cheaper issues first before going to the more expensive issues. For example a no cool call on a straight cool unit, first I'll check if the condenser fan and compressor kicks on. If not, I'll check the capacitor and replace if bad, and if good, I'll ohm out the compressor and if the compressor is shorted to ground, I'll either replace the condensing unit or the compressor depending on whichever is cheaper. If it does kick on, and the condenser is blowing cool air, I hook up my manifold gauges to see if it's low on charge if it's not low on charge check the TXV if is faulty, and if low on charge I'll bust out the leak sniffer and check the everywhere for leaks and inform the customer that there is a leak if I find one. The only time I'll suggest a new system is if there is a compressor failure on an R22 system, an evaporator or a condenser coil with an unrepairable leak on an R22 system, or it's an old system that keeps having problems to the point that it is cheaper for the homeowner to get a new system than to keep on repairing the old system.
Sad fact is, experienced techs don’t make as much money for a shady company as poorly-trained “inexperienced” techs do.
If a business makes a “mistake” that keeps making it money… it will keep on making that “mistake”.
Your gauges were set for r 22. You said you was gonna grab the 410. Could of been crucial, always wait at least 5 min of unit running before adding refer
I have been in the field over 30 years and 80% of the second opinion calls I go out on end up being what I would call errors in judgement. Alot of younger techs are not really techs and make mistakes. Either way the customer pays the price I suppose. I tend to think ppl are mostly good and just can't do the job.
I was in HVAC and then in industrial control systems for 41 years. I firmly believe (and I have found) that so many "technicians" cannot properly troubleshoot. They don't see the problem and they want to replace something. I have seen units declared bad due to broken low voltage wires, bad breakers, bad capacitors, contactors and thermostats. A HVAC is a fairly simple control system.
@@RobertTuck-vo8cw Those young tech are now only do replacements and not repairs. There was a short where the guy pretty much said that he replaced the outside unit because he did not want to replace the fan motor. I mean he said it in a short that he charged the people 4 grand because he did not want to replace the fan for a few hundered dollars. FFS people bashed me because I called him a thief.
This dishonesty is driven by companies moving toward "performance" based pay, which is just another name for commission. In the end you and the rest of the honest companies will be the ones left standing.
Ted watching many of your videos I know for a fact you're honest tec.great repair 👍
That was really interesting to watch. I think we got scammed recently. Had a shiny new system in our house that had a feature I'd never seen before... a reusable/cleanable electrostatic dust filter! I thought that was really cool, but the AC wasnt getting cold enough and the full-color LCD thermostat was complaining about low refrigerant pressure, so the HVAC guys came out and claimed the compressor was shot and irreplaceable, so they scrapped the whole system and replaced it something clearly much cheaper (that had the old disposable filters in it...) "...but don't worry, we offer financing!" for this completely new but cheapo system-- for $2000. I later found replacement compressors for the old system online.
Ted, great work doing the job the right and honest way. That customer will always call you for future repairs and maintenance from now on.
Only if there were more honest people like you out there you’re literally a unicorn in the industry god bless you sir
I would have loved to of heard the ladies reaction. I suspect she'll call you from now on.
Ted its the white wire it should be at w2 not w for heat pumps that explains the condenser not getting a call for heat and only aux heat energized.
We have these types of companies here too give high estimates tontry to push a sale.
Very Sad. My brother had an issue with gas heating kicking out on stage two, extremely cold nights. The company who had been servicing the equipment for several years could not find the issue, even rewiring the stat saying it was installed wrong from the start. ( I installed it correctly 2001 freedom 90) They eventually told him it was a board issue and that was no longer available. So wanted to replace the unit. I told him to find a local guy whom was a Trane/American specialist. The guy came out asked my brother what had changed with the property since last year (even before looking at the equipment) Brother replied nothing, only the roof. The Guy said that was the problem. And sure enough, the roofers had put silicon up under the air intake on the concentric roof stack, probably thinking it was a storm collar. Just a service call out price, problem solved lasted another 5 years. Until another company talked him into a new system. I doubt it really needed to be change even then. Excellent systems.
I like the T6 stats personally. Installed many of them.
Great diagnostic skills! Thanks for the lesson.
There are a lot of those type of contractors out there Theodore , these people are lucky to have found you. To be sure your now on there radar for future work. Honesty is always the best policy, tell the truth and you never need to remember the lies. Nice work sir.👍👍🇨🇦
It is also possible that those technicians simply do not have the knowledge to do a proper diagnostic evaluation. Maybe a tech school graduate without much real world experience When they can not figure out what the problem actually is, replace the system is the easy answer.
That is why most skilled trades require apprenticeships before you can be licensed to do work on your own.
just went through something similar. First guy was HVAC and wanted $7k to replace and add a ton of stuff to make my Air handler system up to modern code and "fix" my issue I was having. Sent him away and called a plumber who I trust instead. $200 and a check valve later and everything works fine.
7:58 you can see someone has hooked to w1 which says not w2 that’s a problem. See this a lot in my area
In Ted we trust.
*A quick disconnect for the high side hose would help. You lost a bit of the charge and the r410a when you took your hose off.*
Straight to the BANK SON !!!
And I thought there was a lot of waiting in software engineering 😂thank you for sharing this!
Been watching your videos for years, I left the AC industry 3 years ago and got into the construction industry and I still love seeing your videos!
I made a very long career out of repairing systems that “needed to be replaced”. You also will have a customer for life when you are honest and treat them fairly.
Enjoyed that Ted, I like the ones that aren't super easy And especially when you fix one rather than replace it when it's not needed
Intro music and all stepping up there Ted.
I've always liked the soft spoken Ted videos, so I would vote against the added music and stuff. Just plain Ted is hard to top. 😎
I was going to add the same. The clips don't help either. Wonder who told Ted that was a good idea?
Solid, logical troubleshooting skills on display here. Well done, sir!
excellent video i enjoyed the commentary and camera angles showing your work
Good to see some good honest folk still around.
She should call up the other company and say it was just a thermostat
My local HVAC saying is "when a service call is just a service call and not a sales call".
Thanks for the video. Its cool to see other trades expertise in their fields.
One time I had a rental unit I purchased from a family, where the old lady who lived there had passed. The hvac unit was 2 years old and I called the people on the sticker posted on the unit. They told me I needed a new unit because the current one, who ever did the work didn't do a good job. They didn't put a "pan" under the hvac unit inside, and secure the compressor outside. I got them to write that in writing. Then I informed them, these cosmetic issues do not warrant a new unit. Also that it was their company that had did the work. They quickly did a 365, sent out another tech who said the work was done well, the first tech was "new", even though he was the owner. I informed them since I have it in writing, I expect you to put in a new unit or do the work listed or I will file a complaint with the department that handles hvac complaints in my state. They quickly did the work and left.
I’m in the water 💦 well treatment business 50 years now started at 10 in family business as a plumber And I’ve never once sold anyone anything not needed and I’ve always had more work then I can keep up with ! The universe takes care of you there is no reason to be a bamboozler. I get customers every month that want a new system I sold them decades back they just expect it be ready and I build them right and it ends up with me walking them thru a couple of parts and working as new . Do the right thing you won’t get any lessons tossed at you treat customers as your family and you can’t fail .
They are so many scam in the HVAC field. Glad to see you doing good to customers!
I had great experience with the local Heating and Air Conditioning place out in Kalona here . My unit began icing over 1 year, so I cleaned the coil etc, which was in fact dirtier than hell. Those mobile home furnace/ACs don't "require" a furnace filter and I was running one anyway, but I mean it probably hadn't been cleaned in like 15 years.
Next year it was icing up and weak -- it was low on refrigerant. The place got me charged up (and leak stop, which must have worked because it was like 10 years ago and the thing is still ice cold). I was shocked at the bill, the R22 was already around $150 a pound by then, so I was expecting a big bill, they'd stocked up when it was still cheap and were giving it little to no markup, they charged like $20 a pound for the refrigerant, the total bill was under $200!
Those thermostats work well , but maybe they weren't setting the right way. But I don't know if you checked the thermostat settings for heat pump.
When I find an honest tradesman, I invite that person to Thanksgiving dinner cause y'all are family. 😅 Taking care of a customer like they are your own mom or dad is a badge of honor.
I went behind companies for years trying to sell a new unit to replace one barely 5 years old. Just out of warranty over a bad TXV !!! Or burnt wire off compressor or 5 minute delay timer gone out. 7-8 thousand over a $150-$500 dollar fix !!!!
Thank The High Power for exposing HVAC Technician Treachery
Love your channel and your integrity. Not all that wild about your new theme song and intro..
Ted, as always a super educational video. Like they way you have put in the short TV show responses blended in to your videos. Music is great. Have a Happy Thsnksgiving.
Did you happen to check the thermostats internal set up settings make sure it was probably set up for a heat pump and actually make sure that the reversing valve is set correctly between O and B. Additionally, as regards to the charge, did you check the evaporator foil? Make sure it wasn’t dirty. Do you happen to check the air filter? Additionally, the fan speed settings with the high head pressure and they’re gonna have a high head pressure anyways due to the smaller indoor coil acting as your condenser and heat
Hey Ted you should give Pro1 thermostats a try. Have had extremely good luck with them.
T705 for conventional 1h/1c
T725 for Heat pump with Electric backup
T755s for dual fuel applications
They are fantastic.
2:15 You a brave man. I never use my fingers to energize a contactor. Bad habit if some day you move to really high voltage/ three phase. I use an insulated magic wand.
Great job!!!!
Keep up the honesty.
Goodman will take about 10 15 minutes sometimes to come up to speed on pressures
My youngest sister had this Honeywell Thermostat programmable was the Problem. So I changed it and everything is bad to running fine 👍
I had to get a new water heater since it blew a hole in the side. While the technician was here, he said: Do you know that your heater and AC are over 30 years old? Of course I said, but if it isn't broken, I'm not going to fix it. He was trying his best to sell me a new unit. Watch yourselves out there!
Feel like I’m watching Steve laviniere with the gloves.
I’m a service technician down south in East Texas . And I have these calls every year on a second opinion. And almost everytime they tell me the others recommended a change out . I find a little thing like that or nothing wrong other than age on the unit .
The best thermostat is the WIFI type that way you can check on our home away from home.
Thanks so much. Surely do wish your quality, skilled, honest work isn't the law of the land.
These days it's all about taking advantage.....
excellent video, loved the nacho libre clip.
I like your work, i dont trick customers either. Thats being said not all of those guys are scammers, weve had them at our small company and a lot of those where misdiagnosis or just the youngers guys not knowing whats wrong and not wanting to call for help thinking there gonna get in trouble for it, or the lazy guy who just goes and does the bare minimum, and yes ive ran across the exact type were all talking about here from the big companies often where called for second opinions, and being honest im dissapointed in what this residential field is turning into nothing more than salesman and installers. I worked in factories working on coolers and ive worked in refrigeration ive worked on drives, plc's anything automated with sensors motors hydraulics and pneumatics. Those jobs where enjoyable to me because of the actual diagnosis solving that issue using your knowledege of fundamentals and deduction.
Good job!! Thank you very much.
They must have gotten their training at the auto stealership service department.
I do like that lineset hide. Wish I had that on my install.
Dam shame I c the same from 1 of our locals ripping customers off they don't care 4 me cause I'm like u I tell the truth that job had 2 b a con. Good job hvac man
That is what happened to me when I called Smith Heating and Plumbing in Colo. Springs, they tried to sell me a whole unit two years ago and we are still running with the same old unit.......scammers!
Yeah I noticed the pressures were there but the Fieldpiece Digital Gauge was set on an R22 refrigerant setting with your R410A Condenser. Not really a big deal if you just going off the line pressures learn to mentally calculate 😅
Believe it or not, 100psi in an R-22 circuit is exactly equivalent to 100psi in an R-410a circuit.
I’m interested what thermostats you prefer. Our house came with those pro series honeywells and I can’t stand them.
I found a buddy's thermostat wired in to constantly call for cool R-Y connected, he had a neighbor work on it and wanted to sell him a new unit. It was pathetic.
The white is not in the proper connector for heatpump operation.
I really enjoyed watching you go through a systematic troubleshooting process. Question. When you come out of HVAC school do you have enough knowledge to do it just the way you did?
It’s getting bad out their. The big next star company in my city is looking for service people. In their advertisement, they called their service technician sales technicians.
According to the dipstick, the fan fluid was low meaning that the compressor has evaporated. It's gonna run ya!
If you don’t wanna wait for the delay on that tstat hold the middle and plus button and go to test mode saves you 5 mins
TED.............YOU always do the right thing for the right reason!>>THANK YOU!
Lol-Goodmans-“ i’ve thrown away more than I fixed”. Just another day in the life of an honest HVAC tech.
thank you for your video. It's good to be honest. One thing, your audience would appreciate it if you do NOT add music to your videos. Super annoying and unnecessary. I think everyone would rather hear you talking to us with relative information about what we're watching. I know a lot of TH-camrs feel the need to add the music but in most cases it definitely takes away from the video.regardless thank you again for taking the time to make this video.
I like the design of the t6 pros, but they seem to have lots of y and o circuit problems.
Imagine the song and dance when after having replaced everything, they ended up replacing the thermostat. Incompetence is always followed up with a lie. A scam is when someone knowingly rips a person off. Incompetence is what would have cost this customer. Great job by the way. As a professional tech of over forty years, I truly believe that dishonest and scam are terms used way too often. Diagnostic skills are developed over a lifetime.
Thank you for your integrity sir.
Pushing a contactor in with your finger? Brave.