I agree. SLOW DOWN. Techs are allowing themselves to get rushed by dispatch or management. Slow down and get the job done correctly. If you rush and the customer is calling you back later on the same issue you’ve accomplished nothing. If your worried about your job then wake up and realize their is a nationwide tech shortage, so if management foolishly fires you for being thorough you can get another position the next day elsewhere and it might even be with a better company.
Normally dispatch is clueless on how long stuff takes. They think you can jump on the roof and 5 minutes later you have everything done and figured out.
if your great tec slow down become a teacher never rush your students and everyone elsa will not knowwhy you do it that way. people in the world are sooo rushed they forget to slow down or they want NOW i agree with what you said. kudos to you.
Yeah, RIGHT FIRST TIME. Dispatch and management had different ideas how something should be done than the tech. Additionally they have the computers. They sit in front of the screen, click click and the task is solved but in reality it is much more difficult.😁
I am working in commercial building operations and dealing with a lot of contractors. One thing I never can understand why some of those companies can be honest. If you are too busy and can’t provide efficient service just tell me and you stay in my radar for next time. But if you rush like crazy, only one thing you are worry about is how to get out of here, you are done to me and you won’t get my call anymore. Be honest to your customers and really show that you care about them is a big thing and that’s how you get their respect and trust. I love your attitude to your customers and the service you provide to them. A lot of technicians should learn not just how to fix things but customer service as well.
Yep, I watched the video until the end :D In my opinion you don't have to redo the closing talk part of your video just because your dog or cat "say hi" 🐺
Your message about being rushed Chris is on point it happens on the customer level, your own company level and other various things. I’ve become tired and worn out of being rushed. the old saying goes “ your lack of planning does not constitute an emergency on my part” Have a great day Chris love your work
I've been in the trade only a short time, never heard that saying but it's true. Also sometimes techs set their own expectations too high for job time or push themselves too hard to meet unrealistic or impossible customer expectations, meanwhile they've been proactive and solved the problem. A big part of what we do is educating people and some people refuse to learn.
I'm not an hvac guy, but I do very much enjoy your videos, and lot of the concepts apply to other fields. If I had a dime for every time I had to re-do something someone rushed through, half-assed, or didn't notice... idk, I'd have a lot of money. DO IT RIGHT THE FIRST TIME
Also, totally agree about slowing down a bit and taking a step back to just observe.. three best tools we’ve got are our EYES, EARS, and FEEL. At least, IMO
Great detail on new DDC-equipped HVAC. Keep it up. The controls have become 80% of the time spent to diagnose a problem. I like good controls because it makes the equipment use less energy, last longer, and the customer is more comfortable. That being said we have more service calls and longer service calls because of all the bells and whistles breaking. I wish we had a scientific study that used real data to determine what the cost of ownership ends up being when there are very complicated controls compared to very simple controls. The OEM's always state big operation savings but they don't include the service calls. The old 10-ton rooftop with 2 5hp compressors controlled by a single 2-stage thermostat and 2 contactors is as simple as it gets. KISS technology?
If you're good enough to get a Sporlan sponsorship, then you are good enough to watch to the end. I've been "watching till the end" weather i actively listen to everything or not. Awesome vids!
Of course I watch 100%. Two years ago I did know nothing about refrigeration and found your channel. Last year I asked on live stream if a recovery machine can be used as vacuum pump or vice versa (no/no). Today I have my certification done. Natural interest should newer be underestimated.
Lad you do awsome work. You have honor and intregity in your work which is rare. Mamy many many buisness owners are deeply focused on their profit margin keeping it at its highest. That brings on rushing your workers, injuries can occur, and then you bring poor quality to the customers. Now im thankful that your videos are public, its because of you lad that i was able to fix and repair my own AC on me house. So you have my honor and respect for the work you do. Great quality! The other men saying they wish they could take more time to work on their machines need to do just that and do so. Stop whinning about it on your channel. You keep it up lad!
Same problem with apartment residents too. It is really difficult to have a legit preventative maintenance program for air conditioning when we have 25 work orders for flooring, drywall, electrical, plumbing, grounds keeping, garages, etc. each day. I could spend 3 hours at each of my 288 units that use 3 different refrigerants/previous techs mixing refrigerants......Every service request, you have to be fully present. Schedule your whole day before you start each morning. It keeps you sane. Thanks Chris for the closing words. It is a huge reason I come back to your channel and look forward to your 2-3 videos each week.
I believe in all the time I've been watching HVACR videos, I haven't seen a single *one* economizer move on its own :D Edit: That outro actually catched me by surprise. A lot of times I tend to skip it, because as a person just being interested in what you do, without any further background or knowledge, I enjoy watching what happens, and that it. But that outro was actually touching. Keep up the work! I'm sure there's lots and lots of people enjoying watching you diagnose and fix those units. I certainly do! In its own way, it's kinda therapeutic :D
Watching from the land down under great content it’s the same down here teck are just rushing I told my guy’s to step back if you fell over whelmed just Hamer down and take a break when you need to .don’t overwhelm yourself
This person, I am going to say it- he's probably a world leading expert on HVAC. Everyone in the trade REALLY needs to listen to him. I know some of this from my time in electronic engineering, so the controllers and time clocks are my thing... but honestly, if this YT channel existed maybe around 2010-2011, I would have probably had a different outcome in my career.
Hi Chris I always get to the end of the videos because you always go over things you wanted to cover in more detail or didn’t film. I like how you address the questions or comments know people are going to make in the comments section. I really appreciate your videos it helps me out big time!!!
Just set up a tripod and record your work, those are my favorite videos. Love to see you brazing and replacing inop failed components you don’t even need to talk 😂
Your videos save my life. I’m a lead service tech with only 4 years experience and don’t have anyone to call anymore for diagnostic guidance. I am far from knowing everything I should. So thank you 🙏
Awesome bud, glad to help!! I will be going live on TH-cam this evening 8/1/22 @ 5:PM (pacific) to discuss recent videos and answer questions from the live chat, from emails and from TH-cam comments, come on over and check it out th-cam.com/video/HSIOTgOXxV0/w-d-xo.html
I Love your videos even though I do not work in the HVACR industry, and as an industrial mechanic/electrician I enjoy watching your electrical diagnosing as I learn new ways of checking things and your patience and dedication are inspiring. Keep up the great videos and hopefully you will always be able to find new ways to keep interest in making them. Thanks so much.
I do not rush when I’m alone or even with my boss with me who has 35 plus years in experience and can diagnose and fix way faster than me. He is great teacher and extremely knowledgeable. When he with me hovering I just lay my tools down and step back tell him here you do it or you go find something else to do or just watch and get back I’ll get this 😂😂 . It’s just him and me so it’s a great job no pressure ever
You are correct, overflow switch is enabled by configuration and connected to DI3 (two red wires on the bottom right green connector of the Prodigy board).
Your big picture diagnosis method actually got me in hot water with my old boss whom I will not name, he's one of those guys who will quickly fix one thing and gladly charge a customer multiple service calls without caring about the customer's perception, one of his regulars with an ancient lowboy furnace was used to numerous service calls every fall which was good money for old boss, I was only an apprentice but he sent me to that particular house while he was on vacation because the old lowboy was struggling again, gave the furnace a thorough looking over and found quite a few things on the brink of failure, presented my findings to the customer who gave the green light and proceeded to all but rebuild this old lowboy, guy posts every job on the company page and I haven't seen that old lowboy pop up on the company page since, usually it's 4 or 5 service calls back to back according to the customer but the one big picture diagnosis put a stop to that for awhile
I'm self employed also. That has allowed me to slow way down, and spend more time on customer equipment. Don't get me wrong....I'm busy as he'll, but I work at my own pace, and haven't lost any business over it. Keep up the good work!!!!!!
Always make it to the end because you can learn a lot from the breakdown you give. I know it seems repetitive I hope you find a way to make it fun again. I always look forward to these videos.
I love the content. I am a residential service tech been doing it for about 3 years now. This stuff will definitely help me when I make it to commercial on day.
More autopsies! You should make more videos of just taking apart failed components, ive learned alot about the internals of a compressor from watching you do so
Thanks for the advice at the end. I am on week 3 with a new company. Old company overbooked and rushed us through service calls. I finally feel like I can be thorough and do a complete job I'm proud of.
The education I get from this as an installer is fantastic because just the other day we were getting an error on the condenser board where it was drawing high amps and I correctly assessed that the high indoor heat load was causing the issue and it would solve itself.
I’ve learned so much from this guy. Not in the HVAC field. But I know how to learn at problems and start the diagnostic process. I’m in the pipe fitting and steam fitter maintenance trades, and I literally go to every job everyday, using my senses, feel for vibration, hear knocking etc, then I find out what the problem is, and then instead of jumping directly to “what do I need to fix it?” I stop myself and ask “why did this happen?” “What’s going to cause this problem to come back?” Also I’m obsessed with home HVAC condenser coil and filter cleaning. Every week I spray the outside lightly, vacuum out the micro power guard filter (replace every 3 months) and once a month or so I’ll spray the condenser coil from the inside.
Gracias por tus consejos y explicaciones, desde Córdoba, Argentina Te sigo siempre, nunca dejes de brindar tus conociemientos hay gente como yo que necesitamos humildemente aprender de monstruos como vos, simplemete gracias. Nunca dejes caer el canal, aca estamos siempre con vos !!!!.-
Another great vid! I watched the whole thing. 17:10 you mention putting a zip tie on plug to prevent it from coming apart in future. In that situation I would put a zip tie on all 4 fans not just the problem fan.
I'm a homeowner and tactical systems engineer. I do basic repairs and routine maintenance on my home hvac system (cleaning, capacitors, motors, contactors, etc.). It's a 33 year old Trane Weathertron XL XE-900 that's still running like a top. I love your channel. I watch every video start-to-finish. I've learned much from you and I'm very grateful for the time and effort you invest in these videos.
The old Tranes worked hard. Had one from the 70s that was cooling a 4500sqft home built 1850s, never broke down, finally replaced it for efficiency. Think it underwent one compressor swap in 50 years service.
chris, i love every single video. i am not bored of watching and learning from you. I dun get chance to learn from my senior tech. You are the only person teaching how to deal with customer and evaluate the unit properly. Pls keep up with making videos. To me, watching your video is like following you and learning side by side with you.
Bravo.....THE SINGLE MOST IMPORTANT FACTOR IN A BUILDING IS AIR BALANCE AIR FLOW. Again, PM or lack of is the problem. Don't even get me started on EMS systems cycling the blower in occupied situations to save 5 bucks on an electric bill. You need a constant air movement for may reasons. One is for combustion for gas fired equipment including hot water heaters, which downdraft all the time and food equipment. Thank you for pointing this out. Customers and technicians need to see this.....great job!
Adding a comment regarding possable future videos: I would love to see how Grocery stores handle all thier cooling needs, maybe work with someone who sevices grocery stores who could supply the video to you. Also cold storage units too.
Chris, I worked for several different companies. One (and when I worked for them it was 20-30 years ago)....they taught me service. They are the biggest contractor in the country E...R now. They only did business with customers that signed a service contract, Things went pretty smooth. You took the time to service , clean and diagnose and maintain. The end result was you were not overloaded when the weather got hot.......at least not continuously. Then I worked for other contractors that was filters and belts and clean the condensate trap and that is what they called a PM....from one extreame to another and you ran around like a nut.
Love your content. I own my own HVAC R business and really appreciate the education you provide. I would like to see more time sizing units, line sets, and the details into sizing. I am a whiz at diagnosing, need more help sizing all the equipment. Kitchen fans, make up airs, txv valves, rtu. I watch your videos all the way through, thanks for reading my comment
I like your vids. I like how no matter what you think is the issue after you over look you always verify all electrical components and move on. Great great vids
I usually try and watch each video start to finish you make great videos I'm a engine machinist reconditioner & mechanic by trade and on the topic of being pushed for time that's a good topic for the mechanical industry "we want this 8 hour job done within 6 hours and if you go over that you can pack your stuff".
Anybody who is stupid enough to threaten a person with their job in this job market is nuts. ( I used the word nuts just to be civil). If you are any kind of a mechanic you can practically name your price and have a new job tomorrow ( or maybe late this afternoon). When I was working as a mechanic in my younger years, I would pride myself on the fact that I never had something I worked on come back until something else broke. Doing the job "right" is much better than doing it quickly, both for your business and also for the customer.
I just don't understand how owners just don't get it. No maintenance makes for more problems, that's great for us 💰. I have been watching since 2018. I love the channel as is,
Get a camera guy that would change the viewer experience and probably be fun for you. I understand cost might be to expensive to budget that. Love your channel brother thanks.
Totally agree, Never rush in a job where diagnosis and/or repairs are involved. It's easy to miss something or even get hurt when you go too fast, seen it far too many times. Always watch to end and enjoy watching your work, we think a lot alike. I'm no HVAC tech, just a elec/mech engineer in UK, but the stuff I've learnt from your videos has helped me diagnose and fix mine and a few friends car A/C systems. Also thought me how to look after my refrigeration systems so thank You for that. Take care and stay safe!
So you can use one fieldpiece manifold on four systems at the same time. Just my opinion, but put any Lennox unit in test mode, love the M3 controller the best, and take a delta T on the unit. But THE MOSST IMPORTANT FACTOR IS make sure the evaporator is clean, the belt is good, right rotation, clean condenser coil and all fans are running and a clean drain pan and drain. Again, great great great videos. The best I have ever seen
First thankyou for the time and commitment in making these videos. I always watch to the end. Will second you statement, just time you time an observing the operation. Electrical and Fitter trade and so many time you can find faults just by observing the unit operator and asking why did it do or not do that.
I usually always watch till the end. I enjoy the recap and additional explanation at the end usually. Not sure if you can, but I wouldn't mind seeing more videos like the Custom Refrigerator Build video you did. I think it was about a year ago. Anyway, that video was awesome. Definitely nice to see a box designed by someone that actually works on them. 🤣 I realize you said there might be privacy concerns, but maybe you could work something out where you don't go into too much detail on that aspect. My two cents. Great video.
If management or dispatch is rushing you go somewhere else. personally my #1 pet peeve is being rushed. I can’t emphasize it enough focus on the call you are on if you are in over your head and feel overwhelmed on a call always ask for help. Sometimes those calls you can feel so stressed that you might be missing something very simple.
To the end. I love your videoes and the way you approach the problems and challenges that's thrown your way. I have learnt so much by looking at your videoes and will probably be able to fix any electrical problem on a HVAC system accept on the gas side as I've go no experience training or tools for working on the gas side. God bless and take care. I'm a qualified millwrite and still looking for work for more than a year after the previous employer closed their doors due to covid.
Thank you for what you do Chris! I’ve been watching your videos since the beginning. I’ve watched every single one of your service call videos and a lot of your Monday streams. For context I’m a 5 year technican with a associates in HVAC-R. Your videos have helped me tremendously and I’m now the lead HVAC technician at my company. This is a company that has technicians that have 15+ years. So it’s speaks volumes of the value of your videos!! YOUR THE MAN!
Hi, I'm a retired electrician, I spent most of my career working on locomotives. There is a lot of fault finding on them, and it is important to have a full understanding of the systems involved to expedite the repair process. This is what I enjoy about your channel, you have a complete (or seem to :) ) knowledge of HVAC. Also your thoroughness with each job. I hate "cowboys" who blunder around, not knowing what they are doing properly and making a mess of things. I wish I had got my ticket in refrigeration, the number of times I was asked if I could repair a display fridge or AC when I was working as a sparky in the country. Oh well. Thanks for your posts, keep 'em coming. And yeh, I watch to the end
I really enjoy the videos and always watch all the way through also enjoy the march thank you sir, its also nice to see how other techs do things, wish your daughter happy birthday for us my youngest just turned 8 they grow so fast.
I did make it to the end as usual. Actually I joined your channel when you only had 4 videos! I have learned so much from watching your videos. Keep up the good work. I definitely need to help pimp the channel by getting a tee shirt & hat.
Very true about how important it is to manage your customers. I know that sounds high-handed and a sure way to lose work. But with my business management hat on, you absolutely have to do this. Some business management advice says you have to be prepared to fire up to 10% of your customer base each year. I’m not sure about that, it depends, I guess, on the customers! But if you’re not being given the time you need to do the job, not just being all precious about it and insisting everything has to be done your way (which is a sure fire method of losing business!) but the way it needs to be done properly, you have the wrong sort of customers. They can be educated, so that’s always the first thing to try. But if repeated attempts fail and you’re still not being given the latitude you need then it’s maybe time for them to find another service provider. This, long term, makes financial sense for your business. But it also makes sense for you as a person. Either you’re managing the job, or the job is managing you. It’s a fairly binary choice. You don’t want it to be the latter. Maybe a topic to include now and again in a video - how to manage the customer relationship, what’s gone right and what’s gone wrong. Customers you’ve had to walk away from and the reasons why you had to walk. Difficult maybe to cover this topic, as you don’t want to breach any confidentiality. Plus, sometimes, customers you had to let go (or flounced off finding a “better”, meaning, usually, “cheaper” contractor) end up eating some humble pie after a while and realise that you were the best and worth the time charges you were billing them for. Anyhow, could say more on this, but I too can ramble :-) so that’s enough I think.
Chris...about the economizer actuator. Yes, they fail by an internal fault that does not send the feedback voltage value to the prodigy board. I had one roof with several new units, and by "new" I mean the black plastic door handles and the prodigy II controller. Three of those brand new units needed actuators to cure the code 147.
Love the content, and always make it to the end. Thanks for what you do, your channel and a few others are my television these days. Greeting from a very warm DFW.
Those older Lennox Comfort Sense thermostats had a weird bug where they would indicate Fan On at all times when a circulation schedule was programmed into them. Even when it wasn’t calling the unit for blower operation.
It looks like these (COMFORTSENSE 8500?) actually do have a wireless firmware update available. (Briefly browsing it's manual.) Maybe that should be the first triaging step. "Am I dealing with old crappy software full of bugs?" I'd think software updates should be part of PMs. Maybe? (And if Lennox doesn't post their latest software version numbers to their website, I guess that means they want lots of people to call them up?)
Love your videos to the end! I enjoy your troubleshooting steps and listening to a professional in their trade. I'm not in HVAC but we have a service section at work and I've been working a lot with them lately. I use your videos to get some bit of grasp as to what they talk and converse about.. though, I'm in R&D and really have only made reports for for them but it's still fun. Thanks for making these public and sharing your videos.!
I do appliance and refrigeration for residential. Been subbed for some time and I vote you stick with what you have been doing. If you want to change the channel go for it but I don't think it is needed. Great content speaks for itself
I’ve needed to zip tie a few of those Lennox fan motors. Crazy. The techs we hire tell me they have never been able to spend time PMing systems like we offer. They have all the time they need to troubleshoot, within reason. We want our techs to find the issues, all of them, and resolve them so that our customers aren’t losing thousands, maybe hundreds of thousands of dollars an hour in production.
I agree. SLOW DOWN. Techs are allowing themselves to get rushed by dispatch or management. Slow down and get the job done correctly. If you rush and the customer is calling you back later on the same issue you’ve accomplished nothing. If your worried about your job then wake up and realize their is a nationwide tech shortage, so if management foolishly fires you for being thorough you can get another position the next day elsewhere and it might even be with a better company.
Normally dispatch is clueless on how long stuff takes. They think you can jump on the roof and 5 minutes later you have everything done and figured out.
if your great tec slow down become a teacher never rush your students and everyone elsa will not knowwhy you do it that way. people in the world are sooo rushed they forget to slow down or they want NOW i agree with what you said. kudos to you.
just to add to what Brian said, you can walk into any supply house in the country right now and theyll find you a job in minutes.
Totally agree
Yeah, RIGHT FIRST TIME. Dispatch and management had different ideas how something should be done than the tech. Additionally they have the computers. They sit in front of the screen, click click and the task is solved but in reality it is much more difficult.😁
There’s nothing boring about the videos you post, even if the issues are similar. Definitely appreciate you posting the day to day.
I am working in commercial building operations and dealing with a lot of contractors. One thing I never can understand why some of those companies can be honest. If you are too busy and can’t provide efficient service just tell me and you stay in my radar for next time. But if you rush like crazy, only one thing you are worry about is how to get out of here, you are done to me and you won’t get my call anymore. Be honest to your customers and really show that you care about them is a big thing and that’s how you get their respect and trust. I love your attitude to your customers and the service you provide to them. A lot of technicians should learn not just how to fix things but customer service as well.
Yep, I watched the video until the end :D
In my opinion you don't have to redo the closing talk part of your video just because your dog or cat "say hi" 🐺
I always watch to the end for the secret nuggets of wisdom
Your message about being rushed Chris is on point it happens on the customer level, your own company level and other various things. I’ve become tired and worn out of being rushed. the old saying goes “ your lack of planning does not constitute an emergency on my part” Have a great day Chris love your work
I've been in the trade only a short time, never heard that saying but it's true. Also sometimes techs set their own expectations too high for job time or push themselves too hard to meet unrealistic or impossible customer expectations, meanwhile they've been proactive and solved the problem. A big part of what we do is educating people and some people refuse to learn.
@@Falcon-eh8tq absolutely agree. I just changed jobs because of some of of these things
I'm not an hvac guy, but I do very much enjoy your videos, and lot of the concepts apply to other fields. If I had a dime for every time I had to re-do something someone rushed through, half-assed, or didn't notice... idk, I'd have a lot of money.
DO IT RIGHT THE FIRST TIME
Chris, I am not a HVAC guy but I still enjoy watching your videos. And Yes, I do watch them all the way to the end! 😀
I like the way you diagnose things with your big picture diagnostic
Good job Chris, don't change too much, because people watch you because of the way you are.
Also, totally agree about slowing down a bit and taking a step back to just observe.. three best tools we’ve got are our EYES, EARS, and FEEL. At least, IMO
Good ol Prodigy. Nice to see you going through the steps. Balancing 25 years now.
Great detail on new DDC-equipped HVAC. Keep it up. The controls have become 80% of the time spent to diagnose a problem. I like good controls because it makes the equipment use less energy, last longer, and the customer is more comfortable. That being said we have more service calls and longer service calls because of all the bells and whistles breaking. I wish we had a scientific study that used real data to determine what the cost of ownership ends up being when there are very complicated controls compared to very simple controls. The OEM's always state big operation savings but they don't include the service calls. The old 10-ton rooftop with 2 5hp compressors controlled by a single 2-stage thermostat and 2 contactors is as simple as it gets. KISS technology?
Your honesty is priceless Chris you do you mate,ya techs will thank you 1 day.👍
If you're good enough to get a Sporlan sponsorship, then you are good enough to watch to the end. I've been "watching till the end" weather i actively listen to everything or not. Awesome vids!
Of course I watch 100%. Two years ago I did know nothing about refrigeration and found your channel. Last year I asked on live stream if a recovery machine can be used as vacuum pump or vice versa (no/no). Today I have my certification done. Natural interest should newer be underestimated.
Well, the residential side has exactly the same PM issues as I get from my HVAC buddy and TH-cam videos. Thanks for sharing Chris!
Lad you do awsome work. You have honor and intregity in your work which is rare. Mamy many many buisness owners are deeply focused on their profit margin keeping it at its highest. That brings on rushing your workers, injuries can occur, and then you bring poor quality to the customers. Now im thankful that your videos are public, its because of you lad that i was able to fix and repair my own AC on me house. So you have my honor and respect for the work you do. Great quality! The other men saying they wish they could take more time to work on their machines need to do just that and do so. Stop whinning about it on your channel. You keep it up lad!
I always watch to the end unless I get interrupted by life. And no - I never get bored! ;)
And the hats are outstanding!
The way you focus on a call while not over focusing on one problem and possibly missing something is beyond impressive!
Same problem with apartment residents too. It is really difficult to have a legit preventative maintenance program for air conditioning when we have 25 work orders for flooring, drywall, electrical, plumbing, grounds keeping, garages, etc. each day. I could spend 3 hours at each of my 288 units that use 3 different refrigerants/previous techs mixing refrigerants......Every service request, you have to be fully present. Schedule your whole day before you start each morning. It keeps you sane. Thanks Chris for the closing words. It is a huge reason I come back to your channel and look forward to your 2-3 videos each week.
I believe in all the time I've been watching HVACR videos, I haven't seen a single *one* economizer move on its own :D
Edit: That outro actually catched me by surprise. A lot of times I tend to skip it, because as a person just being interested in what you do, without any further background or knowledge, I enjoy watching what happens, and that it. But that outro was actually touching. Keep up the work! I'm sure there's lots and lots of people enjoying watching you diagnose and fix those units. I certainly do! In its own way, it's kinda therapeutic :D
CHRIS CONTINUE MAKING THESE VIDEOS. WATCHING YOUR VIDEOS IS LIKE A AC KNOWLEDGE VIDEO WITH SATISFYING ENDING ☺️
Watching from the land down under great content it’s the same down here teck are just rushing I told my guy’s to step back if you fell over whelmed just Hamer down and take a break when you need to .don’t overwhelm yourself
This person, I am going to say it- he's probably a world leading expert on HVAC. Everyone in the trade REALLY needs to listen to him.
I know some of this from my time in electronic engineering, so the controllers and time clocks are my thing... but honestly, if this YT channel existed maybe around 2010-2011, I would have probably had a different outcome in my career.
Hi Chris I always get to the end of the videos because you always go over things you wanted to cover in more detail or didn’t film. I like how you address the questions or comments know people are going to make in the comments section. I really appreciate your videos it helps me out big time!!!
So true, proper pm work thru the year. Excellent idea to have techs clean up units beforehand.
Great work Chris master of big picture diagnosis
Love the videos! Been in commercial 15 yrs, learn everyday and love the way you put these together!
Always go to the end of videos!
Just set up a tripod and record your work, those are my favorite videos. Love to see you brazing and replacing inop failed components you don’t even need to talk 😂
I really enjoy these videos! Each new call video is like a new adventure and a chance to learn. I don't think it's stale or old at all. Thanks!!
Your videos save my life. I’m a lead service tech with only 4 years experience and don’t have anyone to call anymore for diagnostic guidance. I am far from knowing everything I should. So thank you 🙏
Awesome bud, glad to help!! I will be going live on TH-cam this evening 8/1/22 @ 5:PM (pacific) to discuss recent videos and answer questions from the live chat, from emails and from TH-cam comments, come on over and check it out th-cam.com/video/HSIOTgOXxV0/w-d-xo.html
I Love your videos even though I do not work in the HVACR industry, and as an industrial mechanic/electrician I enjoy watching your electrical diagnosing as I learn new ways of checking things
and your patience and dedication are inspiring. Keep up the great videos and hopefully you will always be able to find new ways to keep interest in making them. Thanks so much.
¡Feliz cumpleaños ala hija mayor. Disfrutes el tiempo en familia mientras se puede. Se crecen tan rapidos!
I do not rush when I’m alone or even with my boss with me who has 35 plus years in experience and can diagnose and fix way faster than me. He is great teacher and extremely knowledgeable. When he with me hovering I just lay my tools down and step back tell him here you do it or you go find something else to do or just watch and get back I’ll get this 😂😂 . It’s just him and me so it’s a great job no pressure ever
I have to say your professional approach and method of work is outstanding, I enjoy your vlogs and not involved in your industry.
You're the man Chris! Congrats on 5 years brother!
You are correct, overflow switch is enabled by configuration and connected to DI3 (two red wires on the bottom right green connector of the Prodigy board).
Your big picture diagnosis method actually got me in hot water with my old boss whom I will not name, he's one of those guys who will quickly fix one thing and gladly charge a customer multiple service calls without caring about the customer's perception, one of his regulars with an ancient lowboy furnace was used to numerous service calls every fall which was good money for old boss, I was only an apprentice but he sent me to that particular house while he was on vacation because the old lowboy was struggling again, gave the furnace a thorough looking over and found quite a few things on the brink of failure, presented my findings to the customer who gave the green light and proceeded to all but rebuild this old lowboy, guy posts every job on the company page and I haven't seen that old lowboy pop up on the company page since, usually it's 4 or 5 service calls back to back according to the customer but the one big picture diagnosis put a stop to that for awhile
I’m a newer tech and this channel helps me trouble shoot a lot better. Thanks
I'm self employed also. That has allowed me to slow way down, and spend more time on customer equipment. Don't get me wrong....I'm busy as he'll, but I work at my own pace, and haven't lost any business over it. Keep up the good work!!!!!!
Always make it to the end because you can learn a lot from the breakdown you give. I know it seems repetitive I hope you find a way to make it fun again. I always look forward to these videos.
Wish you’d post one a day but totally understand how busy you must be
I love the content. I am a residential service tech been doing it for about 3 years now. This stuff will definitely help me when I make it to commercial on day.
More autopsies! You should make more videos of just taking apart failed components, ive learned alot about the internals of a compressor from watching you do so
Love the videos man. I’m a residential hvac tech and I still watch you content.
Thanks for the advice at the end. I am on week 3 with a new company. Old company overbooked and rushed us through service calls. I finally feel like I can be thorough and do a complete job I'm proud of.
Great videos! I learn every time, just hope to retain it all. Please NEVER stop. I like how your brain works and can follow along fluently.
The education I get from this as an installer is fantastic because just the other day we were getting an error on the condenser board where it was drawing high amps and I correctly assessed that the high indoor heat load was causing the issue and it would solve itself.
Always, ALWAYS enjoy your content. Informative and entertaining. I’m a nerd. Howdy from Tennessee!
I’ve learned so much from this guy. Not in the HVAC field. But I know how to learn at problems and start the diagnostic process. I’m in the pipe fitting and steam fitter maintenance trades, and I literally go to every job everyday, using my senses, feel for vibration, hear knocking etc, then I find out what the problem is, and then instead of jumping directly to “what do I need to fix it?” I stop myself and ask “why did this happen?” “What’s going to cause this problem to come back?” Also I’m obsessed with home HVAC condenser coil and filter cleaning. Every week I spray the outside lightly, vacuum out the micro power guard filter (replace every 3 months) and once a month or so I’ll spray the condenser coil from the inside.
Gracias por tus consejos y explicaciones, desde Córdoba, Argentina Te sigo siempre, nunca dejes de brindar tus conociemientos hay gente como yo que necesitamos humildemente aprender de monstruos como vos, simplemete gracias. Nunca dejes caer el canal, aca estamos siempre con vos !!!!.-
Love your videos. I've actually learn so much from watching you trouble shoot. Keep up the GREAT work. And happy early birthday to your daughter..
GOOD STUFF , im a service manager in fl tell my techs to slow it down all the time !!
Awesome video as always
My company for the most part gives us the time we need unless we are very busy
Those plugs on the condenser fan motor for Lennox always cause issues, but it's usually easy to fix
I'm just getting into hvac and learning so much from watching your videos! Thanks for all the hard work.
Another great vid! I watched the whole thing.
17:10 you mention putting a zip tie on plug to prevent it from coming apart in future. In that situation I would put a zip tie on all 4 fans not just the problem fan.
Too bad you can't capitalize on feedback to Lennox. "Your product design/assembly sucks! Here is how to make it better, now pay me."
Made it to the end my friend I appreciate you talking about your work and discussing how to get better. You're great man!
I'm a homeowner and tactical systems engineer. I do basic repairs and routine maintenance on my home hvac system (cleaning, capacitors, motors, contactors, etc.). It's a 33 year old Trane Weathertron XL XE-900 that's still running like a top. I love your channel. I watch every video start-to-finish. I've learned much from you and I'm very grateful for the time and effort you invest in these videos.
The old Tranes worked hard. Had one from the 70s that was cooling a 4500sqft home built 1850s, never broke down, finally replaced it for efficiency. Think it underwent one compressor swap in 50 years service.
chris, i love every single video. i am not bored of watching and learning from you. I dun get chance to learn from my senior tech. You are the only person teaching how to deal with customer and evaluate the unit properly. Pls keep up with making videos. To me, watching your video is like following you and learning side by side with you.
Bravo.....THE SINGLE MOST IMPORTANT FACTOR IN A BUILDING IS AIR BALANCE AIR FLOW. Again, PM or lack of is the problem. Don't even get me started on EMS systems cycling the blower in occupied situations to save 5 bucks on an electric bill. You need a constant air movement for may reasons. One is for combustion for gas fired equipment including hot water heaters, which downdraft all the time and food equipment. Thank you for pointing this out. Customers and technicians need to see this.....great job!
Wish her a Happy Birthday From the East Coast
I saved a walk in full of products at my work because I watch so many of your videos lol was stuck in defrost in the stat lol
Hi, I watch all your videos. I'm from New Zealand, our issues here are different, but these help me with diagnosis. Thanks a Bunch!
Adding a comment regarding possable future videos: I would love to see how Grocery stores handle all thier cooling needs, maybe work with someone who sevices grocery stores who could supply the video to you. Also cold storage units too.
Chris, I worked for several different companies. One (and when I worked for them it was 20-30 years ago)....they taught me service. They are the biggest contractor in the country E...R now. They only did business with customers that signed a service contract, Things went pretty smooth. You took the time to service , clean and diagnose and maintain. The end result was you were not overloaded when the weather got hot.......at least not continuously.
Then I worked for other contractors that was filters and belts and clean the condensate trap and that is what they called a PM....from one extreame to another and you ran around like a nut.
Love your content. I own my own HVAC R business and really appreciate the education you provide. I would like to see more time sizing units, line sets, and the details into sizing. I am a whiz at diagnosing, need more help sizing all the equipment. Kitchen fans, make up airs, txv valves, rtu. I watch your videos all the way through, thanks for reading my comment
I am grateful for your knowledge of the Lennox equipment!
I like your vids. I like how no matter what you think is the issue after you over look you always verify all electrical components and move on. Great great vids
Good call sticking too your guns.Not see all the problems at one time can be frustrating.I used too be a plastics tech.
I usually try and watch each video start to finish you make great videos I'm a engine machinist reconditioner & mechanic by trade and on the topic of being pushed for time that's a good topic for the mechanical industry "we want this 8 hour job done within 6 hours and if you go over that you can pack your stuff".
Anybody who is stupid enough to threaten a person with their job in this job market is nuts. ( I used the word nuts just to be civil). If you are any kind of a mechanic you can practically name your price and have a new job tomorrow ( or maybe late this afternoon). When I was working as a mechanic in my younger years, I would pride myself on the fact that I never had something I worked on come back until something else broke.
Doing the job "right" is much better than doing it quickly, both for your business and also for the customer.
#Respest from Arizona , you always have a straight forward approach to a final diagnosis and final repair
Every diagnoses is different. Happy to watch every one.
I just don't understand how owners just don't get it. No maintenance makes for more problems, that's great for us 💰. I have been watching since 2018.
I love the channel as is,
Get a camera guy that would change the viewer experience and probably be fun for you. I understand cost might be to expensive to budget that.
Love your channel brother thanks.
Totally agree, Never rush in a job where diagnosis and/or repairs are involved. It's easy to miss something or even get hurt when you go too fast, seen it far too many times. Always watch to end and enjoy watching your work, we think a lot alike. I'm no HVAC tech, just a elec/mech engineer in UK, but the stuff I've learnt from your videos has helped me diagnose and fix mine and a few friends car A/C systems. Also thought me how to look after my refrigeration systems so thank You for that. Take care and stay safe!
So you can use one fieldpiece manifold on four systems at the same time. Just my opinion, but put any Lennox unit in test mode, love the M3 controller the best, and take a delta T on the unit. But THE MOSST IMPORTANT FACTOR IS make sure the evaporator is clean, the belt is good, right rotation, clean condenser coil and all fans are running and a clean drain pan and drain. Again, great great great videos. The best I have ever seen
You definitely know how to troubleshoot and explain it very well
Stay safe Out there Chris, enjoy videos still!
First thankyou for the time and commitment in making these videos.
I always watch to the end.
Will second you statement, just time you time an observing the operation. Electrical and Fitter trade and so many time you can find faults just by observing the unit operator and asking why did it do or not do that.
I usually always watch till the end. I enjoy the recap and additional explanation at the end usually. Not sure if you can, but I wouldn't mind seeing more videos like the Custom Refrigerator Build video you did. I think it was about a year ago. Anyway, that video was awesome. Definitely nice to see a box designed by someone that actually works on them. 🤣 I realize you said there might be privacy concerns, but maybe you could work something out where you don't go into too much detail on that aspect. My two cents. Great video.
If management or dispatch is rushing you go somewhere else. personally my #1 pet peeve is being rushed. I can’t emphasize it enough focus on the call you are on if you are in over your head and feel overwhelmed on a call always ask for help. Sometimes those calls you can feel so stressed that you might be missing something very simple.
To the end. I love your videoes and the way you approach the problems and challenges that's thrown your way. I have learnt so much by looking at your videoes and will probably be able to fix any electrical problem on a HVAC system accept on the gas side as I've go no experience training or tools for working on the gas side. God bless and take care. I'm a qualified millwrite and still looking for work for more than a year after the previous employer closed their doors due to covid.
Awsome as always,
Every time I view your videos it makes me want to emigrate from the uk
Thank you for what you do Chris! I’ve been watching your videos since the beginning. I’ve watched every single one of your service call videos and a lot of your Monday streams. For context I’m a 5 year technican with a associates in HVAC-R. Your videos have helped me tremendously and I’m now the lead HVAC technician at my company. This is a company that has technicians that have 15+ years. So it’s speaks volumes of the value of your videos!! YOUR THE MAN!
Thank you chris. I tell my coworkers to check you out. I tell them how you teach me alot.
Hi, I'm a retired electrician, I spent most of my career working on locomotives. There is a lot of fault finding on them, and it is important to have a full understanding of the systems involved to expedite the repair process. This is what I enjoy about your channel, you have a complete (or seem to :) ) knowledge of HVAC. Also your thoroughness with each job. I hate "cowboys" who blunder around, not knowing what they are doing properly and making a mess of things. I wish I had got my ticket in refrigeration, the number of times I was asked if I could repair a display fridge or AC when I was working as a sparky in the country. Oh well. Thanks for your posts, keep 'em coming. And yeh, I watch to the end
I really enjoy the videos and always watch all the way through also enjoy the march thank you sir, its also nice to see how other techs do things, wish your daughter happy birthday for us my youngest just turned 8 they grow so fast.
Great video as always. Hope you save the outro outtakes for HVAC Overtime.
I did make it to the end as usual. Actually I joined your channel when you only had 4 videos! I have learned so much from watching your videos. Keep up the good work. I definitely need to help pimp the channel by getting a tee shirt & hat.
Very true about how important it is to manage your customers. I know that sounds high-handed and a sure way to lose work. But with my business management hat on, you absolutely have to do this. Some business management advice says you have to be prepared to fire up to 10% of your customer base each year. I’m not sure about that, it depends, I guess, on the customers!
But if you’re not being given the time you need to do the job, not just being all precious about it and insisting everything has to be done your way (which is a sure fire method of losing business!) but the way it needs to be done properly, you have the wrong sort of customers. They can be educated, so that’s always the first thing to try. But if repeated attempts fail and you’re still not being given the latitude you need then it’s maybe time for them to find another service provider.
This, long term, makes financial sense for your business. But it also makes sense for you as a person. Either you’re managing the job, or the job is managing you. It’s a fairly binary choice. You don’t want it to be the latter.
Maybe a topic to include now and again in a video - how to manage the customer relationship, what’s gone right and what’s gone wrong. Customers you’ve had to walk away from and the reasons why you had to walk. Difficult maybe to cover this topic, as you don’t want to breach any confidentiality. Plus, sometimes, customers you had to let go (or flounced off finding a “better”, meaning, usually, “cheaper” contractor) end up eating some humble pie after a while and realise that you were the best and worth the time charges you were billing them for.
Anyhow, could say more on this, but I too can ramble :-) so that’s enough I think.
Chris...about the economizer actuator. Yes, they fail by an internal fault that does not send the feedback voltage value to the prodigy board. I had one roof with several new units, and by "new" I mean the black plastic door handles and the prodigy II controller. Three of those brand new units needed actuators to cure the code 147.
Love the content, and always make it to the end. Thanks for what you do, your channel and a few others are my television these days. Greeting from a very warm DFW.
Those older Lennox Comfort Sense thermostats had a weird bug where they would indicate Fan On at all times when a circulation schedule was programmed into them. Even when it wasn’t calling the unit for blower operation.
It looks like these (COMFORTSENSE 8500?) actually do have a wireless firmware update available. (Briefly browsing it's manual.) Maybe that should be the first triaging step. "Am I dealing with old crappy software full of bugs?"
I'd think software updates should be part of PMs. Maybe? (And if Lennox doesn't post their latest software version numbers to their website, I guess that means they want lots of people to call them up?)
Love your videos to the end! I enjoy your troubleshooting steps and listening to a professional in their trade. I'm not in HVAC but we have a service section at work and I've been working a lot with them lately. I use your videos to get some bit of grasp as to what they talk and converse about.. though, I'm in R&D and really have only made reports for for them but it's still fun. Thanks for making these public and sharing your videos.!
I do appliance and refrigeration for residential. Been subbed for some time and I vote you stick with what you have been doing. If you want to change the channel go for it but I don't think it is needed. Great content speaks for itself
Good job Good class Chris 👍🏽
Love the Simpson 260 on the shelf in your outro
I’ve needed to zip tie a few of those Lennox fan motors. Crazy.
The techs we hire tell me they have never been able to spend time PMing systems like we offer. They have all the time they need to troubleshoot, within reason. We want our techs to find the issues, all of them, and resolve them so that our customers aren’t losing thousands, maybe hundreds of thousands of dollars an hour in production.