FIRST TRANE AC SYSTEM OVER 50 YEARS OLD STILL RUNNING STRONG
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 28 ก.ย. 2024
- FIRST TRANE AC SYSTEM OVER 50 YEARS OLD STILL RUNNING STRONG
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That is a 3 ton unit. My grandfather used to work for GE. He mainly worked at Broadway and Winter St Engineering in Fort Wayne where that condenser fan motor in that unit was made. He also was involved in a project in the 1960's to redesign all their hermetic motors, and visited the plant in Tyler, TX many times. That unit was made in the 6th week of 1971. The last 3 digits of the serial number represent the last digit of the year, then week of manufacture (YWW). The 36 in the model number is the 36000 of cooling. The fan blades were made by Lau in Indianapolis. Good units, I have a set of run capacitors I saved from a early 60's unit from a customers house I just replaced last year. Was a 5 ton, from 1964 when the house was built. Lasted until 2021, something broke inside the compressor, it didn't burn out though, just wasn't pumping anymore and made a terrible racket. The run caps are gigantic, and separate for fan and compressor. They were also made by GE, and still test perfect. 60 years old, and still work, because cans soldered shut, and probably filled with about a pound of PCB's. I'll never use them of course, and after washing off the 60 years of filth and dirt, the paint is still shiny and look new. I guess the dirt protected the paint from fading. My Dad's father just passed away just before last memorial day, almost made it to 102. Worked for GE from 1943 until 1977, then went to work for Copeland in Humbolt, TN then Sydney, OH before retiring in 1985. That's why they're such good units, designed by engineers of the same generation that developed the Apollo space program stuff etc.
3 ton from 1/4" x 5/8" (maybe even as small as 1/2" for that suction line) line set? I'm too lazy to do the research on this particular unit. Would this unit be rated at 4-6 SEER if this were, indeed, 3 ton?
@@Spector_NS5_RD Yes about 6 seer. 4 before he cleaned the condenser coil! That was most likely a 5/16 x 5/8 suction line. So 1/4" ID and 1/2" ID. Yes a little small, but if a short line set not an issue. For 410A and 3 ton, 3/8 and 3/4 is recommended up to 50 feet.
I think you can agree though, that manufacturing technology and materials science has greatly improved? typing this on a handheld smartphone with infinitely more computing power than any Apollo spacecraft... we are at the Artemis stage of space travel
I enjoyed your story :) interesting :)
@@walterbrunswick "we are at the Artemis stage of space travel" it hasn't launched yet 🙄
G.E. 's roto-lock compressors were unbeatable!!!!! Way back in 1977 when I was a service trainee, I installed lots of these condensing units in central Florida. We had virtually no compressor failures!!! And years later, when I was self-employed on Long Island working all of the Hamptons, and Amagansett / Montauk Point,, I was installing the Trane units and I remember another service tech. telling me about ""SNOWBALL"".... a ~Roto-lock compressor~ that had been running ~deliberately~ with the blower in the air handler shut off for around 12 years!!!
That was in 1988/89?!?! AMAZING!!! I WONDER WHEN OR IF IT DIED!?!?!?! CHEERS!!!!
GE's "Snowball" lasted almost 28 years, from late 1972 until 2000. Then Trane started up a "Snowball II" in 2000. Last I heard, it's still running.
I just worked on one of those last week! One of the oldest I’ve seen around KC. Noisy fan motor was kicking out on overtemp. Spine fins were plugged solid, pulled it all apart, cleaned coils, replaced fan motor. Fired up quietly, instantly, pressures were rock solid. Didn’t even need a charge! Runs beautifully. 50 plus years old like me and still going.
That GE unit was the best unit we ever had, was supposed to have an outside wedding shower at our house but the forecast was for 100° we had over 40 blabbing women in our house and everyone remarked at how nice and cool it was, that GE had zero problems keeping the house at 72° on a 100° day with 40+ people partying in it.
That GE is nearly identical to the one I had at my previous house, installed in 1967. If I recall correctly, that control with the manual reset slider is a high press switch with a cap tube extending down into the compressor compartment onto the high side line. The cabinet metal was heavier gauge metal than the body of my car today.
The reason is Trane bought the General Electric Air Conditioning Division in the early 1880's and then placed their name on it. Before that Traine was commercial and Industrial Air Conditioning Company.
@@ritaloy8338 1982
Notice the handy little covered access door for resetting that pressure switch @ 33:13.
Boy that brings back memories!!! My grandmother had that same condensing unit when I was a kid!! It lasted forever. Enjoy the videos! Be safe out there buddy.
You look after your customers so well! You have a great business model!
They aren't teaching that in school anymore.
@@12yearssober lmfao lmfao the name got me bahahahahaha
@@Veedub98 You see. This is proof that Jeffery Epstein didn't kill himself 🙂
I think you did a great job keeping an old equipment going, Good job Steve.
Amazing longevity of those old units. Just a contactor and the main stuff runs fine. Easy fix. No one makes these units that last like this anymore.
They were good units. Remember them well. If you had a call on one there was a problem. The heat pump version had the Ranco E15 I think it was for the defrost. Good old days!
I had to replace a contactor on one and had the same situation. Not much room on that corner.
Fan motor still is a part you buy from Trane, which still fits, and still used on a lot of units.
Just had my 1992 / 31 year old Trane units serviced. Have a 5 ton Trane AC & furnace & a 3 ton ac all 31 years old, serviced offen & running great!
The Amana system I installed 20 years ago is still going strong (I'm retired HVAC tech), but have been thinking of changing it out this Fall during cooler weather. I honestly can't decide whether that would be wise or not, especially after seeing this.
Don’t do it yet, I would wait to see how the new units coming out in the next few years perform with the new refrigerant. Changing a system out that’s still cooling well for a r410a system right now with equipment shortages and high prices is not gonna be worth it. I’m a current HVAC Tech
I agree. I have a Trane BYC & struggling with replacing it or not. I’ve put a compressor in it 2 evap motors & 2 condenser motors. Just did a good cleaning & she’s blowing cold. Might have just talked myself into keeping it 😂😂😂
@@williamj1969 As the saying goes: If it ain't broke, don't fix it - maintain it.
@@dantesinfernopurgatory7826 our saying is “tote a note or tote a wrench”.
I’ve heard you say “it’s not rocket science” many times but this video illustrates just what a good mechanic you are.
LOVE THE HUMOR STEVE
So I worked for Trane many years ago. Prices put good equipment put honestly most equipment made today in America is very high quality. That's coming from a Canadian
The main problem is they are all filled with Chinese components, the switches and the contactors are what fails.
@@UNUSUALUSERNAME220 good point
Those old GE units used 2 transformers, one was for RC for Red Cool and RH for Red Heat, modern units using 1 transformer require the RC and RH on the thermostat to be jumpered.
Clean the contacts with an emery board or Jewelers file and a little contact cleaner. Good for another 30 years
Wow 50 years old and still kicking. That’s good enough for this neighborhood.
Great diagnosis Steve ... keeping the old Trane running 🚂🏃
life is all about shits and giggles and ol exs flying around on brooms, Steve you got that right bro
Great troubleshooting skills. Man was in the zone.
you saved another one.. and you helped out a nice guy at the same time.. good job 🐔
WOW! They don't build them like that any more! I just replaced an entire HVAC system Bryant. And the old one was also a Bryant 16 years old, it was still running but needed an upgrade. As i was starting to replace items. Evaporator coil was replaced when it was 10 years old on old unit also. Take Care!
No they don't.
The way you talk to your customers is hilarious but you could never get away with that where I’m from. Can definitely tell you’re from mass 😂.
My parents bought a new house in Houston, TX in 1966 with a GE condensing unit just like that. I was 11 yo at the time. I grew up and moved away and did not pay much attention to their house but in 1997 I was visiting and commented to my dad that the unit was 31 yeas old and not very efficient. He said his ac guy was keeping is going and it was fine. My dad was an executive and made very good money but grew up in the depression and was cheap. My mother did not work but she did the books and paid the bills. I told her they could save a lot of money on the electric bill, (remember Houston) if they put in a new unit. My good friend was a HVAC guy in the area and he replaced the GE with a Trane system and the electric bills in the long Houston summer was over $200 less a month in 1997 dollars. After that anytime my dad was being a cheapskate on something she brought up the AC in the argument. It really pissed him off. LOL Keeping old units running does not always make sense,
I live in Houston and have a 20 yo 5 ton RUUD. My electric bill during the summer is at most $220 per month. I calculated that my cooling cost is $846 per year. I keep my house at 75 degrees. Five years ago, my HVAC guy wanted to install a 16 SEER system for $10,000. I would have saved $210 per year.
@@jimw7550 How about apples to apples which is almost impossible. You’re air-conditioning unit is 20 years old and more than likely is 10 seer or greater. When it was installed 20 years ago it was 36 years newer than the one I was discussing . The air conditioning I was talking about was 31 years old in 1997. It was replaced with a unit with a 13 seer rating . My parents electric bill was reduced from 400+ dollars to 200+ dollars a month In the summer. As you will note that is very close to what you were paying and their system was a 5 ton as well . The unit that was originally installed in 1966 that Was at best a 5 seer and it was 31 years old. I live near Galveston . My house is 1500 ft.² My electric bill last month was $183.95. I used 1687 kW. My house is fairly efficient but I could use a little more insulation in the attic. The system at my house is 12 years old and is a 14 seer 2.5 ton unit. It is running at optimum performance. I keep it very cool in my house, generally around 72-73 in the day and 69 at night. My condensing unit is drawing 8.2 Amps When running Plus the air handler fan which I have not checked the amps lately . Pretty damn efficient. You must keep your house very warm as that has everything to do with how much electricity you use. If you never turned your air conditioning system on during the summer your electric bill would be very low so you’re not using any science with your statement. My electric bill is around $35 in the winter with gas heat. You can only compare your electric usage to you or an identical house and Ac. You cannot compare it to other people as there are many many variables involved from one house to another and system to system. Your electric bill has nothing to do with my parents house...
You're the Man Steve, great service call
Steven, The old 220 volt residential standard was replaced DECADES ago‼️The standard residential voltage is 240 volts and 120 volts.
A lot of older people insist it's 110/220 and won't hear anything different.
Town house complex I grew up in had those. Built in 1971-1974, the buildings were. As of 2 years ago I would say 75% of those old condensor a still were operational there.
what happen if the cardboard gets wet ?
I said to myself the same thing, I would individual each terminal leg with black electric tape
wait now i didnt see a license number on your truck for cobweb cleaning lol......amazing how old that unit is and still working stuff back in the day was so much more reliable. We have a small Kenmore top open freezer in our basement that we bought used 30 yrs ago never had a bit of trouble out of it......great work bt
That's so old that they used EMT conduit because flexible seal tight didn't exist yet! Btw, those tan handle CH breakers, when they trip they turn FULL OFF. This is by design. Just FYI.
They certainly don't make them like that anymore 50 years old and still running I wonder if it's the original compressor?
Great video, thank you for making these videos I enjoy them all very much.
pound of r-22 in 50 years? wish i could buy that machine today.
great layout, easy to service at waist high, if they were still made like this hvac guys wouldnt get knee replacements.
sure didnt look like a shit show or crusty to me. looked like good thick usa steel with zero rust.
what happens to the r-22 you reclaim when you changeout?
If its not acidic..keep it for another job. If it's acidic..then take it to the supply house. Some guys in the d.c. area will sell it once it's cleaned and filtered thoroughly.
@@Veedub98 that's definitely not legal, not that I give a damn what uncle Sam says I can or can't do but definitely don't advertise that you're reusing refrigerant that you took from another job. Can only use it for the same customer, can't resell and r22 can no longer be reclaimed is has to be destroyed. Ridiculous
We just replaced a GE a few weeks ago that was from 1981. Had the big white plastic top that I kept. The compressor blew it's cork...prior maint company "serviced" it every year but the coil was filthy.
That unit is as old as iam!
Good job fixing the old girl! If that was the first time she needed gas, she may have many years left in her. Love the old stuff!
🤯 I remember my grandpa working on those when I was a kid...
I just replaced my 32 year old Heil ac last week. It was running fine but my wife wanted it replaced. My guy recommended a Concord so that's what we did. 3 1/2 ton
I haven't seen one of those in the wild in a few years.
Looks like someone already screwed up the compressor capacitor setup for the trickle crankcase heat.
There is supposed to be 2 capacitors, one that stays energized all the time, has a bleed resistor on it, and has that fuse in the circuit with it. The other gets placed in parallel with it when the contactor pulls in.
The wiring of that contactor is interesting too, one pole just switches power to the run and start windings of the fan motor, the other pole does the run lead for the compressor, and brings the 2nd compressor run capacitor into the circuit.
One leg of the line voltage connects directly the common leads for the compressor and fan motor, the other leg goes to both poles of the contactor.
I've had to deal with the aftermath of coworkers getting the wiring wrong on them a few times over the years.🤣
I actually carry one of those GE contactors on my truck, but it has been at least 5 years since I've needed it.
I have one of these (they were GE, was bought by Trane) and the fan motor runs very loud like this. Does putting in a new 1/3HP fan help the noise?
Motors and blades have to be matched. HP vs number of blades, pitch of the blades, and how much resistance the coils put on the air flow.
Steven I'm about halfway through the video and I'm going to go ahead and comment that unit is Dead on arrival
I have an old carrier roundie, sure paying her dues this summer
Yeah just install the water heater directly in front of the furnace and don't leave any clearance.
Great work as always Steve👍🏿👍🏿👍🏿👍🏿
Wow, haven't seen/ workied on theses in 15+yrs. Brings back a lot of memories. Damn pumpkin compressors are bullet proof. Now for Amp draw... now that's a different story. (a pure piggy) lol
Hey Steven I thought all the dinosaurs have already been deceased
That was a good fix and good vid ... Thx Steve ...
Black and Decker Bought Out General Electric here near Me Years Ago.
The Watergate conditioner.
I’ve got 55 lbs of R-22, been using R421A on some units
send me a 5lb can :o)
i have 30lbs of r12..
i think we missed the best time to sell it as most old cars have been upgraded. Maybe someone like jay Leno that wants to keep his vehicle factory in every way would pay very nicely?.
just looked and its selling for 1500-1700 for 30 lbs 🤷🏼♂️...
sell or hold😅
@@ohioplayer-bl9em I remember when R12 and all refrigerant was first being regulated.. I was in autobody and my buddy owned a mechanic shop and I told him stock up.. he did and he made a ton of money reselling it to other shops.. he made so much that he retired off it and he was in his 40's .. it went from like $15 for a 20lb to $60 overnight and then it got real scarce... but before that anyone could buy refrigerant and there were no recovery stations you just vented it.. that was like hmmm late 80's i think.. fun times .. HA!
Da breakahs ah down cellah, right nex ta da biffy!!
I went in a crawl space filled with spiders, I got bit on the leg. Its been 4 years and I still have a red bump from it that itches like crazy sometimes. He don't mess around, no spiders for him 😆.
Built to last
I am surprised that You haven't started singing, She's a Crusty One Mr. Grinch Yet.
Very great training video. Probably not a moneymaking call but a little troubleshooting goes a long ways. Nice work and Happy Belated Birthday.
230 psi was high for the head pressure? R 22 at 230 psi is 110 F unless it is below 80F outside . On a 95F day a condensing unit condenses about 30F degrees above outdoor ambient, if a high efficiency condenser with large coil surface area go ambient plus 25F degrees, better efficiency units condense closer to outdoor ambient than average efficiency condensing units.
Thanks again for the videos!👍🏻🍺🍺🍺🥃🥃
Have a GE unit like this. Fan motors out but having a hard time finding a match due to know knowing the RPM. Any one have a suggestion?
Looks like its a 7 seer 3 ton pre 1982
He is lucky that it lasted for 50 years. Now the New Units might go 25 years if You are lucky.
Proof positive that the old systems will run practically forever if properly maintained. The new systems aren't always the best or most durable with modern planned obsolescence built into each unit.
The old unit must of been a higher end model since it has a High pressure control on it especially back then when stuff wasn't elaborate like now!
That is an unusual unit. I’ve run into a few about 30 to 35 years old but nothing close to 50 years
those were great units
Has anyone come across one that had the German made Flexible Plastic pipe? Ran into quite a few in the DC Area back in the Eighties. Copper prices had spiked out of control in the mid-to late Seventies, into the Eighties.
I think I know what you’re taking about. Looks like a regular suction line until you peel the insulation. The tube looks like an electrical whip if that’s the same one you talking about. Our old 1970 GE had that.
Two reasons it is still running....The part of the country it only runs 8-12 weeks a year.. Second there is ZERO ELECTRONICS associated with it...The most advanced part of the system is likely the thermostat.. Every time I see their video it sounds like Dustin Hoffman is doing the voice...
...HEY Chicken Little!!...
Good video thank you. It's not as old as you. Haha
That 40 degrees of subcooling and high superheat/low suction pressure looks like it's restricted and that little bit of gas you added to it is now overcharged. I doubt it has a TXV, if it has the original matching old coil those used individual cap tubes for each circuit and they're a nightmare to try and clear. If this system has a piston, I'd pump it down, and see if there's some junk clogging the piston. Shouldn't be 40 degrees of subcooling, especially if the condenser is old and not super cleaned. On a fixed orifice system can be over 10 degrees, but shouldn't be more than like 15 maybe. The problem isn't that it was low on gas, the gas wasn't flowing into the evaporator at a high enough rate. I don't think the compressor is worn out, a worn out compressor will give you low head pressure and high suction pressure, to the point where when it gets really bad, the high and low side become identical!
I have an old video of how to clean these old units, did one on a 1968 1.5 ton GE. Fan blade had cracked on the hub, so just tack welded it back in place with a small 120v wire welder. Best to completely dismantle the whole thing, vacuum off what you can, hit it with the torch, but don't heat it too much or it'll melt off the aluminum tinsel foil stuff, then use coil cleaner, and water will get the rest. Basically the torch turns all the spider webs and cottonwood tree stuff into ash, and the coil cleaner and water removes the ash. That one I made a video on, their dog was sleeping against the unit, and the coil was like completely caked solid with dirt mixed with dog hair. Worked like a charm once was all cleaned up though.
Sometimes those disconnects have fuses in them.
Haven’t seen a running General Electric A/C in years. They were good units. I never did like cleaning those condensers.
Trane carried those style condensers all the way to the mid 90’s before they started fading out.
You are the best good video
Trane brought the residential line only . At that time they had no residential units.
I grew up with that very same GE also from 1970, except ours was smaller, but the some of some of the other houses in the same neighborhood had that same size as the one filmed.
52 years, pure copper back then
Hello Steve!
Ted Cook would be proud of that thing
Old Dinosaur needs some Dinosaur juice. Hi to Miss Molly.
1970! Its only a baby !our fridge was made in 1957 max cooling it will freeze everything in it ,old is good the shit is the new stuff!
It's still running because Trane still had high quality standards back then.
Climatuff compressor.
That iPad is running an EXTREMELY out of date version of iOS. You can tell by the cell signal dots.
She maybe rusty and crusty but she can still cool. Kudos to you steve
Old enough to vote!!!
Hey chicken little 🤣
Hey Steve and Miss Molly! Workin’ again y’all. 👍👍
Is that the oldest AC you ever worked on?
My neighbor has a 1967 Chrysler air conditioner in his house. 2 years ago it needed a new cap!!! Still going strong!!!
40 deg subcooling? You got a problem there chief.
No use chasing that rabbit down a hole. The system is cooling. Like he asked the man, you don't want to spend a lot of money on this, do you?
Spiders don’t eat much :)
If you cant read a model number and tell thats a 3 ton you shouldn't be working on it
Ours was 36,000 btus
This unit is IDENTICAL to the 1965 GE thar was in my house when we bought it in 1980, in 2001 we replaced it even though it was still running fine. Wish I kept it until it died fir the unit we replaced it with was a LEAKER that lasted on 17 yrs.
It amazes me how everyone is so surprised by an ac lasting 20 year's when things were built to last now days you buy garbage made to last 5 years people should demand better products America has become about profit margins that's it.
It's probably got spiders in it
5/16 liquid line you know its old
gas in daytona 3.74 gal
cardboard?? it don't rain there....ahh the old guy ant got much time anyway u thinkn
I pay $300 for a 30 lb jug of R 22.