My '87 Colman A/C isn't the most efficient unit by todays standards but it's still putting out plenty of cold air on a 105 degree day in Western Kansas!
My Parents first Air Conditioner looked just like that, but it was Sears branded. Installed in the late 1970's and finally replaced around 2015. It seems to me like it was well ahead of it's time because it had a variable speed condenser fan that only ran as fast as it needed to. They got really good service from it for a lot of years.
I always wondered what you meant by a helicopter. After watching this video, I am assuming you mean a customer that hovers around as your repairing their equipment. Right? I am one that likes to do all my home repairs and auto repairs myself. My wife and I had a raised ridge dormer ( another level onto our split level house) put on and she insisted on having a general contractor do the work. Well, so many things went wrong and I had found so many mistakes made ( had to call the building inspector in a few times and he had to order changes. The plumbing guy made like 5 mistakes that I had to call him back (all leaks). The one project that I did not keep hovering over was the inground pool we had put in ( wife's insistence again) and the pool wound up 14" above grade. The contractor insisted it was not his fault ( blamed the excavator which he had do it). I brought him to court to get money to lower the pool and the judge said to the contractor, how much to bring in dirt to bring the surrounding land up 14"? I said it would bring the level of the yard higher then my base of my den door. The judge did not care and gave me a judgement for a few hundred dollars. Ridiculous. So some repairmen wonder why owners watch everything a repairman does.
I wouldn't call myself a "helicopter customer" but I do like to watch and ask a question here and there. I do this because I always want to learn. After having my 20 year old AC fixed a few times over the last 10 years, paying attention to the AC guy has paid off. I now fix my own AC. It's still the same 20 year old 4 ton Rheem R22 unit. I just fixed it a couple weeks ago and it's working better than it has in a couple years. The most expensive part was buying the R22.
Fluke is one one the best multimeter in existence. The better models ALL DO have Capacitance capabilities. And not just for electricians. I watch almost every day and love the channel. I know he was a helicopter extraordinaire, and you are a hvac guru check out Fluke capabilities you might just have to have one ..
Electrician here - it is generally frowned upon to install the incorrect brand breaker in a panel. Sure it fits, but it's technically not code compliant. Always good practice to use the breaker designed for the panel. Acceptable breaker models are usually listed on a sticker on the inside of the panel.
I helped change out an equally old micro channel condenser not too long ago, it was replaced due to efficiency and noise but still had its full charge and worked fine, it got replaced with an Amana condenser and 96% furnace which almost immediately required servicing
the quality of these pre 2000 units were unmatched i cried the other day i had to replace a early 90's trane because the evap coil leaked all the refrigerant out she was still running on negative pressure froze all the way from the evap to the solenoid while i wish we could have caught it earlier she was not worth fixing at that point
It still amazes how those old gems still work. It's a shame that manufacturers don't take the pride to make products that last to build a loyal customer base. Now they make crap across all industries
Is the manufactures fault tho? In general, I'd say it's the customers fault. We wanted to pay less for products, so people bought products made in china, even if it meant a poorer product. Now that everything is made there, companies can just charge what they want.
Just one tip I'll add Ted, I like to install the wires on the breaker first, then mount it in the panel. Esp with GE breakers, they're hard to see if you got the wire landed in the right place if the panel is crowded. I just find it easier, and less chance of touching a live wire.
If the power was on to the main bus, all the screw terminals on the other fuses above and below were HOT as well, when he was screwing the wire in tight. Finger or screwdriver can slip.
@@markae0 - this is how accidents happen - did you see how he was checking to see if the contactor was it ?? freakin idiot pushing that breaker back in whether it was off or on - the panel was LIVE !! if anyone can read my comment - NEVER go into your panel unless you are licensed and competent and for goodness sake use insulated tools !!
Mr. Cook won't like your comment because he has been working on these things since he was a little boy - he told us recently he was a carpet cleaner as well ??
Got to love those helicopters lol. I guess you can’t stop a Armstrong lol. I think he needs to realize it’s time for serious upgrade. Great job Ted as always.
Weird that home owner would poke at the capacitor while not doing a basic 5 second visual inspection of all the connections coming to and from the cap.
Yessiree...those terminals weren't heavy enough gauge for that wire/connection. Good review, thanks. That tank isn't stopping anytime soon as long as they don't mind the power bill. That yard needs cleared away from the condenser I'd say.
Last It's amazing how the mind works you can walk downstairs but you don't remember why you walked downstairs but you can remember things that happened when you were a kid
He seems like a nice homeowner hanging around for the crash course on electrical trouble shooting. That old Armstrong unit looks like the Heil units we use to sell back in the 70's just remember you have a great memory but it's short!
Why do customers find the need to stand over you nowadays while you work making small talk instead of letting you do your thing so you can be in and out?
Same thing happened at my house last year. The 2nd leg of the breaker went, as some reason there are two breakers instead of a breaker and a disconnect. They are both two pole. I'd never replaced a breaker before so i just called the A/C guy.
I have an old Sears coldspot mini fridge that I believe is from the 70's. Someone didn't want it, but said it works. I had to replace the mechanical thermostat with a digital one, because the old one was making the compressor short cycle, and would make the fridge get too cold. With the new thermostat, it works very well.
I have a Lennox from the late 70's early 80's? Both ac & heat. Scares me to say it but the only thing wrong is the drip pan on the ac is leaking. Couldn't afford a new one if I had to!
Those old units were tanks ... outdoor breakers and connections on units tend to corrode ... never a good thing with high amp parts ... and I've always looked at hard start capacitors as sacrificial in the grand scheme of things ... who knows, maybe he;ll get another ten years out of it ... but if not, I'm sure he'll call you if he needs a replacement ... when you treat a customer fairly and respectfully ... 75% will call you again
Boy that unit looks familiar - had one at my house growing up - or a similar OEM/brand? It had what looked like a solar system or a globe logo on the center of the fan. Long time ago...
Fluke 902 Meter have MFD, I use it A LOT. This is why I don’t do residential AC, bc it’s always the home owners that think they cay DYI and make it worse…..
This definitely was a raise the dead rather then heal the sick call. Reminds me of the joke about the old farmer and his wife listening to the preacher on their radio. As he prayed he asked listeners to put one hand on their radio and the other on the part of their body in need of help. The wife put her hand over heart and the husband laid his free hand on his lap; upon seeing this the wife said dear, the preacher said he was trying to heal the sick, not raise the dead. 😋
I've had plenty of those GE breakers be bad right out of the box. I've notice my supplier switch to GE breakers by ABB and the quality seems a bit better.
Hey home owner if you watch this channel your not doing yourself a favor at all. 4 years of electric bills or less on that thing could pay for entire new HVAC system. There is no efficiency when they built those bad boys, it was all about just make it cold back then ....
@@TedCookHVAC I installed a mid grade 16 seer system for my aunt last summer. She advised me it cut her electric bill in half. She had a 23 year old system ....
I sure wish my company would allow me to fix units any older than 15-20 years old.. and not just have to convince them its not worth fixing and to replace it. >>;
Was any consideration given to adding some silicone dielectric grease on the tabs of that replacement 30 AMP circuit breaker? Was that an R22 unit, or was some other refrigerant being used 50 or 60 years ago?
New breakers come with a tiny dab of grease right out of the box on the line side bus bar connectors if they need it. If it's there, leave it alone. If it doesn't, didn't need it anyway. Breakers are UL listed devices so I don't second guess the manufacturer :) And yes, that's an R22 unit. 410a units didn't start showing up until the late 90's/early 2000's and were mandated starting with 2010 equipment. From 2010-2020 there were some R22 'dry ship' units made for awhile, then those got discontinued.
What's with the helicopter? Is that common on older houses down there for the breaker box to be on the outside of the house? I'm not a contractor, I fix cars. I just find your videos mad interesting
You know, I'll admit that I myself am a helicopter.. however, that being said, I do my best to just stay out of the way and let the guy work. I have the mind of a mechanic and an engineer lol, so I find myself asking questions. I have a good understanding of how things work and im usually pretty good at just doing things myself as best as I can, sometimes though im a little too busy with 2 jobs, and end up just paying someone to do it. Anyways, awesome video!
If you've been watching them then you know as a tech we cannot stand someone hovering over us while we're trying to work so go back inside and watch TV LOL
I bet the energy management system is keeping the unit off or only getting half the required voltage need 220 volts.fluke and field peice are both Good meters my old meters went up to 1000 volts capability
He must have missed the "don't" helicopter the service tec videos. thanks for continuing to put out great content.
Quite the helper there is that your new service tech
That's lil Jimmy
Ted gave him a discount for being so much help. 😎👌
Annoying and Im not even there
That’s the homeowner !!
@@TedCookHVAC I don't know Ted. I think you might have accidentally hired him without knowing it. He might show up for work on Monday.
😁👌
My '87 Colman A/C isn't the most efficient unit by todays standards but it's still putting out plenty of cold air on a 105 degree day in Western Kansas!
He knows enough to be dangerous
My Parents first Air Conditioner looked just like that, but it was Sears branded. Installed in the late 1970's and finally replaced around 2015. It seems to me like it was well ahead of it's time because it had a variable speed condenser fan that only ran as fast as it needed to. They got really good service from it for a lot of years.
Oh I remember that, mom and pops had olive green AND woodgrain lol. What a dinosaur
They're a sub brand of Lennox. When this was made they were owned by Magic Chef.
I wish I was there so I could thank the customer for attempting to help but please go in the house and watch TV
Fluke makes a lot of DVM's with a MFD checker. I have that feature on mine. Fluke's are EXCELLENT test equipment.
100% CORRECT - My lastest Fluke is a 325 !!
I always wondered what you meant by a helicopter. After watching this video, I am assuming you mean a customer that hovers around as your repairing their equipment. Right? I am one that likes to do all my home repairs and auto repairs myself. My wife and I had a raised ridge dormer ( another level onto our split level house) put on and she insisted on having a general contractor do the work. Well, so many things went wrong and I had found so many mistakes made ( had to call the building inspector in a few times and he had to order changes. The plumbing guy made like 5 mistakes that I had to call him back (all leaks). The one project that I did not keep hovering over was the inground pool we had put in ( wife's insistence again) and the pool wound up 14" above grade. The contractor insisted it was not his fault ( blamed the excavator which he had do it). I brought him to court to get money to lower the pool and the judge said to the contractor, how much to bring in dirt to bring the surrounding land up 14"? I said it would bring the level of the yard higher then my base of my den door. The judge did not care and gave me a judgement for a few hundred dollars. Ridiculous. So some repairmen wonder why owners watch everything a repairman does.
Some kind of super helicopter!!!?
He reminds me of myself, i like to see and know everything about my appliances, ac .....
I wouldn't call myself a "helicopter customer" but I do like to watch and ask a question here and there. I do this because I always want to learn. After having my 20 year old AC fixed a few times over the last 10 years, paying attention to the AC guy has paid off. I now fix my own AC. It's still the same 20 year old 4 ton Rheem R22 unit. I just fixed it a couple weeks ago and it's working better than it has in a couple years. The most expensive part was buying the R22.
My first job after high school in 1955 was at Armstrong Furnace. They had just started making 2 and 3 ton residential air conditinoing units.
I believe that Steve Lav would have properly identified that old thing as a Crusty One, Mr. Grinch!
Fluke is one one the best multimeter in existence. The better models ALL DO have Capacitance capabilities. And not just for electricians. I watch almost every day and love the channel. I know he was a helicopter extraordinaire, and you are a hvac guru check out Fluke capabilities you might just have to have one ..
Electrician here - it is generally frowned upon to install the incorrect brand breaker in a panel. Sure it fits, but it's technically not code compliant. Always good practice to use the breaker designed for the panel. Acceptable breaker models are usually listed on a sticker on the inside of the panel.
That helicopter would have been a tweenager when you allegedly removed a 24v crank case heater ten plus years ago...
I helped change out an equally old micro channel condenser not too long ago, it was replaced due to efficiency and noise but still had its full charge and worked fine, it got replaced with an Amana condenser and 96% furnace which almost immediately required servicing
Exterior fuse panel is crazy for all the dirt that gets in. Great video!
the quality of these pre 2000 units were unmatched i cried the other day i had to replace a early 90's trane because the evap coil leaked all the refrigerant out she was still running on negative pressure froze all the way from the evap to the solenoid while i wish we could have caught it earlier she was not worth fixing at that point
It still amazes how those old gems still work. It's a shame that manufacturers don't take the pride to make products that last to build a loyal customer base. Now they make crap across all industries
Profit trumps everything these days
I agree. I call it 'getting on the hamster wheel' with most of the modern units made nowadays.
Is the manufactures fault tho? In general, I'd say it's the customers fault. We wanted to pay less for products, so people bought products made in china, even if it meant a poorer product. Now that everything is made there, companies can just charge what they want.
If they were so great why did 99.9% of them get replaced. The survivors are just the good ones, they built plenty of junk back in the day too.
Just one tip I'll add Ted, I like to install the wires on the breaker first, then mount it in the panel. Esp with GE breakers, they're hard to see if you got the wire landed in the right place if the panel is crowded. I just find it easier, and less chance of touching a live wire.
If the power was on to the main bus, all the screw terminals on the other fuses above and below were HOT as well, when he was screwing the wire in tight. Finger or screwdriver can slip.
@@markae0 - this is how accidents happen - did you see how he was checking to see if the contactor was it ?? freakin idiot pushing that breaker back in whether it was off or on - the panel was LIVE !! if anyone can read my comment - NEVER go into your panel unless you are licensed and competent and for goodness sake use insulated tools !!
Mr. Cook won't like your comment because he has been working on these things since he was a little boy - he told us recently he was a carpet cleaner as well ??
Hey Ted you gotta love them helicopters great video stay safe brother
Bet he’s an engineer
An old canned ham unit. What a gem!!
Canned ham unit. Lol. That’s like the old York , tomb stone ac units . 😂
Got to love those helicopters lol. I guess you can’t stop a Armstrong lol. I think he needs to realize it’s time for serious upgrade. Great job Ted as always.
Quite basic but decent Fluke meter an electrician might use does usually have capacitance measurement.
Weird that home owner would poke at the capacitor while not doing a basic 5 second visual inspection of all the connections coming to and from the cap.
Yessiree...those terminals weren't heavy enough gauge for that wire/connection. Good review, thanks. That tank isn't stopping anytime soon as long as they don't mind the power bill.
That yard needs cleared away from the condenser I'd say.
Last
It's amazing how the mind works you can walk downstairs but you don't remember why you walked downstairs but you can remember things that happened when you were a kid
He seems like a nice homeowner hanging around for the crash course on electrical trouble shooting. That old Armstrong unit looks like the Heil units we use to sell back in the 70's just remember you have a great memory but it's short!
Good job getting the old stuff up and going!👍
Why do customers find the need to stand over you nowadays while you work making small talk instead of letting you do your thing so you can be in and out?
50 year old unit. Up North 25 years is considered old money Pit. I hope he don't burn his house down with his repair.
Same thing happened at my house last year. The 2nd leg of the breaker went, as some reason there are two breakers instead of a breaker and a disconnect. They are both two pole.
I'd never replaced a breaker before so i just called the A/C guy.
Memory Is a strange thing. Haha. Amazing how some of them units just wont quit.
Ted we all know you hired that guy dont lie to us. Ole boy was dressed for the job too LOL
50 freaking years? Give me an ARMSTRONG!
Helicopter. You are super brave playing in that box. I agree it's not a diy project. ge makes turbines near me in Schenectady NY
I saw one of these years ago with that fake wood paneling stickers. Great video
I have an old Sears coldspot mini fridge that I believe is from the 70's. Someone didn't want it, but said it works. I had to replace the mechanical thermostat with a digital one, because the old one was making the compressor short cycle, and would make the fridge get too cold. With the new thermostat, it works very well.
"I watch your videos", but im going to be a helicopter... lol
Yes Ted I have the Same Problem 🤣 Remember things in late 60s can't remember what I drank 5 Minutes ago. Stay Cool and be Well.
I like hearing the folks that have some smarts. They are nice to deal with
I have a Fluke 116 meter and it does read MFD
Can't stop an Armstrong!
I have a Lennox from the late 70's early 80's? Both ac & heat. Scares me to say it but the only thing wrong is the drip pan on the ac is leaking. Couldn't afford a new one if I had to!
Those old units were tanks ... outdoor breakers and connections on units tend to corrode ... never a good thing with high amp parts ... and I've always looked at hard start capacitors as sacrificial in the grand scheme of things ... who knows, maybe he;ll get another ten years out of it ... but if not, I'm sure he'll call you if he needs a replacement ... when you treat a customer fairly and respectfully ... 75% will call you again
Great job Cowboy !
Boy that unit looks familiar - had one at my house growing up - or a similar OEM/brand? It had what looked like a solar system or a globe logo on the center of the fan. Long time ago...
Fluke does make a few clamp meter dedicated to HVAC but I'll stick with my fieldpiece meters, I've had good experiences with my fieldpiece tools.
Fluke 902 Meter have MFD, I use it A LOT. This is why I don’t do residential AC, bc it’s always the home owners that think they cay DYI and make it worse…..
DYI ???
Song lyrics from the 70s, I gotta lot of those swimming in my head.
Man that unit looked good for that age, had to be original compressor connections. Nice Resurrection.
This homeowner had all the answers
This definitely was a raise the dead rather then heal the sick call. Reminds me of the joke about the old farmer and his wife listening to the preacher on their radio. As he prayed he asked listeners to put one hand on their radio and the other on the part of their body in need of help. The wife put her hand over heart and the husband laid his free hand on his lap; upon seeing this the wife said dear, the preacher said he was trying to heal the sick, not raise the dead. 😋
This shows the old stuff was definitely built better
I've had plenty of those GE breakers be bad right out of the box. I've notice my supplier switch to GE breakers by ABB and the quality seems a bit better.
Hey home owner if you watch this channel your not doing yourself a favor at all. 4 years of electric bills or less on that thing could pay for entire new HVAC system. There is no efficiency when they built those bad boys, it was all about just make it cold back then ....
I warned him of that.
Yup. People hold onto these things, pay to fix em and pay $1000s each season to run. Even a seer 13 would pretty much cut your bill in half
@@TedCookHVAC I installed a mid grade 16 seer system for my aunt last summer. She advised me it cut her electric bill in half. She had a 23 year old system ....
She's a Crusty One Mr Grinch.
I sure wish my company would allow me to fix units any older than 15-20 years old.. and not just have to convince them its not worth fixing and to replace it. >>;
Helpful of the customer to point out the service disconnect lol
Good job
Yeah he should consider replacing that, you got him a little more time though, that's good, nice work
You can't beat those old recips, they just refuse to die
Nice job Ted!
Helicopter talks to a service man as he 's changing a live breaker😬
He says he’s seen your CZcams videos, so he should know that he is being a textbook helicopter haha
is it true that the older types of freon made colder air?
Was any consideration given to adding some silicone dielectric grease on the tabs of that replacement 30 AMP circuit breaker? Was that an R22 unit, or was some other refrigerant being used 50 or 60 years ago?
@@kingpins9. I'm a 56+ year retired IBEW Inside Wireman. I'm with you on not using dielectric grease on breakers.
@@kingpins9 You got that right
New breakers come with a tiny dab of grease right out of the box on the line side bus bar connectors if they need it. If it's there, leave it alone. If it doesn't, didn't need it anyway. Breakers are UL listed devices so I don't second guess the manufacturer :) And yes, that's an R22 unit. 410a units didn't start showing up until the late 90's/early 2000's and were mandated starting with 2010 equipment. From 2010-2020 there were some R22 'dry ship' units made for awhile, then those got discontinued.
I hear the choppers hovering, they’re hovering overhead…..
Is that thing like 8SEER or something? Might be time to let it go.
I only heard the word helicopter once.
He's the pilot and copilot
My old fluke that is now my back up has microfarad reading.
Helicopter hovering like crazy over you. Lol
Ted & the Sea Man saved the day!
😎👍😎👍😎👍
Fluke 902 is for HVAC
Pretty cool
its so weird to see anything with electricity outside of the house is that normal in america???
What's with the helicopter? Is that common on older houses down there for the breaker box to be on the outside of the house? I'm not a contractor, I fix cars. I just find your videos mad interesting
One of those customer🤦🏻♂️
Just a little tune-up 😆👍🏻
I bet You will never find another unit that will last as long as that one did.
Wow that customer was really annoying
You know, I'll admit that I myself am a helicopter.. however, that being said, I do my best to just stay out of the way and let the guy work. I have the mind of a mechanic and an engineer lol, so I find myself asking questions. I have a good understanding of how things work and im usually pretty good at just doing things myself as best as I can, sometimes though im a little too busy with 2 jobs, and end up just paying someone to do it. Anyways, awesome video!
Did you charge him extra for helping ???
You must not have picked up a Fluke meter in over 20 years
Did Armstrong manufacture for Singer?
Song lyrics from the 70's...CCR "There's a Bathroom on the Right". Now, what did I come into the kitchen for? 😉
If you've been watching them then you know as a tech we cannot stand someone hovering over us while we're trying to work so go back inside and watch TV LOL
Cadillac-Gage made little tanks -- armored vehicles -- for use by security forces. So "Cadillac" and "tank" aren't mutually exclusive.
I hear the "thup thup thup" of a helicopter
🚁 🚁 Fly on saturdays to
I bet the energy management system is keeping the unit off or only getting half the required voltage need 220 volts.fluke and field peice are both Good meters my old meters went up to 1000 volts capability
I wouldn't have touched that thing that looks like a fire hazard waiting to happen.
Looool you are History
Good job!
Love the helicopter
Crazy my 903 fluke has MFD fluke > fieldpeice
And I put wires in the put in breaker 😉
Ted, please do a vid about Seer 2 how it will affect your business. What do you see in all that ? ?
They sure don’t make ‘em like that anymore! It sure gave them their money’s worth!