Originally Posted by
barrysumpter
Split air, reverse cycle, ducted heating and cooling.
One unit in the ceiling, one unit outside.
"90% of my call outs are for resetting after a hot day or maintenance issues, like keeping the filter clean."
After 5 years of frustration of finding a repair man to come out and make "specialized adjustments" to get my AC working, I've finally been available to look over the sholder of the repair man and give him the third degree.
I usually keep a count of how many AC repairmen I contact, how many schedule an appointment, and how many actually show up.
Usually, I contact 6 to 10.
Some are not willing to "have a look" for various reasons.
Too far, don't offer domestic repairs (even thou listed as domestic), don't repair that brand, some are just too busy (anywhere from 15 days to 30 days out), etc.
Some make an appointment but just don't show up, no reschedule, no call, no nothing.
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On the 45 degree day just before Australia day, the AC stops working again.
Knowing the weather will be 35+ for 3-4 days running, we decided to pay extra for after hours repair for emergency situation.
Went thru the local newpaper - no one willing to help.
Went thru the yellow pages - no one willing to help.
4 hours of explaining "specialized adjustments" - "only takes a few minutes the last 6 or 7 repairs", its just the fan that stops blowing, I can hear the AC on, etc...
Pressure from the lady, Pressure from the daughter, and pressure from the heat.
Day one of the 3-4 days of 35 degree weather we chase up a mobile AC unit from the trading post for $250 to suffer thru the next few days of hot weather. To survive thru Australia Day weather. It covered a 3ft x 6ft area. If we all sat on the couch close to each other we could benefit.
Freakin miserable. 30 degree nights had everyone on edge.
Any excuse to take a drive or go to the mall was taken.
The next monday everyone was back to work, all the 15 to 30 day waits are now quoting 5 days, etc.
Weather 23 to 27 all week. No more pressure.
Yeah OK, schedule me for Saturday, another for Monday, anther for Wednesday.
IF and I mean IF Saturday shows up AND is able to repair I'll just ring the others and cancel. "We have cancellation and re-scheduling all the time."
Its Friday, and Saturdays repair service rings to reschedule.
Instead of 12:30, lets make it 8:00.
Cool. Don't have to waist my day waiting to show up late or not at all.
Its Saturday 8:00, he's there, very cool.
Show him the outside unit.
He asks me to go turn the AC on and set it too its lowest setting.
By the time I come back (90 seconds) he's got it working.
I'm just so freakin happy to have it fixed, I congratulate him, shake his hand and tell him he has the record for fixing it.
I think he was just a surprised as I was.
Especially after I tell him the last repair man took 45 mins to sort out the same thing.
I told this repair man the when I asked the last repair man if he could show me what he did, the last repair man just shook his head and waved his hands and said "specialized adjustments". And ended the conversation. Period.
This repair man just smiled and said "it a money thing, if he told you, you wouldn't be needing him next time."
We both laughed, even thou now I realize the joke was on me.
Then to my surprize he showed me what he did.
He showed me a very, very small reset switch.
I had pushed this, in the past, with no effect.
He told me you have to keep pressing it until you fill it "click".
Sometimes, push it 2 or 3 times, other times, 5 times.
Now, over here is a dial - a "delay timer", with 0,3,5,10,15.
Set it to 0 if you are out here and want the fan to come on immediately.
Other wise set it to 3 and leave it and remember, when you turn the AC on at the control panel it takes 3 minutes for the fan to start blowing.
It will take a few seconds for the hot air in the vents to clear then you should feel the cool air.
Thats it? "Yep".
Can't be. Why wouldn't they just take 30 seconds and tell me? I don't get it!
I must have rang 20 reapairmen over the last two weeks. Not a word.
"Like I said, Its a money thing."
I'm not quick witted enough to be angry at the time.
Probably because I expect everyone to be doing their best trying to help me.
I was just very confused as the realisation was setting in.
My subconsience was tell me that something was wrong but my conscience was too busy trying to sort the current problem at hand.
He then told me that his contact (not his business) has to charge a minimum call out fee for 1 hour and that he could check all the other things to make up for the other 55 minues of time.
We agreed and he did. He crawled up into the attic and checked the unit there as well. Lots of dust around by not on the coil so its obvious that you keep the filter clear.
Yes I do.
The other thing I noticed is that someone has rewired your AC.
It should be on a three-way (?) switch, etc... (too techie for me to remember)
Its supposed to turn off when etc...
But, doesn't.
"The blower should keep blowing. But just blow hot air."
Perhaps the rewiring was to keep the fan from blowing hot air?
So, I start asking him heaps of questions, giving him the third degree:
These are the things I remember more or less:
All of these units, now adays, are set to stop the compressor at 35 degrees.
Not when the outside temprature reaches 35 degress, but when the compressor reaches 35 degress.
So on really hot days you will find the compressor switches off.
Its to protect the compressor.
A compressor costs from $500 to $1000.
Confirmed. AC was running for three days, 12 to 15 hours a day for the last three days before swithing off on the 45 degree day.
When this happens wait ten minutes, come out here, and push the reset button.
If the outside unit is in an enclosed area, the air gets recycled back into the outside unit and just keeps heating the same air, hotter and hotter.
Make sure the outside unit is out of the sun and has access to fresh air.
Not the recycled air.
Otherwise you'll need to build something around it to seperate the exhaust from the intake.
"90% of my call outs are for resetting after a hot day or maintenance issues, like keeping the filter clean."
"And most of those are for resets. A lot of resets."
The rest are usually just cleanig the coil of lots of built up dust.
And cleaning the filter.
People don't understand they just have to keep the filter clean.
The unit is quite large and is more than sufficient for the upstairs area.
By the time you ran another duct to downstairs - it wouldn't be worth it.
Just close the windows downstairs on a cool morning when expecting a hot after noon.
You'll find the downstairs will stay resonably cool.
The cold air from uipstairs will drift down.
On really hot days you can place a fan at the top of the stairs to help blow the cold air down.
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I've now got a sign on the inside of the outside unit detailing step by step instructions on how to reset the AC.
And a reminder note on the inside control panel.
After 5 years of this problem I've calculated that I've paid $1000+ for these repairs.
I can't say that I'm happy about the situation, the expence, or that it has going on for so long, or that it feels like an industry conspiracy keeping this reset procedure to themselves.
The repair man confessed that his expertise is in the industrial area mon-fri and that the domestic area is just on weekends.
And declined to leave any business card for himself or his contact.
I'd like to thank him for his candor and for being so nice, infomative, and understanding.
Hopefully, this will help other home owners to keep their repair expenses down.
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