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Btu Buddy 67: Was the Charge Really Low?
The dispatcher sends Bob to a new customer for a routine system tune-up. The system is a 3-ton cooling unit with a capillary tube metering device. After checking the system, Bob determines that its low-side symptoms show a low charge. Btu Buddy, however, suggests that he consider other possible causes.
by Bill Johnson
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Handling Central Air Conditioning Condenser Problems
If your central air conditioning condenser problem is that the compressor and condenser fan won’t run, this article lays out a series of troubleshooting steps to help you in identifying and correcting the problem. By the time you make all these checks, if the problem was electrical, you should find it.
by Mike Taitano
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Btu Buddy 66: Spring Startup for Water-Cooled Systems
Bob and Btu Buddy meet for lunch in a restaurant so they can discuss water-cooled systems. Btu Buddy tells him about the pros and cons of air-cooled and water-cooled equipment. Bob then asks how to start up a water-cooled system in the spring and be assured that it will provide good service all summer.
by Bill Johnson
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Troubleshooting Challenge: A Heat Pump That’s Not Cooling at All
It’s the middle of July, and a customer calls to say that the unit that heats and cools their small office “isn’t cooling at all.” When you arrive, you find a 230-V, eight-year-old, rooftop package unit heat pump with three-phase compressor. After an evaluation of the system, you'll be asked a three-part troubleshooting question.
by Jim Johnson
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Btu Buddy 65: Chiller With High Head Pressure
The day is scorching hot and Bob gets a call to go to an office building because the air conditioning system is off. It is a water-cooled chiller located in the basement with the water tower on the roof of the building. Btu Buddy assists Bob as he finds that the condenser tubes are dirty and require cleaning.
by Bill Johnson
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Btu Buddy 64: Charging an Overcharged System
Bob receives a call from the dispatcher that a system is not cooling properly. It is a small office with a 4-ton unit that uses a capillary tube metering device. Bob discovers that the system had been overcharged. With Btu Buddy's help, Bob then proceeds to properly charge the system.
by Bill Johnson
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Caring for a Small Motor’s Sleeve Bearing System
When it comes to assuring that a motor provides consistent service for the longest time possible, it’s important to pay attention to the bearing system. Bearing system failures are one of the most common mechanical breakdowns in the field.
by Neil Simon
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Btu Buddy 63: Cleaning and Filling a Hot Water System
This article is a continuation of “Btu Buddy 62: An Overheated Boiler” from the May 19, 2008 issue. After Bob talks with Sid, the water treatment expert, Btu Buddy assists Bob in cleaning and filling the system.
by Bill Johnson
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Water Leak at the Indoor Unit
Under no circumstances should you ever see water around the indoor unit. This is a sign that something is either dripping, leaking, or not draining. But indoor water problems don’t occur only during the summer cooling season. Here's a list of possible causes of water leaks and things to check.
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Btu Buddy 62: An Overheated Boiler
The spring is beginning to bring warmer weather
when Bob gets a call from the dispatcher that a small apartment building is
overheating. The building is heated with an old boiler that is running really hot. Btu Buddy helps Bob track down the problem.
by Bill Johnson
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If You Can’t Repair Leaks, Seal Them
A leaking chiller forced an automotive manufacturing plant’s HVACR engineer to decide between a costly production shutdown or using a can of refrigeration system sealant to eliminate the leak. Deciding on the sealant quickly put a lid on the engine factory’s repair fees.
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Btu Buddy 61: Servicing an Old Oil Furnace
The dispatcher calls Bob about servicing an old oil furnace. The customer is old and is adamant that he doesn’t want a new furnace, so Bob does not try to get
him to upgrade to a new model. He tells the customer that he will see that he
gets the most out of the old furnace that he can.
by Bill Johnson
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Air Conditioning System Commissioning and Startup
Air conditioning system commissioning and startup is the process of inspecting a new air conditioning installation, and verifying that the new system is running properly and efficiently. This article describes the commissioning procedure.
by Mike Taitano
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Btu Buddy 60: High Head Pressure and Power Consumption
Bob and Btu Buddy get together for lunch and talk about why high head pressure seems to drive up the power consumption of a compressor. Bob remarks that the problem “doesn’t seem to happen in the cooling season, only in the heating season. What is the difference and why is this happening?”
by Bill Johnson
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Noise Reduction
Dealing with a user’s complaint of a noisy motor can be a frustrating experience. After all, the perception of noise is extremely subjective (just ask the parents of teenagers). Not only does the range of human hearing differ considerably among people, but it also varies by specific frequency.
by Neil Simon
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Btu Buddy 59: High Power Bills With a Heat Pump
Bob is called to a new customer’s home with a 5-ton heat pump that is experiencing power bills that are considerably higher than the same months last year. Btu Buddy assists Bob in diagnosing the problem.
by Bill Johnson
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 | Troubleshooting With Jim Johnson: A Gas Furnace Follow-Up Service Call
In this column, Jim Johnson of Technical Training Associates presents a specific HVACR equipment problem and invites readers to submit their diagnosis. From those who submit the correct answer by the deadline, there will be a prize drawing. Here is a furnace problem.
by Jim Johnson
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Btu Buddy 58: Combustion Air for a Gas Furnace
The dispatcher calls and tells Bob that yet another person is describing an unusual smell when the furnace runs for a long period of time. Bob talks to the homeowner, checks out the furnace, and finds that it is backdrafting slightly. With the help of Btu Buddy, he tracks down the draft problem.
by Bill Johnson
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Handling Assorted Water Heater Problems
The information provided here on assorted water heater problems assumes that the water heater was properly installed and was operating correctly before any problems developed. This is just a general guide to the most common water heating problems.
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Btu Buddy 57: A Lunch Discussion About Flue Vents
Btu Buddy and Bob meet for lunch and Bob has a question about the last service call. The job involved replacing the single-wall flue pipe with double-wall pipe. “You said that we had some unfinished business about the service call yesterday, yet you said that the call was complete. What did you mean?”
by Bill Johnson
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Btu Buddy 56: A Smelly Gas Furnace
Bob goes on a call to a house where the residents smell fumes when the furnace is running. He examines the flue connector from the furnace to the chimney and discovers it’s rusted to the point of falling apart. With the assistance of Btu Buddy, he replaces the single-wall vent pipe with a double-wall vent.
by Bill Johnson
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Freezer Repair
A very common freezer repair trouble call is a frozen evaporator
coil. When you open the door to inspect the coil, look around for signs of
outside air migrating into the box.
by Mike Taitano
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Btu Buddy 55: Evacuation Leak
Bob had changed a compressor and was just
about ready to charge the system when a problem arose. He pulled a vacuum down to 500 microns but noticed a rise in the vacuum gauge to 1,000 microns. There was a leak and Btu Buddy assisted him in finding it.
by Bill Johnson
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