Bob gets a call about a new customer who has complained about their gas package unit smoking and smelling bad. In checking the unit, Btu Buddy suggests that Bob take off the vent cover and see if there could be a blockage at the fan outlet. Bob removes the cover and finds that the fan wheel is all torn up.
Bob is called to a customer’s house because of a no heat complaint. The house is heated and cooled with a self-contained package unit. Bob finds holes in the heat exchanger and changes it out. But he is called back later because the unit has shut off again. Btu Buddy assists as Bob investigates further.
The dispatcher calls Bob to go to a new customer who is complaining about a rumbling noise that her furnace is making when it shuts down. The customer’s furnace uses fuel oil. Bob knows that there is an after-burn going on but he doesn’t know why. Btu Buddy explains how to fix it.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.