Carrier Commercial Rooftop Unit Not Cooling - Low Refrigerant R22 - Leak Found & Fixed

[@douglasmayherjr.5733]

Coil leak repairs are almost always a pain. Definitely using the correct torch tip is very important. This looks like a normal commercial job site. Most people don’t realize how many tools have to come up and get off the roof to make a repair. Thanks for the videos.

[@thomaschatham9971]

Great to save the tenants money and be able to repair such an old unit, the world needs more Mikey pipes, a lot of companies would have pushed for the new RTU.

[@mr.oliver5210]

I have been doing what you do for about 30 years, love watching your videos, my fathering law said you sound like me on my jobs!! (Retirement in 23 months)

[@TheRebuilt1]

Great job my friend. I didnt know you can still get r-22 after all the Dupont liscense bs. really enjoyed that

[@claudenewman3440]

Once I had a leak where the fitting was welded on the condenser of a 1976 Ford Maverick. I didn’t have a lot of money because I was young. My brother who is a chemist had a vacuum pump. I put 5 inches of vacuum on the system and put my rc car fancy super glue with accelerator, released the vacuum (my theory was it would flare out the glue on the inside) waited about 30 minutes then purged and refilled the system. Not only did it work but it lasted for years.

[@jimmyp5487]

Can also pull the u bend out and pipe in to the next run in the coil to cut out that entire line of copper. Loose a bit of efficiency but much easier. Nice repair for customer 🤘🤘🇺🇸🇺🇸

[@1022hard]

That was a tough one! Great job on the repair Mike!

[@REDDOGLewiston61]

You got to do what you got to do. You saved their ass a lot of money. That was quite the fix. Nice job!

[@jefferygrady3181]

Great repair! I used to repair 40 year old condenser coil the same way on the subway cars ! I still say the best leak detector for r-22 is the halide tortch! You can see the flame color and exactly trace the leak location! You were fortunate that you had good weather it can get very toasty on a roof top on a hot day Mikey pipes!

[@johnwkolbjr.9605]

Taking care of customers, great job Mikey pipes when the unit is replaced your name will come up first awesome job!!!!!

[@doumor99]

Kudos to you sometimes it takes common sense and experience in doing what the customer asks even if it isn't the textbook way. Like one of the comments said polishing a turd can't be done, but sometimes a bigger band aid is all it needs to get you out of there, that customer will remember that even if it doesn't matter.

[@grandlarceny211]

That was pretty bad ass Mike....

[@kieranthompson1982]

I have had many leaks similar to that when it’s thin like that you put a large in melted blob of braze just above the hole and let it cool down then re clean the area where you need the braze to run, then slather it with flux ( gel type if you have it) then apply heat to bottom of repair area but never directly on the thin area and it draws nicely over thin area giving you bulk to work with in the thin area, sometimes it screws up but works 90 % of the time love watching you getting it done regardless of obstacles it might be hatchet job but at end of day if it works and holds that’s what counts nice work Mikey plus I never met a customer that did the right thing when it coves to AC systems it just fix it and we deal with it later (never happens lol)

[@Patriot6421]

The shit you have to do to save money for the customer. I hope you Cha Chinged his butt for that fix. Your like an artist.

[@YukonHawk1]

Great repair. It got the job done. Way to go.👍👍

[@YukonHawk1]

@@PipeDoctor most welcome. New subscriber today.

[@frankavery568]

You had to do what ever you had to do great job

[@agostinodibella9939]

As long as you fix the leak, it’s a success!

[@dongordon2334]

i gotta say kudos to you..id imagine most other techs would walk away from a repair like that..keep up the good work

[@manuelpena2861]

Hey brother, just a heads up cause I’ve had to do this before. Might have been easier to just cut those pipe and seal them off. You’re losing the slightest bit of capacity but you aren’t killing yourself trying to make that loop. Keep up the nice work brother. How do you like that bluvac pro? Ive been looking to invest in one wanted an opinion

[@robdswingingcrypto6228]

I agree. That’s an impressive fix. I would’ve told them they needed a new unit, unless they want to pay me 2 grand to fix that.

[@stlbrian33]

Real world work. 👍

[@moeselec]

Good job ! 👍😊

[@PlausableApple4]

That was a nasty one, Mike. Great job tackling that leak.

[@AaronCo29]

I had a customer with this same model and brand, the dryer came apart and put beads all in the condenser, I had to cut out the lower part of the condenser which made it more of a 4 ton, vs a 5 ton, but it looked a lot like your repair, We do what we gotta do sometimes.

[@denverlewis5087]

Mike, I think the sensor probably went bad in your leak detector, or got wet. I had one similar to that and it did the same thing when I got the sensor wet. It came with an extra tip. Good repair.

[@paulgilliland2992]

Triple net leases suck for the tenant. That was an incredible repair. 99% of techs would have walked on that job. There’s one refer guy in Santa Cruz California who’s got a KZbin channel and he’s pretty darned creative too .

[@vandenboschtechniek]

Great repair 👍

[@l.crossjr]

Good work. I've seen rooftops with multiple circuits. Are these independent or do they meet at a certain common point?

[@shanechiblow8216]

That's ridiculous they would not change the unit. Cool to actually see the refrigerant spraying tho. Crazy fix!

[@michaelsannuti270]

Very impressive. I wouldn’t have even tried

[@Victoryinlastplace]

Oh man I never knew you used the h10 pro, best detector out there. I keep 2 with me.

[@jamestoy426]

And how much was option 2 ? At the price of r22 wow option 3 had to be more 2 and probably easier. Good to know about the eletch I hope they understand your personality since they are a sponsor. Maybe we could have said it did work. I know they ask your opinion. I still like your videos God bless Mikey

[@lhr1701]

I hope you hung a tag on this saying " I know this is HACKERY but that is all the customer's budget would allow ".

[@bobo11112222]

Thank you Pipe doc pointing out Another use for my flir Did not occur to me to use it for purpose yet 👍

[@heatingcoolingstuff]

Great video. Shows how things do always go as planned. “Real world”. Not this old house.

[@jgt6061]

Just subscribed How much does a repair like that go for when it’s only 70 degrees on roof Here in Houston 110 plus on roof id charge at least 2500 for that repair. Is 2500 reasons or too much?

[@atlasfueloilinc.2421]

Try JB weld set 24 hrs There was an old saying on “ Christine “ the car movie - you can’t polish a turd. It was a great repair, can’t ask for better.

[@MRICE-qe4sv]

Your right you can’t polish a turd but you can roll it in glitter.

[@Silky_boi]

You know your a great HVAC tech when u fix the leak instead of topping it off.

[@chrisc9389]

Nice job!! Did you let the new guy go already??? ;

[@admar6272]

Nice!!! You got to fix the FUBAR unit!!

[@MariosACandRefrigeration]

ultra sonic leak detetcors work very well for those type of leaks.

[@justinmuir9117]

You made magic happen 👍

[@dominichalliday8929]

Battlefield surgery, great work 👍

[@thomasalbert8605]

Way to keep it real. They almost always take the cheapest way out but eventually they will have to open the pocket book and fess up for a new unit.

[@thomasalbert8605]

@@Ampacityelectric And that we do

[@patmurphy2472]

A thing of beauty.

[@kevinpoore5626]

When you're leak detection tool goes bang out the box in other words when you turn it on it goes off there's probably a problem LOL :-) :-)

[@joehead1294]

Never seen a leak check done with infrared before.

[@KyleK1524]

Dam you are good! Keep doing what ur doing love the vids

[@robt3547]

Did you tell the customer the r-22 was about the cost of a crane for his new unit? :) I've had dozens of York RTU's that the condenser coil rubbed through on the top lid. Taking the top off solo is fun.

[@BlackIce597]

Any news on Kelvin coming back?

[@tonyaurelio1305]

Ugly maybe, but damn that's impressive. I wouldn't even of considered that repair an option. good job

[@johnszymanski548]

You need a special tool to remove those cores it's about $800. . Also check the hose connected to the oil reservoir on that vp85 it gets clogged has a spring filter in it

[@adrianperez5628]

CoreMax Tool. You can always remove the CoreMax cores (making them full port), and install swivel tees. Nylog all mated surfaces, after that - you’re good using good using regular VCRT’s.

[@chewielewie6564]

Inficon Stratus reads ppm - just as good as the H10 which I swear by. Now the H10 stays in the van and I only use the Stratus.

[@MariosACandRefrigeration]

bad ass,nice job.

[@dimaslespier2688]

Mikey. You could have just eliminated that one u bend. But you did the right thing.

[@fencepost5513]

@@PipeDoctor Agreed fix was best option if the U bend were eliminated that could cause problems as its at the bottom of the coil where it goes back to liquid set b4 exit to the evap .. gotta stack it to specs. Great job!!

[@benjamintimmins1656]

Did you just bend 3/8 and swage it on the copper lines?

[@meirleibovich1305]

Hi Mike Love the content:) What kind of ppe you wearing?

[@nolanharris640]

Do you ever refill r22 systems with a drop in? Such as 421a ?

[@theduffster2581]

The old tube sheet leak lol 😂

[@scott_meyer]

Good lord, is there enough roof tar on the ductwork?

[@kevinpoore5626]

I've seen more tire before they can get ugly and inches thick LOL

[@nikyjim]

Try to move the vac guage farther away from the direct vacuum. Will give much more accurate reading

[@timothygingras6939]

How much did you charge the customer for that job? Just curious

[@ardyboneto8022]

Good job. That fix will probably last the rest of the life of that unit.

[@riitaalin]

The customer is always right. They are paying the bill.

[@billnipp2309]

Those u bends are super thin. Hence why they are notorious leave sites. 😕

[@charliegordon5085]

Hackery, classic 🇨🇦

[@1UTUBEUSERNAME]

Nice fix. Save the guy a shit tonne of $.

[@Vermontractor]

Those leak detectors have been the same since I started in 1988: Soap is the stuff.

[@arotechmechanicalhvacr1158]

The cores on that carrier are probably core max they can’t be pulled with a regular core tool.. Jb makes a tool but it’s like $400.00

[@michaela1655]

$5000 of R22 for that old beast. Nice.

[@macbong01]

still a mystery to me why R22 still gets used in the states!? Why not used a dropin like R422D or whatever you get nowerdays!? Also why isnt R32 a thing for AC over there !?

[@tedsmith5058]

Hello from the great state of Michigan as usual very interesting

[@chrisduhaime5689]

The trouble is there always going expect the majic wond . When another pass pop`s within a short time it's beyond economical repair . Tuff call.

[@sziltner]

Bet you told them this "was a one time repair" on this coil. Any further leaks will require a new coil. Anyway I would have! 😉

[@HiddenResolve]

Those look like CoreMax fittings. You arent suppose to be able to pull the shraders out on those, they are suppose to be one piece cores. Those are suppose to offer better flow than a normal shrader but never timed it on my evacs.

[@HiddenResolve]

@@PipeDoctor And the CoreMax tool is expensive af. But if you work on mainly commercial those tools are worth it when building up the prices for leaking cores it pays for itself.

[@cliftonwinkler1460]

looks bad, but it work good job man

[@spinb]

I have a dumb question: why wasn't this unit icing up (since it was low on R-22)?

[@benjamintimmins1656]

Because it was too low to ice up...

[@petersmart1999]

If it has low pressure switch and time delay it shouldn't ice up

[@josephguido7902]

"We Gotta Leaker Mama!!!"

[@crg061]

Nice repair. With labor and the cost of the 22, they should have went with the new coil….

[@Matts_Crafty]

My thoughts good job!!! And oh by the way to the customer you can pay me now and pay me later, but either way your gonna pay lol. Being cheap most often cost the most! Just fix it already equals more trips for them fresh olives.

[@fll1227]

Mike, have you, are are you considering using any of the 22 retrofits out there. Personally I think it's been a nightmare with all these guys running around putting in rs44 nu22, 427 and all this other shit. Not labeling anything correctly. I like 22 and I like 407 but haven't taken the plunge into any others yet

[@bigotis1776]

Hey Mikey send me that Ellie Tech. I'll put it to good use for you

[@timmcclannahan8309]

The worst place for a coil leak is on the coil

[@potatolew4495]

Hard to make good chicken salad with chicken shit. As far as that ellie tech leak detector, not sure if it has replaceable sniffer tips as I had many issues with certain brands in the past with the damn tips instantly going bad. One little piece of debris or touch a component with it and it was shot. Har to find decent leak detectors. Thanks for sharing, cheers from L.B.I.N.J.

[@alannewsome1729]

Like you said they just kicking the van down the road.

[@RodrigoRamirez-fc5hv]

Carrier units copper is very thin. That's why you burned through it.

[@TheGgin]

Yes, it's for better heat transfer...but also makes it leak prone and hard to repair, but you did a great job Mikey Pipes!

[@mr.fixdaplate]

Mikey back at ot ###LETS EAT

[@stevealoia]

$3500 for evap coil they out of there mind . What a new roof top $5000 plus install.

[@scott_meyer]

Package units are a fast install.

[@oldskool1979]

The constant vibration and rust corrosian kill these coils too early... they should manufacture coils better to last at least 20 or so years !

[@biblebloopers946]

Bro invest in the ultrasonic leak detector. I guarantee you will not be disappointed

[@biblebloopers946]

@@PipeDoctor will do

[@biblebloopers946]

@@PipeDoctor I sent it to you. Check your spam if you don't see it.

[@atlasfueloilinc.2421]

Replace batteries on elitech

[@ronnie61b59]

What u think of Mr cool split system

[@scotts4125]

I just installed an 18,000 BTU in small garage. The install came out great. I didn't want the lineset running down the side of my house. I ran them on the inside garage wall. Across and down to about 2' above the floor and out the block to my condenser. It's all hidden from shrubs except for the condenser. I wall mounted that above the shrubs. Outside lineset has brown linest cover. Inside lineset cover is white. I also hate the big coils behind the unit. Sure it would have been a lot easier but I mounted the condenser to the end of the 25' lineset. I ran conduit down the inside garage wall next to the lineset. Poked it out of the block and ran the 220 in pvc to the disco under the lineset cover. You can't see it until my whip going to the disco. I had a professional low voltage guy helping me. It is a lot more work than seems presented in videos. Granted my install probably added 2-3 hours with those damn covers. They are a PITA but look great. The unit is amazing. Even if I leave the garage open in So. Fl. and turn it on, you can feel it cooling right away. It's very quiet inside and out. As Mikey Pipes says keeping it real. The condenser is located opposite a guest spare room. The first night I was testing it I heard a vibration inside the house. Outside quiet as can be. They use plastic condenser fans and I noticed a slight wobble. Fairly certain that's where the vibration is coming from. I only heard the one time though. I can't reproduce it so all good for now. Costco had the best price on them. If you use the remote and switch to the app sometimes the app can't tell what state the unit is if not initiated from the app. That is the only bug I have detected. They are aware of it and looking to resolve it. At the end of the day these things aren't the best looking things. I made mine look really nice and hardly noticeable. It makes me feel good to look at it plus how well it works.

[@petersmart1999]

Get a Pioneer unit,I think they are built much better,I've done start ups on some and so far they are nicer units

[@scotts4125]

@@petersmart1999 I wouldn't be surprised if they both came out of the same factory. Without the decals they look identical. Mr. Cool has added features that other brands charge for. They put all the bells and whistles together for a great price. Originally I was looking at the Mitsu's but everything Mr. Cool includes was an option with Mitsu's. Also about 4 X's more expensive. Mr. Cool is also the only one I know including the charged lines so you don't have to vac and charge. Much better for a DIYer. I haven't seen anything bad about Mr. Cool but I have had AC guys tell me Mitsu's are best units but they come at a price. This is for a workshop that I won't be in a lot so this was fine for my situation.

[@petersmart1999]

@@scotts4125 I get it,,yes Mitsubishi and Fujitsu are definitely at the Top of the food chain,I have Mitsubishis at work that have been running 24/7/365 for 23.5 years,tgat says alot about then for sure! I can't really knock the mr.cool units only seen one,pioneers I've seen and worked with several

[@jacktorres8691]

Hope you told the customer to light a candle every summer day the unit works because "the mama" is on its death bed.

[@DW-bo3qw]

Carrier uses coremax valve cores there is a completely different tool to remove those from the system

[@DW-bo3qw]

@@PipeDoctor yea I actually broke one trying to get it out. Had to recover the charge quick

[@jgt6061]

Reasonable*

[@lesterwesner6977]

What happened to godzilla

[@petersmart1999]

When to old job,more $$'

[@josealejandro9110]

Just a little battle scar.

[@805HVACR]

Did you use the overpriced Carrier Coremax Tool to remove the Schrader? Lol that tool is stupid expensive. Good job on that repair though!

[@farmerhunterjr]

I was wondering the same thing. First time I ran into those type of Schraders when i was first starting I was like wtf. Lennox is even starting to use them I've seen.

[@realestateservicessaleshea99]

I miss the stream 🤔 Do what you have to but I'm not hacking a repair that is not for my company the only people that made out is the store owner 22 is anywhere from $400 to $1000 my time + equipment ,the coil is the same age. I wouldn't give them option 3 new coil or new unit. That could've turned disastrous🤣 quickly. You saved them this time and when it's comes time to really replace they're getting quotes from other companies. 🥃🥃🍺🍺🍺🍇🏌 Stay safe. Retired(werk'n) keyboard super tech. Wear your safety glasses. 🥃🥃🍺🍺🍺🍇🏌

[@harrydickson4575]

👍👍👍

[@robdswingingcrypto6228]

$3500?! I just bought 2 new carrier rooftops for like $8k.

[@robdswingingcrypto6228]

@@PipeDoctor I’m in jersey not far from you. 6 ton roof top with a manual damper is about $38-3900. Got about 15 of those 48TME units that I’ll be changing over the next couple years. Great pay days for 2 hours worth of work.

[@lazaronogueira595]

haven't seen Godzilla in a while

[@lazaronogueira595]

@@PipeDoctor good job on that coil repair looked like a damm mission 😆