DIY Hack Butcher HVAC Unit Sabatage by Homeowner

[@Legend869]

As an apprentice electrician i can appreciate the anti diy aspect. With that said I've had way too many service people, mechanics, plumbers etc try and screw us on a bad diagnosis or an upsell. I don't mind paying an honest hardworking person but leave that bullshit for car salesmen and I'll quit fixing my own stuff. I like your videos and the fact that you're an honest service man.

[@boeing757pilot]

Indeed! Or the "professional" work could've been done better by a 6th grader. I can't believe how many hacks are out there...

[@dougpender2009]

Exactly my thoughts. If an HVAC company wants to charge $300 to replace a $10 capacitor which takes five minutes to replace on top of a trip charge, I will gladly do it myself. I totally understand the need for a company to make money but don't rip us off.

[@HVACRVIDEOS]

Good stuff Ted, I run into some of the same stuff in the smaller restaurants where the cooks get their greasy fingers in my equipment...........

[@deafhvacrsocal5292]

HVACR VIDEOS Funny about part “ greasy fingers “ 🤣🤣🤣

[@user2C47]

You say "my equipment..........." in the comment. Do you actually own the equipment or do you just have a contract to service it?

[@daywlkr8]

I like your videos! I'm not entirely anti diy but man someone that can't figure out how to take a panel off have no business even thinking about trying to diy much of anything.. Thanks for the content you make.

[@SnickasBah]

He probably thought he could get the board at Lowe’s

[@RandomYoutuber1023]

I bought a house with 2 York Diamond 90 units from 2002. They are mirror clones. I moved in the year 2012 and recently found that a HVAC professional installed a undersized outdoor condenser fan motor at 2300CFM and replaced the wrong fins with a 2 blade having the incorrect pitch. I installed 2 new condenser fan motors with 2 new fan blades. Contactors, new correct sized caps per the manufacturer install manuals that came with the units. Also the inside furnace blower motor was installed incorrectly back in 2002 as they are "Air Over" specified by A.O. Smith. So as a DIY'er I fixed all this and my AC works better than when I moved in. Didnt have to fiddle with anything, it all worked first try.

[@brendanf8969]

Hahah shout out to Steve Lav! A real Sh@t Show momma!! Homeowner needed a little of the Ol' Gundy!

[@jdtv...9134]

Give her the Grundy😂

[@coreymadden3650]

Love that guya channel she's a crusty one momma

[@stevee7774]

Gave that panel a little bit of the ole how ya doin mama!

[@E.V.817]

Lol your videos inspired me to work on my own HVAC system 😅 I wouldn't touch it with a 10ft pole before but now from your videos I've realized it's way simpler to work on compared to my car or my job.

[@Dinomitsios]

As Steve would say.. “it’s a shit show mama”. Lol.

[@erichoward5565]

A real sh*t show ...... HAHA

[@cardsfan-ym1bj]

That was classic,couldnt even take the dam door off,but wanted to " help you" and "learn something".

[@randyl6541]

I had enough of my wife complaining about the dust in the house. So I bought duct, fittings, tape and paste to fix my ducts. Im not a HVAC guy but I knew what the ducts would look like when I got up there. Sure enough the fitting to the main trunk looked like a 5 year old did it. I’m 53 years old and my wife ask me why are you doing the work. I told her that a HVAC guy did this job in the first place that’s why I’m doing it now.

[@E150GT]

My mother in law self diagnosed her non working ac as a bad blower motor. She was gonna have some friend replace the motor for free as she didn't have much money. I told my ac guy to go and bill me. It was just a bad cap. Money well spent. That dude she was gonna use would have jacked it all up.

[@alex-sv8to]

I had an individual that bought harbor freight gauges and added 134 from an auto parts store stating to me that 134 can work with 22. I stated to him that seeing he knew best that I was not the man for the job and left.

[@donmcconnaughy1264]

That is the first time I have seen a technician push in the contractor with his bare hand!

[@Aquariun9iteMMare]

What are the odds the homeowner calls in the winter to say you didn't fix it correctly?

[@soleadoc8245]

No good deed goes unpunished. I find this out on a regular basis

[@SuperJeremi10]

Man even i could have figured out how tonget that panel off. I probably could do little things on my unit like clean it change a fan motor or capacitor ive watched enough videos. When it comes to refrigerants i wont touch it at all. When my unit goes down though i normally call 1-800 come fix it caus ei dont feel like messing with the unit my unit sits on a platform i have a house near the water so its on wood beams and unit is on side of the house up high. Id rather someone elae be on the ladder not me.

[@DaddyBeanDaddyBean]

I'm the kind of DIY'er you don't mind coming in behind, because you can't tell I was there. I know what I know, and do those things correctly, and also know my limits and when to stop before I futz something up. On behalf of the other kind.... I am so sorry about the nonsense you have to deal with. This guy's door made me cry - I wanted to pull that through the screen and fix it for you. Just terrible.

[@thebluelunarmonkey]

Same. I been working on engines and anything home or farm related (hydraulics, whatever) since 4th grade in 1980. Including HVAC. You simply didn't call someone to fix something for you back then. Got tossed out of AP Physics because the first 2 months I did not miss a single test question, and teacher wanted me to finish the course work in independent study and then move on to physics topics I wanted to study (ie thermodynamics). Also pretty darn good at designing and building circuit boards. Most of that work ended for me leaving and starting college. Thinking of hiring one of these guys who are so anti-diy to complete a future changeout, as I'd like the mfg warranty. This is compounded by being burned anytime I DO bring someone in to do something, it's like companies refuse to be honest and fair. Maybe because they companies have been burned by customers in the past...

[@m.t.3109]

@@thebluelunarmonkey Just the opposite for me, I as an exceptional DIY'er have to straighten out the mess these lazy contractors leave behind.

[@MoneyManHolmes]

I’ve gotten desperate to the point of working on mine myself, because I’ve called out 4 different “pros” over the last 2 years and it’s still not working properly. They do a quick fix, take my money, and never answer the phone again. I wish we had technicians of Anti DIY HVAC’s quality in my area, but there are just a bunch of crack heads and low IQ hacks. Even if they have a nice company truck or nice uniforms, I have found that has no relation to their ability to fix things properly.

[@danielbutler3673]

I have seen so called professionals do that kind of thing too. My favorite is a client I have who had me cleaning a system who was surprised to find out that the company who "repaired " his unit had replaced a safety link which promptly burned out again. They never bothered to see what caused it to burn out in the first place. A welded contactor.

[@majorpayne5289]

Daniel Butler Yep, sure a lot of “parts-changers” out there that say they’re Pros. Also, If Superheat & subsoiling wasn’t built into their newer style gauges they’d be at a loss in finding it out the old way. Hacks in every profession

[@inoahmann7542]

I don't have anything against DIY repairs but they need to be as good or better than a repair made by a trained technician. I do some of my own repairs but I will never touch my house ac unit because I can't repair ac systems as well as a trained technician. Something like my fridge I wouldn't hire someone to fix because its 12 years old and if I break it I'll just replace it. Same deal with other small systems like dehumidifiers. Yesterday I repaired a dehumidifier that lost its charge but I didn't care if I was successful or not because if I failed I would just buy a new dehumidifier. I will upload a video of that repair soon. Edit: This video points out the exact reason why homeowners shouldn't repair their own ac units unless they are hvac certified. I am currently working on getting a 608 type 1 and I still won't think twice about calling a hvac contractor.

[@Txepsiyu]

The yapping dog was the perfect soundtrack for this one.

[@bkoz319]

Steve: "Let me do my job guy"

[@Quentyn73]

I think you reacted the best possible way. This is not an act of a normal person. Maybe he was outraged at something and vented it on the unit. It is great that you deascalated, fixed the problem, talked to him in a sane manner. Any other action might have resulted in a conflict and you managed to subdue this. This is a perfect example that in hvac you have to be not only businessman but a psychologist too. Generally, I don't understand your grief with DIY. Let them DIY, they would either break it, or fix it, if they break it, it's your call. if they fix it, well, there are others who can't fix sh!t and need you. Thanks for your vids.

[@smartyjones7459]

yeah... until the idiot homeowner electrocutes himself with 240+ voltage...

[@stevee7774]

@@smartyjones7459 - Not our problem.

[@chrishelms1967]

In the 70s when I was a kid my Grandpa had a service station, he had a big sign with his hourly rates Labor rates, Mechanical Work $30 , If you wanna watch $40, If you wanna help $50 , If you already started the repair $100

[@Thnker100]

Ted, actually you are quite rare bird as I have had nothing but problems with HVAC pro repair shops. One comes in and complains about the work of the prior one. One stops by and says they can't work on said unit but still charges a service call. I just wished you had an office in Ohio as I would for certain have only you for service calls. Love your vids.

[@dadefope80]

@5:07 Steve would have said, "If you watch me, then I will charge you double"! LOL

[@Carlos1075]

dadefope80 yes I have seen a few of his videos where he has said that before. Good call.

[@davidrichman8468]

YEP!!!! old happy homeowner repairs, when they try to get it done and afterwards it cost triple or more because they tried to fix it and they made it worse instead of calling the expert first

[@Carlitosway211]

I feel ya on the anti DIY. I'm an auto tech/mechanic by trade and the DIY shit I see sometimes is mind blowing.

[@MrACDude]

It is good when a homeowner makes more problems trying to fix it, you have more work and can charge more! I always do!

[@howardhoward5694]

Seeing that door like that made me laugh! Been doing hvac for 5 years and man that was funny to see! Good day

[@buckhot9829]

Not every DIY does stuff like this. I'm capable of changing an igniter or flame detector or even a pressure switch or circuit board without paying a service call. Most of this stuff is pretty simple and straight forward. Also, your videos help the DYIer.

[@TedCookHVAC]

What is a DYIer ??

[@TheTheomax]

That's crazy tearing up your own equipment. I bet his wife was proud of him

[@kevinbennett2565]

Last time I saw this I was on call and it was 11pm. I said what's this shit dude? Customer said man i have kids i was frantic I'm sorry. I said me too man i get it i can respect that. Maybe next time calm down a little i mean we came out same day 🤣

[@mpurecat4155]

Steve sounds very much like my mentor. My mentor has no time for clients who hover, ask questions during the work, looks like it’s been opened up by the client but not verbalized, or clients who said they opened up the unit. He tells them the same thing, “let me do my job, if i have to tell you again, you’ll be fixing it yourself”

[@truthsmiles]

Good call collecting right then.

[@rayring8679]

Yes your a better man than me,if I find out the customer touch the units I leave.too much risk.there always the ones that blame you for other things when you telling them the diagnoses great vid

[@hg2.]

One for the "customer nuances" list. Thanks for making.

[@drakbar5957]

The casket in the crawl space still tops this one! At least you weren’t “stiffed” by collecting after the job was done.

[@pacificdune]

I see no problem with DIY up to and including things like replacing a bulging capacitor. I do my own plumbing and electrical, just not AC because the tools required to do it properly are expensive. There are plenty of horror stories out there of AC companies themselves doing bad work, so having good knowledge of what you guys are doing and why goes a long ways.

[@rando_webb8704]

Gauges, $350 Multimeter, $130 Manometer, $160 Combustion meter, I was able to find one with a pump and probe that only tests CO for $180 Drill and impact with batteries and charger. $400+ The rest of my tools are just a bunch of low cost things like a side tool, service wrench, crescent wrench, tin snips offset reds and greens, wire strippers, wire brush, etc. I got all together for just under $400. I have still yet to buy a vac pump and scale, which are a hearty chunk of change as well. I lucked out a bit and was able to get the gauges from my manager, who had a spare set. So I was able to save money there. But yeah expensive.

[@benjamindyer7348]

Replacing a capacitor is a pretty simple thing, DIY is fine up to the point of people having no idea what they are doing and making everything worse lol

[@onlywenilaugh6589]

@@rando_webb8704 You can buy all those and still save a bundle with service prices they charge. I don't see a big deal with the unit. Not taking one screw out, big deal.

[@ogie5194]

Last thing I want to do. Is watch videos of someone fixing hvac. I do this everyday myself. And yet, here I am. Lol. I just subscribed. Thanks.

[@haljordan9160]

LOL I had one a few years ago, Friday night around 10:00 PM. New customer, no history etc. I showed up & the husband/wife were half drunk. The husband had completely disassembled the C/U trying to figure out why it wouldn't run. I checked for 24 & found none. Climbed up in the attic, pan full of water. Float wired to break Y. I cleared the drain & verified 24 @ C/U. All in about 30 min or so. They started getting belligerent about the after hours charge for me to put the C/U back together (I was going to check amps/pressures/etc) so I left & told them to have a nice night.

[@maxeyac]

That was hilarious Ted. Thanks for the laugh!

[@TheWoodman064]

I have had so many homeowners attempt the d.i.y when the should leave it alone! You should have taken the homeowner, and not the cap, and straightened him up! Lol!

[@robertbegley6858]

He was like; this cover should slide off what wrong with it. Let me get my handy dandy screwdriver

[@picklerix6162]

The customers that really scare me are the ones who have absolutely no understanding of electricity. Those guys don't know how to read a meter and can't read schematics and try to wire in new motors, transformers, and other parts.

[@tylerfabish5578]

LOL! Not even sure how someone would wire in a transformer if they don't know anything about electricity. Usually mother nature weeds those dumbasses out when they get cooked up by a 120V line

[@tedjar]

@@tylerfabish5578 Somehow they seem to survive longer than you would ever expect. The same can't be said for the parts they install...

[@dan4091]

“I have no idea why” Maybe it’s the $200 run cap replacement or the $200 drain line cleaning.

[@JohnstonPettigrew]

....or maybe the $750 for a fan motor replace or the 2,800 for a compressor replace....(turns out not even being the compressor)....do ya think?

[@rando_webb8704]

3:05 those switchable magnetic hex bits are so useful. Easy to clean too. I tend to end up with a bunch of metal shavings caught inside my hex bits. And the sleeve comes off making its soooooo easy to get that junk off the magnet.

[@MaMa-qh4dy]

That homeowner was a butcher's butcher. Can't even properly remove a door? 😱

[@jbdragon3295]

Ma Ma I wouldn't touch that mess.

[@thebluelunarmonkey]

pretty sure that was by caused by anger

[@miltonshaw7]

I watched a video yesterday with a schrader you could not get too with core tool. Just front seat the high side king valve and let the system pump down the low side to less than 5 psi turn system off and then change the core.. No danger of getting air in system and nothing but a small loss of vapor refrigerant.

[@MrStatic101]

Had a homeowner the other day pull out the folding chair and take up residence next to our guys changing a package unit. When i got there the lead came out to my van and told me “I can’t shake this guy man he’s all over me” I told him “I got you Joe”. No real electric work for me as the electrician to do just change a breaker so I struck up a conversation with him. Got the guy away from them and then talked his ear off for a hour. While I was doing that they were hustling to get it done. I use this method a lot to tear these kinds of people away from our installers. As long as I have the time I do it for them, they greatly appreciate it 😂

[@sonwasup]

But I get the homeowner attempting it. Call 3 HVAC guys they all say it’s something different and it still doesn’t work. But what I did find is, call the small HVAC companies rather then the big guys that hire people just to fill in space. That goes for anything as well

[@shirleyleavitt1833]

You're a good guy I think I would have walked away 👍🏼

[@ryanravencaller]

First off sweating or not, doing things improperly like that is just making things worse, when I get a house I'm always going to have window units handy, even if I have central air, window shakers will keep you cool. If your indoor blower works use it and some fans moving the cold air to the intakes to circulate the cold air. Also works if you have forced air heating with a fan only option, just remember to keep your filters clean! I used to live in florida and our central unit crapped out a lot, we had a 8,000 btu window unit in the living room as well as a 5050 btu in my room as the ducts in the attic leading to my room were crushed, I was right in the room across the hall from the furnace with the intakes below, I would open my door and let the cold air circulate throughout the house, it wasn't the artic but it wasnt the desert.

[@erichoward5565]

Dang shame. you are ‘the man”saving the homeowner from themselves....that is why you rock....

[@nkystevep7007]

I am a DYI’r but only for projects that will NOT burn the house down or blow it up. Therefore I avoid the HVAC system ( except to change the air filter), water heater and electric.

[@sknight0391]

I bet he was at Lowe's buying a 1/4" nut driver 😂😂😂

[@TedCookHVAC]

lol

[@donnierobertson3088]

Great work

[@nuc2726]

I've seen some DIY hackjobs as diagnostics before. The best is when they think they're getting out with the same service for at-material cost but end up frying a component, the worst is when it's a tenant and I have to inform the landlord that their renter ruined their $6000 system. But, never have I seen someone pry the service panel off the condenser unit... I've seen blown fuses, burnt compressors, bad wiring, shorting terminals, all sorts of stuff... but if they're willing to mess around in there, they typically know how to take a panel off...

[@pyrojoe1404]

I love how you show people how to do it on KZbin but don't want them to do it im real life.... *sarcasm* Here in Greenville SC there is a company called Guaranteed Heat and Air. They do as little as possible to get out of the way. Due to your videos, my $1900 evap coil replacement turned out to be a dirty evap coil which I cleaned and all is well. Thanks for your DIY how to videos... :)

[@buzzpedrotti5401]

Admire your tolerant temperament. Well done, sir.

[@williammartin2126]

Some people know the cost of everything and value of nothing!!

[@watermanone7567]

Good Job. You know what Ron White the comedian would say ( You can't fix stupid) and boy was the homeowner stupid. Thanks for the video.

[@RG_sssSMOKING]

Well said Waterman 1

[@Eddy63]

Lav would have gave him the ole Gundy ... Lol ...Good vid Ted ...

[@fujow111]

Love Steve Lav. Nice shot out.

[@toddt6730]

Steve would say, hey guy, ya cant go doing this shit, i mean, holy shit show mamma

[@1966jcar]

Looks like someone was trying to steal the AC unit for copper

[@joshanderson1019]

"I'm gonna do some body work while I wait" had me rolling

[@craigerickson8712]

The acid trip starts at the 3:31 mark . Nice video , homeowner needs to put a lock on his tool box and store it deep in the garage .

[@joshdupont2209]

You sure he has a toolbox? He pried open that door with a screwdriver of sorts. Might only have that

[@stevee7774]

Probably used a butter knife.

[@bart1meuz]

shoutout to the damn dog that wouldn't shut up.

[@erikb8815]

The red light on the defrost board was solid red meaning there’s a low pressure lockout. Did you recycle low voltage to the board to clear the fault?

[@sprinter9166]

Yep it's a lock out relay

[@kerrydavis2919]

If he did that to the cover, image the damage he could do to inside!

[@gene-khvacr]

Always get that sinking feeling when you walk up to a call and find panels doors open!!!🤪💦

[@MyMessage_Is_Simple]

I agree. Worse than that is when you ask the customer where the furnace is and they don't know. Where do you change the filter? What filter?....lol

[@majorintherepublick5862]

Typical smartest guy in the room🤪😆

[@TheSimba86]

video comes in handy in situations like this, no telling what they might try to blame on you to sue you for

[@jeffrobison2013]

twice during my 25 years working on hvacr i started to walk away from calls when the customer thought they knew more than i did. i asked both of them if they knew how to fix it why was i there as i was picking up tools. they both backed down and let me finish.

[@jaygdav]

Man, do I enjoy this channel!

[@degooser2000]

To do a proper DIY job you have first got to have the correct tools. If you haven't even got the correct tool to take the panel off, then you know it's not going to be a happy ending.

[@Davilow]

It also requires a smidgen of common sense.

[@williamkoestner1400]

I would like to thank all the nice KZbinrs who post all those great DIY videos. Can't tell you how many times I have done car repairs and appliance repairs by watching KZbin. My AC stopped working. Went to KZbin University, learned that a likely cause was the capacitor, learned how to remove it, test it with my handy multimeter, and replace it. Got a new one from Amazon for $18, put it in, the thing works great now. Friend of mine lost AC, called a pro, he replaced the capacitor and charged him over $1,000. Keep up the good work!

[@customcoffins]

I see this sort of stuff frequently, Usually the answer is, "It seemed easy on the KZbin video".

[@jmayer3]

You and Steve Lav both do some top notch work and have to deal with some serious messes. Too bad you’re on the opposite end of the state from me because this rental company I have to deal with has sent over some clowns for HVAC work. I don’t know enough to even try and touch an HVAC unit just enough to know if I’m being BSed or not.

[@RT10Viperman]

I work on transportation and marine refrigeration and I have seen some of the wildest rigs you’ve ever seen in your life..!

[@huckleberry8079]

Some DIYers like me know generally what they are doing. I am en electronics tech. I bought a rental house that had a condenser fan motor serviced by a "pro". He screwed up and installed a 7.5 uf cap Instead of a 5uf cap so the fan motor started up in reverse half the time. I installed the correct cap and it fixed the issue. So apparently the pros aren't any better than the DIYers.

[@erics9213]

Steve would have embarrassed him, then fixed it.

[@Howrider65]

Like most think they try to fix them because most A/C places love to sell you new units and not want to fix old ones.. They say there techs but they turn out to be salesmen.. This happens a lot in Florida.

[@Randyhenderson868]

I like when homeowners try to fix stuff. It is job security. As far as them helping me that is a big HELL NO.

[@earthling94]

Arizona is Hot i have them carry my tools if they want to help

[@erickc2055]

Yeah it’s job security for craigslist chuck in trucks. As for real companies it doesn’t do us much good as most diy customers are cheap and don’t want to spend a dime. Which is why a lot of them are diy to begin with. They call in the pros to do what they can’t do but then don’t want to pay to have it done right by the pros.

[@fromanabe8639]

I installed my own A/C 40 years ago. The only thing I couldn't do was fabricate the plenum for the evaporator coil. I ran the 220v across the basement, and through the garage wall. I ran the vapor and liquid lines which required splicing because of the long run. I have had only two problems in 40 years that I couldn't fix. I accidentally put a screw into the vapor line in the back wall of the garage. And the condenser fan motor failed a couple of years ago.

[@law03xx]

Customer installed contactor and lets just press the contact in with our finger lol. More balls than most! Just kidding, I learn a lot from this channel.

[@ripjones5294]

I trust you charged the owner a $100 for just plain old stupidity....

[@dantx4545]

Get Em Ted! If he wants to learn something write him a bill that will teach him to knock off the DIY

[@daveray6335]

Another good one, Ted. I really like your channel. I had an epiphany about the soul of your production(s). Perhaps the vast majority of the poor DIY work you experience is done by bad DIYers. The good ones have no need to call you, right? I'd love to here your sage opinion on this!

[@rocketrider1405]

Steve L and you are great to follow. The latitude you can have when talking with customers may depend on your region. The NE is a little crusty (to borrow one of Steve’s words). 👍

[@aaronbrown3573]

Steve may have said something like this ... Hey guy , you can't even get the door off , sucks to be you huh.

[@Guillotines_For_Globalists]

That board seems awfully open to the moisture right there. Is this a two-stage Lennox? Our single stage 3 ton Concorde (Lennox) doesn't have a board and is much less tall than this unit but looks very similar overall.

[@james6794]

maybe you don't have a heat pump system? cooling only systems wont have that board

[@garyh4458]

How dare the owner of the equipment be interested in knowing what someone he is paying is doing.

[@statedace3]

Next Level give it the ole how ya doing moma...lol...

[@anthonygonzalez7488]

1:42 / yes sir, this is a special order part, no, they normally don't stock this particular part as most units don't require this part for a repair.

[@HVACRNorth]

sheet metal series coming?

[@fixitman2174]

I'm guessing they called back.... The following winter, with the outside unit transformed into a block of ice. Very few people listen, unless you tell them what they want to hear.

[@lustfulvengance]

I'm a professional auto mechanic and I see the same shit in my industry! People try and fix shit themselves when they have absolutely no idea what they're doing!!

[@dontderockmeriz4546]

Ole Steve tells people he charges $100 more if you watch him.

[@harryhathaway1086]

Some homeowners going to tell you to go into their house when nobody's around that is a lawsuit waiting to happen or accusing of theft of their property. I haven't been in my own AC business for a while but I remember those customers very clearly and you got to stay away from them.

[@jake2213b]

A rule I go by if I have someone who wants to watch me. I take extra long to do anything. Like keep going to the truck. They get tired and go away.

[@buckshot5896]

I do all my troubleshooting myself but I am a commercial and industrial electrician. From my experience in my area most of the hvac guys aren’t the most educated. They’ve always tried to scam me into spending more than necessary. But I’ve been subbed out to Johnson controls for past 10 years doing all their environmental controls in hospitals, restaurants and schools. I’m just a big believer if you can’t do something right don’t do it and take pride in your work

[@Eric-nu4dn]

Sometimes customers must realize their best tools are their pockets.

[@speckulator7516]

Damn, now you have have to put a dolly and body hammer on the truck! Honey, I’m going to need a bigger work truck soon.