Litany Of Problems Found When Looking For a Low Voltage Short

[@mosesmom]

An honest , smart HVAC tech is worth their weight in gold. A shout out to Kenny M. our HVAC hero, we love ya Kenny!

[@aaronclark1599]

Curtis?

[@johncspine2787]

@@aaronclark1599 I think they’re referring to their very own good guy..

[@sammyvalenzuela6263]

Way to go Kenny don't know you but , that's the what I love is being the hero when know one else could 😀

[@rupe53]

I had an intermittent issue years ago and it turned out the 2 4volts was low at the contactor, but only in the afternoon when the 245 volt dropped to 230 and change. Turns out they had run telephone wire to the t-stat and the #22 wire to the second floor was too small and causing the contactor to chatter... or drop out. It was 2 pair wire, so I doubled up the wires and the voltage came up enough to get rid of the issue. If I hadn't heard the relay chattering, I might still be there. This tells me there's a reason T-stat wire is generally #18.

[@sammyvalenzuela6263]

I have learned so much from this guy I feel like my game went up a notch , thank you for the knowledge. Will be a long time follower 🥶

[@russellhltn1396]

Have you thought about using a 24V bulb instead of the circuit breaker? If you can find the right value, the bulb will be dark, the resistance is low, and most everything will have normal voltage. But if there's a lot of current, the bulb heat up, resistance will increase, and reduce the current. The maximum current is determined by the wattage of the bulb. It makes for a self-resetting "breaker" with a nice visual when the short is occurring. You can also use your clamp ammeter to see where the current is going on a "live" system.

[@jamesdaakron4790]

I’m actually thinking about going into this at 51 years old. I took A/C and Refrigeration in High School before going into the USAF and being a F-16 Crew Chief 91-95. I built Boeing Landing gear until 9-11. Owned a construction business for 15 years and now I’m bored in Florida.

[@John-dp3ln]

Nice job! Followed at least one hack on that one.

[@GPSJayDog22]

Good man. Reconnecting the lockouts when ya didn't have to.

[@jackl9922]

In my area, I have not been able to find a good person. Everyone wants to condemn stuff. After 2nd expensive change out 3yrs ago, started on KZbin and internet to learn for myself. Most things I can diagnose and fix myself now. I won’t mess with gas lines or coolant. Then call the high price company. It’s actually quite easy to open a condenser and clean the coils. I did it two weeks ago, and unit runs much less. I greatly appreciate learning how things work. Electrical no issue, I’m trained on that.

[@Bryan-Hensley]

Do you live in East Tennessee?

[@stephenbullock1443]

That's my favorite thing to do.it's good challenge fixing it right

[@AMStationEngineer]

№1: Your level of troubleshooting discpline is high enough, that you really should consider expanding your horizons into electronics at the component level. №2: Many thanks for introducing me to 'Kaiweets' test gear, and tools. I purchased their 'Smart' Digital Multimeter, and self-adjusting wire stripper, and am quite pleased with both.

[@jamesfitzsimmons381]

Good job. You make looking for 24 volt short/ ground look easy

[@toolchuck]

I enjoy watching you work through problems, almost as much as I enjoy my new "Women Call Me When They Get Hot" mug that I got today! Thank you and All the Best, Chuck

[@HVACGUY]

That’s great

[@jackl9922]

Glad you go beyond simple fix and go.

[@sknight0391]

Way to hang with it! 😎👍 Might be about time for a new set of test leads. Those seem to be acting a little wonky.

[@Brian_541]

Ol’ Shannon, good to see you’re still around man.

[@Bryan-Hensley]

I got lit up with some worn meter leads.

[@MrMultitool]

Get you a short pro tool Lil poppers are ok but I really like my short pro. Good job.

[@1975original]

I like that motorcycle in the background ;) Great video.

[@Michael-on4ti]

Watching old Curtis and drinking canadian beer.

[@baeruuttehei1393]

Seeing most of the installations you're working on I have to say to be happy to live overhere in Europe where rules are apparently much stricter on ACs and heaters. Truly and honestly: most of the equipment you're called to work on are terrible on wiring! Incomprehensible for an overseas person. Anyways, keep up the good work in holding your customers safe! Good luck! Ciao, says T🐻 from the NLs.

[@captain3xtreme]

I feel the same way as someone who works in industrial machinery, I can't help but feel everything in the residential HVAC industry is just made as cheaply as humanly possible, everything is spade connectors, no terminal strips, no wire numbers, you're lucky if they install zip ties at the factory, they treat stainless steel like it's gold, wont even use it on areas that they know will corrode like heat shields on gas furnaces.

[@johnwalker890]

Good job Curtis.

[@HVACPilot5100]

You seem like a pretty good fellow but it's hard for me to believe as long as you've been doing this that you can't find a short with a meter. That Lil Popper saves you a lot of fuses. Use a meter to FIND the short and that Popper will collect dust. Also, why didn't you test the pressure switches before you hooked them back up? Since I never saw the problem resolved, I know for a fact you or somebody else was back out there soon after. I do like watching you videos though. You're a straight up honest guy. Having said that, honest guys don't associate with home warranty companies.

[@TheOnespeedbiker]

If you use your meter in place of a fuse, then you can't use it for anything else; the point being a "popper" or circuit breaker is much better use of resources than using a multimeter; further a circuit breaker allows you to complete the circuit you are teasing, a multimeter does not. A circuit breaker popper also costs about $15 (Short Pro $30), a multimeter costs $1000; they also can double as a jumper wire. As far as not fixing the problem, he did find the low voltage wires in the condenser were rubbing against the case (there were even black marks on the inside of the panel). After fixing that issue and rerouting other wires, every thing was reconnected (including the pressure switches which had been cut), the low voltage short was remedied and the unit was operating. As far as home warranty service, Kenny has explained that in his area, the HVAC service is so poor, that many home warranty services pay him top dollar, rather than paying cheaper technicians that often can not diagnose or fix the problems, returning numerous times only to eventually condemn the system. Kenny has a reputation of being expensive, but able to repair systems or reliability condemn systems that are not cost effective to repair.

[@jamesringler5977]

I’ve been working in temp. Control for over 40 yrs designing, installing, and wiring and 99% of the time the common of the low voltage transformer is grounded to prevent floating commons

[@Bryan-Hensley]

I use to see it but not anymore.

[@Paulie1232]

Wiring issues are such a pain in the ass, good job...

[@Bryan-Hensley]

That's what I love diagnosing..

[@joehead1294]

How about that receptacle mounted below the disconnect! At least it's 'out of the weather'. 💯

[@clayevans3421]

Soon as they start getting the hurricane damage repaired there will be a huge demand for ac installers

[@billybrown1979]

does the hvac move wires around to get another call for more money when they can fix it the first time. it will catch up with down the road. be bless and love.

[@orionwarren4244]

That yard looks like the neighborhood 'toy' store!🤣

[@rciancia]

I really enjoy your videos.. thank you ... I am learning alot by watching

[@kylegreene1583]

I can imagine the owner going outside to wiggle the wires and the "trick" didn't work any more😂😂

[@Bryan-Hensley]

I'll give you a little hint if you are going to try to find shorts or low resistance with an ohm meter. Nothing on the low voltage side will be below 15 ohns and that's the reversing valve coil. Everything else will be higher than 15 ohms.. also use common for "ground" when checking this because some transformers are isolated from body ground

[@manonfire3642]

Excellent electrical trouble-shooting.

[@leoaz4667]

Nice bike in the background not sure I would leave mine a grass

[@pheuker45322]

They had a little bit of everything there, but I doubt it all ran

[@chuckstillwell9549]

Good catch

[@gtownhvac1640]

What do you think of the new milwaukee m12 impact drill? I love mine very light. I recommend the boot protector

[@HVACGUY]

Love it

[@lancelawrence3259]

Nice work

[@realSamAndrew]

So what was causing the short?

[@johncspine2787]

Why did the fan start fast, then look like it slowed way down, and why is it looking like it’s backwards..isn’t it supposed to push air up and out in the direction heat normally flows, sucking cool air through the coil and then straight up?

[@sammyvalenzuela6263]

Is fan going backwards my old eyes 👀😆

[@mrgreen9086]

Could I use one of those poppers in place of a 5amp fuse?

[@HVACGUY]

Yes, they come in three and five amp varieties, and can be permanently mounted

[@jamesfitzsimmons381]

Where did you finally find the shirt at?

[@HVACGUY]

Tstat wire touching outdoor panel

[@chuckjohnson919]

Talk them into a coil cleaning why you got that nasty thing open :)

[@DelticEngine]

Can't help but feel sorry for that outdoor unit being mutilated like that and left in that condition.

[@robertcouffer7908]

Hacks !! There's Nothing Worse !!

[@gtownhvac1640]

Bro get the new USB Milwaukee light. I'm 100% sure what will you like

[@HVACGUY]

I’ve had the AA battery version, and I keep losing them. I’ve had three already

[@AwakenedOne-qu]

I've seen the very insulation fall off of wiring before.

[@johncspine2787]

I just had an attic fire, I see more lights with 50’s wiring that have cracked insulation w bare copper exposed..I’m getting it all retired even though the insurance won’t pay..new panels, new service up to 200amps, whole shebang...I can’t see sealing all the ceilings back up (they gutted them to remove smoky insulation) with suspect cloth wrapped Paraflex just waiting to start another fire..

[@ricardogierbolini2682]

I was expecting he would have cleaned up the condenser coil..was terrible

[@dinarevollo8468]

Hold on, you just jumped 24V. to common. Ofcourse is going to to trip! Get a volt meter and isolite the load.

[@bobbywenger5595]

👍👍👍