Rheem Gas Packaged Unit killed by pressure washer

[@hgbugalou]

HO could probably squeeze a year or two out of it with a fin comb, a flat blade exacto knife, 2 or 3 days time, a script for adderall, and a 100 count box of band aids. Or maybe just run the pressure washer in reverse?

[@peterhodgkins6985]

LOL! Pressure washer in reverse!! Flatten the inside fins you mean? ;)

[@JoeCdaYT]

just as I am watching at the capacitor test it was reading 56 nF not UF

[@robburdack4361]

tell him to buy a fin straightener and leave him to it lol

[@Bryan-Hensley]

I told a customer that. He got a new heatpump system

[@prjndigo]

itd bust them all off

[@StallionServicesOhio]

Not so sure that capacitor was good. Meter was ranging on nano-Farad when you tested. Just a coincidence that the cap read what you were expecting but on the wrong range.

[@JacobTowsley]

That's the first thing I noticed too

[@paulsalerno2084]

They got the ol 3 seer special there

[@arcticarrowhvacr]

It's nowhere near that inefficient when working properly but with the coil flat yeah close to..

[@spudthegreaterusa8386]

Time to get the fin combs out ...spent an afternoon on my f250 after i bought it. Same thing...someone with a pressure washer. Works great now, but it took hrs of labor straightening the fins.

[@paidnasashill2150]

Not worth his time!

[@Newberntrains]

I dont think the comb could get a bit on these and not snap em if they are that hard over

[@cobia1794]

@@bigpojo5749 If it were mine I'd go get a case of colds ones and a chair and comb in the other hand..

[@wrzl1675]

HVAC techs charge by the hour... you could buy a new unit with what it would cost to straighten a 1/3 of that condenser coil AND it’s a 2001 that should’ve been replaced in 2014-2015

[@DGAF_AK87]

@@wrzl1675 No it shouldn't of, it also shouldn't of had a power washer on it. You can get long lives out of these things if you actually take care of them.

[@blackericdenice]

I’m an automotive youtuber who bought a house 3 months ago. The house was made in 1993. Saturday night, I turned on the heater for the first time. It wouldn’t heat up. I’ve watched a bunch of your videos so I thought I could handle my furnace. I end up FaceTiming my friend who work for Atlanta Gas Light. The pilot light was out. He told me how to light it and now I have heat. Damn I didn’t know my unit was that old. #1990 Rheem Criterion

[@coenjch]

I wish I had found your channel about a month ago -- you are a true professional and an asset to the HVAC community in the upstate. Our 17-year-old HVAC in the house we've only owned for 3 months died 3 weeks ago so we just had a new Lennox system installed by Flanders Heating & Air (not their actual name, but it rhymes, and you probably know who I'm talking about.) I can't fault the work they did, but I would have loved to have had you do the installation given how honest you are in your videos. Who knows, it wouldn't surprise me if you could milk some more life out of that 17-year-old system. The other company we had quote us on the same brand, let's call them Poorly (again, a rhyme), invested way more in sales tactics than any of the skills you show in your videos. I heard you mention your company does tankless gas water systems in another video, that's probably our next home upgrade, so maybe I'll get to see my house on here someday. Until then, it's cool seeing you cruise around Mauldin/Simpsonville in your videos and recognizing all the places. Keep up the great work, Ted.

[@robertgift]

5:27 Being only a homeowner, are all those cooling fins bent and not allowing air through? Bought our 2000-built house in 2008. Cleaned our never-touched unit and straightened many fins bent by the installer. How do I clean theat-exchanger above the furnace heat exchanger? Thank you.

[@glennm7492]

To clean the evap coil you need a good foaming coal cleaner. After removing access panel spray it on and let it do it's business and then carefully rinse it down with a pump up sprayer full of water. You have to be real careful not to get electrical motors or components or electrical connections wet. Make sure air handdler/furnace breaker is off before attempting to clean. If you think any electrical components got wet during cleaning let the air handler dry out for several hours before turning breaker back on for air handler. Also use a wet vac on the condensate drain line from outside after cleaning to make sure it is clear when all done.

[@nomebear]

I saw this exact pressure washer damage to an older Lenox heat pump. I used a fin straightener to undo as much as I could. Two hours later it was just okay for another season or two, but they're never the same.

[@38911bytefree]

A can imagine this dude teaching his neighboors about how take care of they AC themselves, "give them a good clen every month or so, use max pressure, I have doing this for years and my unit runs like a champ"

[@38911bytefree]

Lets seee if Ted receives more calls around this block with totalled condensers ... LOL

[@ClockworksOfGL]

38911bytefree - You just described my former neighbor to a T. He thought anyone that didn’t power wash and wax the underside of their lawnmower was “lazy”. He didn’t have a job.

[@jeffreywhitlatch1409]

That reminded me of this customer I have with an old Tempstar condenser. Those fins have been smashed for over 10 years. And I've combed them the best I can, and a lot of heat blows out of it. But surprising, this unit always starts and always run. You can turn it off and turn it right back on and that damn compressor will turn on. I know it sounds crazy but if I could get a condenser coil for it, I think maybe I would because this unit works that good. Despite the damaged condenser coil. Then I'm pretty sure it's from a pressure washer. I most certainly enjoy watching your videos.

[@c50ge]

At 2:00 was that a tick tracer or an amp meter? Whoever did the pressure washing did a really thorough job! I don’t think they missed a single one! As far as using a fin comb. Your will have a hard time finding a starting place to insert the comb

[@hvacjay3201]

I wouldn’t even try to clean that. Obviously helicopters are equipped with pressure washers now 😆

[@jefferygrady3181]

Not worth the time to straighten out the find with the compressor on its last legs! Hopefully it will him thru until next year! Did you give the old fellow an estimate for a new unit so he can have time to prepare for the inevitable? Thanks for another awesome video TED! You are a honest and compassionate person!

[@cafenightster4548]

I once saw a unit that was killed by a landscaper, it was thermostat that wire that ran from the roof on the side of the house, into the ground than resurface ten feet away. The landscapers cut the t-stat wires with a trimmer while cutting the grass close to the wall. I was doing an install where I was 95% done and doing a troubleshoot because it wasn't turning on a couple wire noots and she was chooching. I still remember this because it would've literally cost the customer just a service call, that only would've took 10 min to find and fix.

[@jaxturner7288]

If your installation job is undone by a landscapers weed wacker before day one is over, you might want to route and protect your wiring in a more effective manner. Really think your wire nut fix prevented that from happening again? Should of done more than that.

[@morlamweb]

This is lesson # 394 in "just because you can buy a pressure washer, doesn't mean that you should (or should use it on everything". I've heard tales of and seen many things ruined by the use of a pressure washer where a simple hose (or a wet rag and mabye 20 minutes' time) would've done the job. It's almost like owning a pressure washer short-circuits the owner's brain into think that it's acceptable to use on everything.

[@hg2.]

Great videography and format - thanks. Love the way you take a shot of the unit's "data sheet" (?), but could you take a full shot of it and hold for a couple seconds so the focus takes hold in and we can get a good look at it? Thanks much.

[@madmeatlogger]

Did anybody else hear the dark lord In this video? Thanks again Ted!

[@randywoodward3312]

I'm from Cincinnati Ohio..I have been working on my unit myself for years..I have a company that installed our unit 17 years ago do maintenance on every year..and it works great. My question is can I use a mixture of dish soap and water to clean my coils or should I use something else..my coils are painted black.

[@tomdolan8811]

If the homeowner did the pressure washing, I would congratulate him on effectively destroying that old unit and quote him the price for replacement of that 3 ton package unit. It was definitely a good unit to have lasted that long already.

[@Bryan-Hensley]

I told a customer where to buy a fin comb. I said he didn't need me, he's capable of doing it. He bought a new heatpump system

[@RichGT350r]

Been there done that- had a client bring in a cleaning crew to clean a 250 ton and a 500 ton chiller.. 3 men 2 weeks straight with every fin straightener in the tristate area. Pressure Washer! Thanks for sharing!

[@jeffb8437]

Why not comb the fins?

[@ignacio8597]

The compressor is toast, why spend the money in labor it would take to straighten the fins for it to die?

[@zack9912000]

would you spend the 4 hours to try, not me. Compressor is forever damaged from it. its 19 years old. Time to replace

[@andrewjacks8671]

That would take a whole day to accomplish. As he said in the video, the compressor required a hard start to even get running. That thing has been running high pressures and very hot for too long to make it worth it. The compressor is going to die regardless.

[@EastDallasKicks]

2:48 is it my screen or is that meter dark orange?

[@CrazyDragonChan]

Those fins where smash over like the hulk was there!

[@srrobinson07]

Are package units common for houses in South Carolina? Or were they just a preferred method of retrofitting homes that weren’t originally built with cooling?

[@fignasty]

Hey love the videos man, I'm a student trying to learn more. What does really hot air coming out usually indicate?

[@joelsadowsky3436]

Hot air indicates low air flow

[@ethanpoole3443]

In this case, poor airflow. Most of the coil area was crushed and blocking the free flow of air, so much less airflow past the coils overall, yet the same amount of heat still needed to be removed by way of what was left of the coils, so if you dump the same amount of heat into a much smaller volume of air you get significantly hotter air due to the restricted airflow.

[@renecuevas4128]

Hot air in a hot day means Ac working good maybe 15 to 20 warmer than outside temp is normal. Over that is too much. That s why he wash the Cond Coil....😁

[@scenicdriveways6708]

They do sell a comb to straighten those fins out, but it might have been to late by the time you got there.

[@MacMcCabe2456]

Could the fins be straighten out with a "fin rake" to let more air flow ?

[@garbo8962]

Worked at a large candy company where they purchased two 7.5 HP 3 phase pressure washers. I tried to tell them that they should not be hitting 480 volt switches motors & equipment with high pressure very hot water 5 nights a week. After second week maitenance top boss called me into office and wanted to know why I was working 4 to 6 hours overtime every night. Told him that I had to replace several motors dozens of fuses etc. Company that sold them pressure washer replaced the highest pressure tips that they sold them with a lot lower pressure tip. New nozzle would not take paint off walls any more.

[@skmetal7]

Is a "gas packaged unit" an ac unit with a furnace built in? I don't really understand what it is.

[@musicnerd72]

Yes, exactly. Gas furnace and AC in one unit. There are heat pump models as well.

[@andrewjacks8671]

Hey Ted. Good video. I like how you compared the exhaust temps. I think it would have been good also to monitor discharge line temp as well. That can tell you a lot about how well the compressor is running, for educational purposes of course. That compressor is toast for sure.

[@Wayne3544]

A fin comb would help, but takes a stinking long time.

[@Bryan-Hensley]

I doubt a fin comb would fix this one. They are bent over too much

[@GoatzombieBubba]

Shoot it with a few 12 gauge slugs and replace it.

[@customdetailer0078]

Nice job. Your a very honest technician. I know some that would not have spent one minute trying to get the unit to work. Thanks for the video.

[@MichelLinschoten]

And those someone’s would not be coming back to my place for sure.

[@davidhenderson3400]

I find it funny the way you touch your finger to the cap terminals. Years ago as a kid me and a friend was scraping some old HVAC units at a local dump. I was removing caps and handing them like they was TNT. Well my friend was laughing about that until he picked up one that was still charged and he blew the end of his finger off. There we were miles from town on bicycles and long before cell phone with his finger bleeding all over the place. We made it back to the main road and flagged down a car that took him to the hospital. We never did tell what just happen because we were afraid we would not be able to go back to the dump and we got a lot of good things from that dump.

[@ChrisG0]

What does he keep touching the ends of the capacitor? Aren't you at risk of getting a heart stopping shock?

[@bobgallo2178]

Could have gotten the fin comb out, but with the age of that condenser, a new one would be the wisest move for this customer. Thanks for posting ,Ted. Hopefully it will help some of the younger techs.

[@heavydiesel]

Nanny Ferrets! Clamp meter round the start wire will give you an idea of the assistance being provided by the run capacitor, good way to confirm the wiring is intact too.

[@tomburson5733]

No worse than the dog lifting his leg on the coil and all the fins are gone!

[@MichelLinschoten]

Doesn’t happen if people stop being lazy and just hose it down..

[@Bryan-Hensley]

I had one customer outside unit starting leaking. They wanted a used unit. Put one in a within a year it was leaking. Put another one in and within a year it was leaking. All of them leaked in relatively the same area on the heatpump. Noticed the ground was soft in one spot at the edge of the heatpump pad. Took a rod and it disappeared when I stuck it in the ground. The heatpump was sitting right on top of the sewage tank and a septic company had dropped the concrete lid in the tank and put a piece of sheet metal over the hole. Sheet metal rusted. Ammonia gases eat the heatpump coil.

[@Carnivorefitness2024]

Was the fan spinning the right way? it didnt even move your thermometer. You teach people to discharge caps with your fingers? lol

[@eldoradoboy]

with all those coils blocked, there isnt much air volume going to be coming from that fan compared to what would be normal.. guy is gonna have to set up a misting hose to get by any heat waves the rest of this season.. turn those fins into water-air chiller :)

[@CyberlightFG]

Would not suggest finger testing the capacitor. I once discharged such a large capacitor on a pole. It made a serious bang and burned a nice hole through the zinc.

[@bobh6728]

Have you ever tested a CHARGED capacitor that way????????

[@thomasking10101]

Thought you said your going to spray something on that door hing :D

[@TLM-Nathan]

It would be a shame if he did it's part of the channel now. Like that annoying but loveable recurring side character with minimal lines in a 90s sitcom.

[@RabbleInArms]

Why not straighten the fins? Give it a half a chance?

[@_iLLuSiv3_]

No coil comb? Sometimes they can help if the aluminum is not too corroded.

[@Guillotines_For_Globalists]

How about a fin straightening tool?

[@blueribb99]

If you pressure washed from the inside, would it help to un-flatten the fins or make it worse ?

[@throttlebottle5906]

you'd just bend all the fins inside to match the outside and worsen the issue lol

[@James_Bowie]

From no cleaning to over cleaning. We see the whole gamut on this channel. Good work resuscitating that old unit.

[@joshuabest100]

How does a hard start work can someone explain my friends

[@j2388]

It applies an inrush of current to the start winding of the compressor, which increases torque during startup. when a compressor starts to fail this will help limp it along until it dies. tell tale sign the unit is on its way out.

[@Bryan-Hensley]

Add capacitance

[@wurthmannd024]

The start capacitor of the hard start kit is wired in parallel with a normally closed potential relay or PTC thermistor with the compressor run capacitor. Once the circuit is energized, the start capacitor alters the phase angle ( think of it as electrical leverage) between the start and the run winding. Basically a voltage/amp boost at startup only.

[@jthonn]

I know the unit was old and on it's last leg with all those boost capacitors, but my heart would not have let me leave that job without straightening those fins the best I could.

[@TedCookHVAC]

Well I hope your heart can pay your bills ??

[@jthonn]

@@TedCookHVAC Sorry, wasn't trying to throw one at you there, you are one of the best I have ever seen. I probably would not make much money in that business because I probably would have done it for no extra charge.

[@IFIXCASTLES]

I've taken a small screwdriver and straightened each fin a few times in my career. It took a long time and sometimes multiple visits (commercial units). After a while my eyes went south and had to rest them. But the a.c. worked great when I was done.

[@lcampm2]

Greg M would be a good job for homeowner.

[@miaudottk9080]

@Anti DIY HVAC That's not how you should test for power. Use a good voltage controller (one that you can see in bright sunlight) after you verified you can see the bulb under the given ambient light (put it against a known live wire). Using your hand to test for voltage is always dangerous and should not be done. Ever. But, if you don't care about your life, at the very least use the BACK of your hand. If you get shocked you don't want your muscles to contract and hold the live wire. Edit: As a DIY repair cat I also discharge the caps before working on stuff. Usually with a big pliers. Sparkies!

[@patmurphy2472]

That compressor sounds a little sketchy?

[@Chris2745100]

If it was a hot day by spraying water (normal pressure) on the coil as well as the compressor, would the unit temporarily cool better?

[@agostinodibella9939]

Boy, they cleaned that coil real good 😂

[@josephzapata4279]

What was that soapy product you were using?

[@ChrisG0]

Basic condenser cleaner.

[@anonymuswere]

you want antiques, you should see the units at the resort I clean for. some of these may be as old as eighties units! two of em are permanently down due to the astronomical cost of servicing them or even replacing them (and in underinsulated rentals)

[@twc20031985]

I couldnt tell you how many times i have seen people do that with the A/C condenser and radiator on their car. It's like they go to the diy quarter wash and shove the nozzle through the grill and then they bring it to me bc the engine is over heating and the a/c doesnt blow cold.

[@jeffcombes7358]

Do you recommend or think it's a good idea to get a hard start kit for a two year old unit?

[@TheWoodman064]

Looked way better after you were finished but I wonder how long before it all returns?

[@jessethepondhopper8370]

What no coil combs on the truck lmfao

[@gatorr4life]

What is the ideal temp you’re look for? I just serviced mine w/ foambrite. Great cleaner but a little expensive.

[@trunkmonkey355]

Is it worth trying to straighten the fins?

[@punker4Real]

yeah on a old r22 unit r22 mucho better then the garbage non ozone depleting gases we have today. the a/c units here are messed up to hell as little kids smash the coils for fun almost every single one is damaged

[@joshuabest100]

Will be pricey for labour really not worth it as the compressor is already toast if the compressor goes then maybe the fins can be straightened when swapping the conpressor

[@Bryan-Hensley]

I bet it would take at least 12 hours

[@kevinklassen8199]

Half an hour with a fin comb could make a huge improvement over zero air flow. Any improvement is an improvement.... Comb it

[@erikkovacs3097]

Well I guess technically you can hit it again with the pressure washer at the opposite angle to open the fins up again.

[@Discretesignals]

Then you smash close the fins on the inside...lol

[@throttlebottle5906]

lmao!

[@OldePhart]

anybody ever pick up thier gauge set they won?

[@ndsmudlogger4061]

Doubtful

[@TedCookHVAC]

Nobody claimed it no.

[@Tjita1]

@@TedCookHVAC To be clear, you've only done the 1 video yet, right? We're still waiting for the other two?

[@greendryerlint]

@@TedCookHVAC I'll volunteer to take it off your hands if no one wants it. lol

[@firecrow7973]

@@TedCookHVAC i could use one

[@sonurai9955]

recommendation to replace condenser coil

[@TheDurnans]

I just stumbled across this channel. What are you calling a helicopter?

[@JustinKais]

Homeowner that hovers around the guy and watches him work.

[@chrismaddox15]

Hi I've used a dog comb (wire type) to straighten fins. Trick is to start in a good area and work over to the bent areas. Clean once straight. See if it works for you. Thanks for the videos.

[@Woahnow1012]

Why didn’t you use a fin straightener

[@davey6024]

Testing if a capacitor is charged by brushing your finger over it...

[@chrisparker4940]

Hell I wouldn’t even know which comb to use to be able to count how many fins per inch on that one lol

[@tonybenz2852]

dog slicker brush straightens fins out pretty easy

[@Bobby-cm7vu]

Wonder if that ol rheem is still going

[@NAMRDR69]

I just replaced my condenser fan motor and combed inside and out. Combing made a big difference.

[@brianr987]

Damn, all the fins are flat. Love this channel. My home state.

[@gbpg2016]

You don't see good guys like this much anymore.

[@clayster2]

I hope it makes it for them. I had a hard start added years ago and the ol Goodman is still chugging along. But I baby it. It's gets cleaned twice a year and I use window units in the spring and fall.

[@MichelLinschoten]

Just comb them , there are good tools to straighten that out. You also keep on running it, saying it’s hot to hot. Won’t you damage it even more ?!

[@Discretesignals]

What do you charge the customer to remove the housing from around the condenser and sit there all day trying to comb out fins just to find out a day later the compressor dies?

[@MichelLinschoten]

@@Discretesignals it doesn't take a day unless you have a hourly thumb twiddler ... There are good tools to do it quickly and efficient with . Even if that compressor dies , that doesn't get fixed by NOT combing it. If anything , you give it a better chance to survive by doing just that ..

[@sheltdog8463]

I rinse my coils out every time I edge and weed eat around my unit. Cleaned out 2 of my friends and they couldn't believe the difference it made. If it can't breathe it can't cool fool!

[@altyndom7039]

Offer them to straighten the fins with condenser comb.

[@ApartmentMaintenance]

Damn!!!! I can't believe someone would take a pressure washer to a coil. Great video Ted 👍

[@rrcoster]

nothing surprise me anymore these days...hard fine one have common sense or ones always learn hard way if don't know what your doing it might cost ya expensive repair vs call someone that does

[@tomwalker9184]

Ted help me I CAN'T BREATHE, SAID THE RHEEM.

[@codyreynolds3008]

That condenser coil looked like it never been cleaned for more months. Even though the temperature went down 25 degrees he needs to get a new AC Unit

[@tamtdc]

Take the outside cover off, get a comb and straighten all them fins up again. That would have fixed it. You're an engineer, this is what you do. :)

[@MichelLinschoten]

That’s to cheap

[@Bryan-Hensley]

You aren't going to straighten them with a comb. It would just tear them. They are bent too much. You can do it with a small screw driver or something similar but it would take probably a day or two

[@timbod3367]

It's called a fin comb. Compressor is toast. Thanks for posting.

[@EastDallasKicks]

Love that PFP

[@dwarden3]

Check that front tire, it's looking really low.

[@Sbc-rp9fc]

Man that coil is smashed. Out on thermal huh

[@peterreed1758]

Thank you Ted!

[@curtisendicott5989]

Why wouldn’t you pull the cover and straighten the fins out for now

[@agostinodibella9939]

Nice recovery for what you had to work with!

[@armandotorres626]

Wow... Condenser has been rendered useless

[@garypillischafske1425]

comb and brush and a good scolding.

[@keithweathersbee1]

I served in the Navy, but the camera jumping, makes me feel sea sick. Please smooth the video.

[@goldenpun5592]

a few minutes of pressure washing caused over 1000 dollars worth of damage. yikes.

[@Rickdoinglife]

Wow...every fin smooshed over ...

[@raymondjacobs8429]

I've always done, wash from inside out, not outside in, that's were the dirt comes from, why try and push it through?

[@markrusso1086]

240073 miles on that truck

[@altonrowell8137]

That is so stupid. I've used pressure washers on all sorts of stuff. If your going to use one on a ac condenser u better be careful doing it. U know a pressure washer has several kinds of spray tip's. I personally use a wide fan tip. That moron must have used a blasting tip. Some people can destroy a anvil in a sand bead.

[@bill944]

Looks like someone cleaned that coil with a hammer. LOL

[@twolfe4295]

pressure washers sometimes leave wavy marks like irregular pathways. It is hard to tell what happened because you haven't removed the grills and you camera work it very jumpy to the point of annoying>