This simple mistake led to a catastrophic Air Conditioning failure!

[@CapitalCoastHVAC]

Nice job Mitch. 5k superheat is the sweet spot 👌

[@Knightransport]

Great job man, cheers from the U.S.🎉

[@maracservices]

@@Knightransport thanks mate, I appreciate it! 🫡

[@craigladewig3158]

Simple basic refrigeration system , no fancy control PCB's and valves to crap out. Just how I like them

[@maracservices]

@@craigladewig3158 you and me both mate

[@JesseDoesHVAC]

Stupid MEPS…single speed heat pumps used to be so easy to work on…

[@robalexander7348]

A job well done Mitchel, the Actron is now purring along nicely, and the owner will now be comfortable with our expected hot summer. Compliments on your good camera work, and that MARAC lable finishes off the good job. It's already 32c down here in The Stn Highlands @ 11.00 😮

[@maracservices]

@@robalexander7348 thanks mate!

[@jhatfield2755]

Hopefully it works out for her nothing you can do if u recommend a new unit and she decides not too. Itll probably hold just fine you did a great job

[@jhatfield2755]

What these guys in the comments dont realize is these older units are much tougher than the newer shit

[@maracservices]

@@jhatfield2755 thanks mate. I appreciate it. I agree with you 100%. I told her it’s a lot of money to invest in a new unit but if she doesn’t have the funds then let’s do the best repair we can. I agree these units are soooo much more reliable than the new stuff. If she replaced that outdoor fan motor, I’ll be confident this will run for a long time yet.

[@jhatfield2755]

@@maracservices yessir I’ve never seen that brand of air conditioner across the world in Kentucky. We mostly have trane, carrier, Lennox over here. Phasing out r410a this year! Still have plenty of r22 systems out there though.

[@thesilentonevictor]

Good job mate

[@maracservices]

@@thesilentonevictor thanks mate, appreciate it!

[@mitchschreiber9119]

Good job mate keep up the vids

[@maracservices]

@@mitchschreiber9119 thanks mate, appreciate it!

[@triggerjc]

Fun job you had there. Only had my place for a year and of all places they put the outdoor unit was over the top of the pool pump in the pool area (wall mounted). Didn't notice at first glance but since looking inside the compressor looks new so must have had done what you just did here as the base frame is so rusted. Replaced my condenser fans on a similar Actron the 22.3 kw they locked up mechanically. They don't look serviceable as would only be bearing, So expensive for just a fan would think they would supply it with a new grill LOL. They are nice people over at Actron picked up from Marsden park it's that time of year they were busy. As a industrial sparky no interest in touching the gas side but have replaced the fans keep it clean. did do some board repair as wasps the buggers got in behind the card of all places and shorted it out lucky was mains side so did not damage the control, repaired and has been working fine. You must get wasps often. hey what indoor filter material you recommend.

[@maracservices]

@@triggerjc Nice work! I like electrostatic filter media because it’s quieter and is easier to clean. Cheers

[@jimmyteesahn]

Good work mitch, when does it get to the point where you talk them into a unit replacement though? R22 comp replacement witg new gas surely not much change out of 5k?

[@maracservices]

I quoted this customer on replacement and also repair and recommended they look at replacing the unit with something more efficient. Unfortunately the customer didn’t have the funds to do the install and I never at any stage pressure the customer to do anything. Even if they didn’t repair, it doesn’t bother me. To answer your question though, if it’s a major repair of a system this old, I always strongly recommend replacement. With all that being said, I believe if they replace that condenser fan, this thing will run like a charm for a long time yet. In my opinion. Cheers mate

[@МаксимДроздович-м4ъ]

Отличная работа!

[@maracservices]

Thanks sir!

[@michael4402]

I’d say it’s more to do with no crank case heater. Specially if you’re near the coast. I have seen it on temperzone packs with eev valves too, crank case heater is set ridiculously low and basically never turns on,

[@TheGgin]

Very nice repair and recovery of an R-22 System. Just curious, noticed the compressor is 3-Phase, is this residential?

[@maracservices]

@@TheGgin thanks mate. Yeah it’s a residential house.

[@samhaveaguess4284]

Hey ..Love you vid ..Very interesting stuff . I have 1 question. I had to have one of my splits regassed due to leak on installation.. there was a bit of oil leak where the gas leaked from..When you regas does that also replace the oil .. Or is that amount of oil leak insignificant..

[@craigladewig3158]

I have DX plants that are +-30 years old with service port valve, they dont leak if all the caps are tight and those with teflon seals have the seals fitted (they sometimes fall out) . It's one of the things that irritates me the most is if I get to a job and the caps are loose or missing, Schroeder valves can also leak - that's why they come with caps. Large pipe joints and on compressors ports I tend to use cutting torch nozzle, for me its quicker and solder flows much easier

[@maracservices]

@@craigladewig3158 I come across a lot of systems that have no caps on the Schroeder valves. God knows where they go to.

[@rdenir]

Hey Mitch great job,, I couldn’t tell if you refilled it with R22 or R427a,, I find R427a gives me around 95% of the cooling capacity that R22 with the price being way less per Kg.

[@sparkletornado5890]

The dark green paint on the bottle looks to be R22. R427a is a light green.

[@LawpickingLocksmith]

Good job!

[@maracservices]

@@LawpickingLocksmith thanks mate, I appreciate it!

[@testvienas4611]

Hej man, what camera do you use? is that just a regular gopro?

[@maracservices]

@@testvienas4611 mate it’s just an iPhone 16 pro haha. When you see shots that look like a go pro, im using my Insta 360 go 3 camera

[@Djaz611]

Hi Mitch what hose is that I have the same vac pump and looking for same set up for my dual field piece

[@maracservices]

@@Djaz611 it’s a fieldpiece hose with 1/4” and 3/8” ends

[@Mick_4591]

How old was this unit? I know you said replacement wasn't in the customer's budget And cost of repair against the cost of a replacement? And lucky parts were still available

[@BensSightSoundandAuto]

Would have to be at least 20 years old

[@maracservices]

The unit was probably like 15 years old. Maybe even a bit more. They are very basic so all the parts are still very available. If you wanted to get the equivalent model unit like for like brand new it would be like $6000 probably. This comes with the indoor unit, outdoor unit and wall controller. You then need someone to install it which is another cost. Plus you would need to install new pipework to suit new gas. So it’s quite a lot of money. The repair costs were much lower then that but I still advise the customer to put that investment into a new unit but it’s always the customers decision and I won’t pressure them to do something they don’t want. I genuinely believe they should replace one of those fans and the unit will run for a long time in my opinion. Thanks for the comment!

[@test143000]

There should be an external heating coil around the compressor base. Was it missing on this system?

[@maracservices]

@@test143000 there was no sump heater on this one. I’m actually going back to replace the condenser fan, I’ll look into the sump heater. Cheers

[@MentalLapse09]

Werent there sump heaters on those old r22 units?

[@tonymontana897]

There should be. I remember many had them, but they never last too long, which is why people just didn't bother replacing them. The always draw current when the unit is in the off state, so many home owners could've also opted to delete it. More useful in very cold climates, but in Sydney, not so much.

[@maracservices]

@@MentalLapse09 a lot of actrons have them but some don’t. I’m not sure if people remove it or if they never had them in the first place. This one didn’t have one and given our climate, I don’t think it’s all that necessary to be honest.

[@jhatfield2755]

A scroll technically doesnt need a cch but it def helps them

[@tonymontana897]

@@jhatfield2755 Yes, I agree to a degree. Reciprocating compressors must have them but with scroll compressors, there is also a tendency for liquification of refrigerant in the compressor sump during the off cycle, which over time can wash the oil out, so keeping the base warm keeps the refrigerant in a gaseous state rather than liquid.

[@anthonycayford3763]

Being R22 is there not service bans on these? Under the Montreal protocol?

[@maracservices]

@@anthonycayford3763 hey mate, you can use r22 to service existing equipment. R22 is still easily available (however less of it gets imported into the country as the years roll on). After 2030 there will be none imported into the country but that doesn’t mean you can’t service existing equipment. It just means you have to use reclaimed r22 if you have any. They stopped manufacturing equipment with r22 in it from new years ago.

[@davidyz426f]

We had the softstart fail, got it removed ,dont really need it.

[@maracservices]

@@davidyz426f you definitely don’t need a soft starter mate. Cheers

[@nunya6081]

To be MEPS compliant you do need them and couldn’t imagine the ESP would be to impressed be removing them haha.

[@JesseDoesHVAC]

Geez for the price of R22 these days im surprised they went with a repair. That being said, they certainly dont make systems to last like they used to

[@FreedomInMindtv]

Brendan Murphy's law

[@maracservices]

@@FreedomInMindtv haha

[@nickd2084]

Not sure putting your fingers and hand in line of possible high pressure leak, is a good idea.

[@Thinkforyourselvz]

A little bit of age, That old girl is over 20 yrs old! With a fixed speed compressor & It’s done its job & it’s time for a new efficient & quieter one or they are just going to be spending money chasing repairs.

[@tonymontana897]

The R22 alone will cost more than to replace the whole unit lol.. How much is R22 these days anyway ?? $200 per kilo ?

[@maracservices]

@@tonymontana897 $123.50 per kilo. It needed 5.7 kilos. No where near to cost of a new unit but I see what you’re saying. It’s a lot of money to invest in an old system. I agree, that’s why I recommended replacement. The customer wants what the customer wants I guess.

[@julianpiper240]

There’s a slight issue with removing service valves and not replacing them with an equivalent say ball valve or packed cap line valve. Section 2.3 of the 2007 RH code of practise requires valves to be fitted for pump-out/pump-down to allow servicing to be carried out.

[@justicelut]

Fix crap and what do you get? Fixed crap!

[@russellskillen4070]

Ok repair work but false economy for the Client, replacing a compressor with a salt air affected condenser coil is asking for problems, 2 x 20 year old condenser fan motors wont have much life left, old compressor contactor , old indoor fan motor, noisy as Actron unit, no benifits of modern technology. Done the Çlient a disservice.

[@maracservices]

@@russellskillen4070 did you watch the first two minutes of the video?

[@test143000]

On these models a fan bearing is getting seized before fan electric motor fails.

[@russellskillen4070]

@@maracservices yes, I won't do a repair if the long term value is not there, dont need clients coming back after a few months bitchin they just spent $3k and now I need to spend another $2k, there is the cost of a new system. In most cases airconditioning is a want not need.

[@russellskillen4070]

@@test143000 around "$600 per fan, + mark up + freight+ labour , if one fan is gone second isint far behind, another $2k repair.

[@test143000]

@russellskillen4070 I replaced both myself, bought one for 450 another for 500. The old fans one seized, another had noisy bearing.