Voltageman

For A/C you normally braze... Brazing is easy, just takes practice...Can't be afraid to heat up the piping...Its gotta get a lot hotter for brazing..But you have to be careful...You can burn right through the copper...Once that piping just starts turning cherry red, you are good to go. And with brazing you must move the torch around the pipe, it will not flow around like soft solder, and if it does, it is too hot, and you are pretty close to making a hole. The pressures are lower with refrigeration, so silver solder can be used..Stay Silv is the best stuff...Stays shiny forever.. Trick for brazing...When you braze, you should have nitrogen running through the pipe while brazing. Just a small amount to displace the oxygen, or you will get a black film on the inside of the piping which is bad for the a/c systems...Most people do not do this, but you really should. This is where filter dryers come in...They will catch that crap before it clogs up an expansion valve or an orifice..

I hope they evacuated the system properly after they fixed the leaks, and installed a filter dryer....Some people just purge the system with nitrogen, and then some refrigerant. This will remove most of the water/air, but not all...Any water or air in system will cause major problems and short compressor life. Look for oil on the piping....If you find oil on a fitting, it most likely is leaking at that spot..As posted before, soap and water will find most leaks. They should have installed a filter either on the Suction line, Liquid line, or both(I normally put a dryer on both to be safe)... If you have the system repaired again, make sure they use a vacuum pump(will make the water boil @ approx. 50deg F), to evacuate the system, and ask them to install a filter dryer. This will collect any contaminants(water/dirt/etc). Why people can't braze is beyond me...I can count on one hand the amount of leaks I have had in thousands of installs over 10 years.... Its not all that hard to test... Fill the system with nitrogen up to about 110+ psi and leave it for 24 hours...If the pressure is still at 110+, you most likely have no leaks. If you do, it will leak at the condenser most likely since the pressures can go up to 250-300 psi if unit is dirty or it is extremely hot.

If you already have a filter in the grille..I mean one that is inside the return grille, then you can remove that filter inside the unit(usually there is a filter track with either a washable filter or a fiberglass one.. It will just inhibit airflow...I normally put 4-5" thick Hepa Media filters in the return. They get just about everything, including pollen, and other small airborne materials. Every coil in the systems I install the Hepa filters, stay shiny clean. Edit: Hepa filter assembly example http://www.allpartsgrills.com/item513242.ctlg

I've seen a bunch of em... It's amazing the crap work some people do...If they ever tell you you need refrigerant, tommie is correct, make them find the leak. Contrary to myth, refrigerant does not have to be changed/added. Oil is the only thing that may need to be changed, and this is normally only done with commercial units. Is your unit a packaged unit? Meaning one unit mounted on outside of trailer....

General rule of thumb when sizing a/c is: 12,000btu = 1 ton = 400 square ft If you live in a very dry climate(low humidity), you will need less. Clean them, and you will notice a difference.. Edit: Check your windows for leaks...If you find any, get the window sealer..3m makes good stuff... Feel the floor on a hot day...Is it warm? If trailer has space underneath it(open area) see if it gets warm...Perhaps the floor has poor insulation..

Low humidity makes cooling very easy...The water is the problem. Water requires a lot of energy to heat...And it also requires a lot of energy to remove the heat...Less water = less energy required for cooling. And yes high returns are preferable, especially if you have floor grilles...If you have a low return and floor grilles, the air will sit at the floor, and just recycle, and not cool the house...Ceiling fans help alleviate this. Supplies too close to the return can increase the chances of freezing. Especially as house gets cooler. There is approx. a 20deg difference across an a/c coil. If you send say 70 deg air into return, you get around 50 deg out...So if you start sending 50 deg air into return, it gets cooler...And so on.. If return is say 60deg..it will drop to 40...which means coil is colder than that...Probably close to 32. Once it gets to 32, the water freezes on the coil, the pressure in unit drops even further, which makes coil even colder. And now the ice has covered coil, so no air flows...Even cooler...Now if unit is undercharged or dirty, this can happen pretty easy.

4 ton would be right for 1500.. Get the model # and make off the outside unit, and I can tell you how big it is. If you can, take door off unit in attic(the door where the pipes go in..either 5/16 or 1/4" nut driver will do), and take a look at the coil. It could just be dirty.....Make sure they didn't leave the factory filter in the unit(will be right after where the return ductwork is attached...I've seen it left in, and people don't know about it, and only change filter in the grille...Over time, that second filter will get plugged, and decrease cooling capacity. And wash down outside unit. It may look clean, but look inside..The crap will collect on inside.

Oversizing will not make it ice up... It will ice up if: -too little refrigerant....and in some cases too much refigerant(you have to go way overboard) -clogged filter/coil -plugged orifice/expansion valve in evaporator-(rare) -Duct work is undersized for unit. If your return is too small, or there are not enough supplies, you will be unable to move enough air. Oversizing(meaning ductwork and unit is oversized). Will just cause house to be more humid at same temp than a properly sized one.

Yes, there are 12,000 btu's to a ton of a/c...So if you are reading it correctly, you have approx. 2.5 tons of a/c(if this is what unit says on it)...You may be under sized. if the house is more than 1000 sq ft living space... Humidity should be low, but cycles will be very long when its hot out, and it has trouble in really hot weather.

Residential units normally will, if anything, have a time delay for start up. Compressors do not like starting if pressures are not equalized or they are hot...The time delay of 2-5 minutes is normally plenty of time. Most digital t-stats have a built in time delay. The inside fan will come on, but compressor will wait for a few minutes to ensure it has equalized. You could, if you wanted to, use a time delay(break the 24v going to compressor contactor) and you would allow for longer run cycles..But, in the end it is just going to give you wider fluctuations in temp. and slightly lower humidity..There is a good reason you need to size it correctly. If it is sized correctly other problems could be: - improper refrigerant charge. - contaminated refrigerant charge/non-condensables..ie:water. If from install, system was not properly evacuated, this can cause havoc, and will destroy the oil, eventually toasting your compressor. -clogged filter or plugged coil (inside evaporator coil) -plugged Condenser coil -Poor insulation/leaky windows/doors -Leaving a window open...believe it or not, I have had people who refuse to believe it will cool faster will windows closed.... -Leaky return in attic. If unit is in attic, the return(intake), may be sucking in attic air @ 120+deg ...This will warm intake air and limit you cooling differential. Check for leaky ductwork in and around the large return grille. -Weak Compressor. If valves start to go, so does its pumping capacity...It happens from age. -improper return location. There cannot be a supply grille too close to the return. Also, it must be up high...Some forced air systems have a/c added, but returns are not altered..these work poorly with return on floor. -Thermostat in the sun or too close to supply outlet. Thermostat should be as close to return as possible, if not right below it, and out of the sun. -improper supply outlet size. Seen it, but normally they at least get that right. Each size 6,7,8" all carry a certain cubic feet per minute. This needs to match the rooms square footage. There are usually dampers in the attic right at the ductwork, where you can adjust the air flow. For example: if one room is too cold, you can turn down the airflow to that room, which will in turn force more air out the other supplies. It takes some time to get it right, but can make a huge difference. I've seen more, but they they are freak things..Like earwigs getting stuck in electrical contacts... When its really hot, leave the fan on...There is a setting on thermostat for Fan ON or Auto. On really hot days, set it to ON. This will let fan continuously run(compressor will cycle normally), and will mix the air in the house better. The indoor fans use next to nothing in electric. Its the monster outside that sucks it up. Seer rating does effect cooling because of the larger condenser coils, but normally the difference in cooling capacity is not noticeable(or at least should not be) until temps near 100. They do however use less electricity. This is due to a combination of the metering device used inside the evaporator, and the larger condenser coil. Scroll compressors are also sometimes used.(more efficient) There a many factors that determine how well it works. When its cool, you can get away with a number of them, and you will not notice..But as it gets into the 90's, these little things will start to impede the systems ability to cool. Most important thing is too keep everything clean. If you have pets this is very important. The inside coil can get very dirty even with a filter when you have pets. Think of the outside unit as the radiator on your car. If you packed dirt, glass clippings, leaves, pollen, and what ever else you could find on it, and then drove around on a 100 degree day, it would probably overheat. Same thing happens with the Condenser. The hotter that unit gets, the higher the pressures are...Too high a pressure will cause compressor failure. Thats why it is important that it stays clean..

Yes you can have it oversized...This is the biggest mistake people make...You are almost better being slightly under than way over... If the unit is too large, it will cool the air down very fast, but since the cycle of cooling is so short, little humidity will be taken out of the air. Therefore you end up with damp cold air. You can get condensation on the windows sometimes if it is oversized too much...I have seen it...Boggles my mind who installs the systems. Best way to tell...Run in place until you sweat. Stop running. If your sweat evaporates rapidly, you are OK..If the sweat stays there, and you feel cold and clammy...It is oversized. You should dry off rapidly when entering an air conditioned house...If you just get cold and wet, its not really working properly or efficiently. But, you say the house is 1500 sq ft. Rule of thumb is about 1 ton per 400 square feet. So a 2000 sq ft house would require a 5 ton unit. 1500 would be about right for your house. But, that is if you are measuring the LIVING SPACE. You can not just take the length and width of the house. You need to add up the sq footage of each room that has a/c in it. That is the sq ft number you need. Skylights/Sliding Glass Doors and other items also need to be considered. Closets or any un-air conditioned space does not count. Make sure the condenser outside is clean...If you can, powerwash the coil from inside out. Usually you can easily take fan off top, and move to side without disconnecting to get to the coil from the inside. Don't wash from the outside, or you will compact the dirt into the coil. Even though it may look clean, it can be plugged, and still look fine. Take a flashlight at night, and try to shine it through the coil...You will be able to find the plugged spots. If it is oversized, you can also cut an outlet out of the ductwork in the attic, and let one blow up there...It will not do anything but cool attic, and let the a/c dehumidify better. If the unit is way oversized, it won't hurt your efficiency at all..may actually help. Best thing is to have it properly sized to begin with. And when its over 95, and the humidity is very high, depending on how well your house is sealed/insulated, you may be getting the most out of the unit...The slightest leak in a window/door can let a lot of humidity in...

Do you keep your door closed with the a/c running? If you keep door open, and other rooms are not air conditioned, you might as well just shut it off, especially if there is a window open in the house. Unless it is way oversized, it will not do a thing if the door is open. Keep door closed, and if rest of the house is not air conditioned, put a towel under the door... This will help keep the humidity out to some degree....Air conditioners will not cool very well until they have dehumidified the air as well(takes about 24 hours to dehumidify fully from a dead start depending on humidity level). If you have windows with major sun exposure, use blinds..Especially if you have a dark rug....Feel a dark rug in the sun...It will radiate a lot of heat, unless you have very good windows. If you leave, don't shut it off...Turn the temperature setting higher. It uses more energy to catch up that it does to maintain temperature. Just out of curiosity, did you check the filter and the coil on the a/c unit...Not just the inside coil, but the outside coil..Get a flash light and look...If either one is dirty, the a/c unit will not work or will not work as well... Do you have a thermometer? If so, take the air temp near the intake(by filter), and then take the temp where the air comes out...If possible put thermo inside ducting. You should get a temp difference between 16-20 deg F.. Ex. Intake 80 - 60 Supply = 20...But, once the temp gets above 95, especially in high humidity, the units tend to decrease in efficiency, so temp difference will not be as great. If its over 100, and you are getting a 16 degree difference, you are doing well.... Make sure filter is clean, and look on the inside coil (evaporator). If you have dogs or cats, the a/c units tend to collect the hair and creates a film mixed with dust and other airborne materials which blocks the airflow. Usually you can just peel it off. If its just dirty in general, use an old toothbrush and brush parallel to the fins....Try to collect as much of the dirt as possible so it doesn't block the drain. Check the outside coil(condenser). If this is dirty, your unit will also lose its efficiency. If it is too dirty it also stresses the compressor. Remember to look at the correct side of the coil(ex. if air is going Left to Right, check Left side of coil/Right to Left, the Right)...This is where the dirt/grass clippings/pollen/etc will collect...This may be a little hard to see...You can just take a garden hose and spray in the opposite direction of the air flow, so you don't compact the dirt into the coil. Be carefull not to fold over the fins with the water stream..TURN OFF UNIT BEFORE YOU PUT THE HOSE TO IT. I have heard a lot of people say to put a sprinkler on the a/c condenser coil during the heat wave...If you cool down the coil too much, you will cause the refrigerant to become a liquid too soon and can damage the compressor(they do not like to pump liquid refrigerant...Makes them very angry..). A/C uses change of state to gain efficiency also. If change of state from gas to liquid does not occur in the coil, you lose efficiency. Same holds true for the inside coil. If it is dirty, not enough air will pass across to raise the temp enough to boil..Therefore you lose efficiency, plus you chance creating a glacier if it is dirty enough. And Blunted is also correct, lower voltages result in higher amperage draw....This holds true for every item in your house that uses electric. The lower the voltage, the higher the amps go, until it hits the point where items overdraw on amps, and you have a brown-out..Transformers like to explode/melt and this point. Compressors also are reluctant to start when voltage is too low, and can trip the breaker or lock-up(fry.. ) on startup... Find out how many BTU's the unit is, and take a tape measure and find out what size the room is. The unit may not be big enough. Electronics need to be considered when sizing a/c, along with refrigerators, which also create a ton of heat. And like everyone else already stated, turn off as much of those electronics as possible...Stereos, TVs, Computers...They all are very inefficient in general..That is why you have so much heat(wasted energy..unless you need it for heat I suppose, but even then, it can't be an efficient heating method)...They will one day remedy this. Lower wattage high efficiency bulbs work wonders also...Note how cool they stay.. Also, as tommie said, get an attic vent. I have put them in dozens of houses in the past, and everyone noticed the difference almost immediately. Attics without a vent can be 140F+(not fun to work in those), and your high hats will have a hard time dumping heat into heat...So where does it go??? In the room. this small response turned into a book... Trying to make up for not posting in a while in one post! Used to do it for a living....(happy right now I don't lol)

I'm good...Been busy...Spending alot of time surf fishing...Got my 4x4 beach permit for NYS and Suffolk County...Trying to catch Jaws..

Yeah its been nothing short of wonderful... I went through Cablevision and the 10/1, that at peak times I would get maybe 1/1.... So happy we ditched cable... I think we can now upgrade to 50, but for more $$ ....Its tempting...

Been a long while since I posted.....Site looks superb! Still running Fios 30/5 (Long Island, NY) Since 11/05, I have not had 1 outage/slowdown Download Connection is:: 30076 Kbps about 30.08 Mbps (tested with 12160 kB) Download Speed is:: 3671 kB/s Upload Connection is:: 4644 Kbps about 4.64 Mbps (tested with 12159 kB) Upload Speed is:: 567 kB/s Tested From:: https://testmy.net (Server 1) Test Time:: 2006/08/04 - 8:44pm D-Validation Link:: https://testmy.net/stats/id-H3DB09V2R U-Validation Link:: https://testmy.net/stats/id-TYGDVRIXZ User Agent:: Mozilla/4.0 (compatible; MSIE 6.0; Windows NT 5.1; SV1; .NET CLR 1.1.4322; .NET CLR 2.0.50727)

That power supply may not have enough juice(I think that vid card requires 350watt), or the memory stick could be bad...

http://www.kellys-korner-xp.com/xp_tweaks.htm -- some good quick fixes here... Try this one...has fixed my taskbar/start menu in the past --> http://www.kellys-korner-xp.com/regs_edits/nodesktop.reg This is assuming you have XP

You're young...Once you've been working over 15 years, you too can spend lots of money on stuff that is outdated in a year...

Yup 12 months @ $55/month

It wasn't built at one time...Just kept adding crap, and trading old crap for stuff(thermaltake case was a trade).. Took a while...and lol I want to swap out the board for pci-e...but then I gotta get another vid card...lol I just picked up nice slide out racks for the sata drives...You can pull them out while pc is running...(of course cant be the o/s drives..)

- Thermaltake Tower - 550watt Neo HE power supply w/ smart cables - Asus A8V Deluxe Motherboard - 939 Socket Amd 64 4000+ @ 2.64GHz (oc'd 10%) - Nvidia 6800 128mb Video card 8x Agp - 2 gigs Kingston Dual Channel DDR 400 (2x512/2x512) - 2x200 Gig Sata HD's Raid 0 (via controller) - 2x200 Gig Sata HD's Raid 0 (promise controller) - 1-60 Gig Ultra Ata 133 (hooked up as raid 0 in promise controller) - 1-160 Gig External Firewire HD - 1- HP Laserscribe DVD/DC RW Drive - 1- Sony CD RW Drive - 1- Memorex CD RW Drive - Realtek ALC8500 8 Channel Audio - Onboard Marvell Gigabit Lan - DLink Gigabit Lan(run with Onboard in Network bridge) - Saitek X-45 Flight Controller (to virtually kill people) - Logitech MX-1000 Wireless Laser Mouse - Microsoft Wireless Multimedia Keyboard - Lots and lots of zip ties...

:::.. Upload Stats ..::: Connection is:: 4602 Kbps about 4.6 Mbps (tested with 12159 kB) Upload Speed is:: 562 kB/s Tested From:: https://testmy.net (server1) Test Time:: Thu Jan 26 21:03:09 EST 2006 Bottom Line:: 82X faster than 56K 1MB upload in 1.82 sec Diagnosis: Awesome! 20% + : 625.87 % faster than the average for host (verizon.net) Validation Link:: https://testmy.net/stats/id-IA27T1UDB Yeah its Fios 30/5

:::.. Download Stats ..::: Connection is:: 28460 Kbps about 28.5 Mbps (tested with 12160 kB) Download Speed is:: 3474 kB/s Tested From:: https://testmy.net (server2) Test Time:: Thu Jan 26 20:44:57 EST 2006 Bottom Line:: 508X faster than 56K 1MB download in 0.29 sec Diagnosis: Awesome! 20% + : 503.73 % faster than the average for host (verizon.net) Validation Link:: https://testmy.net/stats/id-RXU6VYE5C

:::.. Download Stats ..::: Connection is:: 29384 Kbps about 29.4 Mbps (tested with 12160 kB) Download Speed is:: 3587 kB/s Tested From:: https://testmy.net (server2) Test Time:: Sun Jan 22 08:11:20 EST 2006 Bottom Line:: 525X faster than 56K 1MB download in 0.29 sec Diagnosis: Awesome! 20% + : 525.32 % faster than the average for host (verizon.net) Validation Link:: https://testmy.net/stats/id-Q9W20HRG6 Fios is still rockin...

Funny how one president gets a BJ in his office, and almost gets impeached, yet another goes to war on false terms, spends billions of dollars on that war, sacrifices thousands of american troops, and nothing is done... Just me or does that seem wrong? So if this logic is correct, you can lie about the reasons for war, and you don't get impeached, but if you lie about getting a BJ from your secretary, they try to impeach you...That makes alot of sense..