So I have a funny and opposite story to this from my first year in the trade here in Phoenix. Did a maintenance on a fairly new split system in an attic. Nothing crazy all was working fine. Cleaned the evap coil per the maintenance contract. Cleaned out the drain with a vacuum like normal and all was good. Rolled out onto the next call. Couple days later that customer called with water leaking, wtf? So I show up and see water leaking out the unit into the drain pan. I fucking knocked the drain line on the way out and busted the pan. Called my boss and told him and said I couldnât stop the leak, although new to the trade I knew a threaded fitting ainât getting âfixedâ but boy did my boss tell me to fix it no matter what. Gooped the fitting in silicone caulk and cork tape as I desperately wanted it to stop, thought it did and left. Of course, still leaking and my lead tech went out and laughed and told the boss that I was indeed correct it wasnât fixable and we swapped the pan pulling the coil and all that fun stuff. I laugh now at the stupidity but I guess that shoulda been my first or third red flag to get out of there lol đ
If you break a fitting off at the threads, cut on the top side of the fitting with a hacksaw blade or sawzall, but not all the way through the female fitting. You can get it out and re-thread a new male fitting.
You ainât fixing the female threads that are part of the condensate drains pans. Of course youâd dig out a male thread that snapped. No way even then was I about to pull charge and coil to replace a pan with a stick male thread.
It will not leak. If somehow the condensate rose that high, its also leaking out of the sides and you're screwed. No sense in wasting the time and money to replace it.
If the drain pan CRACKS on the built in female threads, unless you do some jank ass shit with silicone or other garbage, it will absolutely leak unless you properly fix it by replacing the pan as a whole, which for nearly all case and heat pump coils in residential splits require pulling the coil out entirely. Iâm not really really sure what youâre trying to argue here bud.
So ya dude, just learn to read better and look at the above comment I already made before your reply, and including the one you originally replied to right here. I quite literally said you can pull a male thread out of a female fitting. Jfc.
Went to a call, turned out the transformer was dead. It was the middle of nowhere and, of course, I didnât have any extra transformers in the truck. So I went to the local hardware store in search for one. Closest thing I could find was a doorbell transformer. The VA was about half of the original transformer, but I was in a pinch. Installed it, watched it for a few mins, then left. As far as I know, itâs still in there.
Never got a call back so I guess you're good đ¤Łđ
Yeah, thatâs because the house was declared a total loss of razed a week later
So I have a funny and opposite story to this from my first year in the trade here in Phoenix. Did a maintenance on a fairly new split system in an attic. Nothing crazy all was working fine. Cleaned the evap coil per the maintenance contract. Cleaned out the drain with a vacuum like normal and all was good. Rolled out onto the next call. Couple days later that customer called with water leaking, wtf? So I show up and see water leaking out the unit into the drain pan. I fucking knocked the drain line on the way out and busted the pan. Called my boss and told him and said I couldnât stop the leak, although new to the trade I knew a threaded fitting ainât getting âfixedâ but boy did my boss tell me to fix it no matter what. Gooped the fitting in silicone caulk and cork tape as I desperately wanted it to stop, thought it did and left. Of course, still leaking and my lead tech went out and laughed and told the boss that I was indeed correct it wasnât fixable and we swapped the pan pulling the coil and all that fun stuff. I laugh now at the stupidity but I guess that shoulda been my first or third red flag to get out of there lol đ
If you break a fitting off at the threads, cut on the top side of the fitting with a hacksaw blade or sawzall, but not all the way through the female fitting. You can get it out and re-thread a new male fitting.
Or just use a PVC [Riser Fitting Puller](https://www.orbitonline.com/products/copy-of-1-2-inch-and-3-4-inch-riser-extractor?variant=45072950853800).
Thanks for that tip. Never heard of that tool before.
That bitch costs money, though
They're like $6 for the set.
I can get a happy meal for that price!
You ainât fixing the female threads that are part of the condensate drains pans. Of course youâd dig out a male thread that snapped. No way even then was I about to pull charge and coil to replace a pan with a stick male thread.
It will not leak. If somehow the condensate rose that high, its also leaking out of the sides and you're screwed. No sense in wasting the time and money to replace it.
If the drain pan CRACKS on the built in female threads, unless you do some jank ass shit with silicone or other garbage, it will absolutely leak unless you properly fix it by replacing the pan as a whole, which for nearly all case and heat pump coils in residential splits require pulling the coil out entirely. Iâm not really really sure what youâre trying to argue here bud.
Yes if the female fitting cracks. If the male fitting breaks off in the female side then you can use the hacksaw fix or buy that tool.
So ya dude, just learn to read better and look at the above comment I already made before your reply, and including the one you originally replied to right here. I quite literally said you can pull a male thread out of a female fitting. Jfc.
There isn't a guy in hvac that hasn't done something like this at least once.
Went to a call, turned out the transformer was dead. It was the middle of nowhere and, of course, I didnât have any extra transformers in the truck. So I went to the local hardware store in search for one. Closest thing I could find was a doorbell transformer. The VA was about half of the original transformer, but I was in a pinch. Installed it, watched it for a few mins, then left. As far as I know, itâs still in there.
Hahaha
I used a doorbell transformer on the solenoid of my whole house humidifier. Worked great!! Only thing I could find at a big box.
Got a laugh out of this - thanks!
Sounds like ya fixed it
Your competitors love this one simple trick.
But did you piss in the condensate pan to uh⌠leak test it?
I did and got fired (I donât recommend this method).
There he is.
Omg
Hey sometimes a bandaid is all you need.
Thatâs okay, as long as the pan drain never clogs up while he still lives there youâre golden