Finally got this fixed after several days of no A/C, during a cen. Tx heat-wave. That was brutal. Interesting that during this extended outage, the max. indoor temp reached was 92F. Indoor humidity rose to around 56%. Daytime temps were 104 - 110F. Solar heat index around 135F each day. Watering the roof & Southern wood siding did help.
Getting the right information, quotes and people to call back was the problem. For example, some wanted $98 just to show up. Others $0. Some charged tax, some did not. Multiple substitutes for R-22 were mentioned; others stressed ONLY USE R-22!! Seems everyone was busy, thus the delays. I narrowed down the field to three firms out of thirteen called.
I was hoping to have it fixed last Monday but no joy. Tues around noon instead. Guy that was sent wasn't the one I'd been talking to. Matter-of-fact he was still in trade school! He didn't come prepared either. Had to leave and come back as he wasn't told I had a R-22 system. So he didn't pick any up. Also didn't have any nitrogen to pressure test my repair, so he used a nearly-empty jug of R-422B. (I didn't think that was kosher....)
With 60 psig, no soap bubbles on my repair. I was expecting it to be tested closer to 200. Told him I wanted it checked again after it was up & running with the proper amount of refrigerant. He was amazed my repair worked. Next up was a deep vacuum for 50 min. while he left to fetch another bottle. He didn't have a "micron" gauge. I noticed 30" HG on the blue dial.
When he returned, he turned off the pump. Vacuum didn't drop for 10min. so in went the charge. He goofed though by not weighing the new bottle first, so he didn't have a starting weight when full. I was charged for 7 pounds, which is about right. With a sight glass it was easy to tell when pure liquid was being delivered to the TXV.
It took a total of 8hrs of continuous running to bring the indoor temp close to 78F. Everything inside kept releasing heat as the temp dropped. I sprayed the condensor several times during this stage. Fortunately I'd previously cleaned both coils and installed new filters to maximize airflow. I was charged for 1.5hrs of labor (only when he was on-site), but he didn't keep track of his time. So it was a WAG. All total I paid $340.
It's a good thing I was here and knew what needed to be done and stayed close while he worked. I wasn't going to leave him alone with it. Besides, it was drier outside than in though hotter. As noted, he made several rookie mistakes including leaving his gaugeset & tools in the dirt.
I never did hear from my friend re: his vacuum pump. Nothing. Odd that. "Loaning" from AZ is more "Hazard Fraught" than HF. They expected me to pay for vacuum oil, then didn't have any, then told me a different deposit when I was there vs. over the phone. It didn't dawn on any at either store I went to that a vacuum pump is useless without oil. I walked out. Idiots....
No problems after several days now. Indoor temp is down to 78F & 37% humidity. It was quite an adjustment to getting used to A/C again.
Another issue I fixed had to deal with were the compressor electrical connections: Copper corrosion inside the wiring insulation, metal quick-connects that were black due to over-heating. While testing during the evening early on, I noticed a bright flash from one upon start-up. Closer examination revealed the wiring insulation had melted from the inside out due to the heat from the electric arc. When asked about where to get these right-angle, 12ga. wire quick-connects, the tech gave me several. They needed to be modified a bit to lower their profile so the compressor electrical cover could be installed. This work was straight-forward. I also took a wire-brush MotoTool to the compressor connectors to clean them up, then coated with PreserveIT (blue).
Finally, I bought all new SHORT sheet metal screws and ground off the pointy-tips. I won't be making THIS mistake again.
Heat & Frustration Endured. Case Closed...
