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Posted by Ken on June 28, 2008, 10:02 am
Smarty wrote:
>
>> I had my Central A/C tuned up at the beginning of June. It has been
>> working nicely, I still am getting cooling. My unit is a 4 ton
>> Carrier system. It is an older system that uses R22.
>>
>> Today, I happened to take a peak through the top of the condenser
>> unit, and noticed that there is a crack in the metal case of light
>> grey colored cylindrical part.
>>
>> Here are links to 2 photos:
>>
>> http://mysite.verizon.net/vzeofpch/cracked_ac.jpg
>>
>> and
>>
>> http://mysite.verizon.net/vzeofpch/cracked_ac2.jpg
>>
>> What part is this? Does the crack in the metal case mean failure will
>> soon happen...if so how soon? What is the brown stuff I see on the
>> side of this part below the crack...is this oil? Do I have a freon
>> leak?
>>
>> Nobody mentioned this during my tune-up. From the looks of it, it's
>> hard to believe the crack didn't exist at the beginning of the month
>> at all, and they didn't need to add any freon because pressure was
>> fine, and I'm still getting adequate cooling as far as I can tell.
>>
>> Does anything need to be done?
>>
>> Thanks,
>>
>> Jay
>
> Jay,
>
> I am guessing that the light-colored cylindrical part you have
> photographed is a large electrolytic capacitor, typically used to start
> the outdoor condensing unit. It is very difficult to tell from the photo
> you provided. It could be a receiver/drier, a low ambient kit, or other
> refrigerant part, but I doubt it.
>
> It is very unlikely that you are leaking freon based on your comment
> that cooling is adequate. My advice would also be to not worry about
> this item. If and when it does fail, you will need to deal with it then,
> most likely with a complaint that your outdoor condensing unit does not
> appear to be operating.
>
> Maybe some of the "experts" on this newsgroup can offer better advice.
> Based on my participation on Usenet and Arpanet dating back to the
> 1980's, I must say that I have never seen a more pathetic collection of
> people than I have encountered here. Many questions are answered with
> snide, sarcastic remarks by people have sniffed far too many chlorinated
> and fluorinated hydrocarbons. Some questions are ignored altogether. You
> might consider posing your question at alt.home.repair or one of the
> HVAC forums on the Internet. This newsgroup is about as dysfunctional as
> any I have every seen.
>
> Smarty
>
>
I will not venture an opinion on what the item is in the original post,
but I WILL agree that this newsgroup is unlike any other I have read.
The general view by most, is that a question is posted so that the
poster can avoid hiring a HVAC pro. Having read many replies to
questions posted, I can understand why someone would want to avoid such
an action. They probably fear that one they would hire might turn out
to be one of the sarcastic "Pros." Not only have many of the replies
been not helpful, many have suggested actions that would make the
situation worse. It is one thing to refuse to give an opinion or help,
but quite another to suggest an action that would damage the unit or
cost needless money.
The poster in this thread never suggested for a minute that he was
about to fix the unit himself, he simply was trying to ascertain if he
had a serious problem and if it needed immediate attention. Most often
the recommendation is that a poster hire a pro when he posts a question.
That is probably good advice in MOST situations. But even when a
poster reports on a job that a pro had done and whose results were poor,
the poster is criticized for having chosen the wrong pro. In other
words: Don't do anything yourself, hire a pro. But if the pro did
lousy work, it is YOUR fault for having chosen the wrong pro. I cannot
understand how a person who learned a trade, and presumably is proud of
his trade, can ignore bad work by others in that trade.
In recognition to the few in this newsgroup who have replied with civil
replies, your comments are duly recognized. To those who post to
mislead or cause harm, you should be ashamed of yourself.
Now have at it and post your vulgarities and wise remarks, as it
appears that many of you have few customers to service. I wonder why???
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