Time for our annual home repair SNAFU!!! HVAC this time...(FIXED! Now I'm cold!)

Do you think that those snakes are relatives of the one that your cats caught a month ago???

I just replaced my downstairs HVAC system. Did practically all of it myself. Found out the Condensing unit had a leak. But the Furnace and the Outside unit were 28 yrs old. So I bought a complete 2.5 ton system with Lpg Gas backup on line , direct from an HVAC supplier. Ripped out the old Electric back up furnace and replaced with new unit. Fabricated each end and sheet metal to work with existing structure. Moved out the old Condensing unit and compressor and reset the new one. So I just call my HVAC buddy, and he comes out and connects the line set and thermostat. Gasses up the unit and checks it all out. Reason I went to gas is because I already had a tank on site for the fireplace. More efficient here on gas. I think I saved myself 6k by doing most of this myself. I guess I'm just a cheap a$$, but I detest the idea of paying someone else to do what I can do myself. Last year I replaced the Upstairs system myself. Good feeling of accomplishment.

SUCCESS!!! We bought a capacitor at the local supply house for $10 and change. Swapped it out, and the AC fired right up! Well, not right up. I had to reinstall the disconnect and turn it back on. But it is really friggin' cold in the house now. Makes me wonder exactly how long that's been going out.

I do want to add that we had one of Angie's coworkers put the gauges on our outside unit to check our pressure and freon levels, and those came back good. He said it looked REALLY good considering the system hasn't been touched in the ten years since it was installed.

Thank you everyone for all of your suggestions and advice. It is always appreciated.

Well LOL, systems "should" not leak freon. In our area, and when I was doing service work, there was a whole crapload of the pea green Screamin' Reeem heat pumps. These came with the "self piercing" charged line fittings. These have O rings and since the suction line runs HOT when in heat pump mode, those O rings deteriorate----and then leak

I used to pull the charge, cut out the original service valve with the hated O rings, and braze in a section of copper, with a schrader access welded in. ..............................................

Like this on on the left. And whoever installed it should have his *** kicked



I just installed a cheap system for my neighbor. On the plus side, the line fittings at both OD unit and the coil were brazed. This MAY be because R-410 operates at such high head

Everything except mobile home stuff is soldered in now Del.