A "triggered" annoying story from the old days

[67Dart273]

I've been going through my tools and upgrading a few and making sure I actually have them and that they still work---going to install an AC for the neighbor's son, and later, upgrade my own from an ancient R22 unit to a new 410A one. Anyhow I remembered a story from the old days

When I worked for one of the local Lennox dealers, we had done a retrofit in a house, and the woman owner decided she wanted an add on humidifier. Fine. Then she bitched that it was not effective. There was something wrong with her. She had an open room hooked to the living area and grew plants --like a small greenhouse. It was humid as hell in there. But she was not convinced. So I bought two identical thermometers and a wet sock and built my own psychrometer. She accused me of having a "homebuilt toy." And bitched some more and to the boss. So we bought a Bacharach sling psychrometer. Took it AND my "homebuilt toy" BACK out there and showed her that both instruments were in a percent or two. She STILL was doubtful. WHAT AN ABSOLUTE *****!!!

Fancy Bacharach, back then in the 80's it was near a hundred bucks as I recall My "toy" was just two matched thermometers, slung one around with a string!!

 

[RustyRatRod]

I remember that story. That's a goodun. lol

 

[Ironracer]

I remember him posting that story, I've had a few Non Trusting Customers also. Told the Quack-o-Practer he Really needed to clean the gutters, that were Bearing the Roof load of his 83 year old Mom's pool cage. Totally Filled w/ rotted, decayed organic matter, no reply, till last Sunday, when they pulled down part of a beam, and collapsed the roof system....

 

[YY1]

That's why I turn down everyone that asks me to "come take a look.....I'll pay you" at their personal computer.

I did that for a year when I first started and 85% of the "customers" SUCKED.

 

[Demonic]

I like the sling psychrometer. The young guys laugh at my manometer when I'm doing gas burner work, then they see how accurate it is vs some beat up" w.c. gauge.

 

[67Dart273]

I actually made my first water manometer with two rulers and some clear tube. When I went to work with the Lennox dealer here in town they had a Bacharach with the "blue oil." In the 8 years I worked there, I probably had to refill it about 3 times. The oil for those, either the blue for them or the red for the other brand (Dwyer) was a ripoff then and even more so now.

I'm sure you know, the big BIG problem with a water manometer is --they freeze!!!--and the van was not always that warm, parked at a job

This was the second van I had and this in the "old" tiny shop. Cannot date this, but around 84 or so

The first van was a worn out old about a 70 Ford. This had been a church bus. I built the ladder rack, bulkhead, and the vise and pipe support. You can put either a bench vise or rigid pipe vise in "hitch receiver" style. Slant six.

That ladder was HEAVY DUTY and HEAVY. I had it about a year, then then passed it to the install crew and the boss bought me a brand new GMC 1T. I built the ladder rack and bulkhead for it, and "raised floor" frame and flooring about 6" tall with some big long sheet metal drawers the shop guys built for stuff to store under the sub floor.

I think this might have been "before" but I got hold of some junk leaf springs and added a leaf or two to the rear. Note this is only a 1/2T and long wheelbase. The torch, pipe threader, and refrigerant were in the back!!

This caused problems in winter as the front would slide before the rear. I used to drive with one hand on the shifter, to get the damn thing into neutral when stopping, and help get more braking to the front!!!

 

[Ironracer]

Man, that's a Cool ol Dodge Van!

 

[67Dart273]

Looking at that now, I can NOT remember how in hell I tied down that short step ladder at the rear!!!

Both ladders had rubber straps front and rear, and I'd stand on the door sill to reach the front, and also had a chain on both with a lock. The big ladder I strapped down by getting on the rear doorsil, but the stepladder??? I don't see now how I reached that!!

 

[67Dart273]

Man, that's a Cool ol Dodge Van!

It was VERY low miles and in nice shape. "Church bus" so literally "driven by an old lady to church on Sunday" LOL.

Typical slant. ZERO power but of course there was WEIGHT in that van!!! I always carried a lot of parts and supplies. Refrigerants, recovery machine, torch, piping and fittings, and furnace and AC parts. I was always "pretty proud" that I could fix many problems right there without ordering parts and the custormer out of heat overnight

I ran into several guys around town who told me stuff like "they won't even let me have a manometer on the truck." I'm like ?????????????????

MANY guys told me they really carried almost no parts at all. "Just tell the customer we'll have to order it."

Back in those days there were still a lot of "basic" systems---standing pilot and simple electronic ignition, so a couple or three different gas valves, couple of universal blower motors would get you out of a lot of "corners." I always had spare pilot parts and thermocouples, fan/ limit switchs, and stuff like that.

 

[67Dart273]

So this afternoon I got "Chineseoizifi----cided"

I "fell down" and ordered some thermocouples and later a "dual" electronic thermometer off ebay. I already have some Fluke multimeters, and a Fluke adapter which interfaces a thermocouple probe with a multimeter--to turn it into and electronic thermometer.

But the DUAL thermometer DOES NOT HAVE polarized receptacles for the stupid probes!!!! And some of the probes (they have a wide and narrow connector blade) ARE NOT MARKED for polarity. So you can put the probes in backwards into the meter!!!!

Anyhow I finally took a marker and marked the NEG end of the probe so I can get them in right LOLOL
Below, the old Fluke adapter with "new" China thermocouples. This Fluke receptacle is polarized, you just plug 'em in. But the orange ones are not marked, and you cannot read the yellow ones without a magnifier

Wide blade is NEG so I just marked them

Fluke is "idiot proof"

Below the "new" China thermometer readout. You can see the receptacles are not polarized!!! So you have to be able to read the probes.