/diy/ - Do It Yourself

>>2587007
>UGHGUHGGH
I only replied because of the thread name.
If he filled without a scale and manifold you are almost certainly fucked. The key words to lookup for your model (which you didnt post the specific model number of) is superheat and subcooling. Theres normally some troubleshooting for those conditions in the installers guide. Theres also normally flashing light codes (that you also didnt describe). Lastly if you happen to be the luckiest man ever change your filter and powercycle the unit.
But im afraid OP you are a massive faggot fuckup.

>>2587007
I work in an HVAC/R lab for one of the larger manufacturers out there. It won’t matter how much refrigerant you put in if you don’t draw a deep vacuum to evacuate moisture from the system. It might also have a hardware related issue, you can’t diagnose these things on an image board.

>>2587075
doesnt have any codes showing, it turns on and blows fine it just isnt cold. He did use a manifold and he said that it is impossible to gauge the pressure becasue its short cycling which means it never get to full pressure. it was reading low which is not good but also doesnt mean its low becasue it never has a chance to build full pressure.

for some dumb ass reason this minisplit only has a gauge/ fill port on the return side.

>>2587102
If you don’t bring it into a vacuum before flooding the system with refrigerant, you’re going to end up with non-condensibles(moisture). The reason refrigerants work is because they shift so easily between a gas and liquid when you compress and expand the refrigerant. Moisture contamination can make this incredibly inefficient/broken

>>2587107
it wasnt totally empty so i dont think air had gotten into it.

>>2587110
What I would do in your situation is try to have your friend recover your refrigerant in a recovery cylinder, fill the refrigerant line with some nitrogen gas, and use soapy water to check for leaks. Just paint the soapy water over possible leak points. If there’s a leak, you’ll see bubbles forming

>>2587114
you think we could use argon? I already have some argon.

>>2587116
Yeah, as long as it’s an inert gas

>>2587119
hydrogen is an inert gas. would hydrogen work?

>>2587077
>I work in an HVAC/R lab for one of the larger manufacturers out there. It won’t matter how much refrigerant you put in if you don’t draw a deep vacuum to evacuate moisture from the system
>>2587077
Tell them they should fire you because you don't know how to read.
>deep vacuum to evacuate moisture from the system
He said it was working fine a week ago. IE there is pressure in the system.

>>2587121
hydrogen is not an inert gas. Technically speaking, neither is nitrogen, but nitrogen, co2, argon, or damn near anything that isn't oxygen would work fine for the purpose of leak checking a system like this.

If you remove the refrigerant in the system, you can pressurize for a leak check, repair if needed, then refill with the appropriate charge and go from there. If the system got as far as short cycling the compressor, then it makes it seem like the control board etc are working, so I think a charge issue seems likely.

>>2587177
>nitrogen isn't an inert gas

>>2587197
Technically he's right.
Nitrogen is inert at room temp but at high temperature it's not.

>>2587197
Compared to argon? Nope.
For the application of leak testing an air conditioner? Good enough.

>>2587232
>Nitrogen is inert at room temp but at high temperature it's not.
Diatomic nitrogen disassociates at temperatures >3000 K. What HVACR system could possibly experience those temperatures?

>>2587007
This is why you shouldn't DIY air conditioning. How much did you save after you pay someone to come unfuck it for you?

>>2587075
You can't charge mini-splits by superheat or subcool. The only accurate ways are to weigh in a charge or by temperature drop across the evaporator.

>>2587077
>I work in an HVAC/R lab for one of the larger manufacturers out there.
I hope you're the janitor because you haven't got a clue what you're talking about. OP's unit uses precharged linesets which means no vacuum pump.

>>2587102
>for some dumb ass reason this minisplit only has a gauge/ fill port on the return side.
That port is only there so you can add refrigerant. The pressure and temperature readings there don't mean shit.

>>2587114
Yes, he should definitely remove the charge and then introduce air and moisture into the system so he can check for leaks.
Or, you know, he could just soap the lines with the charge still in it since it will still bubble.

OP is getting exactly what he deserves. You bought a cheap piece of shit, hacked it in, and now it doesn't work. I hope some tradie absolutely violates you with the bill for fixing your fucking mess.

>>2587077
yeah you dont know shit.
>muh vacuum
if its got a leak then what happends when you vacuum it? you draw air and moisture INTO the system.
what happends if its got a slow leak and you just recharge it? nothing but it it tricky to get the charge right and it will leak out again.

buddy came back over with a scale and different gauges. it working now. we found a leaky connection. tightened it a little. problem solved.

cost me letting him borrow my trailer to move a couch/ carrying a couch for him.

>>2587121

>>2587007
Abom becoming a professional shill just to get a bunch of free shit is the worst timeline. Cant stand him now

>>2587321
You vacuum after you fix the leak, close the service valve, hookup the refrigerant tank, open the valve. Not sure what you don’t understand here, you’re dropping the pressure in the system below 0 PSIG so that your refrigerant is contaminated with air. 0 PSIG =\= 0 PSIA

>>2587492
Whats worse is he is going to fail. Rink-a-dink cylinder rebuilds won't support that shop and machinery. Even with the shilling I dont see it lasting another year. Sometimes you can be great at your trade but terrible at business.

>>2587007
>Nitrogen
>good enough
It's the industry standard jesus christ

>>2587577
Finally some sense. Where I'm from we pressurize the system with nitrogen and perform a leak check before vacuum.

>>2587689
ill use whatever the hell i feel like. I'll fill that shit with unicorn farts god dammit.

>>2587121
>hydrogen
>inert
>picrel

>>2587492
>>2587588

hes got that CRC money now

>>2587741
look i aint no science fag but its classified as an inert gas. In fact its actually safe to breath, so long as you provide a oxygen percentage as well.

>>2587757
>look i aint no science fag
we know that already lmao
Have you heard of H2O? The "H" stands for hydrogen

>>2587767
so what the b in banana stand for banana.

>>2587492
>>2587588
>>2587743
He just wanted to expand his knowledge and learn CNC while showing us the process at the same time. What is so bad about that?

CNC isn't interesting to me, but he has said that he felt like his skills were lacking.

>>2587809

>he wanted to learn CNC

he has to call the manufacturer or sales guy for every issue he runs into using the "convorsational programming", and this is after they sent someone down for 3 days to train him

>>2587809
Nothing wrong with learning new things. I just see a ton of money going out and not a whole lot coming in. What happened to AvE?

>>2587838
>ave
covid broke is brain and he turned his channel into a politcal soap box


not that he was really DOING anything in the past 5 years. Another BOLTR? yawn.

a man can only be interested by sintered metal gears and glass fiber refinforced nylon for so long

>>2587577
>he hooked up some of the R410 and put some in, we did not have a scale and he was like, "bro I think we put about two pounds in there, if it aint working I dont know"
there is no mention of leak detecting, pressurizing or vacuum there, a small leak will always leave pressure in the system most likely cooling effect will be completely gone when charge drops to 50% so there is no need to vacuum before recharging. its not really up to any code that i know of but im in industry and commercial and there value of gods, material and production trumps code by miles. you refill while its running and do a proper leak test/pressurize when the customer can afford the downtime.
>>2587692
correct. see above no mention of that in op's post.

>>2587865
>>aVe

You forget the part where he leased space, bought a vmc, bought a house in the sticks, bought a bunch of john deere shit, etc. I think the fame of youtoo got to these guys heads and thats great and all but shits a fad and now you signed a lease.

>>2588506

you hit the nail on the head. they probably dream about "making it" and having a big shop with lots of toys. when they finally get that and dont do anything with it

what did ave ever even make with the vmc? a hammer head with a visible seam?

>>2588506
He was given a VMC

>>2587809
>What is so bad about that?
Its an entertainment channel
Its not entertaining

>>2588571
Ave? He talked about buying all the bells and whistles cause you're getting a loan anyways. I had always assumed it was adjunct to another of his going concerns but I think the other poster is right, it dont do shit.

>>2588515
The big shop full of fancy machines but a sparkling floor and workbench is nothing new, just a new spin on it. You should be struggling to afford the machines to support the work you have, not the other way around.

>>2588506
>>2588515
>>2588600
Why do you idiots all talk like as if these guys started their life at youtube?
I have been following Abom for more than ten years from PM. He could easily earn respect of those grumpy boomers with his trade and background.
Both had a carrier and a life long before youtube. And guess what they were making money back then. Maybe they just saved and invested a little bit huh?

>>2588745

Yeah, Abom worked at a machine shop and AvE did oil and mining industry work. They both clearly have skill in those domains

There is a tipping point where the videos they produce shifts from interesting project ride-alongs to bullshit content designed to game the algorithm. Happens to every creator that trys to go professional.

Then they get sponsors and start shilling products and using 'shocked face' video thumbnails

>DIY
>Air conditioning

Get wrecked faggot

>>2588991
OP here. got it fixed for free. suck all of my dick.

>>2588745
They both quit their day jobs and bought the farm. I like both, but it doesnt look good.

>>2588745
>I have been following Abom for more than ten years from PM.
Well then you should remember his dad owned a shop and ran, into the ground and went bankrupt. Abom himself had to work at Motion Industries to make ends meet (because he couldnt help keep pappys shop from dying, and once he died he couldnt make enough money with the fully equipped shop he inherited and reopened)
Only once the youtube money (from his 3 different channels) rolled in was he able to quit Motion and piddle around in his own shop again.

He's not a savvy businessman. He knows how to machine, he doesnt know how to run a shop.
The fact he is begging and pleading for sponsors to give him a bunch of free tools isnt going to change that fact.
Sponsors handing him an equipped shop is no different than when his dead pops handed him a shop.

>>2587007
Not only is it illegal to handle refrigerant without a 608 cert but how the heck did he just pump it full fluid without reviewing any of the manufacture's docs. Not to mention the entropy charts?? printed on the side of the compressor, but the proper pressures need etc??

This is crazy did this guy just randomly pick the refrigerant to use we'll he was at it?

He's luckily he didn't did in a horrible explosion's! lol

>>2589770
Hvac bros the systems are coming pre filled, what are we gonna do

>>2589169
Camarata is the same way. The allure to these channels is when they are doing relatable shit that the average people can have access too. Once the money comes in it stops being how to fix up, restore, and build things and moves into the "just bought this brand new setup, let's see how she runs". Shit is tiring since 99% of it is completely unattainable in any reality.

>>2589796
Inheritance machining blew up so fast because of it, but that will likely fall into the sponsor trap eventually too and become irrelavant. Only hope is based Ca Lem.

>>2589770
I've never heard of it being illegal to handle refrigerant without a cert my dad and I recharge the AC on our trucks and tractors by ourselves all the time o_O

>>2587007
Anon, mine did the same couple of days ago switching from heating to cooling season, it just needed a reboot. Drop all the breakers and turn it back on in a few.
>thought he knew what he was doing and he actually sort of does, but on older shit and he hooked up some of the R410 and put some in, we did not have a scale and he was like, "bro I think we put about two pounds in there, if it aint working I dont know"
Retard. No he doesn't know shit for fuck, you don't randomly fill ACs just to see what happens. You check if you are low first, and if you are low, you check why the fuck are you low. Only time in my life I had to refill a system was when I was retarded and caused a leak.
>did you check if the reversing valve works?
>did you check if your thermostat is actually switching to cold?
>did you RTFM?
No, of course you didn't.
>t. DIY HVAC enjoyer
Well, to be honest I hate HVAC techs more than I enjoy setting up cooling systems.

>>2589770
>illegal to handle
Retarded bootlicker faggot. Jesus Christ we'd be grilling on mars by now if it wasn't for you politicians pet cocksuckers.

>>2589800
I'm glad ToT reclaimed his life but I miss his content

>>2588996
>Noooooooooooooo u didn't use the right refrigerant what safety equipment would he wear what about what OSHA would say did he use 2000$ worth of unnecessary equipment when he did it???!!!!??? YOU CAN'T JUST UNDERSTAND MACHINES AND REPAIR THEM YOURSELF!!!!! Where's his certification?His liscense?His insurance????Keklollmaoeven a real adult would have spent 2000$ on a *actual* (((((((professional)))))) and got it done right. Grow up dude.

>>2589811
>my dad and I recharge the AC on our trucks and tractors by ourselves all the time

A 608 is required for stationary systems/appliances and "MVAC-like" systems. The latter is kind of bizzare, because it refers specifically to systems used in off-road vehicles, not regular automotive AC. AC systems on cars are covered by the 609 cert.

There's an exemption specifically for the kinds of cans you see in Walmart and Vato Zone.

>Small cans of non-exempt MVAC refrigerant (i.e., containers designed to hold two pounds or less of refrigerant) that have unique fittings, and self-sealing valves can continue to be sold to persons without certification for DIY use on their vehicles.
>https://www.epa.gov/section608/refrigerant-sales-restriction

That's probably why you never knew, if that's all you've ever worked on. You're also not totally barred from working on other kinds of AC, either, just any repair that may "violate the integrity of the refrigerant circuit".

>>2589816
>Retarded bootlicker faggot

Yeah, dude, I love the fact that I had to pay $120 to work on my AC units myself. I mean, I don't actually care because my workplace paid for it, but still. OP's friend is full retard. "thought he knew what he was doing and actually sort of does, but on older shit" is lmao. Age of the equipment doesn't matter, there's literally no way to tell how much refrigerant you've added to the system without measuring SOMETHING, either weighing it in or monitoring pressure/temp.

>>2589193
>Only once the youtube money (from his 3 different channels) rolled in was he able to quit Motion and piddle around in his own shop again.
>He's not a savvy businessman. He knows how to machine, he doesnt know how to run a shop.
A bit confused here. Looks like he is doing quite good. Your way of doing things is not the only way Mr.

>>2589943

Go find something to use the grinder on, Doug

>>2589796
I'm not writing Camarata off yet. If he goes back on his promise of never doing sponsorships or accepting donations then yeah I will unsub. His channel has never been strictly about fixing old junk its always been a ride along of his life, which happened to include fixing a lot of junk. Now he's working on his autism mountain. He bought one new(er) machine after two attempts at buying old ones that did not work (or that he broke irrevocably). I'm kinda bored of his autism mountain too and hope he has other things soon but I don't think he's high off youtube farts (yet).

>>2589770
Its not illegal to be in possession of refrigerant without 608/609. Its merely illegal to purchase non-exempted refrigerant with the intention to service a refrigerant circuit while uncertified. A convoluted multistep workaround to faggoty federal agencies exercising power they don't technically have with a thousand "rules".

I'm lazy, so I paid the $19.95 and took an open book Type 1 608 cert online. Technically I'm only "allowed" to work on small appliances like refrigerators but the funny thing about their rule scheme is *any* 608 certificate allows you to buy *any* refrigerant even refrigerants that are not used in small appliances.

Buying a micron gauge, vacuum pump, gauge set, 608 cert'ing myself, refrigerant, AND a cheapo recovery machine was STILL cheaper than hiring the HVAC/R faggots in my area to R and R a SFH cooling system. What con artists those guys are but I guess boomers and useless millennials pay the price since they're still in business.

>>2590495
^This

>>2589770
>entropy charts
You could've just said you had no idea what you're talking about.

>>2589811
It's technically illegal to do any work involving refrigerant (charging, recovery, etc) without an EPA certification. To date, no one has ever been cited or fined by the EPA for this.

>>2589840
An EPA card is needed to buy any cyclinder of any refrigerant that contains more than 5lbs of gas.

No one has ever been fined for doing refrigerant work without a card, and in fact if you call the EPA to report someone they will tell you that they don't give a shit and won't investigate it.

>>2591849
On one hand I don't have a problem believing a federal agency would be uninterested in actually doing their job. On the other hand they love fining people and fucking up peoples' lives over paperwork bullshit for no reason so I'm not sure I believe that the EPA has never cited someone in the 30 years these regulations have existed.

>>2591946
My bad, they have fined exactly one person, a scrapper who stole a shitload of commercial AC condenser coils by using a sawzall to cut them and blow the charges.

just buy a flaring tool and a vacuum pump
now you've graduated from a DIYer to a "pro" installer

>>2592046
a propos of nothing
but I hate the ugly meme DIY units
they are overpriced too
cheapo vacuum pump is 100 bucks, flaring tool not more than that
chances are you will be ahead anyway since all DIY units I've seen were way overpriced

>>2592046
uhhh what the hell are you flaring dude are you mixing up brake lines and refrigerant lines? you braze refrigerant lines together. or you can buy the sharkbite-but-for-refrigerant press on fittings that recently hit the market but they're ridiculously expensive. good if you're too lazy to learn to braze and only really ever going to do a single install in the next 5-10 years though.

>>2592199
flares are extremely common in hvac/r, so much so that many components are labelled "sweat" or "flare" depending on connection type. Many diy kits for splits are flare.

>>2592316
most splits are flare
nothing diy about it
why the fuck would anyone want to sweat
it's more work for a connection that's more likely to leak
but ultimately it's what the units are set up for by the manufacturers so no more reason needed for people to do it

>>2587007
Pic in OP lives by me. Used his dad's machine shop for years

>>2593263
>it is impossible to diy pipe flares
?

>>2593452
you can diy anything if you buy/borrow the tools and spend some time learning
but unlike what anon implied flaring isn't inherently diy
that's like saying that propress is diy

>>2593471
A refrigerant line flaring kit is $35. Under your definition since you need a vacuum pump to draw down the system and can't just suck on the tubing with your mouth to create a vacuum that also disqualifies it from being diy. Yeah, refrigeration systems do require a few special tools that'll probably run you about $200-$300 when you're all said and done. But that $300 is still doing to save you several thousand compared to hiring José Gonzalo & Sons HVAC

>>2593263
>>2593452
>>2593471
>but unlike what anon implied flaring isn't inherently diy

OP is specifically talking about minisplits from MrCool, who manufacture a "DIY" product line ("DIY" is the name of this model line) which uses a quick connect copper lineset that is precharged with refrigerant and which doesn't require evacuation with a vacuum pump the same way that a regular flare or sweated lineset would. Hence the differentiation between flares and this "DIY" minisplit.... Of course flared connections are accessible to do-it-yourselfers, and they're also common or even standard or many makes of minisplits that are not specifically marketed to diyers.

>>2593478
nothing disqualifies it from diy
but basic bitch diy units like in op don't require flaring or a vacuum pump
flaring is the "pro" way to connect a split
even if a longer line gets soldered along the way, the ends get flared and screwed
I think even vrf gets flared at connection to inside units, but don't quote me on that