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Ghetto AC for Garage....

HedleyLamar

Member
Joined
Aug 13, 2009
Messages
12
Location
Florida
I realize this will upset the fellows in the A/C business. I use to be in the business but departed a long time ago. This is for the folks who are tired of sweating their A**/Freezing (if heatpump...I'll get to that later) off while working on their Car, Hoopty, Whip, Airplane or spacecraft in the garage/shop. This isn't a manifesto to take food out of a AC Contractor/Techs mouth it's just a way to have a comfy shop for way less then the majority of postings here.

First of all the EPA licensing requirement has to be meet so you can (legally) work on your own Ghetto A/C unit. Mainly you need this so you can buy your Refrigerant. Yes it's refrigerant it isn't "Freon". Freon was patented by Dupont and is/was a patented process like Coke. It doesn't matter just don't use the word "Freon" with anybody in the business. You will be branded as a DumbA$$. What were looking for is mainly R22 "REFRIGERANT" and the system's which use it. Look over this site at the end of this paragraph. You need the 608 Type 1 license. The review is on the website and make a few notes. The test is open book. Pay the cash and take the test and they will mail you your 608 type 1 license. That's all you need to buy the "Refrigerant" that you will need. Now if you know someone who will pull a vacuum and charge your Ghetto Masterpiece or have achieved the Waddell Wilson/Smokey Yunick level of mechanicmaness and decide to use Propane as a "Refrigerant" your good to go. All you need is a set of service gauges and a vacuum pump.

http://epatest.com/

The test is 25 questions and a pre (No Child Left Behind Student) can pass it after studying for one hour. Pay your $25.00 Dollars/Yen and you will become a member of the EPA Certificated Fraternity of Ozone/Squirrel Savers of the USA. They will mail the coveted certificate to you promptly. The doors to Ghetto Coolieness will open for you once you become a Certificated Ozone/Squirrel Saver member.

If your resourceful, you can find someone in the business and 9 times out of ten the techs will have a "take off" from a job. This is what we are are looking for to cool/heat your manly palace. A lot of people are switching their A/C units to the new super throwdown Millinium Trickulator Seer 18/20 priced out the ying-yang units. These rnew units are mandated by law to run the Squirrel friendly R410A. These run at higher pressures and as you see in pricing information, high pressures and save the Squirrels means bend over and pay thru the you know what. BTW you can run a R22 system on Propane. Don't try it with R410A. Don't buy a unit which hasn't been pumped down into the outside compressor/coil. You don't desire the headache of **** swimming around in your system. A good tech will pump the system down into the outside coil and seal the system and especially the service valve line set connections. The main thing is if the coil/compressor unit is still holding pressure you will know it doesn't have a large spewing leak. Just stay with a R22 takeoff, straight cool or heat pump doesn't matter. If you go straight cool you can always use the heat strips for heat. The heat strips will be costly to run but a heat pump doesn't work worth **** below 45 degree's in my opinion. I live in the South and a heater isn't really needed for a Man Palace and a substitute like a portable heat is really better than trying to heat a garage for 10 days a year. If you can't find a unit thru your buddies just check Craigslist. There is a hugh supply of take offs on the market at this point in time. No don't buy a unit from a crackhead who just chopped it off the pad at the "4th Rightiousness and Holyness Diverse Mount Zion Royal Chapel of Scriptures". They will be Pi&&ed and you will go to jail. Just ask to meet the fellow and google up the local of the meeting place. and try to get a little history. If it's behind the "Club Vertigo" at 2:00 AM you should realize it could be a problem.

To Be Continued.
 
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srmofo

Well-known member
Joined
Oct 15, 2009
Messages
6,161
Location
SW ohio
Im in the auto biz and people refer to it as freon also. Even the guys writing the tickets will call it freon. Ive tried correcting them, but I usually just get a blank stare.

Im interested to see what you have cooked up.
 

mrb

Well-known member
Joined
Dec 31, 2008
Messages
3,734
yeah ive been looking for the right take out to do something similar. seems like they can be had for $200 or $300
 

Mike007

Well-known member
Joined
Dec 4, 2010
Messages
2,595
As much as I hate doing it, I refer to refrigerant as freon when I'm speaking to a customer. If I say refrigerant, all I get is a blank stare. As soon as I say freon they know exactly what I'm talking about.
 

HotShoe

Active member
Joined
Feb 6, 2011
Messages
43
Location
Ft. Lauderdale, FL
Perfect timing.

I have a compressor and a handler and I really wonder if they are shot or if no one wants to bother with them because the profit margin isn't there.

Apparently the previous tenant decided for unknown reasons to cut the lines from the handler to the roof when they removed the mezzanine.

I've been wondering just how hard it would be to connect the two and see what happens.
 

HVAC Phil

Well-known member
Joined
May 3, 2011
Messages
221
Location
Akron, Ohio
Perfect timing.

I have a compressor and a handler and I really wonder if they are shot or if no one wants to bother with them because the profit margin isn't there.

Apparently the previous tenant decided for unknown reasons to cut the lines from the handler to the roof when they removed the mezzanine.

I've been wondering just how hard it would be to connect the two and see what happens.

Was both pieces properly sealed or lines open to atmoshere? I wouldn't use it unless care was provided to keep elements out of system.
 

mrobins297aaa

Well-known member
Joined
Sep 20, 2010
Messages
3,283
Location
south east michigan
on craigs list there is another source for picking up ac units cheap. Its people that are losing there homes, i seen a few adds like this " ac unit for sale, indoor and outdoor unit you must remove by next friday.....I'm moving" pretty obvious whats going on there.

I pick up a 2 ton condenser on craigs list for my daugthers mobile home couple years ago. The guy had the unit in his garage and after looking it over I ask him whats wrong with it? I said usually when these things are sitting out here there's a reason. he said he had it professionally removed from his last house and was going to give it to his dad but it didn't work out. So who knows maybe he took it out before he got the boot.

Anyway he was telling the truth about one thing he did have someone remove it that new what they were doing, he had sucked all that freon oops....refrigerant back in the condenser and shut the service valves, worked perfect. put on a high side dryer pulled a vacuum. Started right up musta been close to the same line set because the charge was right on......anyway $200, still running been 2 years.
before someone says something I do have a epa 608 universal
 
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HVAC Phil

Well-known member
Joined
May 3, 2011
Messages
221
Location
Akron, Ohio
I put a used a/c in my garage, but i knew it was good. I had serviced it for years after i originally installed it. My customer was upgrading to a new 95% furnace with 14 SEER a/c. I added it to my garage system that i had already installed. I remove alot of good units, i usually just scrap them, unless someone is in dire need .
 

IGOTWUD

Member
Joined
Oct 7, 2010
Messages
17
Location
Oreland Pa
I think Freon refers to any of a group of chemically unreactive chlorofluorocarbons used as aerosol propellants, refrigerants, and solvents. In the 80's we used it to clean semi-conductor wafers in liquid form.
 

srmofo

Well-known member
Joined
Oct 15, 2009
Messages
6,161
Location
SW ohio
But your 608 license won't tell you how to charge a unit.

It won't tell you how to size a unit.

It won't tell you how to install a unit.

It won't tell you if the indoor coil has fomicary corrosion.

It won't tell you that the reason this takeout AC isn't working is because the last idiot burned the TXV.

And just because the old one is running and "making cold air" doesn't mean that the valves aren't shot in the compressor.

I wouldn't suggest buying used equipment unless you can verify the history and hopefully check it out in operation.

here we go:eyecrazy:
 

HotShoe

Active member
Joined
Feb 6, 2011
Messages
43
Location
Ft. Lauderdale, FL
Was both pieces properly sealed or lines open to atmoshere? I wouldn't use it unless care was provided to keep elements out of system.

No. They did it Flori-duh style and just cut the interior lines and left them hanging. The electrical is the only thing still intact.

If you pay someone to fix it or mess with it, then the labor can easily eclipse the cost of new stuff.

Selling used equipment to someone is a problem because no matter what you tell them, they only hear warranty, not what was stated: NO warranty.

If you buy a used condenser and air handler, pay someone to install it, and it takes a chit a week later... nothing was saved going that route. And you'll be pi$$ed and call about a warranty.

Even if you buy it used and DIY it, your time is still worth something.

A jug of R22 isn't exactly cheap (obtained with your freshly minted 608 card), and if you can't solder/braze and install a few leaks, that's not too good, either.

If the existing compressor is really shot I'll be buying a new unit and handler. I'm not fooling around with used for exactly the reason you mentioned. I guess if worse comes to worse I'll just remove the unit and take it with me if I have to leave the space.
 

HVAC Phil

Well-known member
Joined
May 3, 2011
Messages
221
Location
Akron, Ohio
No. They did it Flori-duh style and just cut the interior lines and left them hanging. The electrical is the only thing still intact.



If the existing compressor is really shot I'll be buying a new unit and handler. I'm not fooling around with used for exactly the reason you mentioned. I guess if worse comes to worse I'll just remove the unit and take it with me if I have to leave the space.
I'd be worried about contamination. The equipt IMHO is junk and not worth messing with. Also, IMHO filter driers, nitrogen, triple evac still won't remove all contamination. Take it all to the scrap yard. Buy new stuff, don't waste time or money on what you have.
 

HotShoe

Active member
Joined
Feb 6, 2011
Messages
43
Location
Ft. Lauderdale, FL
I'd be worried about contamination. The equipt IMHO is junk and not worth messing with. Also, IMHO filter driers, nitrogen, triple evac still won't remove all contamination. Take it all to the scrap yard. Buy new stuff, don't waste time or money on what you have.

This is the route I'm going. The question now simply is what size unit/handler is right for the space and how much. I should have the first price est. tomorrow.
 
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