| Rob <nomail@example.com>: Sep 14 05:11PM > that I complain about. Had I not known that a capacitor should not be > over $ 25 (their cost) I might have thought $ 200 for a part may be > reasonable. The point (at least my point) was not what a reasonable cost of a repair would be, that of course depends on a lot of things not the least of which is the local standard of living. My point is that with the reasonable cost of some repair being e.g. $50, there exist companies that make effort to be at the top of search results for such repairs, and then overcharge by at least 5 times. Often relying on customers that do not ask first what it will cost, will not shop around to compare offers, or are in immediate need of help. And in this scheme, the companies advertising the service are not even providing it themselves, they are middlemen that only operate a service to take orders from customers (by telephone, or these days by phone app) and pass them on to existing people performing the service. Sometimes they even provide some "subscription/insurance" service that is part of the scam, in that you pay some premium for "guaranteed repair at no cost" of certain things, then find that your particular repair is not covered by the scheme. |
| "Dallas" <Cybnorm@spam_me_not.Hotmail.Com>: Sep 14 07:04PM Sergey Kubushyn wrote: > The entire AHS is a rip off :) Actually, over 28 years with these guys we've made out pretty well... a couple of new water heaters, a new furnace, a couple of under slab leaks, total rebuild of the condensers parts (except fan motor) and much more. But there is no denying they can be a pain in the ass with "second opinions" and arguments over coverage. -- Dallas |
| "Dallas" <Cybnorm@spam_me_not.Hotmail.Com>: Sep 14 07:16PM John-Del wrote: > So what happened is that the thief the warranty company sent out to > look at your AC figured he'd get $750 out of you instead of the $225 > that they would pay him. Yep, it would have come down differently if I had been here. I would have told him to get back in his truck and buzz off. A few of AHS's contractors are actually honest and I would have tried to get one of those for a "second opinion". -- Dallas |
| Jeff Liebermann <jeffl@cruzio.com>: Sep 14 08:43PM -0700 On Thu, 12 Sep 2019 20:12:38 -0000 (UTC), "Dallas" >So, my question is this: Is there anyway possible that dirty coils >could stop a fan motor from running? (I doubt very much that the motor >was thermal protected.) The type or maker/model of the A/C would be helpful. The fan motor has another purpose besides blowing air through the cooling coils. <https://www.partselect.com/Repair/Air-Conditioner/Unusual-Noise/> Some air conditioner models use the condenser fan blade to transfer excess drain water onto the condenser coils; if the drain port becomes clogged, the excess water can cause the unusual noise as the fan blades slosh through it. Drain the excess water and make sure the port is no longer plugged to clear up this problem. (...) The fan motor bearings and/or bushings can become worn over time and cause the unusual noise. They can also become worn if the blower wheel is unbalanced, which happens when there is a buildup of dirt because the air filter has not been changed. When the fan motor becomes noisy on a window air conditioner unit, it means it needs to be replaced. Note the comment about the unbalanced fan and dirty filter. If the drain is clogged, the fan will splatter water all over the insides of the air conditioner causing any unprotected steel to eventually rust. I personally haven't seen a clogged drain hole ruin a bearing, but I can see how it might be possible. I didn't see any mention that the air conditioner was making (bearing) noises. In my limited experiences with motors, they always announce impending failure through vibration, noises, smoke, and eventually trip the overload protector. Because, it was not mentioned, I'll assume that there was no vibration, noise, or smog prior to the motor "failure". If the fan had been unbalanced by excessive and unsymmetrical dirt buildup, it certainly would have vibrated and/or made noises. Because the condenser coils are not moving, some dirt on the condenser coils is unlikely to cause a motor unbalance. However, some dirt on the fan might cause an unbalance. If the A/C or motor had a thermal breaker, it would have tripped long before any overheating would cause a bearing failure. <https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=air+conditioner+clean+condenser> Do you do this regularly? "Cleaning Air Conditioner Coils (How To Video)" <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4sWHd4n-AuE> If there was no vibration, noise or smoke, my guess(tm) is all that happened was the A/C tripped an over current breaker. Since it happened while you were away, I'll further speculate that the noiseless "failure" was either caused by a change in the way the A/C was operated by the cat sitter, or a power surge delivered the electric utility. I'm a little suspicious why it would fail while you were out of the area. If the repairman specified that dirt on the condenser coils caused a bearing failure, I suspect he's a crook and should be treated as such. However, if he indicated that dirt on the fan blades caused the motor failure, he might be correct. Since there was no mention of vibration, noise, or smoke, I suspect the former, and a complaint should be filed with AHS. Also, please note that in California, repair shops are required to "offer" the old parts to the customer. You might want to ask the repair guy for the old motor so you could have a motor shop inspect the bearing. If he balks or provides creative excuses, you will have a good clue as to his honesty. -- Jeff Liebermann jeffl@cruzio.com 150 Felker St #D http://www.LearnByDestroying.com Santa Cruz CA 95060 http://802.11junk.com Skype: JeffLiebermann AE6KS 831-336-2558 |
| lisacourtcondos@gmail.com: Sep 15 03:55AM -0700 On Saturday, September 14, 2019 at 11:43:07 PM UTC-4, Jeff Liebermann wrote: > noises. In my limited experiences with motors, they always announce > impending failure through vibration, noises, smoke, and eventually > trip the overload protector. I changed the fan motor on my first floor compressor unit last summer and did so about 10 years on the second floor unit - both being 26 years old now. Both would sometimes fail to start. I would go outside and give them a push with a screwdriver threw the top vents and they would run happily and quietly until the next cycle. They are Heil units. http://gomp3.co/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/heil-air-conditioner-units-ac-units-unit-perform-maintenance-on-2-age-for-sale-prices-are-heil-air-conditioning-units-any-good-heil-air-conditioners-ratings.jpg |
| Jeff Urban <jurb6006@gmail.com>: Sep 14 12:19PM -0700 I'll send you a perfect in every way dollar bill for two bucks. |
| Arlen Holder <arlen_h0ldr@arlinghlder.edu>: Sep 14 05:01PM On Thu, 16 Feb 2017 15:36:42 +0000, Whiskers wrote: > nearby') and they are shown as points on the map within a mile or two of > where I am (in a large busy city). But I'm pretty sure that comes from > the OpenSignal server not from the phone's own hardware. UPDATE: I know everyone loves OpenSignal but I prefer an app that provides the EXACT cellular source when, in my case, it's often a femtocell that is never going to be on ANY Internet database. To that end, see this post today on this topic, if it helps others. o Galaxy S9 in UK - poor signal? <https://groups.google.com/forum/#!topic/comp.mobile.android/0soPAvWzt78> On Sat, 14 Sep 2019 16:32:34 +0000 (UTC), Tony Mountifield wrote: > Ah, I could put my wife's SIM in my old phone to compare... > I do have the OpenSignal app on both. I agree for cellular you need to be connected to the carrier, which is a drawback - but luckily you have a second SIM card, where the apps I use can handle two SIM cards (if the phone can handle two SIM cards of course). I wouldn't suggest OpenSignal since it's an Internet lookup database which uses triangulation (last I checked anyway) ... where I'd use one of the apps in the references that does NOT need any access to the Internet. I just looked on my phone where I have "Cellular-Z" freeware installed, which seems to work well to show signal strength in RSSI, RSRP, RSRQ, & SINR. <https://i.postimg.cc/W4zhW166/cellular01.jpg> In my case, I test femtocell signal and cellular repeater signals, where my femtocell would never be in an Internet database. <https://i.postimg.cc/TPK3jHft/cellular02.jpg> o Cellular-Z, by JerseyHo <https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=make.more.r2d2.cellular_z> "Cellular Z is a telecom signal quality and Wifi network info, channel info software, the main functions are as follows: 1.Dual SIM mobile phone network information (SIM card serving cell, serving cell signal quality,neighboring cells). 2.Wifi information (connected, nearby Wifi list, Wifi channel 2.5 and 5 GHz). 3. Current location information GPS Satellites 4. Device information (battery, hardware, system). 5.speedtest. 6.Map track,indoor coverage." |
| Fox's Mercantile <jdangus@att.net>: Sep 14 12:22PM -0500 On 9/14/19 12:01 PM, Arlen Holder wrote: [ Nothing of any use, as always. ] Go fuck yourself. -- "I am a river to my people." Jeff-1.0 WA6FWi http:foxsmercantile.com |
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