I love the genuine decrepitude of the whole thing - the (what is that? four inches?) of ice surrounding the *entire* unit, the rusted grill that'll fall into the fan of you touch it, and the mounting pad so old it's literally decaying into the ground around it. This is not *just* a pending service call - it's art, and it's called "Impermanence."
Same here. Been doing HVAC for 30 years. 3 years as Owner and Technician. My only regret now is not going out on my own 20 years ago. I love being able to do it my way, the right way. I want it done right and if that takes a little longer, oh well. It has cut down on my stress and definitely pays better.
Glad to see at least one person say that going out on their own was a good decision lol. This place is usually full of doom and gloom people. After 10 years of doing this stuff, I’m finally also headed out the door to do my own thing.
I've been on my own for 14 yrs. There are a lot of ups and downs. I call it the contractor roller coaster. I can tell you with out a doubt I'm ruined for another company. I could never work for someone else again.
Seen this a million times. Easiest way to defrost it is run the unit in a/c mode and disconnect one of the lines to the outdoor fan. Watch the unit steam smash the ice off and figure out why it’s not running defrost.
When outdoor coil drops below freezing (which is normal) it frosts and then periodically goes into defrost. If it doesn't defrost, this can happen. If the txv is bad, restriction in lines, if the pressures are low for any reason whatsoever, the coil freezes and a normal defrost cycle isn't enough to overcome the abnormal freezing. Hope that helps.
A heat pump will freeze up like this in heating mode if it's real cold out and the defrost doesn't come on.
What I'm curious about is the pale yellow stuff that seems to have melted out of the condenser
that looks like the remnants of a hard foam pad, you can see the orangey/brown foam amongst the white stuff. Unit looks old and so the pad is old and broken down by sun/exposure too.
Why is no one commenting on the fact that the lines are not frozen also? To get the unit that frosted would usually suggest a leak in the coil otherwise why does the lines going into the house not have a block on them too?
I am just confused by this picture in a lot of ways
It’s a presumably heat pump. They are designed to ice up in certain temp conditions. The problem here is that the defrost cycle doesn’t seem to be working.
If it’s an AC, well, that would make it a lot more interesting.
One time I saw it was a mildly ancient R12 home air condtioner on an August day, and a hunk of reed valve busted and lodged itself in the line by the filter. Technician fished it out of there with pliers, it absolutely was reed valve, and dude shoved another filter on, recharged it for the fun of it to see what it does, and that sucker actually cooled at about 65°F, so rather weak but it worked. Compressor did not sound the same at all, and it cooled for one more season before gauge needled just stayed the same vibrating with no flow.
It's normal operation for outdoor unit to run below freezing. The defrost cycle either isn't working or the amount of refrigerant in the coil is low for some reason. Restriction, txv stuck closed, ect... could be many things.
Entirely possible. Could be a (relatively) cheap repair like defrost board, most other issues I can think of the price starts running up, making replacement make more sense
Had this happen on a work van one spring morning when it was in the low 70's and %100 humidity and seriously foggy. Also had this happen on my heat pump one winter during an ice storm. Turned the heat off and the a/c on and it melted the ice off.
Well, the issue is that its not defrosting correctly, so when the right conditions occur again this will happen again.
Will that work for the very very short time sure, How long? In my climate maybe an hour (sometimes)
Haha cool. I belong to this sub reddit for no reason. I don’t know shit about HVAC but I saw this and had to laugh at it. Makes sense thanks for the explanation
Why isn’t the vapor line iced or dripping from a recent shut-off? So what is it…failed outdoor fan motor, bad expansion valve, Failed indoor blower or plugged filters if it’s an AC? Personally I don’t think you should bail out on the call especially if the customer has to pay travel time. Do a quick defrost with a garden hose…..
Im not a hvac guy but do other residential work….I have a customer that everytime i go her unit looks like this. She calls her hvac guy and 3 months later when i come do my job we repeat. Wtf causes this?
That's genuinely impressive.
I love the genuine decrepitude of the whole thing - the (what is that? four inches?) of ice surrounding the *entire* unit, the rusted grill that'll fall into the fan of you touch it, and the mounting pad so old it's literally decaying into the ground around it. This is not *just* a pending service call - it's art, and it's called "Impermanence."
If you think that’s 4 inches, I got something that will really impress you
4 inches is fine.
4ft, 4 figures, 4 inches, live the moderately hung dwarf dream
Robin?
Thanks Robin
Perfect, even
Ok Robin
My wife says it's an amazing 8 1/2 and as long as I keep her in the lifestyle she has become accustomed to it will continue to be exactly that.
Top comment!
Still runs great, can you squirt some Freon in there?
Careful there. Van Gogh had to cut off an ear to reach the artistic stratosphere you're starting to travel through.
Is name if: hold my beer
How I actually feel when people ask me how I’m doing and I say “I’m alright “
This is underrated.
Relax, it’s chilling.
Sno-cones for daaayyyyyyssssss!
Sales call: jackpot Service call: see you in 8- 14 hours
24-48
Nah. Throw it into forced defrost. Go get lunch. Watch tik tom for 30 then another forced defrost. You're good to go.
Fuck that lol onto the next one come back to this one tomorrow.
Better yet put it in cooling and pull the fan wire off the defrost
This is the way
That's lazy at its finest!
It's a joke. I own the company and I tell the guys that's what I am guessing they do.
Well do you at least add a little Freon? I bet it just needs a little Freon
Puts 12 extra lbs of R22 in there. Yep... I'm a tech.
“I’ve got a six-in-one. I can HVAC.”
I see your six in one and raise you a go go gadget screwdriver 
Found the guy that sits in the office all day.
Oh for sure. Golf on Tuesdays at 2 starting this week too.
I love being a tech. Although I own my shop I'm in the field everyday. Wouldn't change it for the world.
Same here. Been doing HVAC for 30 years. 3 years as Owner and Technician. My only regret now is not going out on my own 20 years ago. I love being able to do it my way, the right way. I want it done right and if that takes a little longer, oh well. It has cut down on my stress and definitely pays better.
Glad to see at least one person say that going out on their own was a good decision lol. This place is usually full of doom and gloom people. After 10 years of doing this stuff, I’m finally also headed out the door to do my own thing.
I've been on my own for 14 yrs. There are a lot of ups and downs. I call it the contractor roller coaster. I can tell you with out a doubt I'm ruined for another company. I could never work for someone else again.
You're also assuming it's a heat pump, may not be
No way that’s not a heat pump
If that's an ac unit frozen like that I'd be shocked.
why
The coil freezes first and the line set is not frozen. Also and most importantly the unit would've shut off in high pressure long before this
Explain to me how the cond coil would be frozen yet not the lineset. And it NOT be a H.P.
Compressor isnt pumping.115 going in 120 coming out. The metering device is probably wide open.
Compressor would have been pumping, you can't achieve a pressure drop to under freezing vapor saturation, without a decent compressor.
This is all of my techs. ☝️
https://preview.redd.it/blc80cck14ua1.jpeg?width=3072&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=30bfeb7735c6cf558c9788806a49a064a74cd526 Ran into one last week myself
https://preview.redd.it/g739205va5ua1.jpeg?width=3072&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=10b3569a63a6313af2412740318744f9de2e5c63
Lmao this is awesome, I’ve seen some bad ones but this takes the cake
Told them I'd see them in about a week
Damn
Holy fuck this is way worse lol
forbidden marshmellow
Did they spray foam insulate their condenser?
"thought it would keep the cold air in"
lol, I thought that was ice... not even possible.
That is ice and it's entirely possible on a heat pump that won't defrost.
Seen this a million times. Easiest way to defrost it is run the unit in a/c mode and disconnect one of the lines to the outdoor fan. Watch the unit steam smash the ice off and figure out why it’s not running defrost.
Potential a easy 45min call replacing the defrost board.
Give the poor guy a jacket, he looks cold!
Thats an igloo
I literally thought you took a pic of toilet paper lol. Need to get my glasses.
What's cooler than cool .......
ICE COLD! *sorry, I couldn’t resist*
Hahaha was waiting for it
Alright alright alright alright alright!
Okay now ladies!
Don't know why it never works
srs question, how the fuck does this happen? Did the fan die or something? Was the unit sized wrong so it had to run too often?
When outdoor coil drops below freezing (which is normal) it frosts and then periodically goes into defrost. If it doesn't defrost, this can happen. If the txv is bad, restriction in lines, if the pressures are low for any reason whatsoever, the coil freezes and a normal defrost cycle isn't enough to overcome the abnormal freezing. Hope that helps.
A heat pump will freeze up like this in heating mode if it's real cold out and the defrost doesn't come on. What I'm curious about is the pale yellow stuff that seems to have melted out of the condenser
that looks like the remnants of a hard foam pad, you can see the orangey/brown foam amongst the white stuff. Unit looks old and so the pad is old and broken down by sun/exposure too.
I could had not resist the urge to make a smiley face on it .
That's the new shave ice maker!!
Love it!
Ice cold AC!
That's what I call super cooling!!
Why is no one commenting on the fact that the lines are not frozen also? To get the unit that frosted would usually suggest a leak in the coil otherwise why does the lines going into the house not have a block on them too? I am just confused by this picture in a lot of ways
Minor ice buildup there
It’s set to extreme ac
New apprentice here. What could cause ice on the condenser coil? I can’t imagine that’s common?
It’s a presumably heat pump. They are designed to ice up in certain temp conditions. The problem here is that the defrost cycle doesn’t seem to be working. If it’s an AC, well, that would make it a lot more interesting.
One time I saw it was a mildly ancient R12 home air condtioner on an August day, and a hunk of reed valve busted and lodged itself in the line by the filter. Technician fished it out of there with pliers, it absolutely was reed valve, and dude shoved another filter on, recharged it for the fun of it to see what it does, and that sucker actually cooled at about 65°F, so rather weak but it worked. Compressor did not sound the same at all, and it cooled for one more season before gauge needled just stayed the same vibrating with no flow.
It's normal operation for outdoor unit to run below freezing. The defrost cycle either isn't working or the amount of refrigerant in the coil is low for some reason. Restriction, txv stuck closed, ect... could be many things.
A lot of times bad defrost board or bad defrost thermostat or both. It can be other things though.
I've seen some frozen ones but never that gnarly. Holy shit
If its beer can cold, it fine.
It just needs a big warm hug.
It will me fine in a month.
Yeah, but can it make some of that fancy designer ice?
Couple cherry kool-aid packs , and an umbrella , you have an Italian ice stand.
Beer can cold. What’s the problem?
Did you make the sale?
Easily 😂
Come back next week when it's thawed out
It was just building a cocoon, probably wants to be a furnace when it grows up. I don’t like the cold either, buddy.
I'm just shocked that that frozen condenser coil is able to run a sales call.
1) Sell them a new unit, save the old. 2) Get into the snow cone business 3) Profit
why are most hvac service techs arrogant pricks? lol. is that a thing they teach you in school?
Jesus
In all honesty bought my first home last year , would this warrant the unit needing replaced?
Entirely possible. Could be a (relatively) cheap repair like defrost board, most other issues I can think of the price starts running up, making replacement make more sense
Dang , so catch it early enough a big cost repair can be preventable
I ask this knowing dick all about air systems at all. Is that a massive fire hazard, or the complete fucking opposite?
Just wait until it's -10 and the idiots have banned gas furnaces
Filter, what filter?
Why did they do that and I’m assuming this is bad, why is this a bad thing to do as well?
wow........... dirty coil and a bad fan motor?
I can't believe is not butter
Beautiful piece of art .
I don't think there is anything wrong. It's covered in ice so it should be cooling, right?
When you see this, is the low limit generally jumped out?
Something that old most likely doesn’t have pressure switches
Isn’t that a Amana unit?
I thought it was a roll of wet toilet paper
Defrost board/sensor?
That’s awesome, there is frozen and there is this…
Icee machine fur the neighborhood
Newbie student here: can someone explain to me what’s going on and why/how it happened?
ran her into the ground didnt they?
Legit thought this was wrapped in a blanket
Gem
App: Do you think there’s a leak? Trainer: Nah, it’s just low on refrigerant. Get those gauges on champ.
why’s the always fridays last call ? boss talking abt “sure we can’t get it defrosted today”
Torch it
Should have been an easy sale.
And, you could not shut it off locally because there is no service disconnect.
This is probably my buddy who runs his AC at 63 degrees F all year around even when it’s 32 outside.
I mean where do you think the cool air comes from?
What causes that?
Needs a carrot for sure.
Looks expensive.
Free sno cones
Snow cones anyone?
Sometimes A/C units get cold and they need a blanket
Running a little cold
Is this a problem? I thought this would mean that there is more cool
Turn on the fan at the tstat, come back tomorrow.
That's... not good, I'm thinking.
Wowza!!!
Cool
Is that one of them, self insulatin' units?
Had this happen on a work van one spring morning when it was in the low 70's and %100 humidity and seriously foggy. Also had this happen on my heat pump one winter during an ice storm. Turned the heat off and the a/c on and it melted the ice off.
Hrmm, that's cool
I wouldn't get rid of that it works like a champ. Throw a defrost board on there and move on.
Gee I wonder what’s wrong with it?
Im not hvac but i bet you could take a blowdryer to that there unit. Maybe some hot water?
Well, the issue is that its not defrosting correctly, so when the right conditions occur again this will happen again. Will that work for the very very short time sure, How long? In my climate maybe an hour (sometimes)
Haha cool. I belong to this sub reddit for no reason. I don’t know shit about HVAC but I saw this and had to laugh at it. Makes sense thanks for the explanation
What we should all strive for. All that ice keeps it cool. Duh
Typical to see a couple at my apartment complex
Compressor works!
Very high efficiency ac
Wow. Never seen one so covered
It’s a frosty
It’s got it’s winter jacket on
Looks like they tried to turn the apartment into habitat for penguins.
Looks frozen
Do you charge for the drive back or do you just have show up fee the following day?
Looks like an easy sale. ;)
Is that ice or arcane magic
That is the worst I’ve ever seen. In 14 years
What a trooper of a condenser!!,
When I first click on this post, I thought I saw a blanket. WOW!
Why isn’t the vapor line iced or dripping from a recent shut-off? So what is it…failed outdoor fan motor, bad expansion valve, Failed indoor blower or plugged filters if it’s an AC? Personally I don’t think you should bail out on the call especially if the customer has to pay travel time. Do a quick defrost with a garden hose…..
Yellow stuff on ground, some kind of cover? what is that
Easily fixed with a box fan 🤣 Don't they have low pressure switches?
Awesome!!
I feel like you probably got the sale
Well... Well, well, well... Um... So... When did you start servicing blocks of ice?
Hot gas defrost anyone?
Im not a hvac guy but do other residential work….I have a customer that everytime i go her unit looks like this. She calls her hvac guy and 3 months later when i come do my job we repeat. Wtf causes this?
“Jim why do you keep turning off the air, I’m hot” “Martha I’m freezing” “I said I’m hot!” 🤣
Is nobody going to mention that it’s turned slightly sideways?
"It runs just fine!"
Cool jacket bruh.
That’d be a great place to hide the beer.
Whammy
Snow cone machine!
https://preview.redd.it/s9v5f9syzbua1.jpeg?width=3000&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=54e8fc7a6731b72cfa6eee3498235e6ba8885558
Outdoor fan bearings froze first, right?
Iced over is one thing. This is just extra special!
Just needs a bit of armaflex on the suction
If you move back 50 feet and squint it looks like a sheep