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Post by Auf Kiltre on May 9, 2022 14:53:46 GMT -5
I guess this is the way it goes. All was fine then thermostat went blank. Checked all breakers, ok. Pulled thermostat and am only getting 12V on my multimeter, think it should be 24V. This is beyond my skill set. Anyone have any experience with low voltage to thermostat? Fuse? Transformer?
I'm employing my "home warranty" and I can already tell their service response isn't as fast as their sales force.
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Post by modbus on May 9, 2022 15:08:02 GMT -5
Any chance the battery went dead? Even though they're supplied with low voltage AC power, most digital thermostats also have a battery these days.
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Post by Auf Kiltre on May 9, 2022 15:12:17 GMT -5
This is an old Carrier thermostat, no battery. When I pull it and read voltage at wires I'm only reading 12V.
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Post by Auf Kiltre on May 9, 2022 18:32:12 GMT -5
Still no word from the fine folks at Choice Home Warranty, other than I'll receive an email when a contractor is assigned. Hooked up a little portable in the bedroom and vented out the window. Fun stuff. The Warranty folks sure answer their sales phones in a jiffy.
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Post by rickyguitar on May 9, 2022 18:36:05 GMT -5
I feel for ya. I keep a window unit in the living room and another in the bedroom. Just in case.
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Vman
Wholenote
Posts: 194
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Post by Vman on May 9, 2022 20:15:04 GMT -5
Google, how to jumper older carrier thermostat for AC
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Post by Auf Kiltre on May 9, 2022 20:34:47 GMT -5
Google, how to jumper older carrier thermostat for AC I just did but couldn't get past the 12V reading when there should be 24V. I'm thinking there's probably a transformer issue somewhere up the line.
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Post by Ragtop on May 10, 2022 5:21:11 GMT -5
95 degrees already?
I know TX is hot, but that seems too hot too soon.
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Post by ninworks on May 10, 2022 5:57:00 GMT -5
If I remember correctly most, if not all, thermostats run on a 24 volt AC control voltage that is supplied by the unit. The batteries in modern ones are there for programming and memory backup. I have replaced a number of them over the years and I think they all had a 24 volt line coming from the unit itself. That 24 volts is what engages the contactor relay that powers the entire unit.
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Post by HeavyDuty on May 10, 2022 6:02:27 GMT -5
95 degrees already? I know TX is hot, but that seems too hot too soon. I know central TX is having a really hot, early season so far.
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Post by Auf Kiltre on May 10, 2022 7:21:22 GMT -5
95 degrees already? I know TX is hot, but that seems too hot too soon. 93f today, 99f by next Monday. I got an email that our contractor will be out a week from today. Then clearly he'll have to order parts, which will then have to be approved by the home warranty folks. I'm going to fetch a couple of window units from our son's house later today.
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Post by budg on May 10, 2022 9:28:43 GMT -5
95 degrees already? I know TX is hot, but that seems too hot too soon. 93f today, 99f by next Monday. I got an email that our contractor will be out a week from today. Then clearly he'll have to order parts, which will then have to be approved by the home warranty folks. I'm going to fetch a couple of window units from our son's house later today. If you can get to the stat terminal block coming from the outdoor unit you should get 24v at the red wire to the green if the fan switch (fan) is open. The quickest way to eliminate the transformer is check it at the condensing unit outside. Check both sides. Low voltage side will be 24 volts . If you have 24 volts at the secondary side of the transformer, transformer is good. Then check at the terminal strip . I would turn the ac power off when you remove the stat to get at sub base and power it off after you have it removed so you don’t smoke the tstat . I would not jump anything out until you verify the transformer is bad. It sounds like maybe you lost a leg of power or an open circuit on the common . To me that kind of response time from a contractor is unacceptable for AC , heat or plumbing . There are just some things that need to be a priority.
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Post by Auf Kiltre on May 10, 2022 9:53:13 GMT -5
I called the contractor and he's committing to 7pm-8pm tonight, we shall see. It's clear that Choice Home Warranty finds the smallest independent contractors, either for cost or because the bigger ones don't want to have anything to do with them. This contractor doesn't have a website, not even a phone listing. Texas business info shows established one year ago. The number provided is a cell phone. The guys sounds pleasant enough and my guess a former employee of a larger outfit at one time. I'll play the game for a bit, I knew exactly what I was in for when renewing my contract.
It's also interesting that Choice Home Warranty gets such glowing reviews and recommendations. Our son had to really do battle with them and as a lawyer has the gift of being litigious.
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Post by Laker on May 10, 2022 10:27:11 GMT -5
I called the contractor and he's committing to 7pm-8pm tonight, we shall see. It's clear that Choice Home Warranty finds the smallest independent contractors, either for cost or because the bigger ones don't want to have anything to do with them. This contractor doesn't have a website, not even a phone listing. Texas business info shows established one year ago. The number provided is a cell phone. The guys sounds pleasant enough and my guess a former employee of a larger outfit at one time. I'll play the game for a bit, I knew exactly what I was in for when renewing my contract. It's also interesting that Choice Home Warranty gets such glowing reviews and recommendations. Our son had to really do battle with them and as a lawyer has the gift of being litigious. I guess I don’t understand how home warranties work. I live in a town with around 30,000 population and just call the people who installed my Carrier heat/ac system. They are located about 1/2 mile from my home (“as the crow flies”). I follow their directions for maintenance and have them do a bi-annual system check/filter change for $75 and we’re good to go. They will let me know if they see something that is nearing the end of its life span and we budget the money to replace whatever component that will lose its life soon. I think there is a lot less cost than paying an annual service contract on my home since I can handle most basic repairs myself with major failures rarely (if ever) happening do to preventive maintenance.
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Post by Auf Kiltre on May 10, 2022 10:57:26 GMT -5
I guess I don’t understand how home warranties work. I live in a town with around 30,000 population and just call the people who installed my Carrier heat/ac system. They are located about 1/2 mile from my home (“as the crow flies”). I follow their directions for maintenance and have them do a bi-annual system check/filter change for $75 and we’re good to go. They will let me know if they see something that is nearing the end of its life span and we budget the money to replace whatever component that will lose its life soon. I think there is a lot less cost than paying an annual service contract on my home since I can handle most basic repairs myself with major failures rarely (if ever) happening do to preventive maintenance. You are probably doing it right. When I bought this home it came with a home warranty as most real estate transaction now do. I decided to extend the contract after year 1 because there are things getting a bit old in the home; A/C, Appliances, Water Heater. We could handle catastrophic failure of any and all of them, but it would be a major bummer if we had to eat the cost of all of them. We just replaced the roof. So an annual contract came up around $650 renewal time. Their sales team was very aggressive and I finally told them "same price as last year or I walk" ($480). They agreed. Now our son had to get his whole system replaced under contract with the same company. It again was a situation where the home was getting past 15 years old, original unit but no known issues. These are the exact sales come-ons these warranty companies employ. Sure enough his unit quit and after a number of calls they determined it had to be replaced. As I said, it required a lot of tedious sniping on our son's part but in the end he absorbed about 65% of cost. The contract paid for itself and then some, minus the aggravation and down time. These companies and this one in particular seems very aggressive on pursuing liability of the customer neglecting the covered items. My last company did a major repair on my old refrigerator without any pushback. That one time repair saved me buying a new fridge. Personally I think Choice Home Warranty has some kind of sweetheart deal with Google that puts them at the top of my recommendations.
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Post by Laker on May 10, 2022 12:29:41 GMT -5
AK, I guess I’m money ahead if you’re paying $450 per year.
I purchased my last fridge 32 years ago when we purchased this house and never spent a dime on it until remodeling my kitchen this year, replaced my water heater twice at $1500, dishwasher was 32 yo (purchased with fridge) and I replaced pushbuttons for $85 ten tears ago, and I updated three toilets in the house for $25. So…furnace/ac (I skip a couple years of maintenance) $1500 + $3000 (water heater) + $85 + $75 = $4660 vs 30 X $450 = $13,500.
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Post by Auf Kiltre on May 10, 2022 14:05:50 GMT -5
Yeah, this isn't a sustainable practice, just a 1 to 3 year proposition while we get our bearings to our next adventure. There's a lot to appreciate here in our neck of the woods, but honestly if it wasn't for kids/grandkids being in the area I'd be off with cartoon ricochet sound effect. I miss my kinfolk in Michigan but miss north central Florida like it was my home.
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Post by Laker on May 10, 2022 15:39:55 GMT -5
Yeah, this isn't a sustainable practice, just a 1 to 3 year proposition while we get our bearings to our next adventure. There's a lot to appreciate here in our neck of the woods, but honestly if it wasn't for kids/grandkids being in the area I'd be off with cartoon ricochet sound effect. I miss my kinfolk in Michigan but miss north central Florida like it was my home. My weakness is that I spend a lot of money on vehicles. While some drive a Prius or some other little box, I love an Escalade or Corvette. I guess we all have our “cash cows”.
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Post by Ragtop on May 11, 2022 7:02:19 GMT -5
Believe it or not, we do not have an air conditioner up here in the High Rockies. Nobody does. Daytime highs during the "hot" part of the summer are generally around 80-85 degrees, with very low humidity.
Last summer our "heat wave" consisted of two days of back-to-back 91 degree days. We would open the windows wide in the morning and turn on the ceiling fans. During the hot part of the day, I sit on our shady front porch with the dog and read a book. It cools off fast when the sun goes behind the mountains.
It is nice, and one less thing to worry about.
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Post by Auf Kiltre on May 13, 2022 14:13:35 GMT -5
My independent contractor hired by Choice Home Warranty stiffed me and hasn't returned my calls. Choice is still showing the call set for next Tuesday.
I crawled up in the attic and removed some panels. There is a 3 amp fuse on the board, it was blown. Tracked down a box of 5 from O'Reilly auto parts and replaced the fuse. 1 minute of operation it blew again. Went outside and removed the cover where the brown wire from thermostat comes in. Removed the skeletons of chameleons and other debris in the area and blew it off. Replaced fuse again and...its working and cooling. We shall see.
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Post by rickyguitar on May 14, 2022 19:37:01 GMT -5
Yay!
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Post by Seldom Seen on May 14, 2022 20:14:26 GMT -5
I hope your AC is still operating. I’m leaving this oven called South Texas Monday morning. We haven’t had our AC on yet. My wife is one of satan’s minions here on earth. It’s early enough in the year that the house cools down enough at night for me to sleep. I’m just humoring the chief minion for now. I can’t wait to hit the cabin next Friday!
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Post by Auf Kiltre on May 14, 2022 21:00:09 GMT -5
AC is still working and call canceled.
Fingers crossed.
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Post by modbus on May 14, 2022 21:31:03 GMT -5
So the big question now is: next year, are you going to renew the home warranty?
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Post by Mfitz804 on May 14, 2022 22:35:59 GMT -5
My independent contractor hired by Choice Home Warranty stiffed me and hasn't returned my calls. Choice is still showing the call set for next Tuesday. I crawled up in the attic and removed some panels. There is a 3 amp fuse on the board, it was blown. Tracked down a box of 5 from O'Reilly auto parts and replaced the fuse. 1 minute of operation it blew again. Went outside and removed the cover where the brown wire from thermostat comes in. Removed the skeletons of chameleons and other debris in the area and blew it off. Replaced fuse again and...its working and cooling. We shall see. How many chameleon skeletons does it take to stop an A/C unit?
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gbfun
Wholenote
I eat cookies to provide you with the best possible experience.
Posts: 463
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Post by gbfun on May 15, 2022 6:18:43 GMT -5
Sorry. I only know how many mice it takes to kill a VW Van(five). What is this thing called an "air conditioner" anyway ? The Pacific NorthWet is 10 degrees below normal, and normal is 64 degrees or so ! Late week we almost set a record for the coldest day in May since 1999(high below 50). I feel like it's been cold dark and rainy for 7 MONTHS now. If I didn't know some States weren't burning up right now, I'd think we flipped into Global Cooling ! I've only ridden my bike 5 times all year...normally I'd ride 25 times by now. Thanks a lot La Nina ! Won't be buying an air conditioner this year... But I do have one question. What color is a chameleon when it's shorting out ? Fire red ? Every color briefly ? Or some pattern that spells out "Help" or "Ouch" ? And then, of course, how many does it take to stop an A/C unit...
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Post by HenryJ on May 15, 2022 7:23:34 GMT -5
Our AC quit last Tuesday between 2PM and 5 PM. And this is SE Louisiana. We called the AC guy and he came out that night and fixed the problem. It was a capacitor. We paid him handsomely, but it was worth it. It was blazing hot when we came in from our chores that afternoon, but it was comfortable at bedtime.
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Post by Auf Kiltre on May 15, 2022 8:47:04 GMT -5
I really couldn't tell how many chameleon remains were in there, one clearly defined that made me realize what it all was in the first place. A crispy transparent khaki color. I can't say what I'll do come renewal time, likely pass. The gamble of course is "will any of it break?". But the miscalculation on my part is the quality of service. The warranty company chose an AC repair tech that scheduled out more than a week from failure. There is no company from what I can tell, just evidence of an LLC listing the one guy. I also discovered some disturbing stuff on the internet but can't be certain it's the same guy, 99% sure it is. So what is clear is that this (all?) home warranty companies can't contract reputable and timely service operations. This one guy may be knowledgeable and competent but his response time is a joke and I can guarantee his on hand inventory of parts isn't anywhere near that of a real HVAC operation.
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Post by Leftee on May 15, 2022 8:49:33 GMT -5
The good ones don’t want to work on that pay scale.
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Post by ninworks on May 15, 2022 9:49:03 GMT -5
I had a home warranty once and filed a claim twice. Both times the response time was unacceptably long. I dropped it after my one year contract expired. It came with the mortgage when we bought the house. I absolutely believe that long lead time is calculated by the insurance company supplying the warranty so the claimant will get mad enough to pay someone to do the work out of pocket and they won't have to. They choose the least qualified contractor to do the work. That contractor's entire business probably comes from that one source. As a result he/they are highly overbooked and understaffed and that is the only way they can afford to work at the low rates the insurance company will pay. I had similar experiences with auto repair warranty policies. I will never again sign up for either of those again. It's not worth the aggravation. Chances are pretty good that I can repair just about anything that will fail and if I can't I don't have a problem paying someone to do the work. About the only thing that will bite me is if I have to buy a new HVAC unit. Most of the time they can be repaired if you have a qualified tech and they can get the parts needed.
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