MenloPart
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I kept saying I just replaced it and he just repeated himself.
The grill was dirty, but not that bad.
I noticed it was dirty a month or two ago and asked my brother to dust it.
Without the grill, you don't see any dust!
I vacuumed everything, which was fun on a ladder, and hosed off the vent to remove the remaining dust.
It dried immediately! :)
Before claiming the new filter was clogged, he said the refrigerant was low.
He refilled it, right?
Right?!
I didn't verify, I immediately said, "There's a leak."
"Maybe inside. I didn't see anything outside."
He left before I could ask, "Shouldn't you find the refrigerant leak in the house?!"
Then the landlady sent me a long and angry text because the repairman said the new filter was clogged.
bigdix69420
Lol that filter is dirty. Its supposed to be white. Did u have the filter correctly oriented? With flow? Also it could freeze up if the ac unit isnt getting enough flow
LurkingSarcasm
This sounds like the story before you find the giant thing in the vent blocking the flow, like a duffle of cash
redduke36
Put in a swamp cooler. Evap units work great in the desert. A lot cheaper than a replacement and that is what the owner is looking at.
Exyr
Was it her handyman or an hvac person?
MenloPart
Allegedly, a professional.
toolzgalore2
As an HVAC person, this shit makes me furious. You need to take measurements, you need to verify the refrigerant charge is low before just throwing gas in a system and most importantly if you DO find the charge is low, FIX THE FUCKING LEAK... BEFIRE you put more gas in it...
Corrodias
Ah, but the owner doesn't want them to do that because it would take money. What if they have an agreement that the tech will claim some bullshit and then walk away without performing any serious labor?
toolzgalore2
It is possible, but your landlord sucks. We rent my partners house out to a friend, any work he does on the house or repairs that get done are deducted from the rent. It seems to be a nice arrangement.
RetrogradeLlama
If the refrigerant is low, there’s a leak. A/C systems don’t use refrigerant up. If the repair person didn’t find it, it will leak again. However, it could be over weeks or over years.
The clogged filter might inhibit flow and make it less efficient, but it didn’t cause a leak.
MenloPart
The technician last year said the Schrader valve was bad, so he replaced it, and topped off the fluid.
Still leaking.
I put a reminder in my phone to have someone find the leak in January.
I don't want to know how hot an Arizona attic is in summer!
RetrogradeLlama
I'm guessing that even a bad tech would have checked the valve again, but you can test it by taking off the plastic cover(s), like a car tire. Put some spit in it. Watch to see if a bubble forms and expands.
But a tech should have a wand that detects leaking refrigerant. It's not a guessing game for them. If its had to be charged two years in a row, that's a fairly significant leak. A good tech should be able to find it.
toolzgalore2
Aw, damn Arizona is a bit far I would have loved to take a look if you were close to St. Louis
oldguyexlurker
Should have taken a video of the guy saying the filter was clogged WHILE showing the actual filter he was talking about. No dispute then.
Corrodias
The filter does look rather filthy, from this image. I don't know how the lighting could be affecting it. But if it's so dirty after it was "just replaced" (whatever that means), then there could be some serious contamination getting into the ventilation that a little AC maintenance isn't going to fix. Of course, the whole leak thing demonstrates negligence either way.
bigdix69420
Its totally filthy. I replace mine ATLEAST quarterly...last 2 yrs we've had forest fires so ive had to do it more.
bigdix69420
I feel like @OP wrote 6/14 as a date to be misleading
Corrodias
First question I'd be asking is "June of what year?" and then maybe "Was the house on fire within the last few days?"
bigdix69420
Lol yah i think they just wrote the date on to try and claim they replaced it recently...clearly not
bigdix69420
In the post "...grill wasnt that bad"
bigdix69420
Like who wouldn't clean off the dust on the grill if u gotta climb up and remove it to put a "new" filter in