Lighter Side

1 WINNER 3 5

BEFORE AFTER

4

1 SCARY CEILING

This nightmare was found by Darren. “The return air was left in the ceiling space,” he says, “The unit was sitting on two concrete slabs. The drain was done in electrical conduit and plumbing PVC. Nothing was glued. They started drilling a hole out the wall for the drain and stopped halfway!” Darren wins the prize for the photo of the original – and for the one of his repairs. Graham says: Unbelievable! I am lost for words.

2 BUILDERS COULDN’T WAIT

Brendan came across this when quoting a job in Warrnambool, Victoria. “The builders carefully laid back the indoor unit that was still connected,” he says. “Luckily it had been electrically isolated.” Graham says: It comes down to who was coordinating the job, who did the quote, and did anyone allow for moving the air conditioner? If it was already isolated, maybe the builders just got there before the AC technician arrived to move the unit. It costs money to sit around waiting.

3 FANCY DUCTING

To be fair, it takes quite a bit of effort to run ductwork through a beam. Thanks to Bruno for the photo. Graham says: Some ceiling spaces get tight! Often systems are sold without looking at what is involved in installing equipment in the ceiling. The choice often comes down to can we remove the timber without damaging the structural integrity of the roof (potentially dangerous). The right thing to do would be to go back to the drawing board; however, in our subcontract system with low margins there is no time to go back and explain that the proposal won’t work. Sadly, it becomes a case of “take the money and run”.

4 RUST BUCKET

Theo was replacing this unit due to faulty electrical components and didn’t realise the extent of the rust until the compressor dropped out. “Had to flip the unit over to get it back to the ute in one piece,” he says. “I still pulled out the full refrigerant charge, strangely enough.” Graham says: Corrosion is not unusual especially in humid climates. Many domestic splits never get looked at after installation, which means they are operating inefficiently for years with blocked condensers and evaporators until they finally give up. It’s when the compressor itself rusts out that you lose the charge.

5 PIGGYBACK POWER

Michael from Queensland found one outdoor unit hard-wired to another, with no isolator. Graham says: Downright dangerous.

Additional comments and observations provided by Graham Boyle, F.AIRAH, portfolio manager, heavy automotive and refrigeration at South Metropolitan TAFE. Please note that the comments are provided on the basis of the photos only and should be read with this in mind – not all issues or solutions are apparent from a 2D image.

HAVE YOU COME ACROSS SOMETHING SCARY, UGLY OR JUST PLAIN FUNNY?

If your entry is deemed the monthly winner, a 700ml bottle of Jim Beam will be on its way to your door. Please include a postal address with your entry. Entrants must be 18 or over. Send your hi-res (>500KB) photos to Editor, Mark Vender at mark.vender@airah.org.au

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