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View Full Version : When a liquid line isn't a liquid line


gear junkie
06-10-2007, 01:35 PM
Get a call yesterday that customer ice machine isn't working. I go out and the young yuppie husband is explaining with a bit of pride how he hooked up a line to his ice machine in his new first home but it won't work. His house is on a crawlspace so I ask him where the entrance way is and he asks why, he hooked it up in the attic. At this point I notice the DIY book on the kitchen counter.

I go in the attic, no water lines. What I do see however, I couldn't believe. He put a saddle tap on his liquid line from the AC and ran a line to his refrigerator. I tell him what happened, and his face fell. His wife just turned around and walked out the room. I pumped down the refrigerant and fix the liquid line and redid his handiwork and plumbed the waterline in right. I start the AC and it's not cooling right. When I pumped it down, air got into the line so I had to evacuate the system, pull a vaccum and charge w/ new refrigerant. Everything works now.

He was lucky, we've had good weather so they never turned on the ac with his install in place. 200 psi in that line would've blown something off for sure.

PLUMBER RICK
06-10-2007, 01:39 PM
great story.

we all need to start taking pictures.

i have some but need to wait till joey puts them up. it make her feel that she has 1 up on me this way:D

josh has the ring video and will work on it this week.


rick.

Woussko
06-10-2007, 06:02 PM
G J

Pictures of that would be priceless. They sure are lucky they didn't turn on the AC. Think of R22 blasting out of the ice maker. :eek: And, all the other damages. :eek::eek:

gear junkie
06-10-2007, 08:25 PM
I figured out how to take pictures w/ my phone but yesterday was real busy. I thought that job was going to take an hour instead of the 2 1/2 so I was behind on all my calls. The kicker was he actually used a saddle tap for 3/8" line. He said he had to go to a supply house to buy one as our hd doesn't carry them. I was suprised no one asked him why the odd size.