Running Bear's May 2024 Coffee Shop

[John from Indiana]

Well, idealy since an A/C freon supply is a sealed unit. There can't be any leaks. R-22 Freon has been phased out since 2020; but it can still be bought for around $150 a pound. We have a 3-ton A/C unit and it would cost around 800 buck to charge it; but like I said, it is a sealed unit and there should be no leaks...meaning if it need freon, then there is a leak and we will have to do it over again and again. New unit it 5050 bucks.

 

[Alcomotive]

Howdy shop dwellers!

Spring has come and gone in a wink of an eye!

We are already having summer weather! Currently it is beautiful out at 86° F. I hope everyone has a safe and enjoyable Memorial Day Weekend here in the USA. Remembrance of those who served and lost their lives for our country is the reason we have the freedoms and life we live here.

Not much going on the train front as I transitioned to outdoor activities mostly. Although I do monitor what going on in our mode railroad world. No new purchases for the past 3 weeks. Not likely to be any for a while except for a few select locomotives that I am waiting for release of but that's about it.

Fishing, gardening, yard work at my place, my parents place and my girlfriend's place has kept me busy. This weekend I plan on being on Lake George and Lake Champlain and in the pool for a bit too.

Had my yearly physical yesterday so far so good but Friday I have all my blood work to do which will tell more tales on my fitness etc. Good news is all went well with the other stuff. So ya so far so good. 2 lbs. lighter than last year and the year before was 17lbs lighter so there is progress. I plan to lose more by staying active and such and of course eating even more responsibly. A challenge but one must do it.

I feel bad about those horrible storms out in the mid-west Iowa being one of the hardest hit. Terrible. Hope any in the path of it is ok.

Gotta go ya'll take it easy!

 

[santafewillie]

I'll have what David is having; but hold the blackcurrant.

The A/C guy came and went. Apparently our unit needs freon charging. Apparently the EPA put a ban on our freon type. Apparently you can't mix freon types. Apparently we need a new A/C unit ($4K-5K). Apparently the A/C company doesn't accept cars as a down payment. Apparently John is cranky having to come up with that kind of money. Apparently the A/C guy doesn't do quotes so apparently we have a salesman coming out tomorrow. Maybe salesman will take a car as a down payment...Apparently we won't be getting an A/C unit tomorrow. Apparently it has to be ordered.

A little far for you, but my neighbor who actually has an A/C license has tanks and tanks of the old Freon in his barn. He quietly does re-charging for a steady group of "nobody's business" group of clients. I would bet that there are similar repairmen in Indiana. Finding one might be a bit time-consuming though. Sealed units aren't really sealed to someone who knows their business well. Can they be repaired - I don't know. Since the repairman acknowledged that it just needs Freon charging, that's a sign that it can be done. Maybe handing him a $50 note might get you a name of someone who would do it. Maybe even him on the weekend!
Good luck.

 

[TLOC]

Good afternoon from Wisconsin. Got a phone call at 2am telling me there is a tree in our front door and part of the stables were blown away last night. Then when we got here this morning we were told 2 of the drying buildings (sheds) were destroyed. Straight winds but not tornadoes still can do some damage.The contractor was here already and had boarded up the front door to the house. The guys who built the stables will be here today but no idea when. No injuries to the horses as this is the new addition to the stables that should never have added on to…

The flight in was uneventful. The son and his g/f flew us! My golf partner, the SIL and 2 golf friends who were happy to hitch hike. The rest of the Crew instead of leaving tomorrow now will depart Monday.

No injuries, no jobs are displaced so everything is fine. Life goes on

 

[John from Indiana]

Since the repairman acknowledged that it just needs Freon charging, that's a sign that it can be done. Maybe handing him a $50 note might get you a name of someone who would do it. Maybe even him on the weekend!
Good luck.

There is a local A/C shop that does recharge with R22; but like I said and he agreed that since it is a "sealed line" (I know that to recharge a unit you have to break into a line and the solder it shut) that I will have to do it again and again. The new units can be recharged with ozone friendly freon rather cheaply...Remember going to Pep Boys and getting freon and gauges with hoses for less than 20 bucks to recharge you car A/C units. Those were the good ole dayz. EPA doesn't mean anything with China burning coal and trash and polluting the air like no other country in the world. I talked to Joan and since we had this house built for us 20 years ago, the water heater has gone out, the roof has been replaced, the refrigerator has gone out twice, things break down, so we will be opting for a new unit. The neighbor 2 doors down had their A/C unit replaced last week, our neighbor had his A/C and heater replaced 6 months ago. Things break down and life goes on.

 

[PRR Modeler]

Afternoon All,

Started out the day with a walk at 73F and it actually felt cool. After breakfast I did inside and outside chores. After that I headed to the train room where I ran a local for about 90 minutes while trying to figure out why a Funaro cabin car I built keeps derailing. I ended up replacing the trucks trying to fix the issue, but it made the situation worse. It would derail on straight track as I pushed it. Everything was gauged OK. It's now sitting on a track around the RH. I'm thinking possibly the "floor" of the car is warped.

David- That is beyond belief. I hope Dawn is OK. When you mentioned she was in Hospice I became worried about her.

Swal- You are in a really screwed up position. I can only imagine what the complete government welfare state would be like.

Bill- Nice photo.

John- You have to look at the cost of living these days. My son earns $19/hr as a chef in a natl. chain (not fast food) and can't afford to rent a place locally (Orlando). He has worked for 10+ years. I wish you the best with the AC. I recently had ours (older unit) serviced for summer and the guy said replacing it would be $8-10k (size of house). He also said keep it as long as you can because the current quality of units is poor compared to what I have. He did say stay away from Lennix.

Jay- If our government would do something instead of posturing with each other. I love this country but it's not perfect.

Troy- When Mom came home from the hospital, she was under Hospice care. They provided all equipment and supplies. They would provide a "sitter" if both Dad and I had to be away (medical appointments) or short breaks for things like VFW meetings. A nurse came by twice a week and a helper once a week for her full bath. She was non-ambulatory and all that entailed. Otherwise, I was there every day for 8 months until she passed. It was very emotionally draining and I felt wrung out by the end, and I felt guilty about that for a long time.

Willie- Nice job around the tower. Hopefully the spiders will respect the fence.

TomO- Sorry to hear about the damage.

I hope everyone has a good night.

 

[John from Indiana]

I am a Pessimistic person; with the bad luck we've been having, but I do see a light at the end of the tunnel. After I commented on my 2 Tony's circuit breakers both showing flashing lights, I disconnected one wire (from the hundreds) and the lights stopped flashing. Also for the first time in 15 years the turnout under the middle of Joanstown worked and an engine went through under it's own power. (the blue tape on the cab shows that is equipped with DCC). I have cleared out most of the structures on the layout to have access to the track. I am going to break down and start rewiring the layout with a bus wire

 

[westtexjohn]

Good afternoon to all.......

I haven't posted on the forum in quite a while. While I have been putting down track bed on the upper level of my layout for the two main lines, I have also had the usual around the house things going on. And I still choose to work part time. However even that is slowing down (like me) these days. I hope to get out today and lay some track. If I work at it, I believe I may be able to operate trains on my upper level in about 4 to 6 weeks.
Lawn mower needs new blades so that may eat up some time this afternoon........its always something. Being a single (divorced) guy, I have to wear all the hats and getting older makes it harder to remember where I put that last hat. I may post some photos in time.

Take care....John

 

[MikeGTW]

There is a local A/C shop that does recharge with R22; but like I said and he agreed that since it is a "sealed line" (I know that to recharge a unit you have to break into a line and the solder it shut) that I will have to do it again and again. The new units can be recharged with ozone friendly freon rather cheaply...Remember going to Pep Boys and getting freon and gauges with hoses for less than 20 bucks to recharge you car A/C units. Those were the good ole dayz. EPA doesn't mean anything with China burning coal and trash and polluting the air like no other country in the world. I talked to Joan and since we had this house built for us 20 years ago, the water heater has gone out, the roof has been replaced, the refrigerator has gone out twice, things break down, so we will be opting for a new unit. The neighbor 2 doors down had their A/C unit replaced last week, our neighbor had his A/C and heater replaced 6 months ago. Things break down and life goes on.

John I have been reading this about your AC and it is not a sealed line there should be a valve on the outside unit IE compressor I have never seen one without that it's there so the tech can put Freon into it and test it for the proper charge and technically if you have a leak the tech is not allowed to add Freon
It's a simple test with a hand held leak detector most likely its on the A coil maybe can be fixed maybe not If they find a leak they can run the outside compressor and pump all the Freon into it then repair the bad spot vacuum the lines and top off the charge Or just pump it all out and start from scratch
The reason you weren't getting any air from your registers with a low charge is the A coil froze and got covered in ice I've seen them with 2 or 3 in on them blocking the air flow
Been doing this on the side for years my son is still doing it he is the inspector and tech guy for his company makes 20 times what I ever made

And none of the Freon is cheap anymore I still have about 10 or 12 bottles of R22 and a couple of the old old R12See if the guy with the R22 can come out and check for a leak the charge it Worth a try

 

[MikeGTW]

I forgot but here's what those valves look like they might be behind a cover

 

[John from Indiana]

The reason you weren't getting any air from your registers with a low charge is the A coil froze and got covered in ice I've seen them with 2 or 3 in on them blocking the air flow

That's exactly what the A/C tech said...I was always under the impression that the lines were sealed and you weren't able to 'tap" into them. I will wait and see what the salesman says tomorrow. If I do have a leak, then all bets are off I guess. If your not allowed to repair them; then nothing else to do. The A unit is inside our heater/fan unit. The A/C compressor is outside. If the A unit freezes up then do I have bit the farm and have to replace the heater and A/C unit?

 

[PRR Modeler]

John- Occasionally our air handler freezes. All we do is turn off the power, remove the cover and let the ambient air temp melt the ice.

 

[NorthBrit]

David- I hope Dawn is OK. When you mentioned she was in Hospice I became worried about her.

Curt Thanks for your concern. Dawn is fine (as can be).
She has to attend the Hospice every so many months to check how she is progressing.
They know I do everything in looking after her (which is no problem).

What annoys me is I am saving the NHS money by them not looking after her with home visits etc... The people who should help us only look at their own budgets and do not release the money (that they should) who need it.

I'll say no more otherwise I shall go into the realm of pollyticks. Not allowed.

I made dinner. Dawn is doing Strawberries and Cream.

 

[MikeGTW]

That's exactly what the A/C tech said...I was always under the impression that the lines were sealed and you weren't able to 'tap" into them. I will wait and see what the salesman says tomorrow. If I do have a leak, then all bets are off I guess. If your not allowed to repair them; then nothing else to do. The A unit is inside our heater/fan unit. The A/C compressor is outside. If the A unit freezes up then do I have bit the farm and have to replace the heater and A/C unit?

I've never seen a completely sealed system Anyway yes it can be repaired if the leaking spot can be accessed and yes you are correct the A coil is inside normally above the furnace unless it's a downdraft
That second picture is the A coil so you can see what a pain it would be to fix it A new 3 ton Acoil $400 and up depending on brand
That salesman is not going to be interested in repairs he just wants to sell Call the guy that has the R22 see what he says
And no A coil should ever ice up only reason low charge or not enough air going thru the coil
I had one a while back lady called from her aerobics center and said there was steam coming out of her ceiling registers HMMM
got there and I had to walk thru the main room with all the lady's working out I walked real slow cause damn
wasn't steam it was smoke she had never changed the air filters they got sucked into the blower fan and burned it up took me at least 4 hours to do a hour job too much distraction
Funny part her husband showed up and he says you change these at home but not here ?? I didn't say a words I didn't charge her this was in a building with 5 rental spaces and I had a spare furnace in the basement unplug a couple wires and two screws slide out done

 

[santafewillie]

Jaz has been absent for a while as well.

Yes, but she has been absent several times before, the most recent because she forgot how to log into this site.

 

[MikeGTW]

John also you did check your filters ? and the blower motor could be failing running to slow or dust and crude have got on the inside of the A coil If the guy with the R22 has a endoscope camera he can see the inside of the coil to make sure its clear just a couple things to think about

 

[TLOC]

Good afternoon. The damage here has been surveyed by the local insurance agent who just took a few photos of the house as it is insured. The stables and the sheds are self insured. We have liability insurances on the property but except for the house we self insure.

I have been in the train room (it’s fine) and to the post office.

I will be heading out for a grocery store run. We are eating in tonight! The son and g/f are staying tonight and they are waiting on where they are flying to next.

The golf in Vegas was great. I played great all 3 days and the partner played even better. He finished 1st in the scratch category and I finished 5th. Using the handicaps we finished tied for second over all but that was still very $$$ satisfying. We had a couple shots lead going into the final round but a guy with a 10 handicap shot a scratch 72. I had 3 skins during the 3 rounds. I left on ball on the lip of a cup or I would have had an unwanted hole in one. Thankfully I did not have to buy a drink at the bar for 71 other golfers.

Enjoy the evening

 

[NYC_George]

I left on ball on the lip of a cup or I would have had an unwanted hole in one. Thankfully I did not have to buy a drink at the bar for 71 other golfers.

Tom I never liked that rule. I should be the getting the free drinks. Thankfully our club has hole in one insurance included in the membership fee.
One of my classmates is setting up the Golf / Beach trip to Myrtle Beach for the day after Labor Day when all the rates go down. He emailed everyone that the $25.00 entry fee to get in all the bets went up to $30.00 this year because of inflation.
Swal

 

[NorthBrit]

Yes, but she has been absent several times before, the most recent because she forgot how to log into this site.

Jaz is also on a wander on the U.K. site we are on. Missing nearly two months.

 

[Boris]

Boris you seem to know a lot about this. My attorney asked me about whether or not I needed two cars. My wife's car has $40,000 miles on it and my truck 60,000. I guess you can only have one car if you or your spouse is going on Medicaid. My wife's car gets 30 miles to the gallon my truck 18. I would like to keep both. They tell me I could buy one of those $78,000.00 trucks that are not selling without a problem but can't keep a car worth about $8,000,00 and a truck worth $16,000.00. How does that work? When I was there today, I said, you sent me an email requesting the balance of the $7,000.00 plus bill but where was the email telling me how the case was going. I didn't receive that one. My attorney said, you know you can call us at any time with any question. That's why I'm afraid to ask them about the two cars thing. The $450.00 an hour phone call.
Swal

See PM