So I was doing work for a large Mall on Long Island. One of the large (60ton) RTUs that served the main walkways wasn't cooling so well. Their BMS picked up the 78° return temp & 66° Supply as well as the continuously warming space. After looking over the large Carrier unit, I determined it was a really simple fix, just a clogged (and I Mean PLUGGED UP) condenser coil. The nearest water supply was literally 450 yards away & since it was a Carrier, the coil's would need to be split for it to be properly cleaned. Just the time of running out the hose, labor of taking the unit apart to properly clean it, etc. was too much for the mall. The Mall Manager said, "My maintenance team has a power washer & plenty of hose. We'll clean it tomorrow but thanks for the diagnosis!" I had a bad feeling about this, but it was July & I was swamped with calls so I moved on. About 6pm the next day, my boss calls me & asks for me to return to the site. The maintenance guy had power washed the ENTIRE condenser flat. I started to try & straighten the coil's but they were disintegrating no matter what I tried. Luckily I take pictures of EVERYTHING to cover my butt. The next day Carrier gives us a quote for the coil, $17,800!!! Considering the recovery of the refrigerant, rebuilding the unit & rigging the new coil into place (8 wk lead time.... thanks Carrier), it ended up being cheaper replacing the entire machine. The mall manager went from a $1,750 ticket to a $25,000 ticket..... all in the name of saving money.
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