I recently had the fan motor on my condenser blade replaced. The hvac tech left the splice outside the shroud. He used a waterproof end to secure the splice and wrapped with electrical tape. It is exposed though where someone could come up and touch it. Is this to code (California)? Does this look professional?
?
Electrical – Condenser motor splice
electricalhvac
Related Solutions
I'm not sure why the wires would be exposed to the elements, however if you want to seal them, wrapping in electrical tape and tie wraps is definitely not the right solution.
I would utilize heat shrink tubing:
Thin wall heat-shrink tubing is great for cable insulation, marking or bundling, with superior mechanical, abrasion and moisture protection
Basically you slip this over the entire connection and then use a heat gun to shrink the tubing tight against the connections. It's a cheap and effective way to protect electrical connections.
Air Conditioner woes: water pooling in basement, condensation on ducts, frost on outdoor copper pipe
You are correct that the refrigerant is not a consumable. If a system is low on refrigerant, then it has a leak. The technician should have a "sniffer" tool that can detect refrigerant leaks. If they didn't use it last time, then they were irresponsible. Also, refrigerant is expensive so that attitude of "if it gets low again then we know you have a leak" is wasteful of your time and money.
If the compressor in the condenser (the outside unit) is running and the air is not cool, then you are probably low on refrigerant. Frost on the refrigerant is also a pretty clear sign of low refrigerant.
I am additionally concerned about the condensation on your duct work. Is the air handler inside the conditioned envelope of the house? If so, that could explain the condensation you are seeing now but would not be seeing normally.
Related Topic
- Electrical – How to wire a ceiling fan
- Electrical – old wiring inside wall gets voltage when shared switch is used – safe and to code
- HVAC blower comes on by itself. Even after thermostat has been disconnected from wall. EDIT- POSSIBLY FIXED
- Air handler turns on even when set temp is reached
- A/C Fan won’t turn on outside after replacing capacitor
- Fixing tear in insulated HVAC duct
Best Answer
This isn't to Code
First off, we start at 110.12, which requires a "neat and workmanlike" installation, and this pretty clearly flunks that test since the wires could get weighted down into the fan blades with obvious bad consequences.
Second, I'd take this as a violation of 300.15, which requires splices to be in a box or other sort of enclosure (such as the motor terminal housing), save for a few exceptions that don't apply here.
Finally, I'd be asking what's under all that electrical tape for a splice...there are some definite 110.14 questions there.