RUUD Heat Pump Tripping on overpressure

I had a RUUD UPKA-030JAZ that had a rust leak in the accumulator that released all of the freon. It ran several days before we discovered the problem. I am sure that it overheated the oil in the compressor.


We found someone who would replace the accumulator, instead of selling us a new $4800 system. They did a very good job & it worked great until winter, when we started getting frequent tripping of the overpressure switch. This unit requires switching the reversing valve for heating. I suspected that the overheated oil had gummed up the valve and it was switching slowly, producing a momentary pressure spike. As my unit is controlled by a PLC, I had the unique opportunity to prove my hypothesis. I put a time delay so that the compressor would not start until a second after the valve shifted. The tripping ALMOST stopped.

Determining the exact pattern of the remaining tripping was much more difficult. I finally realized that it only tripped when the temperature was as hot as possible to still require heat (i.e. 50s or 60s). It did not trip AT ALL when the temperature was very cold (I allow it to run down to 30 degrees).

I determined that it only tripped during the defrost cycle, since this is the only time that I do not have control over the timing of valve and compressor. BECAUSE it did not trip at lower temperatures when defrost cycles were much more frequent, the pressure had to be just marginally too high (the pressure is higher at higher ambient temperature).

The average serviceman will not tell you this, and may not even know this.  It is worth the effort to convince them, even if it costs another service call, if it saves you $4800!

I got the serviceman who originally replaced the accumulator to 1) install Supco oil treatment which is a Teflon additive, and 2) lower the pressure slightly. I have had no further problems and expect to get many more years of service!

What's In A Name? Jeanne Curtis = Healing!

     My wife, Jeanne Grace Curtis, has a therapeutic nail salon Nails Your Way - the focus is on techniques and products that heal the damage caused by disease, physical trauma, or abuse by less competent or less careful nail salons, or damage from excessive artificial nail use.  She is a Christian Prophet, blessed with many or all of the gifts of the Spirit.  God uses her for healing - both physically and spiritually.
     As I was editing her website recently, I Googled her name to test web presence.  I knew, of course, that there would be other Jeanne Curtises.  I was astonished to find that they were all involved in some manner with healing!
     There is a Jeanne Curtis in Florida who is a massage therapist.
     There is a Jeanne Curtis in Arkansas who is a medical doctor specializing in stress reduction.
     There is a Jeanne Curtis in Arizona who specializes in skin care.
     There is a Jeanne Curtis in Oklahoma who is a dental assistant.
     There is a Jeane Curtis who is a painter whose artwork is displayed in a dedicated healing environment in a hospital.
     Jeanne has recently added the service of Spiritual Alignment to her other salon services.  If God intends to use her for healing, she is now willing to publicly acknowledge her calling.
      The name Jeanne Grace Curtis means healing!

An Open Letter to our Republican Candidates for President

Dear Potential Candidates:

We are writing this letter to share our hopes and fears with you in anticipation that you might be instrumental in fulfilling the hopes and quelling the fears. As the campaign intensifies, we beg you – please remember the following:

1. DO NOT attack each other. During the debates, during any press conferences, during any interviews… You may present your plans, views, and philosophies as the best for America, but DO NOT present the other candidates as BAD for America. They are NOT your enemy! We must have the confidence that you can all work together as a team after the election.

2. We like all of you. You are all called to represent conservative, moral, responsible values. You are all called to uphold the Constitution and protect our individual freedoms from increased Government oppression.

3. We want all of you. None of you would make a bad President. We would like to think that whoever is nominated would pick one of the others to be Vice-President. We would like to think that the others could all have some positions in the new administration. Anyone who gets that close to being President is certainly qualified for a Cabinet or Secretary position.

4. We honestly do not believe that it is possible for anyone to be a worse president than the one we have now. If Ronald Reagan was exhumed and nominated for president, we think he would be a better president than what we have now. Just prop him up in the chair and play some of his recorded speeches at the proper time.

5. Our greatest fear is that whoever is nominated will do something so foolish that they forfeit the election.

The American people are not stupid. Do not lie to us. Do not make promises impossible to fulfill. Do not exaggerate OR oversimplify – life is complicated, we will be depending on YOU to understand and direct that complexity.

Do not sink to the lowest common denominator. Rise to the occasion. You were called for such a time as this.

Rev. Harold Max Curtis
Director, Ministries For Christ, Inc.
Owner, Curtis Controls
Design Engineer, Mechadyne Machine, Inc.
Rev. Jeanne Grace Curtis
Director, Ministries For Christ, Inc.
Owner, Nails Your Way Salon

Joanne Crowe Brunson 1939-2011

Thursday, June 9, 2011.  Jeanne's sister, Joanne Crowe Brunson of Smyrna, GA, age 72, died this morning at 1:25 am of breast cancer at a hospice called Our Lady of Perpetual Help Home.  Our Lady Of Perpetual Help is run by Dominican nuns especially for terminal cancer patients.  Joanne resided at Smyrna Towers for several years and had a brief stay at Tranquility hospice care.

Joanne worshiped the Lord Jesus Christ at Locust Grove Baptist Church and in her later years at Sharon Baptist Church in Smyrna, GA.  Joanne was a loving, kind, quiet, caring and generous Christian influence all her life and she will be greatly missed by her family and friends. 

Joanne was the older sister of deceased Jane Suissa who also died of breast cancer.  Joanne was the oldest of three daughters’ of deceased Eva Jo and Vernon Crowe of Pickens County GA.  She was the wife of deceased William Eugene Brunson of Colquitt, GA.

Joanne is survived by her youngest sister Jeanne Grace Curtis and her husband Harold of Douglasville, GA and their son Eric Curtiss and wife Angela and their two children Jessica and Charles of Jonesboro, GA; a niece Terri Luczynski and her husband Stephen and their three children Hope, Stephen, and Matthew of Mount Holly, N.C.; a brother-in-law Daniel Suissa of Canton, GA

Viewing of the body is 2:00pm to 3:00pm Saturday June 11, 2011 with the funeral service held at 3:00pm June 11, 2011 in the chapel of Georgia Memorial Park 2000 Cobb Parkway SE, Marietta, GA 30060.  Rev. Brian Foster of Burnt Hickory Baptist Church officiating.  In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the National Breast Cancer Foundation, Inc.

Attaboy! Greystone Power

This just a shoutout to the fine field service from Greystone Power.  Our power went out yesterday when a tree fell on the power lines up the street.  We called it in and then drove out to see what the problem was.  As we got to the stop sign at the end of the street, the Greystone trucks were already pulling in looking for the short.  By the time we turned around and drove back down the street, they had already found the tree and started work on it.

All you Georgia Power customers...  Don't you wish you lived on this side of the street?