customer called about her 'sick' mini split, turns out she tried to 'clean' it with a garden hose

got this call yesterday from a lady freaking out because her Mitsubishi mini split wasn't blowing cold air, said it was 'sick' and needed a doctor. i show up and she's got the whole outdoor unit hosed down like it was her car at a car wash, water everywhere and the electrical box is dripping. turns out she watched some diy video and thought blasting it with the hose would fix the dust buildup. had to dry everything out, check the gauges for any shorts, and explain why you don't pressure wash r-410a coils like that. she was all apologetic but damn, that's a new one even after 12 years in hvac. anyone else dealt with hose-happy homeowners?

never hose down electrical components, you'll fry the board and be looking at a $1500 replacement easy.

how'd you even get it running again without parts?

fml, i hate these calls where they think they're helping but make it worse.

same, last week a guy 'fixed' his thermostat with duct tape.

i just finished a 5-truck operation, no more solo jobs like that crap.

mini splits are finicky, but sharkbite fittings on the lineset? total bs, they leak under pressure.

customers like that make me wanna quit, wasting my time on preventable messes.

document everything in the invoice, charge diagnostic fee minimum.

frustrated with these diyers, they void warranties every time.

pull the power first, always. then assess for corrosion on the contacts.

man i feel that, been there with wet units too many times.

same here, knees ache from crawling in attics to fix their 'fixes'.

yep, the hose brigade strikes again, solidarity brother.

ugh, i've got stories that'd make you laugh and cry.

bosses pushing us to upsell on these jobs is the real frustration.

customer thought her cat was the issue, nah just her 'cleaning'.

use a soft brush and compressed air for coils, saves headaches.

sick of these after-hours calls from panic diyers.

don't skip the multimeter check, water hides in weird spots and bites back later.

for mini splits, always recommend pro maintenance plans to avoid this nonsense.