Overheard a guy at the supply house say 'multimeters are for rookies'

He was dead serious, claiming he can guess a capacitor by the hum. I just nodded, but in 12 years of running my own route I've never seen anyone skip the meter and get it right on the first try. Any of you actually work without one?

2 comments

2 Comments

gray_gibson1d ago

Back when I first started, there was an old-timer who claimed he could set superheat by feel. He'd put his hand on the suction line and say "that's close enough." We got a call back on a walk-in cooler three days later because the compressor was slugging so bad it sounded like it was eating gravel. Had to explain to the customer that their box of frozen steaks was a total loss. That meter stayed on the truck from that day forward, and I never trusted a gut feeling over actual numbers since.

xena_williams1d ago

Honestly, I had a buddy swear he could do that for years. One time he guessed a 50uF cap on a compressor and it was a 35uF, unit kicked on for two seconds then tripped the breaker and popped the fuse. He ate his words pretty quick, never saw him skip the meter again after that.