---------------------------------------------------------------------- HVAC-DES ---------------------------------------------------------------------- A diagnostic expert system for residential HVAC systems, circa 4/2011. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- NOTES ---------------------------------------------------------------------- This program is intended to help people with diagnostics of residential HVAC systems, to give them a better understanding of the problem before calling a technician. This program was written to be executed with CLIPS, a LISP engine for building expert systems. http://clipsrules.sourceforge.net Execute the project CLIPS script with CLIPSDOS (or comparable binary) Version 6.3. To execute, simply (load) the file, then (reset) and (run). ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Intended Target Audience: ---------------------------------------------------------------------- The intended user of this system is anyone seeking help with basic diagnostics of residential HVAC systems. Experience doing so is not intended to be required of the user of this system. That having been said though, it will be helpful if the user of this system has basic mechanical knowledge or familiarity with multi-meters, pressure gages, screwdrivers, etc. The reason for this is because this system may ask you for the status or measurement of various components located inside an air-handler, requiring the use of at least a screwdriver to gain access to them as well as a multi-meter or gages to measure them. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- What This Program Does: ---------------------------------------------------------------------- This expert system attempts to diagnose common malfunctions that occur with residential HVAC systems. Though there are many brands & models of systems on the market today, the core operational concepts and diagnostic routines are roughly the same. It will ask you various questions, some more specific than others, and eventually give you a final answer as to the most likely diagnosis and recommended fix for your system. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- What This Program Does NOT Do: ---------------------------------------------------------------------- This expert system will not delve into the detailed specifics of how to repair an isolated component,such as a compressor, once a problem is diagnosed. If the expert system thinks that your compressor is bad it will report so but will not necessarily tell you how to repair it specifically. There are several reasons for this: (1) The goal here is to diagnose the problem. (2) Repair can often be as detailed a topic as diagnostics. (3) In general, most HVAC components should be replaced outright. (4) Sub-components vary enough to warrant detailed repair FAQs. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Discrepancies w/ Your HVAC System: ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Note there may be discrepancies between what is stated in this program and your own HVAC system, simply because there are many different models and configurations on the market today, and from many different vendors. So it is definitely possible that the configuration of a particular sub-system unique to your HVAC unit has not been accounted for and is therefore not mentioned specifically. To address this, the expert has made a valiant effort to try and tackle diagnostics generically across all residential HVAC systems. Keep this in mind and accomodate as necessary. For Example: If the expert system asks you to check the power circuits associated with say 5 heating elements, but you find that your system has as many as 8 or as few as 3 heating element circuits, then adjust accordingly. You should expect to check all of them, as a problem with any of them will affect the heating efficiency of your system.