Chiller service? Need some R134a...

[mcoomer]

I need to get a refrigerant charge in a chiller and wondered if anyone has had this done recently. Who did you use and what did it cost you? I'll probably hit the phone book today for a service company but if anyone has a hookup I'd be interested in hearing from them.

Thanks,
Mike

 

[akunochi]

LOL did you buy the chiller in Olympia? Any refrigerator repair/service shop should be able to recharge it.

 

[mcoomer]

Nope...Olympia? I know that any service shop can do it. I'm simply hoping that someone does this or knows someone that does or whatever. If not I'll just pull out the phone book.

Mike

 

[07FocusST]

Wouldn't a R-134a recharge kit from Autozone or O'rielly's work the same? I am assuming that the fittings are the same....

 

[akunochi]

I thought about that too...maybe is a good solid answer on that one

 

[07FocusST]

I think that each type of refridgerant has its own style fitting that was mandated by the federal government. R-12, R-134a, R-114 all have their own quick connect fittings on all cars and industrial/commericial equipment. Maybe you could post a picture of the fitting(s).

 

[Frankie]

That's the question, does your chiller have the valve for a recharge? If not you may have to tap the line with a saddle valve.

Most chillers are permanently fixed.

 

[mcoomer]

It has what looks like a Schraeder valve on the line coming out of the condenser and another port on the inlet to the compressor. The condensing unit is a Tecumseh AEA4440YXAXL. With a manifold, some refrigerant, and the pressure specs it would be a pretty simple matter to charge the chiller. According to the nameplate, high side pressure should be 350 and low side 150.

 

[Frankie]

Awe you lucky dog!!

I had to tap into two chillers over the years. Mine never came with that option! I am jealous.

 

[Myteemouse]

http://www.reeffrontiers.com/forums/f130/maintaining-your-chiller-45577/

 

[colin779]

If you purchase a can of refrigerant from Autozone or somewhere like that do NOT purchase one with any kind of sealant or stop leak in it. Nobody will service it if that stuff is present because it will wreck their machine. Its unfortunate they are allowed to sell stuff like that. I work in a automotive facility so I have seen the damage that stuff causes. You essentially have to replace the entire A/C system in the car.

An automotive facility or a appliance shop should be able to help you out with a recharge. =)

 

[mcoomer]

So, the chiller needs service and I don't want to spend as much to get it inspected and serviced as I did to buy. What to do, what to do? I know...go to Grainger, buy a manifold gauge set, and service it myself. Gauge set was $135 and two bottles of R134a another $37. Last time I had a walk in chiller serviced it was nearly $400. With this setup I can service the chiller anytime I need to and I'm only out the cost of the refrigerant.

Here's a pic of the new gauge set hooked up...red to the high side, blue to the suction side.

Another...

High side starting to show some pressure. Acceptable pressure for R-134a is ambient air temp X 2.2-2.4 so for today I was shooting for 145-158 psi on the high side. Pressure was at 40 when I started and in the pic it's up to 120 after 5 minutes or so.

I'm thinking that frost on the tubing is a good sign. Not even up to full pressure yet and it's getting cold.

There's a guy at work that services all our HVAC so I picked his brain for info and bounced that off some Google searches. Turns out it's really simple to recharge your condenser if that's all it needs to get it running. I also think I found the cause for the refrigerant loss. The schraeder valve on the high side leaks when it's not covered. I'm going to get a valve core for that and I should be good to go. For now, I'm going to leave the gauge connected so I can monitor high pressure to make sure that there are no other leaks occurring. Temp is coming down nicely.

Edit: just checked out the Grainger catalog and I can get a valve core kit (removal/insertion tool and 6 cores) for $1.21. I think I can swing that.

Mike

 

[akunochi]

NICE MAN!!!

 

[Frankie]

Cool Mike. I use something similar, just smaller to service my chiller. Nice job!

If it is leaking out of the valve then you need to replace the valve stem. Pretty easy, just unscrew it and screw a new one in. I would wait until the next time you service it though so not to waste all the freon you just added.

Thanks for sharing the pictures! It is just what this thread needed.

 

[mcoomer]

Changed out the valve core and put new brass caps on each port. Apparently the plastic caps are prone to leaking by. Guy at work has a tool that allows you to change the core without losing the charge. Working at a large commercial aerospace company does have a few fringe benefits.

Mike

 

[user 2204]

I hope that you didn't use the R134 kit from the auto parts stores. Being an ASE/EPA certified automotive refrigerant specialist, I would say to anyone to stay away from that stuff as it does more harm than good to R134 systems.

Did you recharge the oil in the system if necessary? And probably adding some sort of dye to the system would be great to help pinpoint leaks.

I have had the pleasure of telling a person that they screwed up there automotive A/C system by attempting to recharge it themselves.

Always replace those schrader valves as they are very prone to leaking. Just make sure to get the proper sized one too.