Posted: 7/1/2009 9:37:07 AM EDT
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I am doing some work on my brother in laws system that the contractor told him could not be fixed and the condenser needed to be replaced to the tune of 6k. My BIL is out of work right now so I thought I would give him a hand with this and try and get another season out of it. I recently got my EPA 608 cert but have very little hands on experience with split systems.
System is a Lennox 5 ton from 1996. 3 of the end loops on the condenser coil burst and could not be fixed, BIL cut them, crimped them and then soldered them. System held 125psi with no leaks. Is it worth it for me to charge the system now, or will the crimped ends stop the flow of Freon through the coil? I do not want to waste my r-22 as it cost $200 for 30lbs. Thanks! |
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I'm not an expert or even a knowledgeable jackleg. I think if you start tracing the pipe flow through the fins the pipe goes back and forth, back and forth, back and forth via the 180 degree elbows on the end of each straight pipe. I think each coil is one continuous run of pipe, just "bent" here and there to reverse direction.
I don't think you have several parallel pipe runs, and instead have just one long continuous run. You'll have to trace it to be sure. I believe any elbow pinched off and soldered forms a dead end, a total block for the flow of Freon through the coil. 
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You have to look and see if the condenser is one long run or if it has a distributor pipe. If it is one long run, you just cut and blocked the condenser piping. One way to find out if it's OK is to add pressure to the high side service port and see if pressure climbs on the low side. Also, what kind of solder was used?
If it's not staybrite it will not hold, the condenser pressure can get up to 300 - 325 PSI under heavy load. Finally, since you are effectively reducing the size of the condenser you are also reducing the capacity of the unit, you may need to undercharge the unit to get it to work right. |