Recharging my R290 mini split air conditioner and heat pump
Vložit
- čas přidán 21. 08. 2024
- Documenting my attempt at repairing an R290 refrigerant based mini split air conditioner and heat pump unit ElectriQ EIQ-12WMNIV-V4.
As R290 gas is just an ultra pure form of propane, it doesn't fall into F gas regulation and doesn't require a special license to purchase or own in the United Kingdom.
This video is for educational and entertainment purposes and is by no means a guide on how to regas an R290 refrigeration unit. I am surely doing it wrong so don't copy me.
As promised list of tools featured in the video (can be obtained from Amazon/ eBay):
* BACOENG 3CFM Vacuum Pump & Manifold Gauge Set - HVAC A/C Refrigeration Kit (Amazon)
* Aupoko Straight Swivel Brass Adapters 5/16’’ SAE Female x 1/4’’ SAE Male Quick Couplers Thread for Mini Split System A/C, HVAC and Refrigeration Service (Amazon)
* Digital Adjustable Open End Torque Wrench 5-25 NM 30mm Steel 9×12mm Spanner SO (eBay)
* That Rapid Blue Stuff Anaerobic Sealant 50ml (Amazon) (I keep referring to this as Nylog Blue but it technically isn't Nylog branded)
* Refrigerant gas can R290 propane 370g cylinder disposable bottle refrigeration (eBay)
Hi if you are going to use a sealant . putting it on the threads is no good. The joint is made between the flare and the male part of the union so that is where the sealant should be applied .👍
Everyone is so worried about safety but we all have bbq grills that use propane and really it is pretty safe.
Can you actually, to make it safer, connect a vacuum pump to the high line, vacuum the yellow and blue hose when it is connected to the bottle (but not open yet) and then close the red high line leaving you with nice vacuumed lines? Would that be an okay thing to do prior to filling up?
Thanks for sharing - I've just DIY'd my ElectriQ in time for the brief hot spell last week - the bit I was most fearing was the connections so I will be double checking these (remind me a lot of doing DIY brake lines!) but I always feared that I may need to refill one day so it doesn't feel quite so daunting - the soapy water check didn't reveal anything and I did the non-vacuum method! I also hooked it all up before thinking about trunking etc and now need to do that (another channel suggested square pipe which I'm having to split open but seems to be okay) The other bit is the excess pipework which is annoying me. I will be double checking my connections this weekend!
You can cut the excessive pipe work and re-flare. The flaring kits are not very expensive and are all over Amazon. However of course has to be done before the system is charged.
@@Martins-DIY thanks, yes that would have been an option had I not needed to get it all connected - though I've never flared anything other than brake lines and that can be a bit tricky if not absolutely square and clean ime so bigger pipes could be interesting - maybe if I do need to refill in the future I'll trim them - my joints all seemed to be tight when I checked and I've now trunked most of it too so working pretty well, though I do wonder how cold it should feel as I don't have a thermal camera...
Wishing you no leakage, but if there is, know that the reason is you didn't drink beer during the project. No DIY is successful without a beer around!
Can't agree more, Georgi! Will add it as mandatory step on next project!
You have a vent just beneath the sight glass. You push it like a button to purge your hose.
Thanks for the tip! I'll definitely give it a go next time (hopefully there's no next time but who knows :D )
Just fyi, freezing the outdoor coil in heat mode is normal for ALL heat pumps. I understand it wasn’t cooling or heating properly, just wanted to make that known, all heat pumps do it, and go through a defrost cycle to melt the frost periodically. It doesn’t matter if the ambient temp is freezing or not, the surface temp of the outdoor coil is going to be sub freezing.
Acknowledged.
I should have clarified that when the unit lost the refrigerant, the outdoor coil was freezing partially even when outside temperature was relatively high (10°C). There was a noticeable temperature gradient on the outdoor coil, I'm assuming due to only partially having liquid coolant.
But yes when outdoor air is colder there has been frost even when the unit was operating well and yes it goes through the defrosting cycle (sometimes producing even a bit of visible steam when the frost evaporates). However this "normal" frost is quite uniform across the coils.
I suspect your use of threadlock may actually be the cause of the leak. From what I understand the compression fitting relies of the copper-brass interface, a bit like high vacuum systems that use a copper gasket. Because of the orientation of the connection the threadlock will want to fall down into this interface and contaminate it. I also suspect the r290 could have some kind of side reaction as well.
I will keep an eye on this. Maybe there's a reason manufacturer doesn't recommend it. Next time (if there is next time) I'll give it a go without sealant.