Reply to Thread

Originally Posted by ga-hvac-tech

X2...

Here is a story about a DC:

I replaced a furnace/coil in a crawl back in the fall, I think it was the week before THXgiving. Tweaked the R-22 in the AC, using my brand new DC AK-900 on a brand new Titan-2 manifold (literally the first time to use them). The next day I could not find the gauges... went back to the jobsite and looked all around... no luck. Told the HO... he said he would keep an eye out for them.
Well today (Sunday, April 27), he text's me that he found them.

Evidently I had hung them on a bush limb when I was carrying stuff back to my van... and forgot them. For some reason I did not see them when I looked. The HO was trimming the bushes and found them.
I am thankful to get them back... that was an investment of around 6 C notes including the manifold and hoses and hose end valves.

I now have 3 (yes, three) DC AK-900's on Titan manifolds in my van (replaced the ones that were lost)...

Originally Posted by Mike19

And even though your digicools had sat outside for six months through hot and cold, and had been rained and maybe even snowed on, you turned them on and they still worked fine, didn't they?

Originally Posted by ga-hvac-tech

YUP... turned them on and they came right up. Asked the HO if I could put then on the unit, he said sure. Hooked them up and triggered the contactor for about 10 seconds... the pressures and saturated temps responded just like they were supposed to. Then clamped both temp probes around my fore-finger and waited a few minutes... both temps read the same.

Now for anyone that thinks DC's are not tough... we had a handful of days in single digits this winter, a dozen or more in the teens, a 2"+ snow day, and have had a few 1"+ rain days... the DC's were hanging in a bush in the weather...

THEY WORK.

Nothing more needs to be said...

Edit: Doug Lockhart--- you are welcome to use this testimony on your website... just send me a spare AK-900... then I will have 4... LOL. Seriously, you are welcome to use the testimony, no pmt needed.

Today I changed an AC and coil... and used the newly recovered DC AK900 mentioned above... did not even put a new battery in them (yet). They worked just like the other 2 sets I have in the van... so now I can say from experience that DC's can take the weather and keep right on working.

They WILL get a new Alkaline battery next time I have time to change it... I put new batteries in ALL my gadgets in the Spring when AC checks start. (I start AC checks when the pollen season is almost over... it is not good value for the customer to put a new filter in their system, only to have it turn yellow with pollen within a week... Most of my customers agree with this policy).

I just bought my first set of digitals today and went with the SMAN4 to go with my many other FP tools. I'm very excited about using them ASAP. Question for you guys about digitals. Do you use yours for everything? Basic checks, adjustments, vacuum, recovery, etc.? And what about on different refrigerant types, do you need to purge the hoses first when switching between them?

Coincidentally, I watched the 24 minute video Jim Bergman put on about the iManifold tonight. I didn't get them when they first were introduced. Now I'm definitely in awe of them! I want them badly but at $750 plus attachments it will have to wait a while. But they sure are impressive!

In the meantime I'm anxiously awaiting the FP app for the SMAN4 and SDP2. Does anybody know what exactly it will consist of?

Originally Posted by qwerty hvac

Get the ak900s and forget the rest.


The future isn't what it use to be.

The iManifold is another good option. It is built like a tank and for the price I suspect the internals to be top notch.

Hilmor Digital 4-Port Manifold V.S. Fieldpiece SMAN4

Originally Posted by Home&Marine

Yea... One of my Supply Houses also has the Hilmor stuff. I always tinker with the gauges when I'm at the counter. I ask one of the guys, "You selling many of these"? His reply was "Yea, and we end up getting almost as many back as we've sold".

I'm sorry but I would trade my oldest set of DC 1600's for a new set of Hilmor.

I know I posted last year that I wouldn't buy a set of the Hilmor's but curiosity got the best of me. I have bought a set of the Hilmor digitals. Not even in the same ballpark as the AK900's, SMAN's, or even some of the other digitals. The Hilmor's have a few things that could be drastically improved upon. I hope to do a review in the next coming weeks.

From the first time I saw the hilmor gauges I thought they were gimmicky. A co-worker had to have them. The first set the clamps would not calibrate at all. He took that set back and the replacement would calibrate ok. It didn't take long before the second set started loosing calibration also. The hook fell out shortly later only to find it is held in by a plastic piece that is glued in!!! They are very slow to react to pressure and temp changes. I have tried to find something I could say good about them but I can't. Maybe the knob to change refrigerants but other then that they are complete junk IMO.

Get the ak900s and forget the rest.


The future isn't what it use to be.

Originally Posted by Mike19

And even though your digicools had sat outside for six months through hot and cold, and had been rained and maybe even snowed on, you turned them on and they still worked fine, didn't they?

YUP... turned them on and they came right up. Asked the HO if I could put then on the unit, he said sure. Hooked them up and triggered the contactor for about 10 seconds... the pressures and saturated temps responded just like they were supposed to. Then clamped both temp probes around my fore-finger and waited a few minutes... both temps read the same.

Now for anyone that thinks DC's are not tough... we had a handful of days in single digits this winter, a dozen or more in the teens, a 2"+ snow day, and have had a few 1"+ rain days... the DC's were hanging in a bush in the weather...

THEY WORK.

Nothing more needs to be said...

Edit: Doug Lockhart--- you are welcome to use this testimony on your website... just send me a spare AK-900... then I will have 4... LOL. Seriously, you are welcome to use the testimony, no pmt needed.

Originally Posted by jtrammel

Digicool ak900

Yea... One of my Supply Houses also has the Hilmor stuff. I always tinker with the gauges when I'm at the counter. I ask one of the guys, "You selling many of these"? His reply was "Yea, and we end up getting almost as many back as we've sold".

I'm sorry but I would trade my oldest set of DC 1600's for a new set of Hilmor.

They've been outside this whole time lol
Nice

Originally Posted by ga-hvac-tech

X2...

Here is a story about a DC:

I replaced a furnace/coil in a crawl back in the fall, I think it was the week before THXgiving. Tweaked the R-22 in the AC, using my brand new DC AK-900 on a brand new Titan-2 manifold (literally the first time to use them). The next day I could not find the gauges... went back to the jobsite and looked all around... no luck. Told the HO... he said he would keep an eye out for them.
Well today (Sunday, April 27), he text's me that he found them.

Evidently I had hung them on a bush limb when I was carrying stuff back to my van... and forgot them. For some reason I did not see them when I looked. The HO was trimming the bushes and found them.
I am thankful to get them back... that was an investment of around 6 C notes including the manifold and hoses and hose end valves.

I now have 3 (yes, three) DC AK-900's on Titan manifolds in my van (replaced the ones that were lost)...

And even though your digicools had sat outside for six months through hot and cold, and had been rained and maybe even snowed on, you turned them on and they still worked fine, didn't they?

Originally Posted by jtrammel

Digicool ak900

X2...

Here is a story about a DC:

I replaced a furnace/coil in a crawl back in the fall, I think it was the week before THXgiving. Tweaked the R-22 in the AC, using my brand new DC AK-900 on a brand new Titan-2 manifold (literally the first time to use them). The next day I could not find the gauges... went back to the jobsite and looked all around... no luck. Told the HO... he said he would keep an eye out for them.
Well today (Sunday, April 27), he text's me that he found them.

Evidently I had hung them on a bush limb when I was carrying stuff back to my van... and forgot them. For some reason I did not see them when I looked. The HO was trimming the bushes and found them.
I am thankful to get them back... that was an investment of around 6 C notes including the manifold and hoses and hose end valves.

I now have 3 (yes, three) DC AK-900's on Titan manifolds in my van (replaced the ones that were lost)...

Digicool ak900

Hilmor problems

Originally Posted by itsiceman

Thats not even close to the one that is of less quality.........? Hummmmn Would like to see a set if they ever get them in. Sounds interesting.

Upon delivery of the Hilmore dual digital not mechanical gauges ...the delivery man , muy usual counter man said;" We'll give you new seals because every one who has bought these gauges ahas had trouble".
I said "gee,thanks a lot!". And I did have trouble first time out ...I may have made a mistake by preessurising the hoses before tuning the meter on . But the high side analog powered by transducer via servo motor(not mechanical as I had thought ) stuck on full scale. The digital portion was reading the pressure but it stuck on it's correct initial reading. When I tried to dump the high side pressure into the low side , it wouldn't flow through the gauges. I'm taking them back . As for the Field piece..I didn't buy them because they use the same junk plastic clamps on the pipe sensors as I already have . They have been warranty replaced a couple of times and the supply house replaces the for guys all of the time.
. My JB superheat /pressure/temperature/ single channel tool works pretty well but you have to scroll at a regular speed interval to get through the list of refrigerants and the documentation that comes with it is not accurate and is incomplete with respect to it's features.
Looks like I don't know who makes a good digital set yet.

I have a set of the hilmors. Less than a month old and the micron gauge has quit working, it won't calculate subcooling on 22 and the hook is falling off. I did talk to the rep for hilmor and the are sending me out a new set. so we will see what happens

Originally Posted by nratom45-70

I'll stick with my Fieldpiece.

FP'll work too..

I'll stick with my Fieldpiece.

Originally Posted by rantis

Gemaire has them over here for $420. I would still stick with the SMAN 4.

Or a set of AKs on a YJ 46081 manifold.

Gemaire has them over here for $420. I would still stick with the SMAN 4.

Originally Posted by Vortechs

2 clamps

Thats not even close to the one that is of less quality.........? Hummmmn Would like to see a set if they ever get them in. Sounds interesting.

Thanks for the review