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what if the white sand you are seeing is not the dessicant from the drier? You said the filter looked intact when you inspected it.

I wonder if it was the remnants of a pipe plug, burned in on accident when piping. The refrigerant, heat and oil worked it over enough to turn it into what appears to be white sand.

what bothers me about the pressure blowing it out, is that a severe restriction would have to occur first. Making the unit not being able to refrigerate at all long before that sort of restriction could occur. You'd think it would eventually have been found due to lack of flow long before that type of a restriction could develop.

I would think long exposure to high heat would be a farm more likely cause.

The only thing that comes to mind is an oil additive, like Calgon's ZEROL ICE. We had a test store and it was put into the racks. The low temp rack (507/POE) began to plug up the first night. It took months to get enough out to get it to run normally. At times it still has issues to this day.

Possible the start up guy didn't know what he was doing

Fact is, sometimes you will run into some junk that does not belong in a system.

Not too long ago a poster brought up the fact that he had found a few pounds of sugar in his system.

Another poster in this very thread said he found a dead bird.

anything goes in the world of refrigeration

NOPE! just like a lot of things I've come across lately seem strange. but we all know the stuff is out there.Now a days you can buy it Shoot it In it's all good ????.. what the heck its only money. IF I KNEW I WOULDN'T ASK??? I was told they had a lot of trouble during the first year and at start up. I'm very reluctant to use dyes or sealer never been trained to use it. nitrogen ,snoop,big blue no co2 inside system either.

Originally Posted by firedup

cut open the old dryer it was still in-tacked. pressures would go to 350 and cut out on safety. ? would super seal turn into a fine powder inside a r 404 system ?
I'am totally lost as to what caused this. the headmaster had more powder in it than the txv screen

Why would you ask if Super Seal was used? Is it possible that you know more than what you have said about this system? Super Seal is a product that should be banned from use! You are going to have to replace all clogged components and pray that the compressor is still okay (I doubt it)

cut open the old dryer it was still in-tacked. pressures would go to 350 and cut out on safety. ? would super seal turn into a fine powder inside a r 404 system ?
I'am totally lost as to what caused this. the headmaster had more powder in it than the txv screen

Don't forget to check the compressor inlet screen. If this is a can compressor I would pull it out and dump the oil then flush it out with some of that burn out flush chemical a few times.

It may not be the drier. I've found foreign material in systems. For instance a dead bird in a drier can. If whoever installed it originally didn't keep the lines capped until installation or even worse forgot to remove a few rubber plugs you could have a pretty bad mess. I've found the remains of rubber plugs in units that had been running for years and suddenly crapped out.

Are you SURE it is dessicant?

I'm starting to doubt.

Originally Posted by firedup

safety cut out at 400. unit was off on safety. headmaster loaded with with powder the spring was totally full of it. the txv screen was plugged , the equipment is 4 yrs old same as building. filter dryer 083 is in the discharge off receiver. Has someone else worked on it !I'd say yes because of electrical tap over insulation of txv feeler bulb and bulb mounted wrong ! this is a big mess

I love these. Breaks up the daily routine and gives you a challenge.

Here is a good one:
http://hvac-talk.com/vbb/showthread.php?t=440162

I would try one of those flush kits that you would use on retrofit systems. The liquid will help force the dessicant out of the lines.

How did it get in the headmaster???

safety cut out at 400. unit was off on safety. headmaster loaded with with powder the spring was totally full of it. the txv screen was plugged , the equipment is 4 yrs old same as building. filter dryer 083 is in the discharge off receiver. Has someone else worked on it !I'd say yes because of electrical tap over insulation of txv feeler bulb and bulb mounted wrong ! this is a big mess

Crap happens, lots of nitro and more nitro and when your sure you got it all you didn't, Large cubic inch and high capacity Liquid line dryers and Suction line dryers should be used, after the system has run for a week or so & I would blow out the lines again and replace the dryers. Location of dryers also can help for instance you can orientate the liquid line dryer closer to the txv to protect it from potential crap clogging up the metering device. Pull it all apart and inspect.

I am having a hard time understanding how dessicant ended up in the headmaster, since the drier should be downstream of it. To the original poster, is the drier installed in the liquid line, or did someone put it in the discharge line?

If it is installed in the liquid line, I would want to be very certain that the high pressure control cuts out at the proper setting, and making sure that the headmaster is functioning properly, so as when the headmaster throttles down, it is only sending hot gas into the receiver to push the liquid down the liquid line, and not just pushing very superheated vapor through the drier, which may cause breakaway of the dessicant.

I'm going to lean towards the filter being plugged very badly, and the pressure differential across the dessicant media became such that it caused the dessicant material to break because it couldn't withstand the difference in pressure.

I say this with no REAL knowledge of the cause, but only offering an opinion.

I have seen the results of this ONCE.

It was an Alco drier in an oil line. It was a new account (to us, anyway) very poorly maintained. I found the beads in an oil regulator. I did my level best to clean them out, but I've got no simple solutions.

I'm seeing disconnect the evap and condensing unit, blow the lines out with Nitrogen. That would be a start, but not enough, I don't think.

I don't envy you.

Originally Posted by firedup

filter dryer blew desiccant through r- 404 system. Took out headmaster and and txv! How do you make sure desiccant is out of the system? the refer rack is on the fourth floor the evap on the first.
what caused this? how to prevent this? hows the best way to clean up the system?yes its cold in Michigan. 8x8 box, single evap cooler.

Don't suppose you know if anyone was working the unit before that happened? High pressure would be my first guess of the cause.

blown out filter dryer

filter dryer blew desiccant through r- 404 system. Took out headmaster and and txv! How do you make sure desiccant is out of the system? the refer rack is on the fourth floor the evap on the first.
what caused this? how to prevent this? hows the best way to clean up the system?yes its cold in Michigan. 8x8 box, single evap cooler.