Carrier 30GX loosing oil

[Freightshaker]

The only time I've ever gotten into jumping stafties out has generally been if I could prove the were malfunctioning to myself. I imagine the price of an 06N heavily outweighs the cost of a couple gallons of oil being pumped in then removed. I'd hate to have to explain how the rotors gots so scuffed up In this instance the oil woun't have come back because of all the refrigerant loss. She's been purring along ever since.

I agree with you about the refrigerant loss. I probably should have mentioned that all the charge needs to be in it before doing that. Also check the ground and verify no lost oil. If you bypass the oil level switch doesn't it still have oil pressure switch on the compressor? The few GXs in our area I would like to drive by and shoot with a crossbow. It is like they are all installed on sacred burial ground. Love the HXs though.

[Freightshaker]

Glad to hear it's been purring along though! Wasn't their a service bulletin about those machines to have a scarecrow in service tech clothes installed close by to keep them on their best behavior haha

[R123]

Good thing you did not start pumping oil in. We had a guy put in an embarrassing amount of oil in a GX. GX and HX both like to hide their oil every once in awhile. We just had an HX that had one of it's compressors offline for about a month. Bye bye oil. If you jump the oil level switch and let it eat for awhile it will come running home usually.

VERY BAD IDEA!!! If the oil isn't in the sump, then the compressor isn't getting oil, only refrigerant!!! Those O6N compressors are very expensive! Carriers procedure is to pump in enough oil to make the level switch, run the compressor to return the oil, then remove the exact amount of oil you pimped in.

I agree with you about the refrigerant loss. I probably should have mentioned that all the charge needs to be in it before doing that. Also check the ground and verify no lost oil. If you bypass the oil level switch doesn't it still have oil pressure switch on the compressor? The few GXs in our area I would like to drive by and shoot with a crossbow. It is like they are all installed on sacred burial ground. Love the HXs though.

No.
The oil level switch verifies there is OIL in the sump. The oil pressure at the compressor is determined by the differential pressure between the discharge pressure transducer, oil pressure transducer, & suction pressure transducer. If there is no oil in the sump, the oil pressure transducer will be reading REFRIGERANT pressure, not OIL pressure. It doesn't know the differance.

[R123]

If the chiller keeps tripping out on a safety and you continually reset the chiller, you will pump all of the oil out of the sump in the pre-lube cycles.

[Tommy knocker]

R123 is partially correct. The control does look at all of the transducers to ensure oil while running. Freight shaker is also correct. The control looks at oil pressure transducer on start up to confirm oil pressure before allowing comp to start. Jumping the oil level switch is a carrier procedure listed in the manual for oil return. Jumping the level switch will not allow comp to start if ther is no oil in seperator. The control has to see oil pressure before allowing comp to start. I have done it. The manual tells you where to put the jumper to jump it out. It works. As long as there is enough oil in seperator to start there will also be sufficient oil to maintain differential.

[Tommy knocker]

Also keep in mind putting a bunch of oil in the system will bring its own set of problems and symptoms. You must be carefull with the technique. An oil logged system will give you fits. Watch for liquid slugs hitting your comp which will blow oil out of the seperator causing you to chase your tail. I add oil only when I have confirmed oil has been lost or all of the oil is in the cooler.

[R123]

R123 is partially correct. The control does look at all of the transducers to ensure oil while running. Freight shaker is also correct. The control looks at oil pressure transducer on start up to confirm oil pressure before allowing comp to start. Jumping the oil level switch is a carrier procedure listed in the manual for oil return. Jumping the level switch will not allow comp to start if ther is no oil in seperator. The control has to see oil pressure before allowing comp to start. I have done it. The manual tells you where to put the jumper to jump it out. It works. As long as there is enough oil in seperator to start there will also be sufficient oil to maintain differential.

Can you post the Carrier manual number and page number where Carrier says to jump out the oil level switch to get it going? I'm looking at Catalog No. 533-00052 (30GXN,R080-528 30HXA,HXC076-271) page 56 paragraph 10 where it specifically says "Make sure that the oil level safety switch is NOT jumpered". I've also checked 4 other versions and they all say the same thing.

I totally agree too much oil causes other problems that's why I said remove what you added when the oil is returned to the sump. This procedure is what I was taught in a week long 30GX,HX class I took back in 2000. Maybe Carrier changed their procedure.

[Tommy knocker]

R123. I dont have it in front of me but I have a copy in one of my HX machines that I will be visiting next week. I'll forward it on. But if you read the version you have it tells you, without saying it, that it is safe to jump it out. Under addition of oil paragraphs 4&5. Unit will not start without sufficient oil in seperator regardless of what the level switch says. You could not do the pump down if the level switch was not being ignored or jumped out. Likewise you could not run it for an hour and a half at full load without it being ignored or jumped out, if most of the oil was in the cooler.

[R123]

Tommy Knocker. That's not what it says....paragraph 5 says "If there is an insufficient level of oil in the oil seperator, the compressor will not start, and a pre-start oil pressure alarm will be posted. Skit to step 8." Step 8 says "If none of the previous steps were successful, the unit is low on oil charge. add oil to the oil seperator.......". Then step 10 says not to jump it out.

I understand about running it unloaded to return the oil and so on. But if there is actually no oil in the sump, then no oil is going to the compressor. I'm not going to jump out the level switch and risk damaging a $XX,XXX.XX compressor unless you can show me the documentation that says so.

[Tommy knocker]

Adding oil when level switch trips is not wrong just more costly and time consuming. In my opinion helping the machine recover its oil, if it's not in a pool under it, is the better option

[Dallas Duster]

Tommy Knocker. That's not what it says....paragraph 5 says "If there is an insufficient level of oil in the oil seperator, the compressor will not start, and a pre-start oil pressure alarm will be posted. Skit to step 8." Step 8 says "If none of the previous steps were successful, the unit is low on oil charge. add oil to the oil seperator.......". Then step 10 says not to jump it out.

I understand about running it unloaded to return the oil and so on. But if there is actually no oil in the sump, then no oil is going to the compressor. I'm not going to jump out the level switch and risk damaging a $XX,XXX.XX compressor unless you can show me the documentation that says so.

I must say that R123 is correct but with a recovery unit and a little know how you can get your oil back without pumping oil into a machine or even jumping out the oil level switch. Although I have heard of the local Carrier tech support tell a contractor to jump it temporarily but I wouldn`t do it.

[Tommy knocker]

Prestart OIL PRESSURE alarm. Not oil level alarm R123. Relax. Do it your way. I'll post the manual and version when I get back over to it.

[R123]

Adding oil when level switch trips is not wrong just more costly and time consuming. In my opinion helping the machine recover its oil, if it's not in a pool under it, is the better option

That's the less costly way to do it if you don't damage the compressor.....

If you do damage it, then which way is more costly?????

As I said, that's they I was trained to do it by the factory training guy from Carrier.