pulling a vacuum

[hvaclover]

Thanks for the confirmation, I have spent a lot of time reading the forum to figure things out and never ran across this. I bought the full Appion Megaflow kit with the 20 micron rated manifold, the 1/2 inch vacuum hoses, etc. It works great, I'm always down around 350 microns on an evac, but I was always unhappy about how I had to hook up the micron gauge to the CRT service port.

I had been pulling the schrader out of the CRT service port and using a short 4" rubber hose, it didn't have a valve depressor in it, its all I could come up with. I did have the JB D10244 2" sae swivel adapter but there usually wasn't room to fit it on the CRT and get my micron gauge on it as well, as it didn't bend.

It would be nice if this was included in the Appion Megaflow kit. True Tech Tools includes it in theirs.

TruTech is a supplier while Appion is a mfg. Trutech puts kits together from different manufacturers ...see why now?

[pony]

I have system past pressure test but didnt pass vacuum test,and sure not find a very tiny leak!micron gauge is a must have tools!

[ColdIsNice]

mpw;1241353
You can always buy the SMAN360 3 port Digital gauges that have a micron gauge on it I feel like the digitals alone are over priced (But that's me) Also they have sub cooling and super heat clamps which I always test when reading pressures (Some will disagree but to each their own). They are a little pricy but they are worth it in my opinion.Anyway always test Microns when vacuuming. If I don't have one on me. I'll pull the unit for over an hour and a half Granted my Pull-Vac is brand new. Still makes me sketched out not using the proper tools. Also it makes it easier to test for leaks. If they start climbing either your hoses aren't tight or you get to do some searching. Also always make sure your oil is clean and at the right level I can't count how many times I've used someone's vac at work and it was just filthy inside. That's not smart... Its best to take a little longer to fix the problem rather than look non professional and have to come back, Or worse another tech comes and fixes your mistakes.

[boat racer]

I never pull a vacuum on TIME. The micron gage tells me if the vacuum is complete, not my watch.

You are correct about monitoring the condition and ability of vacuum pumps. A pump that cannot pull below 200 microns is useless and there is only one way to know.

Too bad we lost posts from late last year regarding vacuum, there were some very good ones.

[ColdIsNice]

No you're 100% correct about TIME. Especially if you have a low cfm pump. I just mean I didn't have a micron gage at the time. But yeah Now I make sure my microns are low before finishing up.

[DirtyHamilton]

Always use a micron gauge. I love JBs. It's going to let you know if you have moisture in the system & if it's in a good vac.
I've met a lot of guys that don't think twice about micron gauges or even bleeding your lines before hooking up to a system with your manifold pressure gauges...Do things the right & recommended way and you'll be better than a lot of new techs out in the field today.

[DavidDeBord]

I have read over all the posts but I feel the need to post my two cents.

A micron gauge is essential for any tech. I went to a scotsman class and a true class on the same day. Both their reps asked for a show of hands of who used a micron gauge. I was amazed to see that only 50 percent of the class raised their hands.

The first tech I ever rode with had a micron gauge. A supco I believe. I never seen him use it. Needless to say the first time I had to borrow his truck on a weekend call I went to use the gauge. It didn't even have batteries in it.

After he quit, I put my tools in the truck and hit the road. I ended up going to one of his previous calls on a walkin cooler. System was very, very low on refrigerant. Only about 5psi in the system. I hit it with nitrogen and the whistling noise was apperent. The leak was in the condensor on the top u joint. He didn't even cut away the surrounding steel. He heat it up and threw what looked to be about two sticks of 15 percent on it. I caught hell cutting the steel away and trying to grind down the solder with a cutoff wheel. I did get the leak fixed and haven't heard from them since.

If he would have used his micron gauge he would have know that the leak wasn't fixed.

Hell, nitrogen would have told him the same thing.

A leak of that kind wasn't evident by reading the gauges?

[boat racer]

Always use a micron gauge. I love JBs. It's going to let you know if you have moisture in the system & if it's in a good vac.
I've met a lot of guys that don't think twice about micron gauges or even bleeding your lines before hooking up to a system with your manifold pressure gauges...Do things the right & recommended way and you'll be better than a lot of new techs out in the field today.

For me, the JB DV-40 had too much buffering. I had become accustom to the wiggling needle of a Hastings/JB gage years ago indicating a tiny leak. The DV-40 just as too much buffering and doesn't give the same indication. On the other hand, the Bluvac has the exact right amount of buffering and shows a micro leak the same way with an unstable digital output. The Bluvac also gives a pretty good moisture indication - and their top of the line tool even directly shows dehydration on your phone.

[KidderTX]

Get a blue vac, practice some self control watching the gauge as it will wigg you the first few times if your not used to it. From there follow best practices but pay attention to your vac times and mentally document that along with how well you held up to those "best practices." When its 105 and people are flipping out for cold air, shortcuts happen wether we like it or not. But keeping a mental log will validate everything for you, in the field and with your own eyes, BUT with micron readings to relate too.

Rambling over, get a blue van

[DavidDeBord]

I have read over all the posts but I feel the need to post my two cents.

A micron gauge is essential for any tech. I went to a scotsman class and a true class on the same day. Both their reps asked for a show of hands of who used a micron gauge. I was amazed to see that only 50 percent of the class raised their hands.

The first tech I ever rode with had a micron gauge. A supco I believe. I never seen him use it. Needless to say the first time I had to borrow his truck on a weekend call I went to use the gauge. It didn't even have batteries in it.

After he quit, I put my tools in the truck and hit the road. I ended up going to one of his previous calls on a walkin cooler. System was very, very low on refrigerant. Only about 5psi in the system. I hit it with nitrogen and the whistling noise was apperent. The leak was in the condensor on the top u joint. He didn't even cut away the surrounding steel. He heat it up and threw what looked to be about two sticks of 15 percent on it. I caught hell cutting the steel away and trying to grind down the solder with a cutoff wheel. I did get the leak fixed and haven't heard from them since.

If he would have used his micron gauge he would have know that the leak wasn't fixed.

Hell, nitrogen would have told him the same thing.

Vzenuh, My first question was about that Tech's practices, I'm "cheering" you, for what You did.