Charging by sight glass

[heresjohnnyb]

I didn't hear anything about remote condenser anywhere in this thread. But I know that's true I used to take care of a few gas stations with reaching cools and freezers. No fun but pretty cut and dry usually

[jpsmith1cm]

Txv needs full column of liquid regardless of box temp. Full glass is not nessisarily full charge with receiver. Hot box and warm ambient charging to full glass will leave you grossly undercharged.

I'll dispute that.

I've not seen a system with a receiver that won't clear the glass once the unit has settled down and come close to temp, in fact, part of the charging instructions include the step "clear the sight glass"

[Tommy knocker]

I'll dispute that.

I've not seen a system with a receiver that won't clear the glass once the unit has settled down and come close to temp, in fact, part of the charging instructions include the step "clear the sight glass"

I think you miss read. I said a full glass doesn't mean a full charge with a receiver. Do you dispute that?

[jpsmith1cm]

I think you miss read. I said a full glass doesn't mean a full charge with a receiver. Do you dispute that?

Maybe I did misread.

No, a full sight glass is just the beginning of charging a system properly.

I've repeated that advice hundreds of times.

[Tommy knocker]

Maybe I did misread.

No, a full sight glass is just the beginning of charging a system properly.

I've repeated that advice hundreds of times.

Thank goodness. I thought you took up the crack pipe.

[Peztoy]

Thanks for all your feed back.
Not a pumpdown system.
No suction to liquid line heat exhanger.
Remote condensing unit. Not a self contained case.
Got this quoted job from another guy. I replaced the compressor. 5 Lbs was reclaimed. I put 4 1/2 Lbs back in. Today I was later told the compressor was making noise before it quit. Now I'm glad I held back on the charge. If this wasn't quoted I'd want to go back to check a little deeper for compressor failure.

[Phase Loss]

I've seen a few larger Racks out there that won't clear the sight glass once settled down.

Typically on systems with over sized liquid lines. And low liquid velocities.

Laminar Flow...It's the Rivering Sight glass. You could fill the receiver to the max, and that glass wont clear.

However, this is absolutely not what you are experiencing.

charging a system with a receiver is all about receiver liquid level. You need enough liquid in the receiver to keep a level on your coldest day, there's calculations for this stuff.

[KB Cool]

Had some txv's stuck wide open and you couldn't clear the glass without flooding out the compressor!!!!

[Peztoy]

I've seen sightglasses where it seems to just flow through. I had this one almost cleared. A little more gas would have done it.

[VTP99]

So is the systems down or what ?

[Fridge Repairer]

Be sure you pump down the system when your done adding freon to make sure your reciever is capable of holding the charge. Not doing this could cause you an unneccessary callback