Recovery condenser/subcooler?

[anthonyscardina]

Looking to make something to cool discharge gas during recovery. I've seen one for sale at supply houses but it's over $100. Has anyone made one and could provide some input?

I thought about getting a roll of soft copper and brazing on some flares.

Also thought about getting fancy and making a coil to fit in some pvc and run water through the pvc.

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[buford]

Most machines should do this already. I suppose you could have a coil of copper set up in a 5 gallon bucket with water and ice, maybe make up 2 of them for 22 and 410. My machine does just fine with its internal condenser.

[anthonyscardina]

Most new machines do that better than my old POS microvac machine the company provided. Most if the older guys have the twin.

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[timtanguay]

I use a coaxial heat exchanger from a water-source heatpump that was being decomissioned. works like a hot-damn and prevents your recovery cylinder from stacking up.

[71CHOPS]

I use a coaxial heat exchanger from a water-source heatpump that was being decomissioned. works like a hot-damn and prevents your recovery cylinder from stacking up.

I went to URI and bought a 3/4 ton water cooled condenser (cupranickel) for $120. brazed on flare fittings and water hose connections. best thing ever.....run a hose to it, and another hose to drain it somewhere. I hate dealing with Ice when I can just connect a hose.

[BBeerme]

We've got several accounts where the maintenance contract says we'll hose off the condenser in spring before the cooling season, but there's no hose bib to be found anywhere. Oooopsie.

I make a note of it on my report forms, but so far nothing gets done. The boss dudes don't even want to acknowledge my emails or statements on our forms, LOL. Guess that would be some sort of liability issue.

And I hate carrying more than a sort piece of garden hose on the service vehicle. But with these guys I'm with now, I've got 300' of hose. Oh well, at least I'm not getting called at 2am for some refer that went down.

Guess there's ups and downs to every style of work.

I went to URI and bought a 3/4 ton water cooled condenser (cupranickel) for $120. brazed on flare fittings and water hose connections. best thing ever.....run a hose to it, and another hose to drain it somewhere. I hate dealing with Ice when I can just connect a hose.

[Dallas Duster]

http://www.ebay.com/itm/NEW-Alfa-Lav...sAAOSwQPlV8Dyd

Me thinks you overpaid.

I went to URI and bought a 3/4 ton water cooled condenser (cupranickel) for $120. brazed on flare fittings and water hose connections. best thing ever.....run a hose to it, and another hose to drain it somewhere. I hate dealing with Ice when I can just connect a hose.

[cguck720]

I use a coaxial heat exchanger from a water-source heatpump that was being decomissioned. works like a hot-damn and prevents your recovery cylinder from stacking up.

I'm thinking about doing this method, cleaner then letting the water overflow out of the bucket in a mechanical room, what side tubing on the water side and refrigerant side?

[icemeister]

Looking to make something to cool discharge gas during recovery. I've seen one for sale at supply houses but it's over $100. Has anyone made one and could provide some input?

I thought about getting a roll of soft copper and brazing on some flares.

Also thought about getting fancy and making a coil to fit in some pvc and run water through the pvc.

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I always liked to use 5 gal bucket with about 8 lbs of ice. Drop the recovery tank in there and then dump in the ice. But in the early days of recovering, there were different schemes to do the job...

My first "official" recovery machine back in 1993 was a collaboration among Copeland, Alco and Ridgid (which was also owned by Emerson). It had a 1/3 HP Copeland hermetic compressor with an oil sightglass and a 1/4" flare oil drain/filler stub connection. It even had a CPR valve to prevent compressor overload. Model RS-200 Rigid I think it was.

The coolest part was it would first recover liquid direct to the recovery tank and when the pressures equalized, you switch it over to running such that the recovery tank became a flash receiver of sorts. Vapor was taken from the top of the tank while liquid was metered back into the tank though a capillary tube. It was then refrigerating the initial recovered liquid that entered the recovery cylinder. When the pressure dropped and the tank was cooled down sufficiently, you'd open up the vapor valve to admit more vapor to the "system". It would mix the vapor returning from the tank, get compressed and then condensed. This liquid would get expanded by the cap tube and the recovery tank continued to be refrigerated.

Once the pressures again dropped, the system was switched over to direct vapor recovery to the chilled recovery tank.

I think I got the sequence pretty close, but it's been a long time since I used that beast. It weighed nearly 60 lbs and was a PITA to drag up to the roof.

[buford]

The first recovery unit i used was a robinair 2 piece unit, like others said, the thing was an anchor, but i swear would suck the oil out.

[controldude]

Yeah that old robinair took 2 men and a boy to get on a roof!

[rider77]

A coil of 1/4" or 3/8" copper with 1/4" flairs on the ends in a 5 gallon bucket filled with cold water or ice. Cheap and effective.
I have the little CPS thingy. It's nice I guess, small compact package that does the job. I'd never pay that asking price though.

[Milk man]

I made a coil of copper with flare fittings out of 3/8. I also have a 5 gallon bucket I put garden hose fitting in high and low. My idea is to stream water in the bottom and out the top when I have a lot of refrigerant to recover. I can regulate the water with a ball valve. The top fitting so I can hook a hose to it and direct the water away from where I'm working.

[anthonyscardina]

Try to pull a purchase order for ice...I dare ya...

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[BBeerme]

It's the most simple thing in the world where I work. I just mark it as per company procedure like anything else and put it on the invoice. The line item on the invoice might say something like recovery coolant. If the people you work for aren't into that, then ask them why they don't want to make money.

Here's what we used to do. Just get a sheet metal storm collar, same as is used for a penetration through a roof jack, but install it inverted around the recovery tank near the top. Then fill with ice. If I'm doing 410a in the heat of summer, I need ice. No need for anything more fancy than I just stated.

Just be careful not to over fill the recovery cylinder, it's very easy to do with the method I stated !!

Try to pull a purchase order for ice...I dare ya...

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[Scott Kline]

ugly, cheap, effective, homemade. Bucket of cold water or ice if I can get it. Also a small recovery cylinder fits inside a 5 gal bucket. But not much room for ice.


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[anthonyscardina]

We use 50lb cylinders. Of course, so far all my recovery has been for decommissioned equipment, and is charged to construction, no questions asked about hours lol. I've also seen a round copper loop that people make to go around the collar, like a sprinkler.

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[buford]

That will work Scott, now go buy a new oxy gauge will ya.

[Scott Kline]

That will work Scott, now go buy a new oxy gauge will ya.

You got me. I keep forgetting.


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[agibbstx]

If it doesn't leak and/or explode, who needs new? Besides, don't they work better once they've been banged around a bit?