Creating a Filter Drier Loop Question

[Andy Schoen]

My R22 system is about 15 years old. It has no filter drier on the liquid line. Nor anywhere else on the system

What I would like to do is just run the system R22 refrigerant through a drier that is looped onto my manifold gauge.

I don't see any benefit in this if the system has run this way for 15 years and you don't have a problem with the system.

Where should I put the drier? On the High side or Low side of the manifold gauge

Either side will work if you have a reasonably sized filter-drier. You can get by with a smaller filter-drier if you put it on the liquid side of the manifold gauge.

I will have a fitting on the low side of the manifold that will change the liquid to vapor. I am sure you have seen them. Imperial sells one called Qwik Charge.

Refrigerant will change from liquid to vapor given a pressure drop AND heat exchange. If you cannot flash the refrigerant thru the evaporator, you will flood the compressor in the time necessary for the filter-drier to do any good. But then your system is 15 years old. If you crap out your compressor with this amusement, you really needed a new system anyway.

[OAKVILLESHOOTER]

Won't happen. I have an Imperial Qwik Charge adapter. I will have it on the manifold suction side. So the liquid will enter through the drier and then pass through to the suction side if this will work in theory or not?

I plan on doing it over a course of a few weeks, a few hours at a time. I will not leave it connected that way untended.

Either way I can't get a definitive answer to this thread, so I will have to just try it!!

Why mess with it for a couple of weeks? Pump it down, put a drier in it, evacuate it and be done with it. All of what, an hour and a half?

[a-one]

He can't even spell right look at his name.

Havactech?


Need to pump down system; cut liquid line and install L.L. Drier , purge with nitrogen while soldering then vacuum system , and recharge according to plate on unit.

maybe he meant "havoc tech". causing havoc on systems all over town.

[referrob]

wow!! this is the dumbest thing ive seen yet. if you were a service tech working for me i would fire you just for thinking this is ok. (1) you are lazy. pumping the system down installing a drier flared or brazed then pulling a deep vac. only takes an hour or so- verses the couple hrs a day you are proposing to spend for the next few weeks metering small amounts of refrigerant through a make-shift "filtering" loop. (2) its a fifteen year old system that has run fine for fifteen years with out you screwing with it, what is it you are trying to accomplish? other than finding out if your gadget really meters refrigerant effectively. a couple hrs here or there will do nothing but clean a fraction of the nothing that is in the system that has not had issues (at least none that you have mentioned). (3)find a contractor that you trust and pay them to put in a new system or install a filter drier since you are not motivated to do it the right way.

[bmathews]

You called people who replied to your post "stupid and uneducated", I'm sorry dude. But that about hits the nail on your head. Anybody who would try this is both stupid for trying this and uneducated for trying something that is first completely unnecessary and second half arse as heck. Obviously you know nothing, otherwise you wouldn't come onto this forum to ask this question. People who actually do this for a living and have various amounts of education are telling you not to do it, so I guess that makes everybody on in a forum who discusses this everyday know nothing and somebody asking a question such as yourself, a genius.

[havactech]

beenthere, I did not think of that at all thanks for the advice. Is there a way to do this with a recovery unit? Might take way too long with a recovery unit and recovery tank.

I am eventually going to put in a LLFD. The system has had a very very slow leak about 6oz out of 18 pounds a year, for the last 4 years.

I just started getting into HVAC and want to treat the refrigerant now then eventually evacuate it and fix the leak.

Once I do that I will pressure test the system and try to find the leak if at all possible.

I was curious to see if this could be done a different way, without opening the system right now. It looks like I won't be able to do that.

[m-cooling]

Get to know this board a little better havac.
There are some genius people here ,but you won't get anywhere with a bad attitude.

[OAKVILLESHOOTER]

Dude, how big is this system? How long is the line set? 18 pounds seems to be A LOT of refrigerant for a residential unit. If the leak is that small, you shouldn't have to worry about contaminants getting in the system. If you have access to a Total Line tester with the glass tubes, they will check for moisture if I am not mistaken. It's been a long time since I used one. Unless the system isn't running right, aside from the leak, just wait until you fix the leak and put a drier in it then.

[bmathews]

How do you measure 6 oz. out of 18 lbs? I would seriously doubt 6 oz. out of that total would show ANY noticeable effect in its cooling. Especially on a 15 year old system. That comes out to 1/2 oz. per month. I would think you would lose more than that taking your gauges off. Probably that amount hooking and unhooking the filter drier.

[iraqveteran]

How do you measure 6 oz. out of 18 lbs? I would seriously doubt 6 oz. out of that total would show ANY noticeable effect in its cooling. Especially on a 15 year old system. That comes out to 1/2 oz. per month. I would think you would lose more than that taking your gauges off. Probably that amount hooking and unhooking the filter drier.

6 oz a year for 4 years.....sounds like the coils is gettin a little dirtier by the year.

And instead of cleaning the coil and doing it right...gas and go. Now its overcharged, probably didn't purge hoses, contaminated refrigerant.


havac.....your new to the field??? And you want to insult those that have been doing this for better part of a half a century? Try adjusting your attitude and gettin pro status. This is an open forum. No real tech advice will come from this forum.


As far as your question...put in a drier if thats your long term goal. Pump it down....recover it. It doesn't matter. Do it right the first time around and be done with it.

[cretan]

maybe he meant "havoc tech". causing havoc on systems all over town.

Funny!

[cretan]

To the OP:As others said,if it ain't broke don't fix it.There is nothing wrong with thinking of new way's of doing things,as you did.It shows that you have an imagination,which is good.Unforunately what you are describing won't work.Sounds like you are newer to the field.All I can say is read lots,ask questions to things you don't understand.I learn't the majority of what I know mainly from reading/asking questions,at this and another forum.This is a great site to learn.You may get a response you won't like from time to time.Hurling insults in response to them solves nothing.As your experience grows and the more logical your questions,the better/more logical the responses will be.My 2 drahmas.

[beenthere]

Kinda hard to notice a 6 oz a year leak on a system that holds 18 lbs as its proper operating charge.(big system, or long line set?)

If it only leaks 6 oz a year, it didn't draw in moisture. So a LLFD won't treat the refrigerant for anything.

15 years old. It moves about 3lbs of refrigerant a minute per ton.
A LLFD in a bypass set up as you describe, with the flow adjusted not to interfer with the A/Cs capacity, won't have enough flow to filter or dry the refrigerat running continuous for a year.

So it becomes an excersise in futility.

[mechanicalgsxr]

this is the dumbest thing i have ever read but to satisfy your curiosity the best way to do what your trying to do is install a swivel tee on the liquid line hook a middle hose to one side then a flare drier then your manifold then hook your high side hose to the other side of the swivel tee...but judging how amateur you sound your gonna let more moisture in the system by not purging your manifold properly

[beshvac]

It's not a good idea for the refrigeration cycle. There are a lot of closed loop systems that have "purification loops" but it is primarily for cleaning up corrosion particles over time. Not anything with an orifice or txv to protect.

[havactech]

Thanks for those who gave some clever ideas. And for the cautions. I must say though there are a lot of very unhappy people in this forum.

Sure I am new to the field and maybe my idea sounds ridiculous to some of you, but does that mean I deserve the insults?

Look I make an easy 6 figures a year as a DNA specialist for 20 years now. It took a lot of time, effort and hard work to get to that level. I am very good at what I do. I also work in many other fields, build computers, install Operating systems, and work a bit with networking. I also work a lot with music, digital audio recording, and do some minor repair work on electronic instruments.

For those who had nothing better to say, I just wonder how well you are doing in your line of work? How many times you got laid off or fired for doing something majorly wrong?

I mainly want to do some minor work with HVAC systems, as a hobby or part time summer job, once I get a lot more experience. I really don't care what other people think about this post as far as I am concerned. For those who could not think of anything better to say and only insulting remarks, I really don't give a fly'n... F...... Get a life!!

For those who have given me great advice thank you very much.

If we could just end all the insults I would appreciate it. Better yet lets close this thread. I think I have all the information I need now.

Thanks

[DavidInAustin]

I purposely chose that name. I should have expected a reaction like this because that is how most people are stupid and uneducated!!

For the one and only one person who properly replied thanks.

This is not a heat pump. It is a residential R22 system with two access ports one on the suction side and one on the Hi side.


Your saying that liquid from the hi side will not loop back into the vapor (suction side)? Because if it will then it should work correct?


I would connect it to the Hi side of the manifold? I asked this same question to an Engineer at Appion and he said rather than connecting a direr filter inline to the recovery system just loop it with the manifold and leave the recovery equipment out of the equation.

Ridiculous...

[AccurateHT]

Flippin Amazing!

[m-cooling]

Your not cut out for construction work.

And you brought this stuff on yourself.
Look at the top of the page at my post.
Why can't you chill?
Hvac guys joke around with each other all the time.
If you can't take some light ribbing,well...........
Thread closed.....you wish
You sound like a little baby.

[m-cooling]

You can't make anybody on here mad thats been hanging around here a while.
SAY all you want,but your the only one getting upset.