Filling Carrier DH575 R-11 Chiller

[turbo50mike]

Got a call from a building owner that they had a building they acquired and it has a Carrier chiller with R-11 in it.

Didn't think there were any of them around, and I was confident it was an old R-11 that had been converted, but no...It's an R-11. Maintenance guy says they (some other guys) started filling it in the winter, but with change of ownership, never completed it.

Looks low on the sight glasses, so I agree it looks like it needs some. He says they were filling it with "gauges"....But from what I remember (about 12 years ago was the last time I worked on an R-11) - I used to pretty much fill them with a stainless steel washing machine hose. Valve on drum, attach hose to drum, attach hose to chiller fill port, purge line, start chiller, open valves, and let it pull the tank down.


Anyone using gauges to fill R-11 units? Seems like it would be awfully slow.
Maybe they were milking it, and getting paid by the hour.


It's been so long, hope I haven't forgot too much about them.

[triggerhappy]

You mean that you don't use a Manifold Gauge Set.

No wonder it has been taking me so long.

Of course I alway leave the depressors in as well.

[GA FRANK]

Never used gages charging a DH or DG , Did it just like you did in the past.

[brianzeke]

its time for a conversion don't you think ?

[turbo50mike]

its time for a conversion don't you think ?

It's time for ALOT of things at this site...Pumps are leaking, tower is rotting, pipes are rusting, and chiller looks like Frankenstein worked on it.

Hope the new owners are prepared, the mechanicals are in grenade mode.

"All we need is some refrigerant"

Yeah, right.

[chilbrig]

Why convert? There's tons of R11 out there and it's cheaper than 123. Besides that the machine is to old to be spending a lot of money on it. I bet it also needs a control upgrade.

[mcguire07]

Why convert? There's tons of R11 out there and it's cheaper than 123. Besides that the machine is to old to be spending a lot of money on it. I bet it also needs a control upgrade.

I agree. Converting it is just wasting money. Plus you have to deal with updating the machine room to allow for refrigerant monitors and fans if you update it to R-123.

[henpeck]

I agree don't convert it to r123. Look it over, try and dig up history on her, back oil and vibration analysis and eddie current testing to determine machine condition,meg the motor, pull an oil sample for analysis. Service the starter and if it has a high eff purge run it manually. Get a start up data sheet on that machine and get your flows and check the tower and fan for operation. And slap her on the butt and lighter off. See how she acts listening, looking and touching everything at once. If she's smooth then check and adjust the charge by design with the evap approach, should be ten degrees, service oil and filters

[poppop]

You're correct in your charging method.

I wouldn't convert .... reclaim R-11 is plentiful and not taxed. Is the machine tight? Is there an oil level?

[turbo50mike]

Who knows...They "only wanted refrigerant". It was about 300lbs low. We filled it today.

Still surges every 20 minutes for a minute or two, but they "only wanted refrigerant" so I didn't touch or look at anything else...They got what they wanted.

This is the type of place that has no money to maintain things, but has money to fix things.

[GA FRANK]

There seems to more of this type of operation any more,sad don't you think.