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Kelvinator Belt Driven Condensing Unit.
SightGlass is very thick ,,, (like honey). Anybody have any idea why this would be. Has been like this since I can remember & Operation has never Faulted.
The primary function of the design engineer is to make things difficult for the fabricator and impossible for the serviceman.
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Are you referring to the compressor oil sightglass and the oil looks like the thickness of honey?
It could also be just very old oil or the result of magic oil additives administered over the years. 
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Originally Posted by
icemeister
Are you referring to the compressor oil sightglass and the oil looks like the thickness of honey?
It could also be just very old oil or the result of magic oil additives administered over the years.
Sorry ,, I should have elaborated.
The Liquid Line SightGlass has the appearance of the Liquid inside it is very thick.
The primary function of the design engineer is to make things difficult for the fabricator and impossible for the serviceman.
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Originally Posted by
fridg
Sorry ,, I should have elaborated.
The Liquid Line SightGlass has the appearance of the Liquid inside it is very thick.
OK. That's old enough so it should have flare connections, so why not disconnect the SG and pour out a sample of whatever it is?
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Large volume oil carry-over would be my first guess.
How is the oil level in the compressor?
PHM
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Originally Posted by
fridg
SightGlass is very thick ,,, (like honey). Anybody have any idea why this would be. Has been like this since I can remember & Operation has never Faulted.
PHM
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When faced with the choice between changing one's mind, and proving that there is no need to do so, most tend to get busy on the proof.
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Originally Posted by
Poodle Head Mikey
Large volume oil carry-over would be my first guess.
How is the oil level in the compressor?
PHM
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Full from my View ,,, the oil sight glass is a little discoloured( the glass itself not the oil. But the Liquid in the LLSG isnt discoloured.
The primary function of the design engineer is to make things difficult for the fabricator and impossible for the serviceman.
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Originally Posted by
icemeister
OK. That's old enough so it should have flare connections, so why not disconnect the SG and pour out a sample of whatever it is?
Would like to but the Client is a Large Mom & Pop Produce Market & would only approve downtime to the Box (6mtrs x 4mtrs) it was deemed necessary.
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Try draining oil until the crankcase sightglass is about 1/3 to 1/2 filled. Run the compressor and watch the oil level to see if it increases. If it does - remove some more oil.
Is the liquid line sightless clear? A gin-clear fluid? Because that is what good refrigerant looks like.
Is it's clear but 'thick' / viscous looking ?
PHM
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Originally Posted by
fridg
Full from my View ,,, the oil sight glass is a little discoloured( the glass itself not the oil. But the Liquid in the LLSG isn’t discoloured.
PHM
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When faced with the choice between changing one's mind, and proving that there is no need to do so, most tend to get busy on the proof.
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Originally Posted by
Poodle Head Mikey
Try draining oil until the crankcase sightglass is about 1/3 to 1/2 filled. Run the compressor and watch the oil level to see if it increases. If it does - remove some more oil.
Is the liquid line sightless clear? A gin-clear fluid? Because that is what good refrigerant looks like.
Is it's clear but 'thick' / viscous looking ?
PHM
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LLSG is not clear(full) but there is no flashing. The Fluid inside is just very slowly rolling around. The colour of the Fluid has a slight tinge of yellow to it.
The primary function of the design engineer is to make things difficult for the fabricator and impossible for the serviceman.
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Originally Posted by
fridg
LLSG is not clear(full) but there is no flashing. The Fluid inside is just very slowly rolling around. The colour of the Fluid has a slight tinge of yellow to it.
I am pretty confident it is just oil trapped in it ,but I have never seen a Liquid Line Sight Glass to be so lazy when only 3/4 Full.
The primary function of the design engineer is to make things difficult for the fabricator and impossible for the serviceman.
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Originally Posted by
fridg
I am pretty confident it is just oil trapped in it ,but I have never seen a Liquid Line Sight Glass to be so lazy when only 3/4 Full.
That's what we call river flow in the sightglass and i will occur when the refrigerant flow is low compared to the full flow capacity of the SG, even when the liquid is subcooled. The yellowish color is probably from the yellow mineral oil in the compressor, which was common back in the day.
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Perhaps it is a job which was piped back in the old days when things were done properly and the correct refrigerant velocities are just less than you are accustomed to seeing. <g>
BTW: why is the LL sightglass only 3/4 full ?
PHM
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Originally Posted by
fridg
I am pretty confident it is just oil trapped in it ,but I have never seen a Liquid Line Sight Glass to be so lazy when only 3/4 Full.
PHM
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When faced with the choice between changing one's mind, and proving that there is no need to do so, most tend to get busy on the proof.
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Post Likes - 1 Likes, 0 Dislikes
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Originally Posted by
Poodle Head Mikey
Perhaps it is a job which was piped back in the old days when things were done properly and the correct refrigerant velocities are just less than you are accustomed to seeing. <g>
BTW: why is the LL sightglass only 3/4 full ?
PHM
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You could be right. It was piped up more than 30years ago & no insulation on any of the PipeWork , it has Copper Saddles securing it.
SightGlass has never been completely full & we have been doing PM’s here for well over 5 years. I conduct periodic Leak Testing OnSite & have never found a leak on the Sytem ,,, repairs have been few & far between & only Evaporator Fans have failed that I can recall.
System seems happy & maintains Temps well & doesn’t have an extended Run Time to reach Temp & Off Cycle seems normal also.
The primary function of the design engineer is to make things difficult for the fabricator and impossible for the serviceman.
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Is this actually a working Kelvinator commercial belt driven compressor? If so take good care of it because you are actually preserving HISTORY! Do you have alot of the old belt driven style compressors such as Copeland, Curtis, Baker, General Electric, Brunner, Frigidaire, Mills, Par, Tecumseh (Universal) or Lehigh in your part of the world It would be so cool to see some of those compressors still operating (plus I could get rid of some of my obsolete compressor parts inventory!).
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Working & is the original Unit installed with the box. Only changed the belts once in 5years & no other issues for this same period. It seems happy , that’s why I’m reluctant to upset it too much.
We do have a few Open Drives here but the further West you go (out in the Bush) there are considerably more.
I’m in Australia , cost of Freight would be a killer from the US.
The primary function of the design engineer is to make things difficult for the fabricator and impossible for the serviceman.
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Originally Posted by
fridg
I am pretty confident it is just oil trapped in it ,but I have never seen a Liquid Line Sight Glass to be so lazy when only 3/4 Full.
Old manufacturers had a few tricks when making old school LLSG, tricks that have been lost over the years, so what brand is it?
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What were the sight glass tricks?
PHM
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Originally Posted by
MadeInAustralia
Old manufacturers had a few tricks when making old school LLSG, tricks that have been lost over the years, so what brand is it?
PHM
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When faced with the choice between changing one's mind, and proving that there is no need to do so, most tend to get busy on the proof.
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Originally Posted by
Poodle Head Mikey
What were the sight glass tricks?
PHM
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They were machined so gas pockets could not form in the top of the LLSG.
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