when/how to recharge chiller

[Vegas RN]

Anyone have any idea how long until you should refill the coolant in chillers. How hard is it to do? I just bought a used one that was used for around 6 months but 2 years old. How do I know if its time to recharge? Thanks

 

[Vegas RN]

anyone?

 

[dbdisok]

Would not think a two year old chiller would require service. You may have to rely on monitoring the chiller and looking for a reduction in efficiency by how many hours it runs to keep your tank temp stable.

Service is best done by a pro with all the right tools.

 

[unhpian]

Unless there is a leak - there is no reason to refill the lines with anything. It is a sealed system, and no refrigerant should be getting out - if there IS, you need to repair the leak, not just put more refrigerant in. Also - depending on what type of refrigerant it uses, you may not even be able to (Generally, only 134a is available to the general public). This is something you need the right tools to do, refrigerant pressure gauges, etc - so don't try it unless you know what you're doing and have the right tools.

 

[Vegas RN]

in the manual it says only use 134a refrigerant but it does say only use a licensed person to perform this task. Its hard for me to gauge whats normal as far as running time because Ive never had one on the system. Its keeping my temps where I want them I just wanted to make sure its running efficiently as possible. Thanks for the info everyone

 

[DarG]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15051211#post15051211 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by chrishei
in the manual it says only use 134a refrigerant but it does say only use a licensed person to perform this task. Its hard for me to gauge whats normal as far as running time because Ive never had one on the system. Its keeping my temps where I want them I just wanted to make sure its running efficiently as possible. Thanks for the info everyone

All the smaller chillers now use 134A. You can get the pressures from the manufacturer if they arent labeled inside the unit and have a tech check it for you to make sure it checks out. I had this done on a 10 year old Universal marine just to check it out. It was still running fine but figured it was time for a check. It didnt use 134A. 10 years old and it was still spot on. So like unhpian stated, unless there is a leak, you shouldnt have to recharge the unit.

I would just keep track of the run times. If it is cooling the tank and isnt running any longer to do so as time goes by then it is probably fine. If there is a leak you will notice it running longer and longer. Just keep in mind that the hotter it is in the house or area where the chiller is located, the less efficient it cools the tank. So it will run longer if it is 82 degrees where the chiller is located versus if it were 76 degrees for example.

 

[cnunez3024]

touch the low pressure side line and see if its cold if it is then your good... if not get the pressures from the company and connect the gauges and see what your pressures are at while the chiller is running... i dont know the pressures for a chiller but generally for house and cars its ... lowside 40-50 and highside 225-250

 

[cnunez3024]

and they only sale r-134a because it does not hurt the ozone... R-12 has been banned for about 10 years or more now... if your pressures are low you might need to add a little bit of freon.. if they are too high then there is something wrong :-( if either pressures are to low or high the system wont cool to potential...