George, That was explained very well. That data would be helpful for any DIYer. Steve
Welcome to the Hatteras Owners Forum & Gallery. Sign Up or Login
+ Reply to Thread
Results 11 to 14 of 14
Thread: HVAC gauges
-
08-09-2017 04:27 AM #11Senior Member
- Join Date
- Apr 2010
- Posts
- 64
Re: HVAC gauges
-
Re: HVAC gauges
I failed to mention this. As mentioned before, our marine systems have all of these fittings where there can be leaks. If you are losing gas, go around to every fitting including the long copper runs and feel around the fitting. A leak also includes a small amount of oil and will be a little greasy. Move the insulation around joints and look inside as well as feel. This works almost better than having a leak detector (sniffer) because for small leaks those are harder to use reliably than they appear. You get all kinds of false positives and can chase your tail. Years ago an old cranky AC guy came to my new boat after 2 compressor replacements under warranty on my cockpit freezer. He ran his finger tip around all the joints and said - here's your problem. After a reflare at that factory joint the system worked without issue for the next ten years.
GeorgeFlorida
2002 Cabo 47
MAN mechanical 800/8's
"You can avoid reality, but you cannot avoid the consequences of avoiding reality"
-
Re: HVAC gauges
Last week, 2 days before the White Marlin Open in Ocean City, Md, my salon A/C was not cooling. I called the only A/C repair house in Ocean City and was unable to arrange any service. We fished the first day of the tournament and suffered. Tuesday was a lay day so I tried again to get it repaired. Finally, in frustration, I had an A/C friend use his license to get me a 26 lb cylinder of R434B. I also bought a good set of gauges for $75, but you can get a serviceable set at Harbor Freight for $30.
It took about 10 minutes to recharge my system and the A/C is working great for the time being, but will obviously leak again.
The refrigerant I used is easily available online without any license, as are the gauges.
I have had people both recommend and advise against using stop leaks for A/C. Any personal experiences in here?
-
Re: HVAC gauges
You can get certified here:https://www.epatest.com/#
Fred
31 Tiara Open
"Escalation"