condenser suction and liquid lines cut and bent

slash5bmw

Please look at the photos and tell me if I should just braze a coupler onto both lines or should I cut the line closer to the service valves?

https://picasaweb.google.com/1028761...eat=directlink


https://picasaweb.google.com/1028761...eat=directlink


Thx

Slash

Doc Holliday

Neither. Use some channel locks and pinch each end down so they're flat, like a closed mouth, and braze it shut. You want to point the flame away from the valves as best you can. Build up a little bit of sodder and it'll hold, I've done it plenty of times.

Do not pinch the entire thing, only the very ends of the copper, as once you've pressure tested it then you can use some tubing cutters on the remaining pipe and cut and couple the lines for install OR you can simply unsweat the existing pieces from the female connections from the condenser.

You see those brazed parts? You just heat it up, moving the flame all around while gripping the copper with some channel locks while slightly twisting and pulling and it'll pull right out. Try to keep the flame on the outside, away from the service valves when you do this. Then all you need to do for install is slip your copper into the hole and braze, no coupling needed.

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Thanks.

Doc Holliday

The small 3/8 line will be very easy to pinch shut. The bigger line, if it gives you any trouble, you can simply heat up with your torch and then pinch shut. It will be very easy once heated up a bit, soft.

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Thanks.

Doc Holliday

And remember to remove the valve cores first! The bicycle tube looking cores inside of where the hoses connect to. You'll need a core removal tool to grab onto them and simply unscrew.

They as well have rubber seals that are very easy to melt.

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Thanks.

slash5bmw

Thanks for all the help. I will do this tomorrow.
I will remove the schrader valve before I braze.

Is it possible to remove the service valve with an allen wrench so I don't damage both of those?

I heard you can just put a wet rag around them while brazing.

Thank again.

Slash

biggles

take a pipe wrench and put it in a bucket of ice water... then place it on the pipes just up from the valves/shradders and torch awaythe heat from the torch will go up into the wrench.some cleaning and flux will make it flow on the pinch.trick slide a 2x4 brick under the pipe heat it up NOT red... hammer it on the opening you good to go..this thing being store and or moved.get a vac on the condenser with a shot of freon to hold..don't leave it atmospheric... 95/5 will do it also with less heat just be super clean on those end cuts or the solder wil be rolling off...

slash5bmw

The condenser has been sitting for over a year with the valves tightly closed but when I opened them the other day no freon came out. The valves must have leaked.

Since it was not stored under pressure, is there any maintenance I should do before using it?

Thx

Slash

biggles

could of been the shradders leaking..but i would pull a long vacuum then reprssussize it to hold ....did you take it out if others system might of been out of freon.pull that quick vac let that sit for 24hrs if it hold it's tight

slash5bmw

biggles, why pull a long vacuum before pressure testing? Is this get all the moisture out since it was sitting so long?

Thx

Slash

biggles

if the condenser went atmospheric whatever was happening with the weather is in the compressor air.long vac just so you know you dried it out if you have a micron guage install that direct onto one shrader the the vac pump direct with one hose.use the micron guage to tell you how wet it is.any thing sitting above 5000microns is moisture..as the microns drop the inside windings and the oil are drying out. should pull down fast..does it have a scroll compressor or old style hermetic?the vacuum will tell you if there is a leak on that condenser if it doesn't go below 5000 micron in an hour

ben's plumbing

you could cut it closer to valves....but I would use a swedging tool to tap into the lie to straighten it up...

slash5bmw

I was able to pinch the copper ends closed and braze them shut. I was running nitrogen through the lines when I brazed them closed.

It was tough because the nitrogen was causing little pin holes in the silver.

I opened both valves on the condenser and have been running the vacuum pump for a couple of hours now.

The micron gauge is showing 500. Is it possible to get it down to 250?

Thx

Slash