wrong size pipework

[philjd26]

hi came across a few splits that had been installed with with larger liquid line than the spec....spec was 1/4" but had 3/8....will this make a differance to operation?? kinda getting symtoms of of refrigerant shortage, could this be, due to extra diameter in pipework?... also any problems with a reduction in suction pipesize..ie 5/8 instead of 3/4?

rgrd phil

[Refer Rick]

Greetings Phil:
Having a liquid line that is slightly oversized shouldn't cause too many problem, except that your system might be holding more refrigerant than it really needs.
However having an undersized suction line might mean an excesive pressure drop (reducing system efficiency) and/or excessive suction vapour velocity causing line noise. That being said though you stated that these lines were specified...by whom? Remember that just because a condensing unit comes out of the box with a certain sized service valve, it doesn't necessarily require that line size. The proper size could be larger or smaller depending upon a lot of variables.

Rick