Repair to wood kiln dehumidifier

[majortom]

Hi,

I have been asked to look at an old wood kiln dryer that runs on R12. The compressor has blown and requires replacing. There is no info on the unit such as make and model number. The dimensions of the dehumidifier cabinet are 2ft x 1ft x 1ft. The condenser and evaporator roughly measure 11” x 8” x 4” and the pipework sizes are ¼” and ½”. The old compressor roughly measures 7.5” x 6.5”. I would like to convert the unit to run on R134a as this is a lower pressure gas and should be ok in high temperatures as the kiln normally runs at a temperature of +50 degrees centigrade. Could anyone tell me what size capillary and compressor would be needed to do this? :)

[Brian_UK]

Is there any data plate on the compressor, otherwise we don't really have enough to go on.

If you change to R134a then you have a oil change clean up to do, perhap try a drop-in instead.

[majortom]

I can see part of an old sticker on the compressor with only a couple of numbers visable but thats it. I thought 134a would be cheaper than a drop in. I can do an oil change clean up. Is there any thing else that could perhaps say what size compressor and capillery are needed?

[glenn1340]

Something like this I`d normally walk away from. R12 probably means its quite old. You fit a new pump and gas then the fan will be next to go pop, fix that and a contactor will be burn out and so on and so on. And all you`ll get from the customer is "you said you could fix it"

[majortom]

I know the risks but the guy is a friend who understands it may not last much longer even after a repair but he still wants me to try. Is there a program that I can download to figure out the compressor and capillery size?