My Plant wont work! Or spot the leak!

[Grizzly]

Check out the attached Guys!
Made me smile :D.
Grizzly11986

[monkey spanners]

Time for a new coil!

[Grizzly]

Time for a new coil!
I doubt it, I suspect that I will be blanking off and brazing up passes first!
Grizzly

[Rob White]

.

So you were skiving off drinking coffee and you slipped, spilling the coffee.
That explains the black stain so where is the leak?

:D

Rob

.

[Grizzly]

.

So you were skiving off drinking coffee and you slipped, spilling the coffee.
That explains the black stain so where is the leak?

:D


Rob

.

Should I be changing my coffee supplier then?

If only Rob!
I was actually compiling a list of issues, 1 side of a ruled sheet of A4 Paper Long!
It has given the back office something to discuss with the customer.
We shall see if we get permission to repair it?
Grizzly

[Tycho]

At least it left a little tattletale for you :)

with refrigerant loss, the last place you would check is the coil itself, since it's just a piece of pipe. The elbows sure, but I'd have to see oil smear like that before it occurred to me to use soapy water on the coil :)

Also I am reluctant to use the soap/water mix on the coil, because the soap we use (Zalo) makes the coil sticky once it dries, so if I use it I'll have clean the coil afterwards :)

Luckily never found a leak in the middle of a coil, but I had one customer who had problems with high discharge pressure.
When I stopped the system the discharge pressure corresponded with the ambient temperature after a few minutes so I figured it wasn't air in the system.
Upon closer examination of the condenser, I couldn't see the beam from my flashlight through it even though the coil was only about 2 inches thick, and when I pulled my hand across it the aluminum fins just disintegrated into fine dust :)

[Rob White]

Should I be changing my coffee supplier then?

If only Rob!
I was actually compiling a list of issues, 1 side of a ruled sheet of A4 Paper Long!
It has given the back office something to discuss with the customer.
We shall see if we get permission to repair it?
Grizzly

You can also see by the leak that it is brand new, less than a few days old
and the customer is prepared to throw money at you to repair it.

:D

Rob

.

[mikeref]

Oil residue on the floor indicates a significant leak. A progressive oil and debris build up on the coil has me thinking this leak initially started some days/ weeks earlier on a pass through the end plates.

[Grizzly]

Hi Mike.
You are probably correct there, as the customer had been having temp issues for a long time prior to our being asked to attend for the first time.
But don't worry it's just Rob and his humour, He's on a wind up:D
Brilliant!
Incidentally the saga continues!
Grizzly

[Rob White]

Hi Mike.
You are probably correct there, as the customer had been having temp issues for a long time prior to our being asked to attend for the first time.
But don't worry it's just Rob and his humour, He's on a wind up:D
Brilliant!
Incidentally the saga continues!
Grizzly

:)

In our industry we get to work on some lovely bits of equipment
and the best are from the owners who run everything into the
ground and then expect you to repair it for a couple of quid.

Just gotta love em :)

Regards

Rob

.

[mikeref]

:)

In our industry we get to work on some lovely bits of equipment
and the best are from the owners who run everything into the
ground and then expect you to repair it for a couple of quid.

Just gotta love em :)

Regards

Rob

.
Oh?.... Today i found someone who works in a similar environment. Sigh...

Thanks Rob.:)

[mikeref]

Having another look at your Pic Grizzly.....the oil migration and debris accumulation doesn't seem consistent with an end plate leak. The debris is thick somewhere around 18 inches to the right of the return bends.
A leak on a straight run seems unlikely....but not impossible.

Looking forward to your pictures or comments.
Regards, Mike.

[Grizzly]

Having another look at your Pic Grizzly.....the oil migration and debris accumulation doesn't seem consistent with an end plate leak. The debris is thick somewhere around 18 inches to the right of the return bends.
A leak on a straight run seems unlikely....but not impossible.

Looking forward to your pictures or comments.
Regards, Mike.

Hi Mike
Been out to site with 2 other colleagues Just.
Leak confirmed 4th tube up from bottom where the tube from the return bend clears the galvanised end plate that it passes through.
Someone has brazed the other side of the end plate recently!!! Anyways back in the morning to repair!

Grizzly

[chillerman2006]

that's not an old linde pack is it mate
have had a number of them go just behind header stabiliser plate
pita to repair if it is but pays the bills

have repaired over 30 Searle coils in last few years
going on the returns as they meet the tube

1199011991

[Grizzly]

Hi chillerman.
Picture 2 is nearest but it's the other side if the plate, I.e. Going into the bundle away from the return.
If poss. I will get a picture of it tomorrow.
The pack is Russell (Gloucester) I think as the data plate is very faded!
But you are correct as usual the returns are quite a common failure area. Especially as manufacturers have skimped on materials more and more to-date..
Grizzly

[chillerman2006]

Yeah know what you mean about skimping mate
These pack coils seem to be paper thin

One of the first I did was a blind braze, stuck me head up to see if I got it and found a huge hole :D
Had to make a bed of scrap wood on two sets of steps to lay on whilst I gently rebuilt the hole I made ffs what a day that was