Attachment 9323
Hello
Please see picture of dented condenser coil which has blown a leak.
Would anyone care to comment on the best methods for repairing this leak, all advice or comments are welcome.
Thanks
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Attachment 9323
Hello
Please see picture of dented condenser coil which has blown a leak.
Would anyone care to comment on the best methods for repairing this leak, all advice or comments are welcome.
Thanks
That is a very good photo, how did the damage happen?
I managed to repair one of my old machines that had a leak in a similar place because something had been rubbing against the bend. I used my gas welder and a normal copper rod but I'm not sure such primitive repairs are allowed in all countries and maybe some gasses are too high pressure and the same repair might not work.
Heat it slightly, screw a small screw into the hole just enough to bite and pull gently .
That will take the dent out of it then blob it with cupro.
Don't worry about the pressure as once the rod is applied the repair will be significantly stronger than the surrounding pipe work.
Be careful not to over heat the end plate though.
Cheers
Stu
is it actually leaking on the dent? if so brazing rod and blob it, done them type of repairs before and not had a problem, usually coils leak where the copper tube passes through the steel end plate- then you have to blank off that run of the condenser
Did a repair similiar to that a few weeks ago on a table top mounted unit with access at both sides of the condensor. After a long ponder I decided to use a dremmel type multi tool cutter to slice the u bend off, used a 20mm hole saw and drilled over the tubes cutting the steel end enclosure plate off exposing the tube flares, debraized them, and braized in replacement slightly longer u bends that took me a few attempts to get right.
The joints held at 150 psi test pressure over night and held a vacuum with no perceivable movement to be concerned about. An unusual looking condensor end row and an unorthodox repair but with a repair cost of around £200.00 instead of around £470.00 for a new condensor coil plus labour and a gas top off. The customer didn't care about looks and neither did I.
That dent on your unit was probably done in the factory when it was built, I have come across similiar situations on equipment Built in South America. With damaged condensor tubes that looked like the jigs had been contaminated with swarfe that had in turn cut into the tubes when they were formed, causing a weakness not immediatley picked up if and when factory pressured tested at the time.
I have found in tight spots it can help to have a vac pump running on the system whilst you are repairing the bend. Just helps with drawing the solder in if you cannot get a great amount of heat in the right spot. Also stops any slight pressure from blowing the solder out.
any pics of this repair??- for research/educational purposes?:DQuote:
Originally Posted by chilliwilly
It was either damaged when it left the factory or when they fitted it (very unlikely). There's nothing near the pipework to abrade it in this way under vibration.
I seem to recall there was a type of mastic around a few years ago which you could use to patch this sort of thing up, but I think it's been taken off the market under new legislation.
It's R404 with two compressors serving one condenser and one evaporator, it's got two sets of pipework and the expansion is capillary tube.
It's leaking from the dent, I think the wall of the tube has just come apart under stress from normal heating and cooling. It's about two or three years old so it's probably taken that long to fail.
The costs quoted above to repair at £270 would be about right, to replace and fit a new condenser would be about double the repair cost.
No but when I get another call at the same place and if I think on, I'll take a couple and upload them.Quote:
Originally Posted by install monkey
These are the pics from the other job I was on about regarding the jig being contaminated with swarfe that caused the pipe to leak.
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