Qualitair / L'unite compressor problem

[wotsie]

Hi all - I have a confession; this is my first post and I'm not an 'RE'!
I run a pub in Suffolk (England) and my **** cellar cooler has died (warm beer anyone?? ).
An engineer came today and after a very short time declared the compressor in the external unit (made by L'unite) to be seized. The quotation for a replacement was severe, so I rang a few other firms for quotes and that's where things got interesting... One of the guys I phoned said 'are you sure it's seized' and suggested that I give the comp a slight tap - hey presto the unit burst back into life and the fan ran fine...for about an hour - then it all cut out again. During that hour there was no apparent 'cooling' going on though.
My question to this awesome forum (I use other forums regularly and yours is one of the best! ) is whether or not you think it likely that the comp is nearly dead or whether I am more likely to need a re-gas / new condensor / relays, etc??
Cheers!

[Lord Kelvin]

I think your compressor run short of oil and gas,both are spilled at the same time.Look for some leakage in the lines.
luck

[Andy AC]

You've either lost all your gas through a leak ( most likely) or the compressor isn't pumping and is knackered.
To be honest, the compressors in those units are pants, and if they have cooked once, it won't be long before it happens again even if it has been repaired and charged correctly.
You need to get somebody to check for leaks at both ends of system ( and in between ). It could be the expansion valve failed ( permanently shut), could be compressor capacitor.
Bottom line is it's going to be expensive, you may get it going for a while, if its a simple fault but that comp won't last long.

Andy

[borley]

Hello Wotsie
First get someone who knows what they are talking about to check out your cooler. You can make all the assumptions in the world, but you won't get a true idea of the cost of repair until you know exactly what is wrong. Obviously the first chap took a wild guess, if the compressor was seized then it would not have started when you tapped it. Get a second opinion.

cheers
Shaun

[p_p]

Hi Wotsie

What location are you in, if you are in the notts region i will have a look at the problem for you.
No Charge.

regards

PP

[wotsie]

Cheers for your advice guys - I have indeed booked a second opinion for tomorrow morning - will report back on the findings!

[Brian_UK]

Hi Wotsie and welcome.

The usual problem with any equipment that goes down is that no-one wants to pay for a repair

How long has the unit been running for, are we talking a couple of years or a lot more than that ?

Is it older than your car and if it is, why did you change your last car?

Have you had your monies worth out of it ?

How much business are you losing or going to lose because your beer is warm?

Either way, hope that your second opinion gives you cause for hope

[paul_h]

Tappng it to get it running doesn't sound like a mechanical fault, so I'd say it isn't seizing or have bad compression. At the most tapping would do to free a sticking relay, loose wire or hp/lp control.
If it was a loose wire or sticking relay, you'd get full cooling for the hour it ran.
Which leaves HP/LP being the cause, but that also means it tripped out for a reason is the first place.
Using my super powers of diagnosing a unit without even seeing it
You've got a refrigerant leak, faulty valve or blockage causing LP cutout (and lack of cooling when it did run), or dirty condenser or faulty condenser fan (edit: causing HP cutout and lack of cooling when it did run)

[Iceman Ian]

G'day Wotsie
Am interested in the outcome....
What happened???