chiller

[brian m]

hi, new to site, just finding my way around.
the question i have is,, what are the initial findings on a water chiller that has a burst on the plate evaporator.
i.e would the water be obvious at the start of a problem?,
would i get any wierd pressure readings or would the compressor fail to start? thanks in advance..

[BritCit_Juve]

A burst heat exchanger will give two imediate effects I think. THe first is that there would be no gas in the refrigerant circuit and the sight glass should show wet. Also the compressor will have carried on running until the LP switch made or water reached the compressor so the compressor breaker will trip.
I hope that this helps

BritCit_Juve

[Rick Harris]

Brian:Certainly you would have no refrigerant pressure to speak of but I would meg the compressor before starting it and see if you can get an oil sample.I have had them actually spout water when putting on my gauges.You could also pressurize the system and see if you have any positive results on the water side.Cheers Rick

[Andy]

Hi, If the compressor was a open type water reaching the compressor would not throw the breaker due to an electrical short circuit. The compressor would go out on LP or possibly oil pressure. I have seen systems where you could see an oil water emulsion in the liquid lie sight glass.
Regards. Andy.