Making an emergency repair in a Microchannel aluminum coil using Solderweld's Alloy Sol

Making an emergency repair in a Microchannel aluminum condensing coil using Solderweld's Alloy Sol. This model York unit is known to rub out like this. We quoted up a replacement coil, and replacement fan motors for this client, but they needed this unit back cooling ASAP so we had to make a repair. This was our first time using the Alloy sol product.

[@maheradous9257]

Good job 👍

[@ricardodelacruz3759]

Great video..

[@derrickenbuenosaires]

Better than what I could've done. I've tried on two different occasions to repair these microchannels but I failed to do so.
The heat just ends up burning a hole right through the aluminum and say if I were to repair the leak I probably burnt a hole on the top pass doing so lol
I think if the leak was in the middle of the coil or a bit lower it would have been tough since heat rises and just melts the aluminum.
Next time I'ma try those LACO epoxy sealers. It's like a green crayola. You heat it up and it melts onto the metal forming a bond. Lot less heat than soldering.

[@mechanicalenvironments]

thanks bud, I haven't had a chance to try any of the epoxy sealants, they look like they should work especially if the system is hooked to the vac pump at the time of the repair. I did repair another coil after this one and used the same rods but with the flux core inside, those where a little easier to work than the dry flux and rod combo in this video. Also did some warm up spots on an aluminum can to get a feel for the rods before the coll. Micro channel coils are a PIA, everytime I quote a replacement, i use nationwide coils, they make traditional copper tube coils that fit in place of the microchannel coils.

[@junior_treyohfive]

Man I've taken home a few aluminum coils to try at home The best I got was like 290psi before I seen a little bubble start slowly blowing up.. I was also using the aluminum welds from harbor freight maybe that had something to do with it😂😂😂... Good job bro👍

[@james10739]

Ya i bet that flux makes a big difference

[@USA-GreedyMenOfNoIntegrity]

How about going around to all of them and putting some foam tape protection in there? Also get the fan blades balanced or replaced.

[@hvacguru-Kansas]

Great video. Just curious, was the head pressure or subcooling affected after blocking off that channel? Or, was it noticeable?

[@mechanicalenvironments]

Basically no change. I think it being a top row heled a lot as not much air is bring moved in the top couple inched of the coil

[@BasketballAve]

Had to be a York 😂😂😂😂 I’ve changed like 30 coils at a mall cause the coils would leak after 5 years after it was installed…but it was at the copper to Aluminum connections.
Terrible design. They need to go back to copper coils. For better reliability

[@mechanicalenvironments]

Absolutely a York. I agree the copper coils can take much more abuse. We offered the copper replacement, but they wanna ride this repair till it dies apparently...

[@hvactech77]

All these york rtu units of this model rattle in this area. Poor design. It’s not meaning a bad fan motor they just rattle from the top grill or baffle in the area where ur leak was.