What an excellent video!! I am in the long process of residing my house with home made log siding. I want the benefit of AC this year, but the linesets would have to be removed when I do that side of the house with the siding. I am slow, after quadruple heart bypass! Didn't know this was a possibility! Thank you!!!
Finally got it up and running. The only delays we had was because we realized we needed some extra parts (I’ll list that below) ruclips.net/user/postUgkxihMYiJNXcHdbH-7ihymsLz61l7jVyb5O . So we have a loft where our current hvac just couldn’t seem to keep cool during the summer. We have been using a window unit since we bought this house over 6 years ago (all the houses in this neighborhood were built in the 80’s and majority of the houses built like ours use a window unit). I hate window units because they are just so noisy and the one we had really only cools one side of the loft. I had contemplated upgrading our current HVAC, but with all the rising prices these days, it would take years before saving up enough to do that. With the advice of my father-in-law (used to run an HVAC business), he recommended we get an inverter instead. We thought we bought everything we needed, but there were just a few other parts we didn’t anticipate needing (which is what caused most of our delay). My friend and father-in-law did all the work to get it installed and running and now we have nice cool air circulating nicely throughout the entire loft. It is very quiet and even the outside unit is much quieter than our main HVAC unit. Saved ourselves thousands getting this.
I had no idea you could do that. I got one outdoor unit I want to move. The mount is not good but I was worried about the refrigerant lines. I will have to try this in the spring.
I've seen this king valve trick used on larger central units. I didn't know if it would work for mini-splits as well. Very useful tip. I was wondering if I'd have to shell out for a gas'n'go if my mini split ever had to come off the wall for siding repair/replacement.
I don't understand why you need to rush to tighten up the upper valve. btw. thanks for this video. I did this process many years ago and need to do it again, but I forgot how to do it. Last time I had liquid flowing over the roof and thought that I had messed it up but the transplanted air con unit has worked fine for many years. I have 3 air con units that could be moved/replaced now.
You need to do this quick, because if you don't, the refrigerant lines will have a negative pressure on them. So you want to stop at zero or near there. If the lines are negative pressure, it'll suck in moisture or whatever is in the air into them, and you don't want to have that.
Hi guys, great video. When extending the line set can you use mechanical fittings rather than welding? Do you have a video on extending line set, vac down and putting the gas back in the system?
We don't have a video for this one, but simply get all the refrigerant back into the compressor as shown here, and then unhook the existing line set and put in a longer line set or put in an extender. Then nitrogen pressure test the line, vacuum test the line, and then release the refrigerant.
Theoretically, forever. It doesn't go bad or expire. I remember my grandparents had a refrigerator from the 1950s or something. Probably not the most efficient, but it still worked. And it will keep working as long as there are not any refrigerant leaks.
One of the commenters below stated that the air conditioner should be closed immediately after closing the second valve. This is especially true in inverter air conditioners where a fault can develop and also in some cases a fire. In inverter air conditioners, it is recommended to wait about 10 seconds before closing the second valve, and of course close the air conditioner immediately. I think you should update the video and add these comments.
Do we need to worry about the air that is in the gauge line before doing any of this? Need to vac out the blue hose or anything or just plug it in and go. Seems like the unit will suck in whatever air is in the blue hose when you do this. Or should we let a tiny bit of coolant come out of the gauge so the blue hose has coolant in it instead of air?
I spent a few years in middle management after 15+ years in the field; you can tell alot about an employee by how much they fumble with their tools and more importantly their PPE
I think his efforts and time are a lot more helpful and constructive than spending his time criticising people making an effort to help others. Thank God for the fumblers of this world.
For more than ten years my split unit (indoor) its not working because of broken PCB. How can i start the compressor to collect the Freon and then remove the entire unit. hanks a lot for your video.
I have a pioneer 18k unit with a 40’ linset that I added additional r410a when installed. I want to move the unit to a different location because of a remodel. Will the unit only hold the amount for a 25’ linset when I pump it down or do I need to buy a tank to store the additional coolant?
Whenever you recover the freon back into the outside unit, what are the changes that air or any form of moisture will be inside the outside unit? If you didn’t perform a vacuum test the first time?
If the line set wasn't vacuumed the first time, the compressor will have air, and possibly moisture, since the compressor is acting as a vacuum to suck whatever was in the indoor unit and line set back into the compressor.
@@airspool So how would you fix this problem, I had my mini plit installed by a friend and I am trying to do the same thing, so I can vaccum my lines but the line set was never vaccumed initially?
Can you please upload a video with the full process and full step by step procedure including attaching hoses, opening or closing valves how you set up your gauges etc and removing the hoses etc. Like thank you so much for sharing this but I still have a lot of questions after this video. I have a multi zone mini split with two heads. Do I run both for the pump down or is one on okay?
JD, yes, the process is possible with multi head unit. Check some previous comment postings on how to do it for your setup, because there are a few. Connect to the service valve on the biggest indoor unit, if one is bigger than any others.
@@michaelbeall7754notice he had only 1 hose connected to his gauges. The low (blue) side. Since mini split condensers only have a single service port. Which is almost always the low/vapor (blue) side. He also had the knobs on his gauges closed. Because he is using them to strictly read how much pressure/freon is in the refrigerant lines. He first closed the liquid line, the smaller of the 2 lines , which has no service port. It only has the option to close it via where he put the Allen key. He is using the compressor of the outside unit to pump the Freon back into the outside unit. Hence why when he closed that Allen key port he had to quickly put the Allen key into the top Allen key port and start closing that one as well as soon as it hit 0 on his gauges. At that point all the refrigerant that was in the lines is now inside the outside unit and trapped. Make sure both of the Allen key ports are closed tightly and then immediately pull the service disconnect on the outside unit electrical disconnect box to shut off the unit. You don’t want it trying to run with those ports shut. This technique is called pumping down a system and is useful for any time you need to work on the unit where you will be disconnecting the refrigerant lines. Like moving the inside head or moving the condenser location or fixing a leak. And once you hook the unit back up , if perchance you took the indoor head off and exposed the inside of the refrigerant lines to air, you must pressure test with nitrogen or vacuum pump out the air from the lines before reintroducing Freon back into the system. You do not want air/debris/condensation inside of those lines. And anything still unclear, please ask a professional. As these lines are very high pressure and improper procedures can lead to serious injury and or death. Thanks 🙏
Great video, thanks! I accidentally left a valve on my vacuum pump open when releasing refrigerant in the liquid line during setup, and lost a bunch of pressure. I tried running it anyway and the liquid line is icing. Think this will help, or do I need to just start over? Many thanks!
@@airspoolthanks for the reply! Made my day. I believe there is also a leak in the liquid line though. So I’m going to do this trick, change/fix the line, vacuum the lines again, then re release the refrigerant.
Hi @jamie_liles, for simplicity, just have the unit on air conditioning mode. That's safer, because certain mini splits use the large line for liquid come in some use it for gas, and heating mode.
Why is this never mentioned? I've watched a few videos on this process, but they never say whether they're running in heating or cooling, and that seems very relevant.
I'm thinking of buying a used heatpump hotwater system. Since the "indoor" unit is the cylinder and it's in heating mode, i'm guessing this technique won't work?
There are heat pumps that are hot water heaters. Of course, their design is different, and the condensing coil has water running through it. The cold air at the expansion coil then is either put into the space and used what is needed in the summer, or is put outside and it becomes the waste. So it should work. Of course see if it's working wherever it's installed now to do your due diligence. I wouldn't buy it personally unless I saw it working for its intended use.
@@airspool, Thanks for your response. I went and saw the unit. it was still setup and tested it to make sure the high pressure pipe was getting hot and it was. I then connected a gauge to the low pressure side which was the smaller tube in this case. Closed the valve and ran it till I got a slight vacuum. It worked almost perfectly with only a very slight hiss when I disconnect the main pipes. Not much more gas would have escape than when I fumbled the initial gauge connection. Your video gave me the confidence to try this method and it worked extremely well. Thanks!
@penchopenchef1 I have a line blockage and need to pump down the system on a Senville (Midea) unit to clear it out. You can force the unit into cool mode by putting a hairdryer on low warm setting and blow it onto the inside thermistor sensor (the one in the plastic tube). The unit thinks the room is roasting hot and the cooling mode kicks in. The high pressure (skinnier) line will start to frost up in cooling mode so you will know it is working.
I have a three zone unit that was wondering if this will work for just one zone or do I have to do all zones. my unit is three zone. I need to put it independent unit in the bedroom because my wife always likes to do opposite of what the other rooms are.
Well, probably all of the ports are tied together for hooking up gauges, so you're not going to get an accurate reading. But having said that, you could potentially do it without gauges by just closing down the high side and run for 30 seconds with the low side port open and then close the high side valve. If there was a separate service port on all three circuits, then no problem to monitor the pressure, but most units don't have this.
@@airspool I have to go and look but best to my memory. It had three service ports on the low side, and I think one master one at the top above the three I was a little confused about hooking gauges to it due to the port if I remember right. I think I vacuumed down each line separately. It was my second unit I installed the first one that was a multizone since then I put in four at my shop. The process and installing one at my wife’s shop. The gauges I got don’t have the right Freon but I’ve been just using the pressure readings on it. And the vacuum gauge. The two systems are put in the house. I’ve been running for over a year with no issues.
Hey I have a single compressor with five heads and one of them is going to need moved. Am I able to close the gas and liquid lines on the other four and then just do what you did with the single unit that I need to move?
Hi Jared, get all the refrigerant back in the outdoor unit for all of the circuits, including the one you want to move. And then close all the valves, and then extend the one to where you want to move it to the new location, and again do the vacuum pump and line set for that one. You only need to do that for that one. Then release the refrigerant again.
Hi, Can I use a digital micron gauge instead of the standard pressure gauge. If so, what reading should I expect from the micron valve (in microns). Thanks
Hi Virgilio, yes, it's also simple. Have the gauge hooked up to any of the 3 service ports. If one is bigger than the other two, connect to that largest one. Close all of the high-side valves quickly, with all zones running in cooling. Close the low-side valves quickly when the pressure shown on the gauge goes to zero. Immediately shut the unit off.
Your video starts with the gauge already connected to the service valve. When I try to connect my gauge it starts shooting out quite a bit of coolant before I can even get it screwed on fully. What am I doing wrong?
Well, good gauges should screw on a bit before the Schrader starts pushing down. Search for environmentally friendly gauges, and those will help you save both money and save the environment from keeping refrigerant from being released.
I have a Daikin 4 ton multi port with 2 indoor units. 1 indoor unit cools great. The other does not. I think I had a leak and may have low refrigerant. Can I use this process in your video or do I need to recover and vac the system?
Would need to turn both zones on cooling, then follow the steps, both valves need to be closed on the high side , the when at 0 on the low side. There are some other comments further down in this list, too, that talk about multi-zone.
There is an electric solinoid valve for that circuit that opens on demand. However. The whole system would be affected when both zones are calling for cooling, not just one. We would almost be leaning towards a wiring issue that isn't opening the second zone valve.
Hi, Thank you for the video. Quick question, can I do this for a four zone heat-pump, there is only one line set (one high and one low) for all the zones flow. I assume I have to turn on all units for the vacuum process, and to turn off all units at the same time I will use the circuit breaker from the main supply. Please correct me if I am wrong. Thank you again.
Yes, and for the details, check some of the earlier comments from a year ago or something. There are some other people that also had multi-zone units with some other questions.
A single manifold set would only have one port that should be controlled by the valves at at the ends, as long as those valves are closed , shouldn't need to cap anything as the low side hose will go straight to the low side gauge.
Hi Fargo, actually, that's a 110 (or 120?) v electrical cord powering the unit. So, yes, for this procedure, you only need the blue hose on the low-pressure service port just to monitor the refrigerant pressure to see that the compressor has done its job and sucked up all of the refrigerant. Since the high-side (smaller refrigerant line) was closed in the beginning, the refrigerant has nowhere to go but back into the compressor. Once it's all back in there, the suction port (for the larger refrigerant line) is also closed.
Can’t get anyone way out here to do this work so I’m installing a Mr Kool mini split heat pump head unit to an existing Me Kool mini split. The outside unit is a tad different from the one in your video. Is the process basically the same in order to replace head unit? Thanks
Well, if it's ours, first check your power and your set point. If you have power, and if you have enough distance between your set point and the indoor air temperature, the outdoor compressor will turn on. But if you have a break in the solar lines, for instance, that can make it such that the unit doesn't come on. If that still doesn't help, email comfort@airspool.com.
Sounds like the hose or gauges are leaking. Check the ports on the gauges, and make sure that they are closed. Only use the hose for the low-side gauge.
If you do this step and then want to reinstall it let's say another part of the house do you need to do the whole vacum thing with a machine?Or can you just wire it up and turn it on?
Well, it sounds like the refrigerant lines are going to be disconnected from the unit, in which case the vacuum would be lost in the lines, in which case you would need to vacuum again. But if you can somehow move the units of the line set is connected, you be okay in theory. By the way, why do my upstairs neighbors always vacuum after midnight?
@airspool thanks for all of your info... a neighbours house has white ants about to be condemned..has huge mitsubishi split system aircon still connected to the power and I got the remote its still going operating in cool mode.. I need get it before power disconnected . Its been given to me if i can remove it....
Well, for this procedure, close the low pressure port when all the refrigerant is back into the unit. So at that point, first the high pressure port, which is closed first, and then the low pressure port, which is closed once all the refrigerator is back into the unit, will be closed. At that point, the outdoor unit is similar to the way it was when it shipped from the factory. You can move the indoor and outdoor unit anywhere you would like, connect the refrigerant lines again, pull a vacuum again, and then re-release the refrigerant.
So vacuum out the line set again, and reconnect your gauges to the service port, and then just use the hex wrench to re-release the refrigerant on the high and low sides. So basically, you're starting as if it were a new unit.
ok so on centrel air i push the start silinoid from out side then let go whrn done how do i kick the compressor on and of from outside a mini split....
I have a multi zone fujitsu, 4 indoor units, do I run all 4 simultaneously to perform this? And can I use the test run from outside unit to statt and stop all units together? Thank you!
Idle, sorry for the delay. Have the gauge hooked up to any of the 4 service ports. If one is bigger than the other three connect to that largest one. Close all of the high-side (high press, for the smaller lines) valves quickly, with all zones running in cooling. Close the low-side valves quickly when the pressure shown on the gauge goes to zero. Immediately shut the unit off.
I have a very practical question. When you are operating the vaccuumpump on the service port, the operation here suggests that the gas is not being 'sucked out' via the pump. How does the valve work on the servicepoint that prevents the gas being part of the vaccuum? Maybe I misunderstood the operation. Does the outdoor unit produce the vaccuum on itself by closing the liquid valve? Is there any refrigerant in the blue line or is this impossible because the outdoor unit creates the vacuum?
Hi Sinkie, actually, the 'vacuum' is the condenser itself. So, the condenser pumps the refrigerant back into the unit. No external vacuum pump is needed. But, you do need the pressure gauge on the service port (which is connected to the low-pressure side, usually on the back side of the top of the two gas valves) to monitor that the compressor has done its job. So, by closing the high-side refrigerant port/valve first, no more refrigerant can get to the indoor unit. Meanwhile, the low-pressure port is still open, coming from the indoor unit, so, all of the refrigerant is being sucked back into the outdoor unit. Once that all is back in there, you'll see that there's no more pressure on that low side port from your gauge. Then, make sure to TURN OFF THE UNIT IMMEDIATELY. Todd had the remote in his hand, but another user, YoPeace, pointed out that it was still turned on. So, yes, turn the unit off once all the refrigerant is back in the unit.
@@airspool Thank you. One more question. How accurate is this method if we consider that we had a negative pressure, before releasing a refrigerant from outdoor unit? How much a refrigerant do we lose?
Ted, first, sorry for the late reply. Yes, when you pull the vacuum in the closed refrigerant loop, the pressure will be negative. Once the refrigerant is released, though, the pressure will be well above ambient pressure. And, well, using this method, the compressor is being used as a 'vacuum pump' to pull this refrigerant back into the compressor. So, yes, it'll work. The pressure on the closed loop goes back to negative at the end of this procedure, since all of the refrigerant is back in the compressor. Then, the low pressure valve is closed. The closed loop then remains negative, and the positive pressure is all in the compressor.
Hi Misenko, yes, to purge the air out of the blue gauge hose, screw it onto the service port of the unit and then unscrew it for maybe 1/2 second where it attaches to the gauges. This of course is done when the unit is turned offer. The pressure of the refrigerant will force the air out. Then, when the unit is turned back on, refrigerant is sucked back into the the outside unit from both the blue hose and the rest of the system.
@@airspool Thanks for reply. Does the unit need to be turned off before attaching a hose to service port? I’ve read thst it is better to connect while the system is running since there is lower pressure on suction line so less refrigerant leak during attachment.
Michal, sorry about the delay. This one got by us until now. Yes, right, you can connect it when it's running, and will be easier because less pressure.
So to purge the blue line you simply hook the hose up the service port while the ac is running for a couple second then disconnect it? Or do you leave it on the service port an disconnect the blue line at the gauge?
The compressor should suck all of the refrigerant through the system. So, any that started on the high side will expand in the indoor unit and then come back through the low pressure line to the compressor. And all this is a very quick process from the time you close the high pressure line to the time of the refrigerant is in the compressor.
Hi Sai, I think you're asking if you need to have gauges. Yes, because without them, you will not know when the refrigerant has all entered the compressor and if you keep it on too long, it can damage the compressor. And yes, first close the high pressure gauge, and then later close the low pressure gauge.
If u suspect air or moisture in your mini split lines from not properly being vacuumed how do u correct that does the R-410 have to be completely changed or what do u do ?
It sounds like the refrigerant is already flowing through the unit. If that's the case, you need an empty tank and what's called a 'recovery machine' to pump the refrigerant and contaminants into the tank. You can get one of those from Harbor Freight for like a $100 or less. If the refrigerant is not in the machine yet, then it's easy. You just need to vacuum the line set before you release the refrigerant as normal. Give us a call If you need any more help.
@@airspool ok thanks yes it's already flowing through the machine it seemed to be acting like is supposed to now it's brand new but I know it wasn't vacuumed I just bleed the lines and let all the air out is much that would come out I didn't know about the vacuuming part
Another noob question. Is the valve on the actual pressure gauge on or off when doing this? I followed everything to the “T”, but the pressure never dropped. I don’t want to open the valve of the gauge because I don’t know if doing so will release anything that shouldn’t be released. Does that make sense?
Hi Brian, well, make sure that you are actually depressing the service valve such that the pressure from the unit can be read on the gauge. Sometimes, it can be like a bike schrader valve such that if it's not pressed in correctly, nothing happens. So yes, the valve is actually attached. It doesn't need to be turned on or anything. Again, it's similar to a bike pump gauge such that if it's correctly mounted, you'll see pressure. Nothing will be released. And yes, the pressure will go down as the compressor sucks the refrigerant into the outside unit.
Does the unit need to be working for this to work or can it be vacuumed back with a pump. I have a new unit that I setup. And when I went to start it it is fulty so getting a replacement but it does not run it is possible to put the refrigerant back another way. Just trying to figure out how to remove the unit so I can swap out for the new one with out letting all the coolant out
Hi Grizzly, so the compressor didn't work at all? Are you sure it's not just some type of power issue? Anyway, This technique relies on a working compressor, so it won't work if the compressor is not working. An alternative would be to get a demo machine from Harbor Freight and an empty tank and transfer the refrigerant there.
Hi, if these are all on the same circuit, you should just be able to evacuate from the condenser the same way. All the refrigerant will come back to the outside unit in the same way whether there is one unit or multiple units. Larger vrf systems may be her different? I'm not sure on that.
@@airspool Please explain for clarity. On a multi zone unit...such as A,B and C (3 zones), do you close high side on one zone and watch the gauge to zero, then close the low side on that same zone. Then continue to the next zone and repeat that procedure, then finally to the last zone. Once the low side valve on the last zone is closed, then shut the power and that is how it is done?OR Do you simply close the high side King valve...watch the gauge to zero, then close the low side King valve...then power off?
Is the error that no vacuum was pulled? If so, yes, that refrigerant needs to be pulled out of the system, and the new refrigerant needs to be put in. Yes, the refrigerant is still fine, but there's no way to separate it from the air, so start fresh.
@@airspool mine is a inverter style. Will I have any problem getting all the Freon out? I know it’s got protection built in in the event that Freon gets low and shuts off the compressor.
Two questions: First, do you do this procedure only when the unit is in cooling mode or will either heating or cooling work? Second, if I wanted to add refrigerant to a system that is low, could I use the fully charged weight of the outdoor unit as it comes from the factory to measure how much refrigerant was lost? By weighing the outdoor unit I mean. Thank you for the video!
Yes, do it in cooling mode. And, is the leak fixed? Or was it just low to begin with? If there's a leak, obviously that needs to be solved first. And instead of weighing the outdoor unit, just let in a very little bit of refrigerant at a time, and let it run for 10 minutes and feel the suction line. If it feels like an icy cold beverage, you're good. Don't overfill the unit. You of course could try to do this by the pressure/temperature chart for your unit, too, if you have that. This will say what the pressures should be for a given outside temperature.
The high side valve gets closed 1st the the low side valve gets closed when the gauge gets to zero. So, potentially, the compressor could pull enough to make the lines have a bit of a vacuum, but if you disconnect under these circumstances, the hissing will only be for a split second. If there's still refrigerant in the lines, that's high pressure, that will stay hissing for a while and be a very scary sound as you're losing your refrigerant as you disconnect. If you did the procedure correctly, all the refrigerant should be in the compressor.
What happens if your AC is serviced and the technicians do not use evacuation pumps. All my minisplits leaked out. The Mexican guys just guess and add refrigerant (do not weigh) not care about evacuation. My minisplits run max power all the time and the fins on teh back barely feel warm. 18k minisplit using 2800 watts constantly.
The install is the most important aspect of any split system refrigerant installation. If it's done correct, very little maintenance on the unit will be needed in the future. Just clean the indoor filter once a month or something, and then clean the coils, both indoor and outdoor, as needed.
@@airspool I asked on a Facebook page here in Mexico "it's not a thing here". I have no choice but to buy my own equipment, evacuate system then wait for lazy arse MX tech to fill with refrigerant. I found another guy here in MX did the same thing because he was tired of "shotty work".
This is a very important point. Todd actually has the remote in his hand, so he was fixin' to do that. Thanks for bringing this up, since yes, the unit must immediately be turned off once all the refrigerant is back in the outside unit.
There s only one thing wrong with that method, it requires the system to be running, and the majority of equipment get changed when the Compressor is fucked, so that’s useless, who changes a good working unit !
I think a lot of people who see this video want to move their unit, so it's useful for that. But yeah, you need a refrigerant recovery machine for one with the dead compressor.
Hmm... a 3/16ths of three barleycorns size wrench huh? Who wants to bet it's actually a 5mm? Since America can't figure out how to make our own mini splits and even the American brands just import and re-badge much more sophisticated, more efficient, and more reliable Asian designed and manufactured units. lol
At that point, the unit is back to factory conditions. Take the outdoor unit and indoor unit to any other location, re-install the line set, pull a vacuum on the line set to remove the air, and re-release the refrigerant into the system and turn it on.
Hi Michael, have the gauge hooked up to any of the 3 service ports. If one is bigger than the other two, connect to that largest one. Close all of the high-side valves quickly, with all zones running in cooling. Close the low-side valves quickly when the pressure shown on the gauge goes to zero. Immediately shut the unit off.
@@airspool thank you for the response. So i by doing this i can pump down all 3 circuits from one of the service valves. If i do i this way do I close the master valves as well the same time i close the service valves? also would i be able to just hook up my gauge to the master low side. Then close the high side master valve and 3 high side service valves , then do the same to master high side and 3 service high side valves? thank you for your time
@@michaels1527 well, remember, the compressor's doing the pumping. The gauges are just on the any of the service ports, just to check the pressure. If you have, say, 2 9k btu units and one 12k btu unit, put the gauge on the 12k service port. Turn the unit on in air conditioning. When the compressor is running, close the liquid/smaller lines, all quickly at about the same time. When the pressure goes to zero, close all of the gas/low pressure lines. Then immediately turn the unit off. Then, disconnect the gauge.
@@airspool Ok thank you I understand. I have 3 9k btu units so it doesn't matter where i put the gauge. and ill close the 4 liquid lines first then the 4 gas ports (the master and the 3 service) once i hit 0 psi. Should i shut the master valve ports first or service ports first? Or it doesn't matter ?
Great video, super simple, HVAC folks dont want ahyone to see this because they thrive on freon recovery and replacement services, winning!
What an excellent video!! I am in the long process of residing my house with home made log siding. I want the benefit of AC this year, but the linesets would have to be removed when I do that side of the house with the siding. I am slow, after quadruple heart bypass! Didn't know this was a possibility! Thank you!!!
Very good method. As long as the compressor is working you can do that otherwise close both valves and suck the freeon from the pipes with a pump.
Finally got it up and running. The only delays we had was because we realized we needed some extra parts (I’ll list that below) ruclips.net/user/postUgkxihMYiJNXcHdbH-7ihymsLz61l7jVyb5O . So we have a loft where our current hvac just couldn’t seem to keep cool during the summer. We have been using a window unit since we bought this house over 6 years ago (all the houses in this neighborhood were built in the 80’s and majority of the houses built like ours use a window unit). I hate window units because they are just so noisy and the one we had really only cools one side of the loft. I had contemplated upgrading our current HVAC, but with all the rising prices these days, it would take years before saving up enough to do that. With the advice of my father-in-law (used to run an HVAC business), he recommended we get an inverter instead. We thought we bought everything we needed, but there were just a few other parts we didn’t anticipate needing (which is what caused most of our delay). My friend and father-in-law did all the work to get it installed and running and now we have nice cool air circulating nicely throughout the entire loft. It is very quiet and even the outside unit is much quieter than our main HVAC unit. Saved ourselves thousands getting this.
Love it!
Being new to mini-splits this video was a huge help. Thank you.
I had no idea you could do that. I got one outdoor unit I want to move. The mount is not good but I was worried about the refrigerant lines. I will have to try this in the spring.
What setting is the mini split on when u disconnect the ⁶ the ac setting or heating setting or do it matter ??
Yes, it certainly matters. It needs to be in the cooling mode. Thanks for this.
@@airspoolShould it be on max, min or doesn't matter?
I just learned you could do this a few weeks ago. I thought this was something that could only be done with the old R 32 units.
This is a life saver, thank you!!!
Ive got a question? How do you fix a frozen discharge line without using a pressure gauge?
I've seen this king valve trick used on larger central units. I didn't know if it would work for mini-splits as well. Very useful tip. I was wondering if I'd have to shell out for a gas'n'go if my mini split ever had to come off the wall for siding repair/replacement.
I don't understand why you need to rush to tighten up the upper valve. btw. thanks for this video. I did this process many years ago and need to do it again, but I forgot how to do it. Last time I had liquid flowing over the roof and thought that I had messed it up but the transplanted air con unit has worked fine for many years. I have 3 air con units that could be moved/replaced now.
You need to do this quick, because if you don't, the refrigerant lines will have a negative pressure on them. So you want to stop at zero or near there. If the lines are negative pressure, it'll suck in moisture or whatever is in the air into them, and you don't want to have that.
Hi guys, great video. When extending the line set can you use mechanical fittings rather than welding? Do you have a video on extending line set, vac down and putting the gas back in the system?
We don't have a video for this one, but simply get all the refrigerant back into the compressor as shown here, and then unhook the existing line set and put in a longer line set or put in an extender. Then nitrogen pressure test the line, vacuum test the line, and then release the refrigerant.
How long can the R32 refrigerant in my split AC remain effective if the system is properly sealed and stored without exposure to the environment?
Theoretically, forever. It doesn't go bad or expire. I remember my grandparents had a refrigerator from the 1950s or something. Probably not the most efficient, but it still worked. And it will keep working as long as there are not any refrigerant leaks.
One of the commenters below stated that the air conditioner should be closed immediately after closing the second valve.
This is especially true in inverter air conditioners where a fault can develop and also in some cases a fire. In inverter air conditioners, it is recommended to wait about 10 seconds before closing the second valve, and of course close the air conditioner immediately.
I think you should update the video and add these comments.
Do we need to worry about the air that is in the gauge line before doing any of this? Need to vac out the blue hose or anything or just plug it in and go. Seems like the unit will suck in whatever air is in the blue hose when you do this. Or should we let a tiny bit of coolant come out of the gauge so the blue hose has coolant in it instead of air?
You can bleed the tiniest amount of refrigerant. A bit of a necessity, but that's why next year there will be R32 and R454b.
Good video apart from the painful part of watching you use the Allen keys.
I spent a few years in middle management after 15+ years in the field; you can tell alot about an employee by how much they fumble with their tools and more importantly their PPE
I think his efforts and time are a lot more helpful and constructive than spending his time criticising people making an effort to help others. Thank God for the fumblers of this world.
@@303nitzubishi4what does that tell you?
For more than ten years my split unit (indoor) its not working because of broken PCB. How can i start the compressor to collect the Freon and then remove the entire unit. hanks a lot for your video.
Well, if the compressor is down, then you need to have a refrigerant recovery machine. Check out our video on that topic, too.
Keep in mind units with inverter protection will trip an error when the pressure drops down pretty low, say 25-30 psi.
Will this affect this process? Or is there some additional that needs to be done to work around this error?
what we do in that case when the inverter protection trip an error around 25-30 psi?
@@carboj2I believe you have to electrically bypass the pressure switch
I have a pioneer 18k unit with a 40’ linset that I added additional r410a when installed. I want to move the unit to a different location because of a remodel. Will the unit only hold the amount for a 25’ linset when I pump it down or do I need to buy a tank to store the additional coolant?
Just do it when it's cool, and you should be good to have the accumulator and outdoor coil hold everything fine.
You set the airco in cooling, but, is it also possible to put it in heating?
For this process, always do it in cooling mode.
Whenever you recover the freon back into the outside unit, what are the changes that air or any form of moisture will be inside the outside unit? If you didn’t perform a vacuum test the first time?
If the line set wasn't vacuumed the first time, the compressor will have air, and possibly moisture, since the compressor is acting as a vacuum to suck whatever was in the indoor unit and line set back into the compressor.
@@airspool So how would you fix this problem, I had my mini plit installed by a friend and I am trying to do the same thing, so I can vaccum my lines but the line set was never vaccumed initially?
You would have to recover the Freon out of the unit clean it or add new back after vacuuming the whole system down to get out all moisture.
Can you please upload a video with the full process and full step by step procedure including attaching hoses, opening or closing valves how you set up your gauges etc and removing the hoses etc. Like thank you so much for sharing this but I still have a lot of questions after this video. I have a multi zone mini split with two heads. Do I run both for the pump down or is one on okay?
JD, yes, the process is possible with multi head unit. Check some previous comment postings on how to do it for your setup, because there are a few. Connect to the service valve on the biggest indoor unit, if one is bigger than any others.
This may sound stupid but is the gauge on during the line vac or closed
@@michaelbeall7754notice he had only 1 hose connected to his gauges. The low (blue) side. Since mini split condensers only have a single service port. Which is almost always the low/vapor (blue) side.
He also had the knobs on his gauges closed. Because he is using them to strictly read how much pressure/freon is in the refrigerant lines.
He first closed the liquid line, the smaller of the 2 lines , which has no service port. It only has the option to close it via where he put the Allen key.
He is using the compressor of the outside unit to pump the Freon back into the outside unit.
Hence why when he closed that Allen key port he had to quickly put the Allen key into the top Allen key port and start closing that one as well as soon as it hit 0 on his gauges.
At that point all the refrigerant that was in the lines is now inside the outside unit and trapped.
Make sure both of the Allen key ports are closed tightly and then immediately pull the service disconnect on the outside unit electrical disconnect box to shut off the unit. You don’t want it trying to run with those ports shut.
This technique is called pumping down a system and is useful for any time you need to work on the unit where you will be disconnecting the refrigerant lines. Like moving the inside head or moving the condenser location or fixing a leak.
And once you hook the unit back up , if perchance you took the indoor head off and exposed the inside of the refrigerant lines to air, you must pressure test with nitrogen or vacuum pump out the air from the lines before reintroducing Freon back into the system. You do not want air/debris/condensation inside of those lines.
And anything still unclear, please ask a professional. As these lines are very high pressure and improper procedures can lead to serious injury and or death.
Thanks 🙏
@@michaelbeall7754and the gauge was closed. He was using it only to monitor the amount of refrigerant inside of the copper lines. (Lineset)
Should the gauge valve to be opened on the manifold?
No, there is no flow through the gauges. The gauges are just used to monitor the pressure.
you should cut the power right after closing the second valve
Very helpful. Thank you
Great video, thanks!
I accidentally left a valve on my vacuum pump open when releasing refrigerant in the liquid line during setup, and lost a bunch of pressure. I tried running it anyway and the liquid line is icing. Think this will help, or do I need to just start over?
Many thanks!
It sounds like you really just need to add some refrigerant. No need to go through this procedure.
@@airspoolthanks for the reply! Made my day. I believe there is also a leak in the liquid line though. So I’m going to do this trick, change/fix the line, vacuum the lines again, then re release the refrigerant.
Might be worth mentioning that (I assume) the min-split's compressor is doing the work here... no external vacuum pump needed... Is that correct?
Correct!
Ok but where is the yellow line connected to in the out door unit you not showing it ??
Hi Melvin, actually, the yellow one is just the power cord to power the air conditioner, so nothing directly related to the procedure here.
Do you have air conditioner on or heat on?
In the video, we have the air conditioning on. You would need to reverse the order of valve closure in heat mode.
If you don't know that you don't need to do this...
@John Drossart so in heat mode close the big line first then the small line ?
Hi @jamie_liles, for simplicity, just have the unit on air conditioning mode. That's safer, because certain mini splits use the large line for liquid come in some use it for gas, and heating mode.
Why is this never mentioned? I've watched a few videos on this process, but they never say whether they're running in heating or cooling, and that seems very relevant.
I'm thinking of buying a used heatpump hotwater system. Since the "indoor" unit is the cylinder and it's in heating mode, i'm guessing this technique won't work?
There are heat pumps that are hot water heaters. Of course, their design is different, and the condensing coil has water running through it. The cold air at the expansion coil then is either put into the space and used what is needed in the summer, or is put outside and it becomes the waste. So it should work. Of course see if it's working wherever it's installed now to do your due diligence. I wouldn't buy it personally unless I saw it working for its intended use.
@@airspool, Thanks for your response.
I went and saw the unit. it was still setup and tested it to make sure the high pressure pipe was getting hot and it was. I then connected a gauge to the low pressure side which was the smaller tube in this case. Closed the valve and ran it till I got a slight vacuum. It worked almost perfectly with only a very slight hiss when I disconnect the main pipes. Not much more gas would have escape than when I fumbled the initial gauge connection.
Your video gave me the confidence to try this method and it worked extremely well.
Thanks!
If room temperature is very low, compressor won't start on cooling mode at all. What then?
In that case, wait until spring, or build a fire around the unit to make it think that it's warmer inside.
@@airspoolimproper irony , as a specialist, as you claim to be, there should be an intelligent solution...
@penchopenchef1 I have a line blockage and need to pump down the system on a Senville (Midea) unit to clear it out.
You can force the unit into cool mode by putting a hairdryer on low warm setting and blow it onto the inside thermistor sensor (the one in the plastic tube). The unit thinks the room is roasting hot and the cooling mode kicks in. The high pressure (skinnier) line will start to frost up in cooling mode so you will know it is working.
Great advise ….thanks....What mode is this done in, Cooling or Heating mode?
Always in cooling mode.
Thanks for the video
I have a three zone unit that was wondering if this will work for just one zone or do I have to do all zones. my unit is three zone. I need to put it independent unit in the bedroom because my wife always likes to do opposite of what the other rooms are.
Well, probably all of the ports are tied together for hooking up gauges, so you're not going to get an accurate reading. But having said that, you could potentially do it without gauges by just closing down the high side and run for 30 seconds with the low side port open and then close the high side valve. If there was a separate service port on all three circuits, then no problem to monitor the pressure, but most units don't have this.
@@airspool I have to go and look but best to my memory. It had three service ports on the low side, and I think one master one at the top above the three I was a little confused about hooking gauges to it due to the port if I remember right. I think I vacuumed down each line separately. It was my second unit I installed the first one that was a multizone since then I put in four at my shop. The process and installing one at my wife’s shop. The gauges I got don’t have the right Freon but I’ve been just using the pressure readings on it. And the vacuum gauge. The two systems are put in the house. I’ve been running for over a year with no issues.
Hey I have a single compressor with five heads and one of them is going to need moved. Am I able to close the gas and liquid lines on the other four and then just do what you did with the single unit that I need to move?
Hi Jared, get all the refrigerant back in the outdoor unit for all of the circuits, including the one you want to move. And then close all the valves, and then extend the one to where you want to move it to the new location, and again do the vacuum pump and line set for that one. You only need to do that for that one. Then release the refrigerant again.
Hi, Can I use a digital micron gauge instead of the standard pressure gauge. If so, what reading should I expect from the micron valve (in microns). Thanks
www.convertunits.com/from/PSI/to/micron+mercury yes, take it down to 1000 microns.
How about Tri Split? How to do it? Can you please let me know since I need to move the outdoor unit to other location.
Hi Virgilio, yes, it's also simple. Have the gauge hooked up to any of the 3 service ports. If one is bigger than the other two, connect to that largest one. Close all of the high-side valves quickly, with all zones running in cooling. Close the low-side valves quickly when the pressure shown on the gauge goes to zero. Immediately shut the unit off.
Thank you!!
Your video starts with the gauge already connected to the service valve. When I try to connect my gauge it starts shooting out quite a bit of coolant before I can even get it screwed on fully. What am I doing wrong?
Well, good gauges should screw on a bit before the Schrader starts pushing down. Search for environmentally friendly gauges, and those will help you save both money and save the environment from keeping refrigerant from being released.
Thank you!
I have a Daikin 4 ton multi port with 2 indoor units. 1 indoor unit cools great. The other does not. I think I had a leak and may have low refrigerant. Can I use this process in your video or do I need to recover and vac the system?
Would need to turn both zones on cooling, then follow the steps, both valves need to be closed on the high side , the when at 0 on the low side. There are some other comments further down in this list, too, that talk about multi-zone.
There is an electric solinoid valve for that circuit that opens on demand. However. The whole system would be affected when both zones are calling for cooling, not just one. We would almost be leaning towards a wiring issue that isn't opening the second zone valve.
Hi, Thank you for the video. Quick question, can I do this for a four zone heat-pump, there is only one line set (one high and one low) for all the zones flow. I assume I have to turn on all units for the vacuum process, and to turn off all units at the same time I will use the circuit breaker from the main supply. Please correct me if I am wrong. Thank you again.
Yes, and for the details, check some of the earlier comments from a year ago or something. There are some other people that also had multi-zone units with some other questions.
I bought a single manifold gauge. Do I plug or seal off the inlet that’s not being used for this?
A single manifold set would only have one port that should be controlled by the valves at at the ends, as long as those valves are closed , shouldn't need to cap anything as the low side hose will go straight to the low side gauge.
Do you have to turn the unit off after you close it?
Yes, immediately turn it off once you close it. That should have been made more evident in the video.
Thanks
what if you had to add refrigerant to the line set? will it hold the additional refrigerant that was added?
Yes. There's room in the coil there and in the compressor and the accumulator for whatever line length the unit is rated.
Good job my friend 🎉👍
Sorry, newbie question....
What is the yellow hose connecting to?
Hi Fargo, actually, that's a 110 (or 120?) v electrical cord powering the unit. So, yes, for this procedure, you only need the blue hose on the low-pressure service port just to monitor the refrigerant pressure to see that the compressor has done its job and sucked up all of the refrigerant. Since the high-side (smaller refrigerant line) was closed in the beginning, the refrigerant has nowhere to go but back into the compressor. Once it's all back in there, the suction port (for the larger refrigerant line) is also closed.
Hi there when the blue hose is connected does the Gauge have to be open
Can’t get anyone way out here to do this work so I’m installing a Mr Kool mini split heat pump head unit to an existing Me Kool mini split. The outside unit is a tad different from the one in your video. Is the process basically the same in order to replace head unit? Thanks
Yogi, yes, should be about the same.
This was my question too. The schrader valve is opposite of the one in the video. It would save so much grief to be able to do this.
Can you do this with the mrcool unit ? Since it's not shipped that way.
Sure.
What to do if the outdoor unit is not turning ON?
Well, if it's ours, first check your power and your set point. If you have power, and if you have enough distance between your set point and the indoor air temperature, the outdoor compressor will turn on. But if you have a break in the solar lines, for instance, that can make it such that the unit doesn't come on. If that still doesn't help, email comfort@airspool.com.
Will this work on longer line sets?
Sure.
When i connected the gauge i had a lot of hissing, whats best way to connect the gauge?
Sounds like the hose or gauges are leaking. Check the ports on the gauges, and make sure that they are closed. Only use the hose for the low-side gauge.
If you do this step and then want to reinstall it let's say another part of the house do you need to do the whole vacum thing with a machine?Or can you just wire it up and turn it on?
Well, it sounds like the refrigerant lines are going to be disconnected from the unit, in which case the vacuum would be lost in the lines, in which case you would need to vacuum again. But if you can somehow move the units of the line set is connected, you be okay in theory. By the way, why do my upstairs neighbors always vacuum after midnight?
@airspool thanks for all of your info... a neighbours house has white ants about to be condemned..has huge mitsubishi split system aircon still connected to the power and I got the remote its still going operating in cool mode.. I need get it before power disconnected . Its been given to me if i can remove it....
After refrigerant is backed up and service ports are closed, is the low pressure port still open to pressure test lines with nitrogen?
Just found the answer on my installation manual. The answers yes. I guess that is the propose of a 3-way valve. Great video, Thank you!
Well, for this procedure, close the low pressure port when all the refrigerant is back into the unit. So at that point, first the high pressure port, which is closed first, and then the low pressure port, which is closed once all the refrigerator is back into the unit, will be closed. At that point, the outdoor unit is similar to the way it was when it shipped from the factory. You can move the indoor and outdoor unit anywhere you would like, connect the refrigerant lines again, pull a vacuum again, and then re-release the refrigerant.
Thanks. How to return it back?
So vacuum out the line set again, and reconnect your gauges to the service port, and then just use the hex wrench to re-release the refrigerant on the high and low sides. So basically, you're starting as if it were a new unit.
ok so on centrel air i push the start silinoid from out side then let go whrn done how do i kick the compressor on and of from outside a mini split....
Yes, just turn the unit on and when the refrigerants in the outdoor unit, cut the power to the outside unit.
I have a multi zone fujitsu, 4 indoor units, do I run all 4 simultaneously to perform this? And can I use the test run from outside unit to statt and stop all units together? Thank you!
Idle, sorry for the delay. Have the gauge hooked up to any of the 4 service ports. If one is bigger than the other three connect to that largest one. Close all of the high-side (high press, for the smaller lines) valves quickly, with all zones running in cooling. Close the low-side valves quickly when the pressure shown on the gauge goes to zero. Immediately shut the unit off.
@@airspool Thank you, I only have 1 set of ports on my outside unit. My system is older and use 2 branch boxes, located in the attic.
I have a very practical question. When you are operating the vaccuumpump on the service port, the operation here suggests that the gas is not being 'sucked out' via the pump. How does the valve work on the servicepoint that prevents the gas being part of the vaccuum? Maybe I misunderstood the operation. Does the outdoor unit produce the vaccuum on itself by closing the liquid valve? Is there any refrigerant in the blue line or is this impossible because the outdoor unit creates the vacuum?
Hi Sinkie, actually, the 'vacuum' is the condenser itself. So, the condenser pumps the refrigerant back into the unit. No external vacuum pump is needed. But, you do need the pressure gauge on the service port (which is connected to the low-pressure side, usually on the back side of the top of the two gas valves) to monitor that the compressor has done its job. So, by closing the high-side refrigerant port/valve first, no more refrigerant can get to the indoor unit. Meanwhile, the low-pressure port is still open, coming from the indoor unit, so, all of the refrigerant is being sucked back into the outdoor unit. Once that all is back in there, you'll see that there's no more pressure on that low side port from your gauge. Then, make sure to TURN OFF THE UNIT IMMEDIATELY. Todd had the remote in his hand, but another user, YoPeace, pointed out that it was still turned on. So, yes, turn the unit off once all the refrigerant is back in the unit.
@@airspool Thanks!
@@airspoolhow do you pump a 4 casket style or multi head? Close 4 liquid ports and 3 suction ports and run down to 5 psi and close the 4th one down?
Yes, open all liquid and gas ports, then close all of the suction ports. Close the gas port with the manifold gauge hooked to it last.
Can I pump down a inverter compressor too?
Sure! This one shown is an inverter compressor.
@@airspool Thank you. One more question. How accurate is this method if we consider that we had a negative pressure, before releasing a refrigerant from outdoor unit? How much a refrigerant do we lose?
Ted, first, sorry for the late reply. Yes, when you pull the vacuum in the closed refrigerant loop, the pressure will be negative. Once the refrigerant is released, though, the pressure will be well above ambient pressure. And, well, using this method, the compressor is being used as a 'vacuum pump' to pull this refrigerant back into the compressor. So, yes, it'll work. The pressure on the closed loop goes back to negative at the end of this procedure, since all of the refrigerant is back in the compressor. Then, the low pressure valve is closed. The closed loop then remains negative, and the positive pressure is all in the compressor.
Nice vid. Just a practical question. Did you purge the blue hose and manifold before evacuation ?
Hi Misenko, yes, to purge the air out of the blue gauge hose, screw it onto the service port of the unit and then unscrew it for maybe 1/2 second where it attaches to the gauges. This of course is done when the unit is turned offer. The pressure of the refrigerant will force the air out. Then, when the unit is turned back on, refrigerant is sucked back into the the outside unit from both the blue hose and the rest of the system.
@@airspool Thanks for reply. Does the unit need to be turned off before attaching a hose to service port? I’ve read thst it is better to connect while the system is running since there is lower pressure on suction line so less refrigerant leak during attachment.
Michal, sorry about the delay. This one got by us until now. Yes, right, you can connect it when it's running, and will be easier because less pressure.
@@airspool No problem, thanks for the response.
So to purge the blue line you simply hook the hose up the service port while the ac is running for a couple second then disconnect it? Or do you leave it on the service port an disconnect the blue line at the gauge?
How do put freon back on the high side of the unit
The compressor should suck all of the refrigerant through the system. So, any that started on the high side will expand in the indoor unit and then come back through the low pressure line to the compressor. And all this is a very quick process from the time you close the high pressure line to the time of the refrigerant is in the compressor.
Hi there just a qusetion does the Guage have to be open
Hi Sai, I think you're asking if you need to have gauges. Yes, because without them, you will not know when the refrigerant has all entered the compressor and if you keep it on too long, it can damage the compressor. And yes, first close the high pressure gauge, and then later close the low pressure gauge.
@@airspool thank you very much for responding back greatly appreciated
Is the unit running when you do this?
Yes. The compressor motor is used to pull the refrigerant back into itself.
Hi what gauges do you need to do this??
Just a simple set, 3 port, 1/4" sae flare hoses and a 1/4" male flare to 5/16" female flare adaptor (all mini splits are 5/16" male flare).
@@airspool thanks, when extending line set can you use compression/mechanical fittings over welding the joints?
If u suspect air or moisture in your mini split lines from not properly being vacuumed how do u correct that does the R-410 have to be completely changed or what do u do ?
It sounds like the refrigerant is already flowing through the unit. If that's the case, you need an empty tank and what's called a 'recovery machine' to pump the refrigerant and contaminants into the tank. You can get one of those from Harbor Freight for like a $100 or less. If the refrigerant is not in the machine yet, then it's easy. You just need to vacuum the line set before you release the refrigerant as normal. Give us a call If you need any more help.
@@airspool ok thanks yes it's already flowing through the machine it seemed to be acting like is supposed to now it's brand new but I know it wasn't vacuumed I just bleed the lines and let all the air out is much that would come out I didn't know about the vacuuming part
Another noob question. Is the valve on the actual pressure gauge on or off when doing this? I followed everything to the “T”, but the pressure never dropped. I don’t want to open the valve of the gauge because I don’t know if doing so will release anything that shouldn’t be released. Does that make sense?
Hi Brian, well, make sure that you are actually depressing the service valve such that the pressure from the unit can be read on the gauge. Sometimes, it can be like a bike schrader valve such that if it's not pressed in correctly, nothing happens. So yes, the valve is actually attached. It doesn't need to be turned on or anything. Again, it's similar to a bike pump gauge such that if it's correctly mounted, you'll see pressure. Nothing will be released. And yes, the pressure will go down as the compressor sucks the refrigerant into the outside unit.
Gauge valve should be off
Does the unit need to be working for this to work or can it be vacuumed back with a pump. I have a new unit that I setup. And when I went to start it it is fulty so getting a replacement but it does not run it is possible to put the refrigerant back another way. Just trying to figure out how to remove the unit so I can swap out for the new one with out letting all the coolant out
Hi Grizzly, so the compressor didn't work at all? Are you sure it's not just some type of power issue? Anyway, This technique relies on a working compressor, so it won't work if the compressor is not working. An alternative would be to get a demo machine from Harbor Freight and an empty tank and transfer the refrigerant there.
I have a senville with multiple indoor units do i have to do this with each indoor unit?
Hi, if these are all on the same circuit, you should just be able to evacuate from the condenser the same way. All the refrigerant will come back to the outside unit in the same way whether there is one unit or multiple units. Larger vrf systems may be her different? I'm not sure on that.
@@airspool Please explain for clarity. On a multi zone unit...such as A,B and C (3 zones), do you close high side on one zone and watch the gauge to zero, then close the low side on that same zone. Then continue to the next zone and repeat that procedure, then finally to the last zone. Once the low side valve on the last zone is closed, then shut the power and that is how it is done?OR Do you simply close the high side King valve...watch the gauge to zero, then close the low side King valve...then power off?
If there is air in my minisplit system (An error occured during installation). How can I restore it?
Is the error that no vacuum was pulled? If so, yes, that refrigerant needs to be pulled out of the system, and the new refrigerant needs to be put in. Yes, the refrigerant is still fine, but there's no way to separate it from the air, so start fresh.
So leave power on?
Yes, and in air conditioning mode, not in heat mode. And then turn the unit off once all the refrigerant is back in the outdoor unit.
@@airspool mine is a inverter style. Will I have any problem getting all the Freon out? I know it’s got protection built in in the event that Freon gets low and shuts off the compressor.
Two questions:
First, do you do this procedure only when the unit is in cooling mode or will either heating or cooling work?
Second, if I wanted to add refrigerant to a system that is low, could I use the fully charged weight of the outdoor unit as it comes from the factory to measure how much refrigerant was lost? By weighing the outdoor unit I mean. Thank you for the video!
Yes, do it in cooling mode. And, is the leak fixed? Or was it just low to begin with? If there's a leak, obviously that needs to be solved first. And instead of weighing the outdoor unit, just let in a very little bit of refrigerant at a time, and let it run for 10 minutes and feel the suction line. If it feels like an icy cold beverage, you're good. Don't overfill the unit. You of course could try to do this by the pressure/temperature chart for your unit, too, if you have that. This will say what the pressures should be for a given outside temperature.
@@airspoolThank you!
Valves are closed tight but when i break open the unions for the insode coil i still get hissing?
The high side valve gets closed 1st the the low side valve gets closed when the gauge gets to zero. So, potentially, the compressor could pull enough to make the lines have a bit of a vacuum, but if you disconnect under these circumstances, the hissing will only be for a split second. If there's still refrigerant in the lines, that's high pressure, that will stay hissing for a while and be a very scary sound as you're losing your refrigerant as you disconnect. If you did the procedure correctly, all the refrigerant should be in the compressor.
What happens if your AC is serviced and the technicians do not use evacuation pumps. All my minisplits leaked out. The Mexican guys just guess and add refrigerant (do not weigh) not care about evacuation. My minisplits run max power all the time and the fins on teh back barely feel warm. 18k minisplit using 2800 watts constantly.
The install is the most important aspect of any split system refrigerant installation. If it's done correct, very little maintenance on the unit will be needed in the future. Just clean the indoor filter once a month or something, and then clean the coils, both indoor and outdoor, as needed.
@@airspool I asked on a Facebook page here in Mexico "it's not a thing here". I have no choice but to buy my own equipment, evacuate system then wait for lazy arse MX tech to fill with refrigerant. I found another guy here in MX did the same thing because he was tired of "shotty work".
damn i unhooked the power to the panel before doing this. cut the cord and everything. ughhhhh
Dang!
@@airspool is my only option for getting rid of the unit to rewire it?
nice thank youuuuuu
why did you leave it running lol
This is a very important point. Todd actually has the remote in his hand, so he was fixin' to do that. Thanks for bringing this up, since yes, the unit must immediately be turned off once all the refrigerant is back in the outside unit.
Maybe better audio and a more of a complex set up from start to finish would make this video perfect
Likely.
Butterfingers.
Ok,
There s only one thing wrong with that method, it requires the system to be running, and the majority of equipment get changed when the Compressor is fucked, so that’s useless, who changes a good working unit !
I think a lot of people who see this video want to move their unit, so it's useful for that. But yeah, you need a refrigerant recovery machine for one with the dead compressor.
@thegamerfiftin I'm moving so i want to know how to disconnect so I can reuse. Fuckin dumbass comment here bud.
Hmm... a 3/16ths of three barleycorns size wrench huh? Who wants to bet it's actually a 5mm? Since America can't figure out how to make our own mini splits and even the American brands just import and re-badge much more sophisticated, more efficient, and more reliable Asian designed and manufactured units. lol
this was painful
Why?
@@robertinogg For me it having to watch Todd still masticating his breakfast....
So after its stored how do we reinstall it elsewhwre
At that point, the unit is back to factory conditions. Take the outdoor unit and indoor unit to any other location, re-install the line set, pull a vacuum on the line set to remove the air, and re-release the refrigerant into the system and turn it on.
If I have a 3 zone mini split do I need to do this for all 3 circuits?
Hi Michael, have the gauge hooked up to any of the 3 service ports. If one is bigger than the other two, connect to that largest one. Close all of the high-side valves quickly, with all zones running in cooling. Close the low-side valves quickly when the pressure shown on the gauge goes to zero. Immediately shut the unit off.
@@airspool thank you for the response. So i by doing this i can pump down all 3 circuits from one of the service valves. If i do i this way do I close the master valves as well the same time i close the service valves?
also would i be able to just hook up my gauge to the master low side. Then close the high side master valve and 3 high side service valves , then do the same to master high side and 3 service high side valves?
thank you for your time
@@michaels1527 well, remember, the compressor's doing the pumping. The gauges are just on the any of the service ports, just to check the pressure. If you have, say, 2 9k btu units and one 12k btu unit, put the gauge on the 12k service port. Turn the unit on in air conditioning. When the compressor is running, close the liquid/smaller lines, all quickly at about the same time. When the pressure goes to zero, close all of the gas/low pressure lines. Then immediately turn the unit off. Then, disconnect the gauge.
@@airspool Ok thank you I understand. I have 3 9k btu units so it doesn't matter where i put the gauge. and ill close the 4 liquid lines first then the 4 gas ports (the master and the 3 service) once i hit 0 psi. Should i shut the master valve ports first or service ports first? Or it doesn't matter ?
@@michaels1527 this is what i was wondering myself