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Author:
sum (FL)
I had a central AC broke down and I called in an AC service company to fix.
Turned out all the refrigerant leaked.
It leaked because of a hole in the copper line.
The hole was formed due to an electrical arc caused by an electrical conductor inside the compressor box broke off the wire nut and touched the copper line.
and the breaking off from the wire nut was caused by the humidity...the metal "spring" inside the wire nut corroded.
The AC tech brazed the hole and sealed the hole...is this the right way to fix it instead of using some copper sleeve?
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Author:
m & m (MD)
I'll do the same thing sometimes with copper pipe that has frozen and ruptured. Works fine.
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Author:
packy (MA)
real brazing is stronger than the copper tubing.
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Author:
sum (FL)
But essentially it is like plugging the hole with solder right?
I thought a better fix would be to cut out a short piece then put in a longer repair coupling and braze the two joints.
No big deal just wanted to make sure this is ok.
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Author:
packy (MA)
sum, you have to understand how strong brazing is..
plumbers soft solder fittings to pipe at a temperature of slightly over 400 F deg.
brazing requires a temperature of 1350 F or more.
as i said, done properly the brazing is stronger than the tubing..
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Author:
hj (AZ)
That would be a much more difficult process than you think it would be, and immensely more expensive.
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Author:
bernabeu (SC)
right on, hj - IMMENSLY more $$$$$
==============================================
"Measure Twice & Cut Once" - Retired U.A. Local 1 & 638
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Author:
sum (FL)
why would it be much more difficult and expensive? I am not saying what's done was inferior, I am OK after Packy's explanation.
But why would using a sleeve to repair be a much more difficult task? Isn't that just soldering on steroid? I know I can solder a repair coupling to a copper line in about 10 minutes and I am someone who moves at turtle speed, so an experienced AC tech should be a piece of pie NO?
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Author:
hj (AZ)
NO! to cut the line and install a coupling would require evacuating the system into a storage contaniner, brazing the coupling probably while pumping the system down, then replacing the gas. And, that assumes he has room to insert the coupling and access all the way around the tubing.
Edited 1 times.
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Author:
sum (FL)
OK, but in my case, the refrigerant has leaked out totally, it was at 0 psi, so there was nothing to put away and store...but I got the point now, thanks.
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Author:
KCRoto (MO)
Soft tubing isn't always round anymore, so it can take time to reshape it back to where it needs to be if you were to try to solder it as well.
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Author:
hj (AZ)
He would still have to evacuate since not ALL of the refrigerant leaked out and the heat of making the coupling joints would have "vaporized" the gas and caused an internal pressure which would have caused the joint to fail as it was "blowing out".
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Author:
bernabeu (SC)
evacuate and (for best practice) purge while brazing with dry nitrogen or argon
or
what he did (99.99% effective)
==============================================
"Measure Twice & Cut Once" - Retired U.A. Local 1 & 638
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Author:
hj (AZ)
What, you mean you do not like the Phosgene gas generated by heating the refrigerant red hot?
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Author:
bernabeu (SC)
loooove the Phosgene, haaaate the compressor damage from the flakes of Cuprous Oxide
==============================================
"Measure Twice & Cut Once" - Retired U.A. Local 1 & 638
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Author:
Hodrick (AR)
Hi, it would be interesting to know if something helped you from the tips given in the comments above. I ran into a similar problem with air conditioners, and I can't even imagine what the problem might be and what I should do. I want to solve it all on my own and for free, but maybe I need to use the services of professionals. I'm thinking of turning to [airconrepairservice.com] since a friend said they repaired her air conditioners, and then everything was fine with them. Has anyone heard about this service?
Edited 2 times.
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