I will start with a little background about myself. I have extensive experience in the industrial sector. I am a journeyman machinist, a graduate of the Refrigeration Service Engineers Society courses (1975) and currently employed as a facilities engineer in a fabrication and machine shop. I am responsible for every piece of equipment under (or on) our roof - from 5 axis CNC machines, to the office HVAC system. I have had to work on many different cooling systems, hydraulic systems, control systems, etc. I hold 2 active US Patents. In the course of 30 years of work I have seen it all - I have seen refrigeration systems in third world countries that would make any good technician run. I have worked on cooling towers put up in the 1920's - and fabricated prototype Lithium Bromine system components.
I am passing the information on these pages along to help others - I have nothing to sell, I only want to keep you from making the mistakes I see repeated too often. I do not care what your refrigerant of choice is - R12, 134a, R406, COOLBOTTOM, BBQ12a, GHQ7k, R600, H2o, etc.
I am not here to discuss the legality or the safety of any refrigerant. All I care about is getting the most out of a system - the most cooling, the lowest operating cost, and the longest life. If something mentioned here in these pages is illegal in your city, state, or country.... then don't do it! You alone are responsible for your own safety, so please use the proper tools, wear the proper personal protective equipment, and always work safely.
I have written this material presuming a fundamental understanding of the refrigeration cycle and the terms that relate to it. If you do not understand terms like "subcooling", "superheat", "high side", etc., then please go to your local public library and do some reading on the subject.
Working on A/C systems requires special tools. I have again presumed that you own or have access to the proper tools. If you are unsure about what you will need please look at my tools page.
The rest of the stuff...
TOOLS You need a few to do this right...
Black Death
Flushing - not pretty but necessary
The BEST A/C forum around! Also a great place to buy parts.
PAO Oil Specifications
Thanks to all of the others out there that give freely of their time and knowledge, you have inspired me to do the same. TRB, Chick, D. Andrews, Nick D (always a different view!), Ignacio, Vegas, GM Tech, Warren, Mitch, George G. and yeah, even you Glenn T.
© 1997-2004 bohica2xo@hotmail.com
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