This video is brought to you by sportlin quality, integrity and tradition. We have a dell field, prep table this one has a cold rail up top and a base section down below the customer's complaint is originally that the base section wasn't working properly. Now this refrigerator is in a highly sensitive location. That's um long story short.

It was easier for me to go there with my trailer pick up the refrigerator and bring it back to my shop. I can't really reveal where it is, but it was just. It was easier to do that because of the sensitive location i'm going to dive into this guy uh. Now this is a r290 cooler open this guy up um, nothing too crazy going on here see the warning labels all in the back, so we're going to dive into it again, listening to their thing that the bottom wasn't working.

Unfortunately, it's going to take a little while for it to come down to temp right now. The frame rate of the camera is messing up, but it says 68 on the bottom 67 on the top. I don't know a whole lot about this. All i know is they were saying the bottom wasn't working.

So what i'm going to do, both the bottom and the top are calling? Is we're going to start with a leak check because again, i'm not walking up to the unit not operating in the bottom being at 60 and the top being down to temp? So i really don't know where the problem lies. This unit doesn't have service fittings on it, so i don't want to put them on there unless i absolutely have to so we're going to start with a leak check. I hate these things. This is a gas made.

It's a combustible gas leak. Detector made for r290 checking the obvious places: okay, nothing obvious, so we're going to look at the evaporator section. I don't want to spend too much time because i don't even know where the problem is all right. So all right, that's enough to make me want to go ahead and pull that cover and investigate for a leak a little bit more in that evaporative coil again, i don't know, i'm i'm taking a shot in the dark here, because i got the unit you know And it's both top and bottom or not down to temp.

So i don't have too much more coming from the customer telling me what was going on. So i have to kind of make some educated guesses here. Okay, we're gon na dive into this txv area. Bottom of the coil, so it looks like it's somewhere on that txv, it's a very common place for them to leak, actually move that guy out.

So it looks like we got a leak right there on the txv world very common place for them to leak and because that txv is a copper coated on the inside and stainless steel on the outside. They use silfos and i don't like to braise on those because it's never going to take correctly. You might get it to stick, you might not. If you overheat it, you melt off the copper coating, it's a pain in the butt.

So i have these txv's in stock for this reason, because we go through them a lot so we're gon na change that txv. We know that there's a refrigerant leak, okay, use my leak, detector found it with bubbles. I know i'm going to change the txv. I don't see a need to put service gauges on this unit.

This is an r290 cooler. It is perfectly safe and legal for me to vent the r290 into the atmosphere. So what i'm going to do is i'm just going to cut one of these very slowly? Make sure there's no power sources, i'm going to unplug the cord and just let it vent into the atmosphere and then we'll add service ports after we're done. So there's no point in wasting the time to pinch off and do all that stuff, because we know we're going to have to take the charge out and you're not recovering our 290 for safety reasons.

So the power is disconnected we're just going to cut this very slowly when it starts to leak out we're just going to let it leak out there we go just going to slowly, let it bleed out. Okay, our system is open to atmosphere, but we're going to have to purge with nitrogen to sweep all the flammable vapor out of it all right. So i'm going to come up here to this solenoid valve. Actually we're going to do the one for the bottom section, because that's what we're going to be brazing and we're going to pull the coil off and put a magnet on it.

So that way it's open and the nitrogen will flow through the system and clear out. All the flammable vapors, so i've got a solenoid magnet right here. There we go and i'll go ahead and do this other one too? I've got two of them. That way.

My whole system is nice and clear. There we go now we got two solenoid magnets, so i should be able to take this nitrogen and just sweep and it's coming out the other side. So that's good! So we swept the system. Now i'm going to go ahead and braise on service fittings.

So that way i can uh properly purge nitrogen, while i'm bracing, okay, i've got a service fitting on the low side. Now, i'm not going to put one on the high side because i'm going to have to change the dryer so we're just going to sweep from the low side all right make sure you got all your safety stuff, it's r290 dangerous! Now remember! We already swept this system, but you got to watch out because i'll see i've seen, flames come out after the fact i'll usually take the torch just to see if it lights and it didn't so. Okay, that's all we need okay, so we got the service fitting. On the low side now i did that strategically, because we have to unbrace and change this dryer.

Okay, i've got my uh. This is the vn500 regulator. It's really cool because it has this braze feature. I use it a lot and then it's got the test feature for purging all right, so we're going to change this dryer real, quick and then we'll move on to the txv.

Okay, you have to use oem on these things. This dryer is a certain size. You can't be going in with an aftermarket dryer, that's a different capacity. If you could find the exact same capacity then go for it, unfortunately they're dan foss, but it is what it is we got to do.

We got to do so, and i really don't like how they use the bushing right here that sucks right so uh foreign, starting by removing everything, remove the drain pan. I use this little fitting that i got from kmart many years ago. I'm sure you can get them from harbor freight or whatever, but it'll uh accept a square quarter, inch, uh sock or socket adapter or whatever ratchet wrench um. Why can't i think of ratchet? I don't know why i can think of the name, and then it has a quarter inch spot right here.

You can put fittings in sometimes i put 5 16 chucks in there. You can do all kinds of cool stuff with it, so it's a nice little guy. So so so txv out okay. So if you look at this txv, it's copper coated on the inside, but stainless steel on the outside so see you can uh, you can overheat it and that copper coating will come off and then the solder won't stick to it because technically for stainless steel to Copper, you would need to do uh, like 56 silver solder.

You can get away with 45. I know some people, but i don't go anything less than 56 um silver solder and you got to use flux and all that stuff, but because they did this copper coating. You you can braise these with 15 percent silphos, but the problem arises when trying to mix 15 sophos and 56 silver solder, they don't mix too well. So it runs into issues.

So if you overheat this and melt off the copper coating, you're kind of sol, because they've already started brazing with 15 silphos, so these valves they braze a little different too. You got to be careful, didn't like the nitrogen purge. When i turn this torch off, i can hear it leaking we're gon na lay another dribble and solder on this guy. So sometimes nitrogen can get you in trouble in this situation.

It wasn't liking the nitrogen purge yeah. It looks good now we'll do a pressure test on it before i forget. I'm gon na put the sensing mold for the temp control back and i'm gon na go ahead and wrap this guy cool it off. It says on here the max low side.

Pressure is 172, so we don't want to go above 172 psi there we go, let it stabilize out and then we'll do soap bubble test on everything. Okay, i've got soap bubbles all over this guy, i'm not seeing anything as of yet i'll go through with the mirror. Let's see nothing yet, and then i've got soap bubbles all over these joints and those joints so i'll check it with a mirror right now. Okay, it's been going for three or four minutes, something like that: no bubbles, so we're looking good just trying to make use of my time the best while it's running on evacuations, currently at about a thousand microns we're uh.

Putting this thing back together, assembling it notice. How i'm pulling two i'm just pulling on one side from the suction side, the micron gauge on the liquid line with the schrader core tool shut off all right. Our system takes 150 grams. It's easier to look in the grams instead of the 5.29 ounces, so we're going to zero out our scale if we can get it to calm down.

Okay, we're zeroed out we're gon na open up to the system. It's kind of tricky here and we're gon na charge, via this ball valve right here into the high side, we're looking for 150 grams. There we go okay, so we've got 150 grams in the system. I was already purged at the hose all the way up to the fitting, so we now have a true 150 grams in the system.

Okay, we're going to fire this up. Actually, i need to pull the solenoid coils off. I almost fired it up with those open. All right, so it should start right up because, yes, the um, because i had to equalize the system out by having the solenoid coils on so bottom starts in a defrost, we'll take it out okay and we're gon na.

Let it operate and i'm gon na, let it satisfy before we uh analyze anything i've got my phone. My tablet hooked up to a charger, but we're looking pretty good right now. So let's go and see what our box temperature is. Our box temperature currently is 44 degrees right now, so we're coming down in temp, i shut the top section off.

I isolated it by turning off the temperature controller at the switch so that we were running with just the bottom about 78 79 degrees outside right now. Five-Ish degrees, sub cooling, which i kind of i set it up as like six degrees, but because this unit has a receiver right here, um you're not going to get a full 10 degree sub coiling, because we don't charge the sub cooling on refrigeration systems. So super heat is ranging, as the expansion valve opens and closes. Okay, um yeah, i uh the box is set to maintain 39 degrees.

So it's looking good we're just going to let it come down in temperature. We are getting a lot closer to being satisfied. It actually comes down to 34 before it turns off, but let's take you back to the intro screen and we can see our numbers. So this is an r290 system.

It runs very similar pressures to r22 um. The expansion valve is opening and closing, which is normal. It's ranging because it's still bringing it down to temp. Okay, you notice, you know the cool thing about measure quick is you can see everything? Oh, it's pumping down right now, haha cool.

We just satisfied. Let's turn the top on. Let's get an idea. What the top does so with just the uh top section running.

This is what we're looking at, don't mind: the uh, the ben. You know the targets, because everything's going to be skewed so right now you can see uh the system's still running about the same sub cooling ish, which would make sense. The superheat is a lot higher because it's still pulling down in temperature right now. I think it's in the 50s yeah, it's 50 degrees in the top of the box, so but you can't really use the same numbers for for the cold rail because the cold rail's a static, cold rail there's no fan motor up there, so we're gon na go Ahead and uh turn the bottom section back on and go through that one again and see that one one more time.

One thing that i don't like about these uh new digital temp controls is they're a little bit more difficult to bypass the evaporator fan motor delays. Um on these to save energy federal requirements, all that good stuff, they stage the evaporator fan motors so like, for instance, right now, the evaporator fan motor is not running and it's because the unit's satisfied, but what's interesting, is you see? Well, i don't know if you guys can see that or not, but it's 39 degrees. But if you look at my thermometer, it says 49 degrees and see the unit is satisfied right now, because it's using the it's getting basically um, not the coil temperature but and the evaporator just turned on, but the air sensor so close to the coil that you Know it's it's getting that temperature of the coil kind of in a way, but so it just turned on right now and it's gon na. It has like a algorithm something like if it stays off the compressor off for like two or three minutes, then it turns the evaporator fan motor on to like circulate air.

I mean they're trying, but it's a federal requirement that they have to do this stuff. Anyways. We're waiting for the unit to turn back on right now, so you see that one still says 39.5 degrees and what did i set it for i set it for 38.. So it's my thermometer is getting air temperature and it says 49 degrees.

So there's a slow delay on how fast this thing comes back up to probably for reasons, so they don't get nuisance service calls. They don't want this to react as fast versus my thermometer inside that's reading 49 degrees right now so probably has a lot to do with like defrost and stuff i'm going to shut the system down and we've got to uh. Take these fittings off now that it's working okay, so pinch it open it we're good! Now, before we uh before we uh unsweat this, because that's what we're gon na have to do. I'm gon na take this torch across there and see if it lights it does not.

So that means that we're pinched off completely so we're just gon na pull this fitting off i'll reuse. These. For the next time, mind you there's r290 behind that pinch-off tool. So so this is a warranty.

Job got ta, make sure. When you do warranty, you follow their rules. Their rules are pinch it off when you're done inspect it before i open it up, looks good, looks solid, don't see no leaks, i'm actually going to cool it with a wet towel. Okay, there's one now we're gon na pinch off this other one same thing.

Take my pull removal tool off we're going to wave it across the fitting to see if it ignites it does not. There's no flame there, so we're gon na just pull the fitting off pinch. It off lay a stick of solder on it cool. It looks good.

No leaks, pull it off and then we're gon na push it back in and this guy is ready to be sent back to the customer. Okay. Last but not least, we're gon na hit this guy with a leak detector, make sure there's no leaks. I don't know why it's picking something up.

Maybe i do have a leak there check it back and see i'm picking something up right there. We might have a leak and set it up again. Nothing down there no leak, i'm gon na hit it with the soap bubbles now nope. The leak detector did not lie.

There's a leak right there, tiny little one. So we need to braise it shut real, quick, okay, i heated it up. Pinched it off laid another bead on it, no more leaks, but this is why we do a double take. Even if things look good, there could be leaks so that one there was a weird leak, so nothing down there and then let's hit up this coil real quick.

I already checked this, but we'll do it again nothing. So we are good to give the box back to the customer. Now all right, working with r290, isn't really that bad, there's just a few extra safety precautions. You need to follow.

Okay, always purge with nitrogen. Do a sweep before you braise be cautious about waving a torch across open lines, even if, like, for instance, i have an r290 video that i did a while back where i removed the entire compressor. The entire compressor had been out for like 20 minutes and then when i went to go wave the torch across one of the lines that still ignited okay, because there could be trapped, vapor all throughout the system. So a nitrogen purge is critical understanding how the system works is very critical.

You saw that i had solenoid valve magnets. Okay, you try to purge through a system and the solenoid valves are closed. You're not going nowhere. Okay and you're actually going to end up hurting yourself, because you've got built up pressure.

You think it's flowing through if you're not paying attention and then you go to unsweat something and it's going to explode. Okay, because they're still going to be trapped. Vapor it's a mess, so you got to think straight. Have your head in the game? Basically, okay! Now, in this situation i was actually proud of myself because, as i was editing the video down, i realized that i was wearing safety glasses, the entire time, i'm not always the best with safety glasses.

Okay, so um always want to try to wear your eye. Protection. Do as i say, not as i do kind of a thing: okay, because sometimes i forget now i get the people all the time talking about wearing gloves while brazing it is a personal choice of mine. I choose not to wear gloves while brazing now, of course, if there was a certain circumstance i might put them on, but they get in my way, i don't like them.

That is my personal choice. I'm not saying you guys do the same. Okay, obviously, you need to do what's what's correct, what osha rules - and you know all these different laws and what's safe and what you feel comfortable with okay, but i typically don't braise with gloves, because once you put on the gloves that are actually for brazing, like Big giant leather gloves you just you have no finger dexterity, you can't do anything, and so it's just frustrating okay. So my personal choice, um, but when you're working on these systems, you want to try to follow proper manufacturer's safety protocols.

You, okay, for instance, the big elephant in the room, is cutting off the uh service fittings at the end. Now here's my take on this i've gotten it from several manufacturers. Different answers. My take is by cutting the service fittings off.

Okay, you make the next technician. Think twice before he puts his service gauges on there. Sometimes we get tunnel vision. We just throw gauges on there for a couple different reasons.

This doesn't necessarily just apply to r290 but r290. I think it's a little bit more important. Okay, if you're working on small refrigerant charge, that's another important reason. This thing holds five ounces of refrigerant.

Okay, putting your service gauges on there, especially with normal hoses the charge is gone. It's done, you're! Never getting it out. I mean it's just a mess. Okay, so you really need to think twice now again: it applies to 404 a 134.

Any of those systems have very very minimal charges. You you do not want to put service gauges on there unless you absolutely have to okay. So that's another thing now to be fair and honest, i have started leaving the service fittings on okay, but what i try to do, um again, you need to do what's what your company policy is to leave them on. Take them off.

I kind of go back and forth depending on the jobs if it's a restaurant like if i, if it's a restaurant, that i don't service on a regular. Let's say i just did a warranty call for a random customer yeah. I'm gon na put cut the service fittings off, but if it's my restaurant and i know that i'm going to be going back, i might leave the service fittings on again personal choice. I run the business i make those decisions - um, that's not a choice of you know my technicians.

You know they have to follow the policies that i have so and i've kind of instructed them the same. If it's a customer, we go back to on a regular. You can leave them on okay as long as you do something to market. So that way, the next technician knows so what i will typically do.

Some of the manufacturers will take a piece of insulation, they'll put it over the service fitting and then tape it with red tape. I've done that before too i have red electrical tape, but again you need to do what is you know recommended by the manufacturer. Now, if i'm not doing warranty work and it's my customer, you know i'm probably not going to cut the service fittings off again personal choice. Okay in the uh, you know just the standard refrigeration principles still apply.

Okay, just leak checking the system double checking, especially with r290 double triple check. You guys saw that even after i inspected that pinch off it looked fine. I could i usually to be honest with you. I probably would have just let it go, but i was working on r290.

So i did a triple tech ran the leak detector across it one more time and boom it had a leak. Okay, stuff happens, i'm not perfect right um, you know, i know, and i'm kind of addressing the stuff that i know people are going to comment because i just watched the whole video how come i didn't uh put a heat blocking compound on the dryer. How come i didn't wrap it with a wet towel, something or i'm sorry around the expansion valve? How come i didn't protect it? Sometimes you have to make those choices on a valve like this, it's so small getting a heat compound on there. I could do it.

Viper wet rag would work, but sometimes it's just a pain to get in there on something that small and get a heat blocking compound on it. Okay versus, in my opinion, just braise it real, quick and cool it off. You know move on because even with the heat blocking compound, you're gon na have to cool it off, so the people that say don't cool joints you have to when you're working on sensitive components. So, even with the heat blocking compound on that tiny expansion valve, you got to get the heat blocking compound off asap, because all it does is displace the heat for a minute, but then, eventually that the compound is gon na get so hot that it's gon na Start letting the heat go into the valve too, so you know it just gives you a little bit more buffer time, but in this situation i chose not to use it: okay, um and sticking with oem components when you're working on r290 systems.

I can't stress this enough for legal reasons: you guys have to go back with oem parts. Okay, forbid something horrible happens with this region right. The lawyers are going to have a field day trying to defend the manufacturer. Remember the manufacturers.

Lawyers are in their insurance companies and stuff to be honest with you. Sometimes it doesn't even have anything to do with the manufacturer. It's just the insurance companies that represent them come in and say: okay, how can we not pay a claim they're going to go in there and do everything they can to not pay a claim right and so they're going to look for anything that could be construed? Construed, as you know, basically proves that it wasn't their fault, so if they find non-oem components - and they can say, you know what there's potential they're going to push the blame on you. So stick with oem components.

You cover your butt. Okay, now i don't always use non or oem when it comes, i mean i try to i like using oem, because the simplicity is easy, but when it comes to non-flammable components, okay, you know what i might let it slide a little bit more, but when you're Working with r290, i can't stress enough: you need to stick with oem to be safe. Okay, things can happen with that stuff. Uh, you just got.

Ta cover your butt. Okay, don't put yourself in a position all right! I've rambled enough! I really really appreciate you guys. Keep in mind, i do live streams monday, evenings 5 p.m, pacific on youtube, work permitting. If i can get off working time, i do the streams.

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