I am interested in moving my bryant 12 seer split-system heat pump, a.c. so if i turn off the valve on the lin

Question

I am interested in moving my bryant 12 seer split-system heat pump, a.c. so if i turn off the valve on the line going to the indoor unit, and turn the system on, it will draw the refrigerant to the outdoor unit. then if i shut the valve on the compressor suction, i can move the unit and hook the system back together? is this correct? it's only going about 20' to a new pad away from the window.

Answer 1

that is correct, you may lose a little freon, but you should be

ok

Answer 2

Actually there is a little more to it than just pumping down. You need guages to tell what the unit is doing. Close the high side valve let the unit run until the suction gage is around 5 psi.start closing the low side valve,at 2 psi pull the disconnect and close the suction valve quickly. Now you can cutt the lines,cap them with tape to prevent anything getting in them. Move the unit. Next you would braze the new lines to the condenser connections. Are you running new lines in the home at the new position ? or extending the old ones. Inside lines are out of the weather running new ones outside eaven with armorflex could effect your efficency. Here are the issues you have to deal with. The copper lines have to be brazed not soldered so you need a hot torch,we use oxy-acetelene or air acetelene,you can also use mapp gass.With brazing rod. Once the connections are made you have to evacuate the system with a vacume pump.Any time you open an A-C system air and moisture enter it,and you have to vacume it with a vacume pump to get the contanimates out. If you dont this it will not run efficiency and acid will form which will will kill your compressor. Now you have to charge it using the super heat method as little as 4 oz's can make a 100 dollar difference in your cooling bill. Sorry about the long answer but that is how it is. Some will tell you what you want to hear but that can hurt you in the long run. You have to be EPA hvac certified to buy r-22 so how you can you charge the system if you had the equipment ?   Sucks don't it. I am in the same boat on cars,I just paid 800.00 for a tune up and fluid change on my truck. You need an hvac tech. Good Luck,hope i have answered your question.

Answer 3

Verdugo: Yes... You are correct and you may want to get your certification 608 before you do anything. Something may go wrong and you would have to pay a large amount of money and go to jail. I say is cheaper to call a technician and have him do it.

Answer 4

HVAC Tech.: you have the process right but unless you have proper certification you could go to JAIL for up to 5 years and be fined up to $25,000 , Then you would need a vacuum pump to remove air and other contaminants from the open lines. Will you have to solder the lines? Are you aware that PHOSGENE gas is made when R-22 Comes in contact with a flame? Bad stuff!!!!  My advice is call a professional and don't take a chance with the lives of yourself and your family. Don't take a chance of ruining your system, and don't Take a chance of being fined and going to jail. Be smart avoid all that misery, Good Luck!!

Answer 5

If you don't know what you are doing, you could be seriously injured. I don't recommend you do this unless you are certified for refrigerant removal. Continue ar your own risk!!!

Answer 6

You have the general idea..but you need to be careful not to let any of the freon out to the atmosphere.  You speak of the line going to your outdoor condensing unit... The proper line is the smaller of the two and is called the Liquid line. it actually is the line that takes the freon (when it is in liquid form) away from the condenser flowing it to the indoor unit. The procedure you speak of is called Pumping down your system into the outside unit which is the condensing unit. If your total length of your freon lines are not excessivaly long then your condensing unit may have enough storage capacity to store out the total amount Freon which is in your system. You need to use gages and monitor the pressures and run you system with the liquid line valve closed and not let the pressure run below zero psi  Gage to long befor you shut it off. then it may bleed up a bit and need to be pumped breifly back to zero a couple of times. Then with the machine turned off..Isolate the suction valve (other valve)

This will capture the freon in the outside unit. But the residuals left in your line may still be one or two pounds pressure and you are not supose to allow even that much to be burped to the environment. It needs to be recovered into a recovery drum with a recovery machine.

Then after your lines are extended and re-connected, they need to be evacuated by use of a vacumn pump to remove air (non-condensable gases) and moisture that got in when you opened them to the atmosphire.

Proper procedures should be done by a certified tech. Who knows how to safely recover and reconnect and charge the additional freon that the extended lines require.