How To Pull A Vacuum On A Commercial Chiller: A Race To 500 Microns

Performing an evacuation on an AC, refrigeration system or commercial chiller to below 500 microns is essential to it's future performance. Pulling an efficient evacuation requires removing as many restrictions as possible and using large diameter hoses. In the video we race to 500 microns on a chiller that had a compressor change and acidic oil. Schrader cores were removed, large diameter evacuation hoses were implemented and a 12 cfm vacuum pump was put to work.
Check out this article which helps explain this process in more detail.
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[@kennethlobo4420]

Really like this video on vaccum.one of the best

[@matthewbattenfelder1748]

Love watching a fellow fridgy passionate about his gig 💪🏻 I always get bugged for how anal I am about my vacuums. Glad to see someone else as thorough.

[@jameslippincott]

SAME!!! LOL

[@mallkomoha6823]

Thanks for sharing mate.

[@HVACKnowItAll]

My Pleasure

[@wasimedoo1506]

Nice job good tools

[@rieon-plumbingfan]

Nice! Those compressors are HUGE!!!

[@HVACKnowItAll]

Thanks 25 ton

[@rieon-plumbingfan]

@@HVACKnowItAll nice ty as well lol

[@jweschler]

Nice video. One thing though, I don’t like breaking a deep vacuum on a chiller with liquid because of the thermal shock it causes on the system and possibility of freezing a tube. I bring it up to 32 deg F with vapor, then switch to liquid.

[@HVACKnowItAll]

Pump is running and it's glycol, won't freeze.

[@derrickenbuenosaires]

I was trained the same way. In most cases I'll run my pump to avoid freezing and try to add vapor to just about freezing point into my system then charge the rest as liquid. Problem with adding vapor first is that it expands and takes up alot of space which gives little room for liquid to push in. It's a long charging process especially on a unit with alot of real estate like the one hes working on. Glycol helps against freezing. Most of my chillers I've worked on in the northeast call for 38 % ethylene.

[@KeithSnyder-qc7in]

You want to pull a good vacuum? Quit using hoses and use copper from the chiller to the vacuum pump. I pulled a 200 micron on a 1500 ton Carrier centrifugal over a weekend.

[@daviddesilva4971]

Great video...what's the tonnage of that chiller and how many pounds of refrigerant does it require? Good job on your filming and editing.

[@HVACKnowItAll]

75 ton circuit and 227lbs of R22

[@sterlingarcher46]

Brilliant video mate , I work on chillers too so I proper enjoyed it 👍 Btw , it looks quite similar to the ones I work on too , may I ask what brand it was ? And last , I'd like to email you to ask you a couple work related questions ,do u have an email I can reach you at ? Cheers mate , it's really good to see someone working on similar equipment as I do 👍👍👍

[@HVACKnowItAll]

Thanks man, sure [e-mail] not sure when I reply but I will when I can!

[@sterlingarcher46]

@@HVACKnowItAll thanks brother 👍

[@refrigerolly5304]

nice video, I prefer the blue vac micron gauge myself, mainly for the app and being able to switch between logarithmic and linear decay tests. I'm very tempted to spend the money on those true blue hoses though

[@coldfinger459sub0]

Instead of using the true blue hoses make up your own lines out of soft copper and fittings very easy to do and it even works better than the true blue hoses. We always have scrap copper left over at the end of our jobs don’t worry and it’s free take a little bit make your own flares and Wala you have some thing that’s even better than true blue is the way my dad taught me when I was a kid it’s the way he did when he was young taught by an old refrigeration man to my dad.

[@HVACKnowItAll]

The supco uses the techlink app that was created by measureQuick

[@refrigerolly5304]

@@HVACKnowItAll I dint know that, I will have to check it out!

[@hvacslayer2929]

@@coldfinger459sub0 yes but rubber hoses have play and can bend and run through corners and tight spots. You would be making new pieces every time to fit whatever application you are working on. If I only serviced 5 ton weathermasters that would work cause I’d have those already formed.

[@coldfinger459sub0]

@@hvacslayer2929 actually it’s very easy to manipulate soft copper and bend it with your hands or one of the small tight tubing benders I could make very tight corners bends. I have been doing it for decades I guess you develop a talent for it when you do it on a daily basis it’s like bending a wet noodle. And there would be no way to hold a prolong vacuum decay test under 200 µm with rubber hoses. Just Ester oil Contamination coating on the inside of the rubber hose saturated with moisture throws your readings off your micron gauge

[@coldfinger459sub0]

I complain about the weather in San Francisco getting down to 50° pulling a vacuum and calling it cold lol😂. You may want to wait to put the valve cores in after refrigerant has been added so you have a positive pressure not a negative pressure sucking that little bit of air and really is minimum but if you ever make a mistake with a leaking seal on your valve core tool as you’re putting it in that would suck having to do it all over again. Lessons learned from me one time mistake never to repeat again.

[@HVACKnowItAll]

I did put them in on a positive pressure, I explained that as I was pulling off my micron gauge.

[@Aramalisadventures]

How many tons is the chiller please? Where did you connect the two hoses of the vacuum pump? What is the size of the big blue hose? Thank you in advance.

[@younessbenbrahim9360]

way you close the gas ballast?

[@tcphvacr9950]

Did you use the NAVAC for the whole evacuation? I was under the impression that those motors weren’t suitable for extended evacuation times, but looks like it did fine to me.

[@HVACKnowItAll]

Yes ran for 48 hours uninterrupted, what indication lead you to this?

[@tcphvacr9950]

@@HVACKnowItAll other brands of pumps like the TEZ8 aren’t suitable for long run times, and I assumed that was the case with these. I noticed the 12 cfm DM model is designed for long evacuation times, and I have contacted Andrew Greaves to see if their 6 and 8 cfm models can as well (which they aren’t labeled being capable like the one you have in the video). I’d love to have a lighter pump that can handle an overnight evacuation.

[@kcomfortsystemshvac7060]

If you the tech,,,don’t have this set,,,,up,,,,,! Blue hoses,,,,,,! What type the set up do you recommend? What the 2 second options would be ?

[@HVACKnowItAll]

1/2" or 3/8" hoses

[@JuanTodoli]

Doesn't this system have any service valve in any point between the receiver and the metering device to charge with liquid?

[@HVACKnowItAll]

It does, why do you ask?

[@JuanTodoli]

@@HVACKnowItAll I asked for a service valve between the receiver and the metering device. You showed a valve between the condenser and the receiver. Here usually is where this kind of charging valves are, at the outlet of the receiver. I'm sorry... I didn't pretend to be fussy 😅

[@hvacslayer2929]

Almost full accutools setup but no gauge? Anything that can’t be calibrated is almost just taking a shot in the dark unless your comparing to something that’s been calibrated and correct. I understand in a pinch abuthing is better than nothing but 500 microns could be 1000. Bluvac is superior to anything else due to the fact you can calibrate and the sensor knows when it needs to be or contaminated. Good job on the procedures very thorough on running correct vacuum setup. Plus 0 degrees over night Shiz we get lucky if it gets couple degrees below 40 here in SoCal (Oc)

[@HVACKnowItAll]

Performing an ultimate vacuum test wity your pump tells you instantly if your micron gauge is working correctly.

[@justinvandenbrandt7478]

How do you preform a ultimate vacuum pump test ?

[@justinvandenbrandt7478]

Mainly what numbers are you looking for ?

[@hvacslayer2929]

@@justinvandenbrandt7478 pump on only with micron gauge. Not Connected to anything you would be only checking the vacuum pumps capacity.

[@hvacslayer2929]

@@justinvandenbrandt7478 on clean oil pump should be able to achieve 50. Once I see the microns start going below 100 I know pumps good and oil is as well. A fellow coworker had issues pulling a vacuum I connected a gauge and it only got down to around 2500. His pump need a oil flush then it got down below 100 ready to go again.

[@wd8557]

Why not just add the charge to the liquid receiver and be done with it.

[@HVACKnowItAll]

The line I added it to is directly piped into the receiver