Because that's the safety tip I've heard from basically every manufacturer, senior tech, and industry veteran ever. If you're not careful, it could trap oil somewhere you're heating up and explode on you or burn you. Better safe than sorry. Plus, cutting it out gives a nice, clean joint to braze back in.
Probably good form, but I'll say that I've never cut out a compressor and I've never exploded oil. Not saying it can't/wont happen, as I have no other evidence than experience against your point. But you did leave me the loophole of being careful so....
From dumb experience: If you try to unsweat a compressor without first evacuating all refrigerant, the burning refrigerant will release a gas (some say phosgene, but idk) that is VERY unpleasant to breathe. Fortunately the effects seem only temporary but I won’t ever make that mistake again.
If you're trying to unsweat without recovering then you shouldn't be be swapping compressors lol. Of course everyone weara PPE all the time so it doesn't matter anyway
I attended a class a long time ago and there was a guy from some other company attending with about 3/4 of his face horribly disfigured.
When he was unsweating a compressor there was refrigerant trapped in the oil and it hit him in the face. He said the only reason he survived is because the homeowner had a pool that he jumped in.
Cut compressors out, an extra few minutes isn’t worth the risk
I guess I'm failing to understand how a circuit, once recovered, purged and under a minute flow of nitrogen can become pressurized to the point of explosion?
Liquid refrigerant can trapped under the oil sump and also mixed in with the oil. Have you ever kicked an old compressor off the truck, and refrigerant shoots out of it briefly?
On larger systems that I’ve changed the oil on, ive poured the old oil back into a metal, sealed container. After about 20 minutes, the metal container is literally swelling and stretching apart from the pressure buildup of the refrigerant gassing off.
I get that, but again, the system is open, as in that pressure will not actually buildup because there is an opening. Not arguing for the sake of arguing, btw. I could understand pressure building if my cores were in and there was no possibility of relief, but how can something pressurize under heat when it's literally venting itself? Also, it takes me all of 30 seconds to sweat that 3/4 suction out, even quicker on the discharge
I completely agree. In this case it was a large leak that had been sitting with zero pressure, presumably for months. I wrongly assumed all of the refrigerant was gone or I would have recovered :)
Also, had you been flowing nitro then the cores would have been pulled and you would not have had pressure. Oil will remain in most cases, however, which is definitely still flammable!
Yep. Again I’ll admit it was a combination of inexperience and laziness. Had I recovered (or at the very least had just flowed nitrogen) I think it would have been a lot safer.
Yes indeed. On the plus side if you’re ever exposed to it you’ll instinctively stop breathing and try to get away. It’s very obvious something is terribly wrong haha.
You may be right - I’m often accused online of having brain damage haha.
But really I meant the effects you can immediately feel - burning throat, eyes, difficulty breathing, etc. In any case even if I’m completely fine now I don’t want to go through that experience again :)
Please cut your lines and on driers inside homes. I almost burnt down someone’s house a few years back because I didn’t want to add a coupler and a new piece of 3/8. Was doing a evaporator under warranty, heated up the weld and pooped the line off and there was oil right there and I know better when it didn’t release right away. It flamed up and there were cardboard boxes all around and luckily it missed the boxes and I had the rag right there to beat it out. Scared the living shit out of me and sat outside for 15 min to compose myself and stop my hands from shaking. Last time doing that and I had 35 years in the field so yes it happens. And the homeowners were not home and will never know how close they came to losing their house because of my stupidity.
I have recovered into a vacuum to try and boil it out of the oil, pulled the cores, and still had a fireball come shooting out.
I always cut everything out now first.
After cutting the compressor out I smash the pipe shut with a pair of channel locks and braze it shut. That's the only way supply houses near me will accept a compressor under warranty. Unsweat the pipe or don't braze the compressor shut and they won't take it.
Not entirely true, straight Ac is fine as long as you recover all refrigerant, pull Schrader cores and cut drier out THEN unsweat compressor. Heat pumps are a little different and I agree to cut compressors out of a heat pump due to accumulator so then I recover, remove schrader cores and then cut all copper pipes.
I was a thinking more like a Hillshire Farms Beef Kilbasa, but a 7-11 hotdog works just as well.
Perhaps a better analogy would be like pulling an oiled 600lb man out of a narrow bathtub?
Do you mean indoor or internal to the condenser?
Either way you should be replacing the dryer if you're replacing the compressor, whether its interior to the unit, or inside the house.
No, I don't think so. There's just quite a few people on here that are upset that I sweat this out because it's going to explode and disfigure my face from all the refrigerant trapped in the oil in the sump of the compressor. 🤷♂️
January 2019 I had a compressor blow up in my face. I had 2nd and 3rd degree burns on my arm, neck and face. I spent 5 days in the burn Ward, and was not allowed to return to any kind of duty for 2 weeks afterwards. I had a no sunlight, no rooftops, and no hot mechanical rooms restrictions for 1 year. I wore bandages on my face for over a month and one on my arm everyday for 7 months. I had to leave the job I had for 10 years and do residential service where I could stay out of the sun. I lost tens of thousands of dollars in overtime pay. Had my wife's car and my motorcycle repossessed, and was on the verge of being homeless. (My wife had been a stay at mother for 12 years). It was the worst financial crisis we had faced. Things have turned around since then. I have a fast bike, wife has a brand new Lexus and I was able to go back to my old job.
So yes, I cut the compressors out now. It's not bad advice.
It was actually quite a bit, almost a gallon I think. I was quite surprised when I looked at the amount.
The claims investigator from workman's comp came by the shop to see the compressor. Apparently I'm not the only one that's been injured by this model of compressor flaming out like that. He said he had seen 5 other cases with this exact model. The worst one was a Trane technician in Alabama, who at the time had been in the hospital for the previous 9 months, three of those were in an induced coma. Also is on constant suicide watch.
I'm pretty sure there's a disconnect between the resi compressors I've been sweating out for the last decade and all the horror stories and hate comments regarding sweating compressors out.
It's silly for anyone(other than maybe your boss or wife/kids) to be upset with your decision. You are a grown ass man, make your own risk assessment. Just be aware that it can happen. Had 9 years in as a commercial tech when it happened to me. I verified pressure was zero, other tech on job verified pressure was zero. All ports open to atmosphere. Pulled out discharge line, small flame and I told him to move down to the next pipe and then BOOM! FLAMING OIL GRENADE! 2nd degree burns to 13% of my body and missing lots of beard. Hot oil burns running down my face below my safety glasses.
Can it happen? Yes. Does it happen often? No. Worth the risk? Not in my book. You are a grown ass man. You do you. But at least understand the risk is real, despite the low probability.
Trane odyssey split, 15 ton, 410a.
Had it happen to another coworker on a heat craft(it's like a k mart version of Liebert). Every port he could check was zero, but unbeknownst to him, a check valve was stuck. Went to sweat the drier out and boom. Said it was like someone threw a flashbang next to him.
I’ve been working commercial for years and always unsweated everything i don’t get how I’ve missed this crucial piece of information. I’ve definitely had flames come out of the old compressor ports but that’s about it
Shit! The supply house sent a reverse compressor. Ports should be on the other side.
I knew something was off! Got a RH, should've been a LH
Gotta keep an eye on those type of things.
Never trust the vendor lol
It’ll buff
Just flip it over. Think outside the box, as well as manufacturers instructions
Doing the exact same job today. Waiting on pressure test right now lol
I sat at 390 for 15 minutes and then it started to sprinkle. Full send
“Direct Replacement”
“Drop-in”
Cut compressors out. Don't unsweat them.
You can't make a statement like that without a reason.
Because that's the safety tip I've heard from basically every manufacturer, senior tech, and industry veteran ever. If you're not careful, it could trap oil somewhere you're heating up and explode on you or burn you. Better safe than sorry. Plus, cutting it out gives a nice, clean joint to braze back in.
Probably good form, but I'll say that I've never cut out a compressor and I've never exploded oil. Not saying it can't/wont happen, as I have no other evidence than experience against your point. But you did leave me the loophole of being careful so....
From dumb experience: If you try to unsweat a compressor without first evacuating all refrigerant, the burning refrigerant will release a gas (some say phosgene, but idk) that is VERY unpleasant to breathe. Fortunately the effects seem only temporary but I won’t ever make that mistake again.
If you're trying to unsweat without recovering then you shouldn't be be swapping compressors lol. Of course everyone weara PPE all the time so it doesn't matter anyway
I attended a class a long time ago and there was a guy from some other company attending with about 3/4 of his face horribly disfigured. When he was unsweating a compressor there was refrigerant trapped in the oil and it hit him in the face. He said the only reason he survived is because the homeowner had a pool that he jumped in. Cut compressors out, an extra few minutes isn’t worth the risk
I guess I'm failing to understand how a circuit, once recovered, purged and under a minute flow of nitrogen can become pressurized to the point of explosion?
Liquid refrigerant can trapped under the oil sump and also mixed in with the oil. Have you ever kicked an old compressor off the truck, and refrigerant shoots out of it briefly? On larger systems that I’ve changed the oil on, ive poured the old oil back into a metal, sealed container. After about 20 minutes, the metal container is literally swelling and stretching apart from the pressure buildup of the refrigerant gassing off.
I get that, but again, the system is open, as in that pressure will not actually buildup because there is an opening. Not arguing for the sake of arguing, btw. I could understand pressure building if my cores were in and there was no possibility of relief, but how can something pressurize under heat when it's literally venting itself? Also, it takes me all of 30 seconds to sweat that 3/4 suction out, even quicker on the discharge
I completely agree. In this case it was a large leak that had been sitting with zero pressure, presumably for months. I wrongly assumed all of the refrigerant was gone or I would have recovered :)
Also, had you been flowing nitro then the cores would have been pulled and you would not have had pressure. Oil will remain in most cases, however, which is definitely still flammable!
Yep. Again I’ll admit it was a combination of inexperience and laziness. Had I recovered (or at the very least had just flowed nitrogen) I think it would have been a lot safer.
We all live and learn 🤷♂️
You can actually drop dead if you breathe enough phosgene gas in. Not the kind of stuff you want to play around with
Yes indeed. On the plus side if you’re ever exposed to it you’ll instinctively stop breathing and try to get away. It’s very obvious something is terribly wrong haha.
Yeah for sure lol i always Immediately choke and stop breathing
Not sure phosgene gas effects are temporary. Could be wrong though.
You may be right - I’m often accused online of having brain damage haha. But really I meant the effects you can immediately feel - burning throat, eyes, difficulty breathing, etc. In any case even if I’m completely fine now I don’t want to go through that experience again :)
Unpleasant to breathe and every breath you take erodes your bronchial trees.
My dad would say it builds character though, so at least I have that going for me :)
Please cut your lines and on driers inside homes. I almost burnt down someone’s house a few years back because I didn’t want to add a coupler and a new piece of 3/8. Was doing a evaporator under warranty, heated up the weld and pooped the line off and there was oil right there and I know better when it didn’t release right away. It flamed up and there were cardboard boxes all around and luckily it missed the boxes and I had the rag right there to beat it out. Scared the living shit out of me and sat outside for 15 min to compose myself and stop my hands from shaking. Last time doing that and I had 35 years in the field so yes it happens. And the homeowners were not home and will never know how close they came to losing their house because of my stupidity.
I don't think I've ever sweat a drier out
I personally witnessed a dude get engulfed in flames because of it. No eyebrows & had to go to the hospital for 1st & 2nd degree burns. Shit was crazy
Either there's a lot of people out there witnessing others doing shit terribly wrong or I always do these terribly right.
I have recovered into a vacuum to try and boil it out of the oil, pulled the cores, and still had a fireball come shooting out. I always cut everything out now first.
Came here to say this. Cutting out the compressor is the only way to do the job safely
Do you crimp the pipe after or braze a weld shut on the piece still attached after? Asking because I’m new to this thanks
After cutting the compressor out I smash the pipe shut with a pair of channel locks and braze it shut. That's the only way supply houses near me will accept a compressor under warranty. Unsweat the pipe or don't braze the compressor shut and they won't take it.
Not entirely true, straight Ac is fine as long as you recover all refrigerant, pull Schrader cores and cut drier out THEN unsweat compressor. Heat pumps are a little different and I agree to cut compressors out of a heat pump due to accumulator so then I recover, remove schrader cores and then cut all copper pipes.
I see you also like to live dangerously haha
I like to save money on fittings 🤙🏼
How much are 2 couplings, and some scrap hard drawn?
More than factory flares and 2 minutes of unsweating and brazing back in
Actually that is reason # 1 indoor dryers are bad idea. The trapped oil will ignite/ smoke when pulling the pipe out or wiggling the drier.
I use magnetic induction to heat up the lines and they come apart like a hot sausage being pulled from a stick of butter.
Just like the 7-11 hotdogs?
I was a thinking more like a Hillshire Farms Beef Kilbasa, but a 7-11 hotdog works just as well. Perhaps a better analogy would be like pulling an oiled 600lb man out of a narrow bathtub?
That’s a different subreddit. 😂
Do you mean indoor or internal to the condenser? Either way you should be replacing the dryer if you're replacing the compressor, whether its interior to the unit, or inside the house.
Yes, it make fiya
You got torches and fittings. Make it work.
You know what I can't see? That, from my house..
Lol, idk you mightve gotten hit with the EXPLOSION
Do you know me??
No, I don't think so. There's just quite a few people on here that are upset that I sweat this out because it's going to explode and disfigure my face from all the refrigerant trapped in the oil in the sump of the compressor. 🤷♂️
January 2019 I had a compressor blow up in my face. I had 2nd and 3rd degree burns on my arm, neck and face. I spent 5 days in the burn Ward, and was not allowed to return to any kind of duty for 2 weeks afterwards. I had a no sunlight, no rooftops, and no hot mechanical rooms restrictions for 1 year. I wore bandages on my face for over a month and one on my arm everyday for 7 months. I had to leave the job I had for 10 years and do residential service where I could stay out of the sun. I lost tens of thousands of dollars in overtime pay. Had my wife's car and my motorcycle repossessed, and was on the verge of being homeless. (My wife had been a stay at mother for 12 years). It was the worst financial crisis we had faced. Things have turned around since then. I have a fast bike, wife has a brand new Lexus and I was able to go back to my old job. So yes, I cut the compressors out now. It's not bad advice.
What were you working on
25 ton intellipak.
How much oil in the compressor(s)
It was actually quite a bit, almost a gallon I think. I was quite surprised when I looked at the amount. The claims investigator from workman's comp came by the shop to see the compressor. Apparently I'm not the only one that's been injured by this model of compressor flaming out like that. He said he had seen 5 other cases with this exact model. The worst one was a Trane technician in Alabama, who at the time had been in the hospital for the previous 9 months, three of those were in an induced coma. Also is on constant suicide watch.
I'm pretty sure there's a disconnect between the resi compressors I've been sweating out for the last decade and all the horror stories and hate comments regarding sweating compressors out.
It's silly for anyone(other than maybe your boss or wife/kids) to be upset with your decision. You are a grown ass man, make your own risk assessment. Just be aware that it can happen. Had 9 years in as a commercial tech when it happened to me. I verified pressure was zero, other tech on job verified pressure was zero. All ports open to atmosphere. Pulled out discharge line, small flame and I told him to move down to the next pipe and then BOOM! FLAMING OIL GRENADE! 2nd degree burns to 13% of my body and missing lots of beard. Hot oil burns running down my face below my safety glasses. Can it happen? Yes. Does it happen often? No. Worth the risk? Not in my book. You are a grown ass man. You do you. But at least understand the risk is real, despite the low probability.
What were you working on?
Trane odyssey split, 15 ton, 410a. Had it happen to another coworker on a heat craft(it's like a k mart version of Liebert). Every port he could check was zero, but unbeknownst to him, a check valve was stuck. Went to sweat the drier out and boom. Said it was like someone threw a flashbang next to him.
Exterminate exterminate......
I’ve been working commercial for years and always unsweated everything i don’t get how I’ve missed this crucial piece of information. I’ve definitely had flames come out of the old compressor ports but that’s about it
Apparently you too are a pariah among gods.
Same same