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IdleMind · 10-14-16, 08:21 AM

The fan decal is on the other side, hope it still helps. Those fans also work better with some cool blue LED's.

I really appreciate the suggestion on the TXV valve. I have run this a few times and think I am a long way from getting it right. I expect this will be on my bench a long time before putting it to work. I intend to do some testing as is, then I will give a TXV a try.

Here are some tips on the condenser coil.

The tank is made from hot roll steel which has scale which not take solder. Before tinning I used an angle grinder to remove the scale.

For tinning I used Oatley #95 flux which contains tin powder which helps a little. I used an acid core lead/tin solder to tin and to solder the coil down. A propane touch is hot enough to do this job, but it takes awhile to get going, but once it's heated up it goes faster. It can be difficult to get the solder to bond to the steel. If the steel is not taking the solder use a piece of steel wool dipped in flux to rub it in. I showed a photo after tinning because that's a real important step.

When soldering the coil down, I used a piece of wood to press the tube tight to the steel as I worked my way around. Then I took it outside and tried to clean off the acid flux with soapy water and scrub brush and lots of hose water. Given enough time the acid can cause corrosion.

The tank bottom is domed up in the center so that is inlet to the condenser so as the gas condenses it flow down hill to the outlet.

If I were to do it over I would not coat it with silicone, I think the great stuff is enough.

I used 3/8 tube instead of 1/4 to have more interior surface area for the gas to condense on. It is starting to seem to me that it may have been better with 1/4 tube, I will have questions about this later.

Putting the condenser inside the tank has got to be much more efficient, but this method allows me to keep the resistance heater which is a nice backup.

10-14-16, 08:21 AM	#5
IdleMind Helper EcoRenovator Join Date: May 2016 Location: SE Wisconsin Posts: 55 Thanks: 3 Thanked 14 Times in 10 Posts	The fan decal is on the other side, hope it still helps. Those fans also work better with some cool blue LED's. I really appreciate the suggestion on the TXV valve. I have run this a few times and think I am a long way from getting it right. I expect this will be on my bench a long time before putting it to work. I intend to do some testing as is, then I will give a TXV a try. Here are some tips on the condenser coil. The tank is made from hot roll steel which has scale which not take solder. Before tinning I used an angle grinder to remove the scale. For tinning I used Oatley #95 flux which contains tin powder which helps a little. I used an acid core lead/tin solder to tin and to solder the coil down. A propane touch is hot enough to do this job, but it takes awhile to get going, but once it's heated up it goes faster. It can be difficult to get the solder to bond to the steel. If the steel is not taking the solder use a piece of steel wool dipped in flux to rub it in. I showed a photo after tinning because that's a real important step. When soldering the coil down, I used a piece of wood to press the tube tight to the steel as I worked my way around. Then I took it outside and tried to clean off the acid flux with soapy water and scrub brush and lots of hose water. Given enough time the acid can cause corrosion. The tank bottom is domed up in the center so that is inlet to the condenser so as the gas condenses it flow down hill to the outlet. If I were to do it over I would not coat it with silicone, I think the great stuff is enough. I used 3/8 tube instead of 1/4 to have more interior surface area for the gas to condense on. It is starting to seem to me that it may have been better with 1/4 tube, I will have questions about this later. Putting the condenser inside the tank has got to be much more efficient, but this method allows me to keep the resistance heater which is a nice backup.