Quote:
Originally Posted by Elcam84
Been lurking here for a while. Seems to be a good group of people that like to engineer and build stuff instead of the common ones that think you can't do that...
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Thanks for the information, all very useful.
However....
Quote:
Originally Posted by Elcam84
...The Micron meter is nice but I have never once seen a tech use one or even have one.
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So how do you know for sure that your vacuum pump actually is pulling the required vacuum? This is especially important to know if you have a used or borrowed vacuum pump. Also, how do you know for sure that all of your seals and hoses are really up to snuff? I am strictly an amateur, and since I have gotten a micron gauge, I use it all the time and the problems that I have had with bad hoses, seals and fittings would never have been apparent to me without the micron gauge... I would never have known that I was doing unacceptable work. Also problems with insufficient vacuum and insufficient water removal may not appear for a year or two... and then as shortened system life. This may not be important to a field tech, since it would mean more paying jobs. To an owner-installer, or refrigeration experimenter (hacker) there is nothing to be gained by doing anything less than perfect work.
I think you underestimate the importance of a micron gauge.
Best,
-AC