Utilizing Propane as a R-22 Replacement - Page 2

WyrTwister · 03-29-15, 10:28 AM

I am not a pro . However , I have found a common leak is the Schrader valves ( like the valve cores in the valve stems of you car wheels ) . There is a tool to remove & replace them with out discharging the refrigerant . I do this as SOP , as preventive maintenance , when a system has a leak .

Relatively inexpensive ( after you purchase the tool ) and painless . The Schrader valves are cheap at a HVAC supply house .

I have another suggestion for you . Send me a private message if interested .

God bless
Wyr

jeff5may · 03-30-15, 08:20 PM

Yep, that falls in the service valve category. Both the Schrader valves and the valve body seals can leak, not to mention the flares. This is why they should all have caps tightly installed when not being fooled with.

BradC · 05-08-15, 02:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by steppinthrax

I removed both caps and placed Teflon tape around the threads.

Don't do this _ever_. Those threads are not seals and will not be seals even *with* thread tape. The seal on the service valve is the faceted surface right on the end of the valve, and it seals by smooshing (technical term) against the inside of the valve cap lid. Some valves even go as far as having teflon gaskets, but *none* of them use the threads as seals.

Not targeted at you specifically, but I am sick to death of having to pick oil soaked manky teflon tape off threads because someone thought it might help. It doesn't, _ever_. What it does do is let me know that at some time a "technician" has worked on the system and makes me spend a lot more time checking the basics for other gross hacks.

Thread tape is for "tapered" threads, it has no use on parallel threads.

The bubble solution is a good idea, but there is stuff called "big-blu" bubble liquid specifically for HVAC techs. My experience is it lasts a _lot_ longer and shows up much smaller leaks.

If the leak is particularly sneaky, I still like a sniff of R22 backed with 300 pounds of nitrogen and an electronic leak detector. I have been known to use Propane and a lighter, but then I'm more of a do as I say, not as I do kinda guy.

03-29-15, 10:28 AM	#11
WyrTwister Master EcoRenovator Join Date: Jun 2013 Location: USA Posts: 543 Thanks: 6 Thanked 44 Times in 38 Posts	I am not a pro . However , I have found a common leak is the Schrader valves ( like the valve cores in the valve stems of you car wheels ) . There is a tool to remove & replace them with out discharging the refrigerant . I do this as SOP , as preventive maintenance , when a system has a leak . Relatively inexpensive ( after you purchase the tool ) and painless . The Schrader valves are cheap at a HVAC supply house . I have another suggestion for you . Send me a private message if interested . God bless Wyr

03-30-15, 08:20 PM	#12
jeff5may Supreme EcoRenovator Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: elizabethtown, ky, USA Posts: 2,428 Thanks: 431 Thanked 619 Times in 517 Posts	Yep, that falls in the service valve category. Both the Schrader valves and the valve body seals can leak, not to mention the flares. This is why they should all have caps tightly installed when not being fooled with.