Fujitsu Problems..

hotwirez · 08-29-16, 02:47 PM

So, guess it was only a matter of time until some broke in my MS system. My out door unit (AOU36RFLX) sprang a leak in its coil. It was easy for me diagnose - the system stopped cooling, and there was a large spray of oil on the side of my house.

The unit was registered with Fujitsu, so it was eligible for warranty work. I called in the only local shop that deals with Fujitsu's. They verified that a) it was out of R410A, and that yes, there was a leak in the coil...all for the low, low sum of $250. Fine, I had them submit a warranty claim on my behalf to Fujitsu, and to get me a detailed quote for the work.

I get the quote today - $2915 to r/r the coil (and it wasn't detailed, just a number). That was...quite a bit more than I was expecting. Pretty much triple, actually. I can order a new outdoor unit and replace it myself for $2350. Needless to say, them doing the work is out of the question, and I still feel anally violated for their diagnostic quote.

So...now my conundrum. I can get the coil from Fujitsu. I can dissemble the unit and get the coil out and back in - or should I attempt to repair the pin-hole leak in the coil tube? I might be able to do that in situ - otherwise, it's removed the unit from 14ft up on the side of my house. Not a big deal, but I'm a little lazy.

The real burner about this situation - I bought Fujitsu in the mistaken idea that it would be a quality unit. Well, all of the units are made in the PRC, and obviously the quality is not there on this unit.

Hotwirez

jeff5may · 08-31-16, 07:50 PM

Better dust off those work boots. Hope they still fit. Good luck.

hotwirez · 09-01-16, 10:11 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jeff5may

Better dust off those work boots. Hope they still fit. Good luck.

Thanks. I have the coil on order, but I may try to braze (or epoxy) the leak if I can pinpoint it.

Fujitsu doesn't appear to have a full set of disassembly instructions for the unit, either. I think (from looking at other minisplit instructions) it's a complete dissemble of the unit. Should be....fun?

Xringer · 09-01-16, 11:58 AM

When I wanted to find a leak in a Sanyo M/S, I pumped in some dry nitrogen
(or maybe dry scuba air?) and listened for the hiss of the leak.

IIRC, I used a stethoscope. Just pull that big round disk thing off the end, so the open hose will pick up the hiss..
I had the stethoscope left over from an old BP cuff..
I was able to pinpoint the leak within about an inch.. It was under a sensor tube.
Then used the soap bubbles to find the exact location. (Copper tube coming out of the compressor).
http://ecorenovator.org/forum/geothe...r-project.html

Good luck!

hotwirez · 05-08-17, 10:23 AM

So, dusting off this old thread. Now that it's warming up in Ohio it's time to fix the outdoor unit.

I had the distributor send me a new coil, which arrived very well packed, but with bare open tubes - no caps on them at all.

I still need to find sometime to determine where the leak is - I think it's on the inside of the cabinet. If I can find the hole, patching it may be easier than replacing the coil. Big if, though. Based on the amount of oil that was on the side of my house it would seem to be a largish hole.

Xringer · 05-08-17, 04:15 PM

Maybe just used some low pressure CO2 into the coil.. If it's a warm day, you might be able to see it coming out of the leak..
I used C02 to protect the insides of the tube, at the repair site. *see link above.
Air inside the tube would cause the copper to oxidize, making unwanted crunchy stuff.

If the hole is really large, it might be a challenge to repair.
Brazing a very small hole wasn't easy for me.. A novice repairman..

jeff5may · 05-08-17, 10:12 PM

Sounds like quite a challenge: a 3 ton outdoor unit mounted 2 stories up on the side of your house. Please don't die trying to save some money.

hotwirez · 05-09-17, 12:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jeff5may

Sounds like quite a challenge: a 3 ton outdoor unit mounted 2 stories up on the side of your house. Please don't die trying to save some money.

I appreciate the concern...

Well, I put it up there so I'm fairly confident I can get it back down. Luckily, it's mounted slightly over the garage roof and a ladder jack and aluminum plank away from a window cutout. Not terrible, but also not ground level.

hotwirez · 05-30-17, 10:29 AM

After 9 hours of work, I got the coil replaced. Considering how difficult it was to remove everything, I don't think Fujitsu designed these units to field serviceable. There were 14 separate 1/4 braze connections on the coil alone, never mind the 4 connections that connected that mess to the rest of the unit. Don't even get me started on the 27 individual push connectors that connected the mainboard to everything. But at least the cabinetry itself was easy enough remove. I did all of this work with the unit still mounted to the house.

Unfortunately, I didn't fix the unit. Unbeknownst to me (and the stellar HVAC guys that did the original examination), the compressor is also kaput. Probably due to the 1/2 long crack on a mounting point, which explains why the compressor blanket was soaked in oil.

Rather than undo and redo my 9 hours of work, I opted to buy a new outdoor unit. I found a scratch-n-dent BNIB one for a great discount that ends up being 40% of the price I was quoted by the HVAC place to replace the coil.

I look at it this way - I spent $1400 to have a pile of parts for the my two compressors.

John

pinballlooking · 05-30-17, 10:36 AM

Maybe get them to still replace the compressor under warranty. Then you will have a spare.

08-29-16, 02:47 PM	#1
hotwirez Lurking Renovator Join Date: Jul 2012 Location: Ohio Posts: 11 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Fujitsu Problems.. So, guess it was only a matter of time until some broke in my MS system. My out door unit (AOU36RFLX) sprang a leak in its coil. It was easy for me diagnose - the system stopped cooling, and there was a large spray of oil on the side of my house. The unit was registered with Fujitsu, so it was eligible for warranty work. I called in the only local shop that deals with Fujitsu's. They verified that a) it was out of R410A, and that yes, there was a leak in the coil...all for the low, low sum of $250. Fine, I had them submit a warranty claim on my behalf to Fujitsu, and to get me a detailed quote for the work. I get the quote today - $2915 to r/r the coil (and it wasn't detailed, just a number). That was...quite a bit more than I was expecting. Pretty much triple, actually. I can order a new outdoor unit and replace it myself for $2350. Needless to say, them doing the work is out of the question, and I still feel anally violated for their diagnostic quote. So...now my conundrum. I can get the coil from Fujitsu. I can dissemble the unit and get the coil out and back in - or should I attempt to repair the pin-hole leak in the coil tube? I might be able to do that in situ - otherwise, it's removed the unit from 14ft up on the side of my house. Not a big deal, but I'm a little lazy. The real burner about this situation - I bought Fujitsu in the mistaken idea that it would be a quality unit. Well, all of the units are made in the PRC, and obviously the quality is not there on this unit. Hotwirez

09-01-16, 11:58 AM	#4
Xringer Lex Parsimoniae Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Woburn, MA Posts: 4,918 Thanks: 114 Thanked 250 Times in 230 Posts	When I wanted to find a leak in a Sanyo M/S, I pumped in some dry nitrogen (or maybe dry scuba air?) and listened for the hiss of the leak. IIRC, I used a stethoscope. Just pull that big round disk thing off the end, so the open hose will pick up the hiss.. I had the stethoscope left over from an old BP cuff.. I was able to pinpoint the leak within about an inch.. It was under a sensor tube. Then used the soap bubbles to find the exact location. (Copper tube coming out of the compressor). http://ecorenovator.org/forum/geothe...r-project.html Good luck! __________________ My hobby is installing & trying to repair mini-splits EPA 608 Type 1 Technician Certification ~ 5 lbs or less..

05-08-17, 04:15 PM	#6
Xringer Lex Parsimoniae Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Woburn, MA Posts: 4,918 Thanks: 114 Thanked 250 Times in 230 Posts	Maybe just used some low pressure CO2 into the coil.. If it's a warm day, you might be able to see it coming out of the leak.. I used C02 to protect the insides of the tube, at the repair site. *see link above. Air inside the tube would cause the copper to oxidize, making unwanted crunchy stuff. If the hole is really large, it might be a challenge to repair. Brazing a very small hole wasn't easy for me.. A novice repairman.. __________________ My hobby is installing & trying to repair mini-splits EPA 608 Type 1 Technician Certification ~ 5 lbs or less..

05-30-17, 10:36 AM	#10
pinballlooking Super Moderator Join Date: Jun 2013 Location: SC Posts: 2,923 Thanks: 172 Thanked 564 Times in 463 Posts	Maybe get them to still replace the compressor under warranty. Then you will have a spare. __________________ Current project Aquaponics system , Passive Solar Greenhouse build To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. Solar Install 12.5 Kwh- To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. Mini Split installs - To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. EV Chevy Volt - To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.

08-31-16, 07:50 PM	#2
jeff5may Supreme EcoRenovator Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: elizabethtown, ky, USA Posts: 2,428 Thanks: 431 Thanked 619 Times in 517 Posts	Better dust off those work boots. Hope they still fit. Good luck.

05-08-17, 10:23 AM	#5
hotwirez Lurking Renovator Join Date: Jul 2012 Location: Ohio Posts: 11 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	So, dusting off this old thread. Now that it's warming up in Ohio it's time to fix the outdoor unit. I had the distributor send me a new coil, which arrived very well packed, but with bare open tubes - no caps on them at all. I still need to find sometime to determine where the leak is - I think it's on the inside of the cabinet. If I can find the hole, patching it may be easier than replacing the coil. Big if, though. Based on the amount of oil that was on the side of my house it would seem to be a largish hole.

05-08-17, 10:12 PM	#7
jeff5may Supreme EcoRenovator Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: elizabethtown, ky, USA Posts: 2,428 Thanks: 431 Thanked 619 Times in 517 Posts	Sounds like quite a challenge: a 3 ton outdoor unit mounted 2 stories up on the side of your house. Please don't die trying to save some money.

05-30-17, 10:29 AM	#9
hotwirez Lurking Renovator Join Date: Jul 2012 Location: Ohio Posts: 11 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	After 9 hours of work, I got the coil replaced. Considering how difficult it was to remove everything, I don't think Fujitsu designed these units to field serviceable. There were 14 separate 1/4 braze connections on the coil alone, never mind the 4 connections that connected that mess to the rest of the unit. Don't even get me started on the 27 individual push connectors that connected the mainboard to everything. But at least the cabinetry itself was easy enough remove. I did all of this work with the unit still mounted to the house. Unfortunately, I didn't fix the unit. Unbeknownst to me (and the stellar HVAC guys that did the original examination), the compressor is also kaput. Probably due to the 1/2 long crack on a mounting point, which explains why the compressor blanket was soaked in oil. Rather than undo and redo my 9 hours of work, I opted to buy a new outdoor unit. I found a scratch-n-dent BNIB one for a great discount that ends up being 40% of the price I was quoted by the HVAC place to replace the coil. I look at it this way - I spent $1400 to have a pile of parts for the my two compressors. John