Preventing and Troubleshooting Compressor Issues

HVAC School - For Techs, By Techs

Bryan Orr

Careers, Business, Self-improvement, Education

4.9 • 1K Ratings

🗓️ 27 August 2020

⏱️ 57 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Our good friend Trevor Matthews from Emerson Canada joins us to talk about compressors, mostly preventing compressor failure and troubleshooting issues.

Whenever we're installing or servicing a compressor, we need to think about possible systemic issues right off the bat. The compressor is the heart of the system, but everything else in the system affects how the compressor runs. You'll want to know which type of compressor you're working with as well as the manufacturer. As always, you'll want to check the superheat, subcooling, amps, TD across the condenser, and (especially) discharge line temperature.

The compression ratio is also a telling sign of the system and compressor's health. You take the compression ratio by dividing the absolute suction pressure into the absolute discharge pressure. However, we must also consider the compressor's application; by design, refrigeration compressors can deal with higher head pressures than A/C compressors.

Anytime a compressor fails, you'll want to investigate why it failed. You can only see what happened inside a compressor if you cut it open and inspect it. During the inspection, look for signs of overheating and damaged components. Whether a burnout, flooded start, or thermal overload caused the failure, you will be able to see clues about the failure and can piece together the compressor's story. Once we finish troubleshooting and diagnosing a compressor, we can focus on preventing future compressor failure. We'll have a better idea of the operating conditions we need to avoid.

Trevor and Bryan also discuss:

Head pressure (discharge pressure vs. liquid line pressure)
Compressor types
Compressor overheating
Return gas temperature
Burnout
Line driers
The 80/20 rule
Flooded starts
Short cycling
Non-bleed TXVs
Recovery and evacuation
Thermal limit
Advanced temperature scroll protector (ATSP)

Emerson Flow Chart - https://www.hvacrschool.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/2004ECT-126_NOTRUNNING.pdf

Compressor Installation Guide -

https://hvacrschool.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/Compressor-Installation.pdf

Emerson System Cleanup Bulletin -

https://climate.emerson.com/CPID/GRAPHICS/Types/AEB/ae1105.pdf

Learn more about Refrigeration Technologies HERE.

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Transcript

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0:00.0	This episode of the HVAC School Podcast is made possible by our sponsors.
0:08.9	Sponsors are companies that have said, hey, we like what you're doing, we think
0:12.3	training is important, and we're going to support you.
0:15.3	And they're all companies that I've already done business with, that I've already used their
0:18.7	products, and I already have a lot of good things to say about them.
0:21.6	So that makes it easy right and one of
0:23.2	them is carrier and carrier.com carrier has the new green speed extreme out now
0:27.8	some of the most efficient equipment on the market including Bluetooth
0:31.6	commissioning and diagnostics at the condensing unit.
0:35.1	Find out more by going to carrier.com or find out about how to be a dealer by contacting
0:40.0	your local carrier distribution branch and speak with a territory manager.
0:45.0	Navvac and Navac Global.com. Navac is a company that supported us for a long time.
0:50.0	They make some of the best recovery equipment in the market as well as
0:54.8	evacuation tools core removers hoses vacuum pumps they make a lot of other great
1:00.0	tools throughout the HVACR industry but one of the things I really like that they make
1:04.4	is their tools for working copper they have a tubing expander they have a battery
1:11.0	powered flaring tool that we use a lot, the NEFLI that we showed in a recent
1:15.3	video of us installing a duckless system, or actually specifically a one-way Mitsubishi
1:21.8	cassette duckless system. You can see it in action on our
1:25.0	YouTube channel if you take a look at that video.
1:27.2	Bonavac makes a lot of great tools you can find them at true tech tools
1:29.7	dot com TRU tech tools.com use offer code, get schooled for a great discount at check out.
	...

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