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Post by turbokinetic on Jul 2, 2018 23:12:49 GMT
I remember reading that the porcelain coated steel evaporators of the DR's tend to fail due to chipped porcelain and the underlying steel rusting out. I'm curious what if anything can be done to preserve, or prolong the life of the evaporator?
It seems that there is a little rust where the suction line connects to the evaporator. There was some sort of tape or wrap on it that had long ago deteriorated to shreds.
Another question for the hardcore repair gurus here - if you have to remove the evaporator, what sort of method is used to solder / braze the lines? How does the porcelain coating fare when it's heated up?
Thanks! Sincerely, David
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Post by ckfan on Jul 3, 2018 1:18:56 GMT
A lot of people have tried different things here. I’m not sure which is the best way but...here is what I did for my DR1. I first neutralized the rust by scraping off the excess and hitting it with rust converter. Then I took some athletic tape and dipped it in epoxy. I then wrapped the tape tight around the lines and let it dry and harden. Hard as a rock when they dried since it is a tough glue. I then painted them so that they wouldn’t stick out.
Again, I don’t know if this is the correct way but it did form a water tight seal for me.
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Post by coldspaces on Jul 3, 2018 1:24:50 GMT
I would not try to remove the lines close to the porcelain. Cut it far enough from it to keep the line wrapped with a wet rag when reconnecting. As far as the tape goes there was a factory procedure were they wrapped the joints because they were rusting. You are seeing the remnants of that tape I bet. Check out the great work Alan did on his evap. monitortop.freeforums.net/thread/322/epoxy-treatment-corroded-copper-joints
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Post by turbokinetic on Jul 3, 2018 1:56:31 GMT
A lot of people have tried different things here. I’m not sure which is the best way but...here is what I did for my DR1. I first neutralized the rust by scraping off the excess and hitting it with rust converter. Then I took some athletic tape and dipped it in epoxy. I then wrapped the tape tight around the lines and let it dry and harden. Hard as a rock when they dried since it is a tough glue. I then painted them so that they wouldn’t stick out. Again, I don’t know if this is the correct way but it did form a water tight seal for me. Well, if it preserves your lines, then it can't be truly "incorrect!" The idea of the tape being a reinforcement inside the epoxy seems like a winner. As far as the rust converter beforehand; I've had good success with POR15 rust encapsulating varnish which I might try there, depending on how things go with this unit. But, coming from an automotive background I really like the idea of blasting away all the rust first and then preserving the base metal. I would not try to remove the lines close to the porcelain. Cut it far enough from it to keep the line wrapped with a wet rag when reconnecting. As far as the tape goes there was a factory procedure were they wrapped the joints because they were rusting. You are seeing the remnants of that tape I bet. Check out the great work Alan did on his evap. monitortop.freeforums.net/thread/322/epoxy-treatment-corroded-copper-jointsThanks for the pointer about leaving extra line on the evaporator. Also, that job Alan did is amazing. I've never used heat-set epoxy but would like to experiment with it after seeing that job. I do have a bead blaster and could theoretically recreate his work. I would be afraid that the lines might be so thin that the bead blast opens up a leak. That would be unfortunate if it were to happen.
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Post by solarmike on Jul 3, 2018 12:48:34 GMT
I've had good success with POR15 rust encapsulating varnish which I might try there, depending on how things go with this unit. POR15 is the poop on stopping rust.... I use it all the time. It's great for sealing motorcycle tanks too........
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Post by csulaguy on Sept 12, 2018 6:19:11 GMT
So for those of us who don't have access to a bead blaster, and don't feel inclined to disconnect the evap - what can we do to fill in the chips in the enamel?
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Post by birkie on Sept 12, 2018 10:28:33 GMT
So for those of us who don't have access to a bead blaster, and don't feel inclined to disconnect the evap - what can we do to fill in the chips in the enamel? You can try light-cured acrylic. One such example is a product named "ceramicure".
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Post by csulaguy on Sept 12, 2018 14:03:57 GMT
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Post by elec573 on Sept 13, 2018 3:37:57 GMT
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Post by turbokinetic on Sept 14, 2018 14:17:15 GMT
Wow that looks horrific before the repair!!!! Is that rusted hole open into the refrigerant circuit; or just a void space / freezing solution compartment?
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Post by csulaguy on Sept 14, 2018 15:47:50 GMT
Ha, I was wondering the same thing about that line. Either way, it's a night and day difference.
As it turns out for me, the top that seems more stripped down (without 15 coats of paint) has a restriction somewhere, whereas the Illinois DR1 pulls down beautifully, and consequently, has less chipping on the evap itself. I don't remember how the back of it looks.
What did Joneske use for his evap? Just something like the consumer version of ceramicure? Also, what's the purpose of POR15? Does it stop rust in its tracks, or do something else?
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Post by joneske on Sept 14, 2018 16:32:35 GMT
Believe it or not I used JB Weld SteelStik. It was just a void that I carefully cleaned up with a wire brush, hit it with rust treatment and applied the epoxy. So far, it has held well as this is on the DRA2 Mike and I worked on and he now has in Pennsylvania. Oddly enough, we did end up with a small leak, but not at that location. www.jbweld.com/products/steelstik-epoxy-putty-stick
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Post by elec573 on Sept 15, 2018 4:01:44 GMT
Interesting topic because I have a dr that has a similar looking area where it meets the evaporator. In fact it’s probably prevalent on most of the drs with this type of evaporator. Ck fan had a somewhat fix but don’t know how it we’ll hold up . Like joneske fix but unfortunately was not tested very long . Hopefully you we’ll come up with a good fix!
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Post by birkie on Sept 15, 2018 11:28:33 GMT
Wait, are you interested in repairing chips on the evaporator body, or corrosion where the lines meet the evaporator (or both)? Epoxy is tried and true on the lines, and folks have successfully repaired porcelain chips with the light-cured acrylic (on cabinet too). The latter basically what they use to repair cavities in teeth
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Post by elec573 on Sept 16, 2018 2:53:56 GMT
My self I’m more interested in where the line meets the evaporator. Chips are more cosmetic, but if the line gets too bad then a leak and we all know what happens then 🤧
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