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Post by murphy38 on Jun 7, 2020 15:44:16 GMT
Hello, Im new to the flat top repairs and have a FCA-2-F16 that recently had a leak in the ice chest and leaked out the refrigerant. I made repairs to the hole and need to know where to go from there. Is there a way to add a substitute refrigerant to this unit? I saw some recharge kits out there for automotive use stating they are R12 substitutes, I think HFC134A actually. Is this something that can be put back into the unit ?
Also I dl iek to pressure the system slightly to verify my hole repair held up, I don't have access to a vacuum pump. I see what appears to be 2 separate access ports on the compressor. I couldn't get an 1/8" shrader valve on the cap section to pressure it but thinking it may be an 8mm?
I pulled the caps off and it appears to be an1/8" thread with somewhat of a hex nut deeper inside. I cant seem to get that out but thought maybe it stays in place since there appears to be holes in the bottom of the hex cap allowing flow to pass through.
Ive had this unit many years and have put a lot of hert into rebuilding it, probably not the traditional reno but Id like to keep her running.
I'm trying not to convert the entire system to a modern compressor etc so any assistance or feedback would be appreciated, thanks!
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Post by stlvortac on Jun 15, 2020 1:29:42 GMT
Welcome to the forum! I’m not up on best refrigerant subsutues for R12 but appears to be available in great quantity on eBay.
You’d need to borrow nitrogen, gauges and a vac pump to make sure the leaks fixed.
These are great units and will out last whatever modern conversion system was placed in it. Hopefully someone with experience charging them will chime in!
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Post by turbokinetic on Jun 27, 2020 14:54:04 GMT
Hello, Im new to the flat top repairs and have a FCA-2-F16 that recently had a leak in the ice chest and leaked out the refrigerant. I made repairs to the hole and need to know where to go from there. Is there a way to add a substitute refrigerant to this unit? I saw some recharge kits out there for automotive use stating they are R12 substitutes, I think HFC134A actually. Is this something that can be put back into the unit ? Also I dl iek to pressure the system slightly to verify my hole repair held up, I don't have access to a vacuum pump. I see what appears to be 2 separate access ports on the compressor. I couldn't get an 1/8" shrader valve on the cap section to pressure it but thinking it may be an 8mm? I pulled the caps off and it appears to be an1/8" thread with somewhat of a hex nut deeper inside. I cant seem to get that out but thought maybe it stays in place since there appears to be holes in the bottom of the hex cap allowing flow to pass through. Ive had this unit many years and have put a lot of hert into rebuilding it, probably not the traditional reno but Id like to keep her running. I'm trying not to convert the entire system to a modern compressor etc so any assistance or feedback would be appreciated, thanks! You are very wise not to convert the system to a modern compressor since these never seem to last like the originals did. To properly repair this, you will need to obtain a hermetic service kit which fits the ports on the unit. Or, alternatively, you can install tee fittings into the lines. If you're not planning to repair these over and over you're probably best to install "tee" access valves on the lines instead of locating an old service kit and hoping it's complete. It is 100% fixable and there are two easy paths forward once you have the repairs done. One is to go on eBay and find a private seller who is selling NOS cans of R12. The other way is to use R152A. Either way will provide the same results and require the same effort into the repair before charging; however the R152A is easier to obtain. Regardless of anything else - there is no way around having a vacuum pump. You absolutely must evacuate the air from the system before charging it. Please don't skip this rally basic step as it can dramatically harm the unit. Hope this helps! If you have questions about the tee access ports don't hesitate to ask. Sincerely, David |
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Post by douro20 on Jun 28, 2020 3:04:05 GMT
R-134a would be a definite no-no since it is incompatible with mineral oil and very reactive with moisture- actually one of the most reactive of all HFCs.
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Post by CCL2F2 on Jun 28, 2020 13:56:06 GMT
So2 has the same problems...
I’ve heard of other people successfully using R134a in Old r12 fridges probably because the old compressors hold so much oil that it doesn’t matter if a little bit gets left behind in the evaporator...unless the system is undercharged.
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Post by turbokinetic on Jun 28, 2020 15:49:15 GMT
So2 has the same problems... I’ve heard of other people successfully using R134a in Old r12 fridges probably because the old compressors hold so much oil that it doesn’t matter if a little bit gets left behind in the evaporator...unless the system is undercharged. Yeah - R134A is not chemically incompatible with mineral oil. It does not blend with mineral oil like R12 will; however the two do not harm each other. Most of the older low-horsepower systems don't need the oil and refrigerant to be fully miscible anyway. These systems never receive liquid refrigerant back to the compressor, with the oil travelling as a film along the inside of the return line. So miscibility is pretty well not a factor when the system is operating properly. The early SO2 models had a non miscible refrigerant and oil and they work fine. The Scotch Yoke compressor in the Flat Top was designed to be used with a non miscible oil and refrigerant, since it was used with SO2. Using it with an HFC refrigerant will work just fine. You would be better using R152A as opposed to R134A for various reasons; not the least of which is the lower pressure and less heat in the discharge line. R152A has a pressure-temperature curve which is pretty well a dead-ringer for R12, comes in the same size cans for the can puncture tap, and is not a phase out refrigerant. |
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