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Post by Travis on Jun 11, 2016 23:19:00 GMT
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Post by daveinqca on Jun 12, 2016 0:00:54 GMT
That's a rebuild isn't it? They won't even say if it works, but only that it did when they bought it. Ha!
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Post by Travis on Jun 12, 2016 0:35:40 GMT
Yes, It worked when they bought it. They want $1500 though. I am rich I tell you!!!
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Post by ckfan on Jun 12, 2016 4:23:11 GMT
Dave,
That one looks gorgeous. What else can I say?
I am going to make it my goal to make mine look as good as that. It is going to be a long road though.
Mine looks like its had a hard life and, horror of horrors, it has had a clamp on line valve added to it! You want to know the kicker? When I noticed that, the seller pushed open the shrader valve and I heard a hiss! Needless to say I stopped him as quick as I could. I wafted the air to my nose and didn't smell anything. Hmm...
On the plus side, the unit runs. It runs pretty good actually. All things considered. It's quiet...too quiet. Sure, there are what seem to be little pressure spurts under the dome but it doesn't want to cool at all though. I know, it's shocking. I left it on for an hour. It was only using 130 watts. The condenser was room temp, so was the evaporator. The dome was just warm.
The control on this one seems OK...in the fact that it turns the unit on and off. The start contact is bouncing on startup though. The heater is dead (duh). The base was broken before and somebody used epoxy to put it back together...sort of. It seems solid enough.
Overall, I'm staying positive. I did consciously buy this thing after all. I think I have a big challenge in front of me but I am almost a little excited about it.
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Post by Travis on Jun 12, 2016 4:50:23 GMT
LOL, I wonder what he used to charge it. It sounds like it needs to be vacuumed down and converted to 134a possibly. The start contact is supposed to bounce some. They do that.
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Post by ckfan on Jun 12, 2016 13:17:41 GMT
LOL, I wonder what he used to charge it. It sounds like it needs to be vacuumed down and converted to 134a possibly. The start contact is supposed to bounce some. They do that. Who knows what is in there now. Like you said, if I vacuum the unit down and put some 134a in it I might be on the right track. Problem is that I don't know how I would put a restrictor in. I'm also worried about that "saddle" charge valve. I'm worried that it is going to start leaking if it already hasn't. Of course I really don't know anything about them. I guess the real question is...what would Gill do? I would love to use this as a learning experience to allow myself to become familiar with opening up and sealing up a system. I just don't want to hurt this thing. It is really a piece of history! I'm going to post some pictures soon. Here is another odd thing. The ID tag is very worn but I could swear that the model listed is "DR 2 D" not "DRA 2 D". I thought that was odd. This thing looks like it should be a DRA.
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Post by ckfan on Jun 16, 2016 20:20:11 GMT
My friend Drew is going to be getting a vacuum pump. I think I am in luck! Now I can use that pump to pump down this old girl and then fill it back up with r134a. Now, I have done some reading on here about the DR3 that Gill rebuilt for Travis. I still have a few questions though.
1. Would it be possible to crimp the suction line instead of putting in a restriction device? 2. Is there a way to calculate how much R134a I would need to put into the machine? 3. Should I worry about fixing the section of pipe where the added saddle valve currently is? (My gut tells me I should) 4. What other questions do I need to be asking before I attempt this???
I'm thinking of vacuuming the system down, then fill it with nitrogen, then vacuum again and refill with R134a.
So...what do the experts think? I really want to get this beauty going but I don't want to hurt it. The compressor sounds so smooth right now. I want it to stay that way.
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Post by coldspaces on Jun 16, 2016 21:03:03 GMT
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Post by ckfan on Jun 16, 2016 21:36:47 GMT
Thank you Gill. Now I am going to read up on how to braze that hole shut!
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Post by elec573 on Jun 18, 2016 2:21:26 GMT
Really like the little Drs but have not come across one close to me (actually like all the monitor tops just some better) am interested in how yours turns out for you. Picked up a full size dr off crags list fo 50 $ think the moter is dead though have not had time to work on it though . Keep posting about yours!
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Post by ckfan on Aug 1, 2016 14:51:57 GMT
Sorry that I haven't been posting about my DRA. To be honest I've been busy trying to sort out the Norge in my free time. Now that the Norge is up and running (great actually!), I can finally devote some attention to my little DRA. I really am wondering where to start with this beauty. It needs a LOT of work but overall it is serviceable. I don't think I will have to send this one off to have major surgery performed on it. I will have to open it up and give it a good charge of 134a however. I was just about to leave for work this morning when I noticed my cat perched on top of it! She loves to get on top of it and look around the room. I just had to take some pictures of it and thought that this would be a good opportunity to talk about my next steps for this machine. I think the order of things that I need to do are... 1. Read a book. Gill suggested this one, I'll have to visit the library. Seriously, I'm going to be attempting some things that I've always been curious but too scared to do. I need to read on how to properly braze a new connection in over the stupid saddle valve. I may also be brazing in a line restrictor so that the compressor isn't overloaded with the new refrigerant. 2. Put a new door gasket in. This will be easy...I hope. It is in terrible shape and is missing in several spots. 3. Put a new heater in. Hopefully I can do so without disturbing the old wiring insulation. 4. Fix the cabinet trim pieces. Since this unit is old enough to have wood breaker strips, they need to be restored. They are pretty rough but I think a good sanding and staining will do them a world of good. 5. Ensure that the evaporator lines are in good shape. I am worried about the old evaporator line developing a leak since this unit has the old "pig" style evaporator. I've read that they have a tendency to rust out and leak, especially where they connect to the evaporator itself. 6. Flush out the float valve. I think that once I have gotten the unit evacuated and charged back up with refrigerant I can open up the float valve all the way with the unit running and let the liquid refrigerant "wash" the needle and seat. I've read about this in the DR manual. 7. Repaint the top. I will need to send the unit off to get blasted and painted. It needs it. 8. Get the monel trim looking better. It looks like somebody was rough on the cabinet at some point. The monel trim is dented but not trashed...I don't think. It just needs some polishing and some dents to be carefully tapped out. 9. Clean up the interior. It is dirty and smells like my grandpa's house used to smell before we cleaned it up. 10. Get some racks from Doug (timeswelding). Thanks for confirming that you can make some for me! Also find a drip tray on ebay if I'm super lucky. 11. Get some fancy pants cloth cord to make it look like it has an original cord. It has cloth cord now that is in "meh, I don't think it will catch on fire" shape. I don't think the current cord is original. Looks like it came from the 40s or something. 12. Plug it in and hope for the best. 13. Make another list once I realize that I missed something, you know, like the top seal that I already forgot to mention. Oh boy, this one is going to take a LONG time to complete. Once it is done though...it will be glorious. To view the photos in this post, please follow this link: drive.google.com/open?id=0B8_jm7K-ahMaVlA3QXhMblA4OGs
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Post by Travis on Aug 1, 2016 19:14:06 GMT
It sounds like you're on the right track. You're assuming though that the float is clear of the hard black gunk that likes to live there. You have to keep in mind that the DR manual was written many years ago. New problems have arisen and old problems have gotten a bit more difficult to overcome.
This all being said, you'll get it done. I bet it will be easier than the Norge!
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Post by ckfan on Aug 1, 2016 19:51:41 GMT
Travis,
You are right. I bet it will be easier than the Norge! All joking aside, I hope that the float doesn't have a whole lot of gunk in it. That may be why the person put on a tap valve in the first place. I will just have to read up on it all and dive in. I'm not going to lie, I'm very intimidated by it but am not scared. However, this will take a long time and I probably won't start work on it for a while. I need to save up some money to buy a few things first.
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Post by Travis on Aug 1, 2016 20:19:03 GMT
The tap valve was installed because they didn't know how to connect to the charging port on the float.
I wonder what they put in it.
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Post by ckfan on Aug 1, 2016 20:25:11 GMT
The tap valve was installed because they didn't know how to connect to the charging port on the float. I wonder what they put in it. I just find it odd that they didn't notice the charging port. Sure enough though, that is what happened. I have no idea what they put in it but whatever it is, it isn't working. I know it would be a hack thing to do but...I wonder if I could hook up the charge valve adapter that I now have and open the port to open the float valve. Maybe it would work something loose? Just a thought...a very poorly thought out thought! I know it wouldn't work but hey, a guy can think about the possibility of a miracle right?!
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