Angle valve
(3)
Faucets
(7)
Pipe Fitting
(3)
Solenoid Valve
(3)
Pressure Switch
(2)
Ball Valve
(5)
Expansion Valve
(5)
Flow Switch
(2)
Sight Glass
(2)
Vacuum Pump
(1)
Twin Meter Valve
(4)
Motorized Valve
(1)
Oil Separator
(1)
Defrost Timer
(1)
Filter Drier
(3)
Refrigerant Gas
(26)
AC Stop Valve
(2)
Knife Gate Valve
(5)
Suction filter drier are an important part of the cleanup procedure for refrigeration systems. This applies not only for systems that have suffered a compressor burnout, but for newly installed systems as well.
Have you ever had to pull and clean the oil pick-up screen in a compressor? The crud you cleaned off wasn't in there when the compressor was manufactured; it came from poor soldering habits. A suction filter will catch the scale created from soldering without nitrogen before it makes its way to the compressor.
Suction filter drier also work well when converting an old R-12 system over to R-134a. The ester oil in the new compressor does a nice job of cleaning the insides of the existing line set and coils. A filter will catch all the material cleaned off by the oil before it gets to the compressor.
In the case of compressor burnouts, try to place the suction line drier as close as possible to the compressor. The acid caused by a burnout will attack the insulation surrounding the windings in the new compressor. A high acid drier on the liquid line may neutralize the acid eventually, but not before damage is done to the winding insulation, shortening the compressor's life.
Trying to determine if a shorted compressor needs a suction drier by smelling the oil is a poor practice. Yes, if it's a bad burn, it's not hard to tell - the smell will sting the inside of your nose. If it doesn't smell bad, a simple oil test kit will tell you if major cleanup is necessary.
Adding the suction drier is only the first step. Don't put it in and forget it. A return trip is required to see if it is plugging up, which would indicate ongoing problems with the system.
System cleanup adds time and cost to compressor replacements. Adding it in your quote up front and explaining to your customer why it's important is better than losing money, or worse, not doing any cleanup and having the compressor fail again, thus aggravating your customer.
The bottom line is in the long run proper system cleanup saves time, money, and customers.
