Integrated/Independent Poll Closed

Damn boys – pegged this poll setting out in under 1 hour. Thanks for the input. And the person that voted they’re too damn stupid to have an opinion – got to respect a man that know’s his limitations. : )

Independent (102)91%Integrated –   (8)7%Other (1)1%I Don’t Give A @#%# – I’m too damned stupid to have an opinion!   (1)1%

What’s Your Poison – Integrated or Independent Refrigeration Manifold Gauges.

As a technician/mechanic do you prefer to purchase an integrated manifold and gauge assembly – ie, Testo® – God please forgive for my transgressions : ) - Refco® Digimon® and Mastercool® or do you prefer to select your manifold of choice and add the gauges of choice like the Digi-Cool® Powerhead  -and every analog in the world? If you’ve got an extra second while you’re voting to briefly explain your preference – we’d appreciate that also.

Disabling Auto-Off Feature of the J/B® Atlas Refrigerant Charging Scale

Vacuum Pump FAQ’s Courtesy of J/B® Industries

1.  My vacuum pump runs, but I cannot get a vacuum.

Either the coupler between the shaft of the pump and the shaft of the motor is either broken or slipping.  Make sure the set screws are tight on the flats of the two shafts.

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2. Why is it so important to change the oil often in my vacuum pump?

The proper oil in a vacuum pump acts as a blotter and absorbs all of the moisture and non-condensables. As the oil becomes saturated with these contaminants, the efficiency of the pump is dramatically reduced.  Maintaining clean oil in the pump ensures that the pump will operate at peak efficiency.

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3. Can I use any oil in my vacuum pump?

No. JB Black Gold oil is extremely pure and non-detergent. Black Gold is hydro processed which means it goes through a series of catalytic steps rendering the oil extremely refined, more viscous, and more stable. The result is a clear mineral oil that will alert you to contamination sooner as it becomes cloudy or milky.

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4. Why is it important to change my oil when the pump is hot?

As the pump cools, the moisture and contaminates start to separate in the pump and when drained, the contaminants cling to the walls of the pump.  When you refill the pump with new oil, those contaminants will mix in with the new oil as the pump warms up resulting in the new oil quickly becoming contaminated.

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5. If I am always pulling a vacuum on clean, dry systems, is there a way to check my oil in the pump to see if it is contaminated and not have to change it so frequently?

It is recommended that a micron gauge be attached directly to the pump and it should pull to 50 microns or lower if the oil is clean.  If the micron gauge will not pull to 50 microns, it is an indication that the oil is becoming contaminnated and should be changed.

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6. Other than pulling air out of the system, how does my  vacuum pump get rid of the moisture in the system?

Most two stage vacuum pumps will go low enough in vacuum and reduce the atmospheric pressure within the system, thus allowing boiling of the moisture at a lower temperature.  Once the moisture is in a vapor form, it is readily removed by the pump.

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7. What is a gas ballast and how do I use it?

On the initial pull of vacuum on a system, the gas ballast is open allowing the initial volume of air in the system to bypass the oil so as to not contaminate the oil immediately.  When the pump starts to quiet down, close the gas ballast and the pump will start reducing atmospheric pressure in the system to boil the moisture and non-condensables.

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8. What is a blank-off valve?

The blank-off valve acts no different than a water valve.  Open it, and with the pump running you will get your desired vacuum.  Close it, and with the pump running there is no vacuum.

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9. If I use a larger CFM pump, will I be able to pull a vacuum on a system faster?

In most cases NO.  Using a vacuum pump on air conditioning systems from 1 ton to 10 tons, you will not see the difference between a 3 CFM pump and a 10 CFM pump.  For example, if you put a pump on a system and you notice within 2 minutes the pump quiets down and you cannot really feel any air leaving the exhaust.  This means that there is no more CFM left in the system and you are now working with molecules.  Thus, at this point if you replaced a 3 CFM pump with a 10 CFM pump, there is no change in vacuum or time.

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10. What is a micron?

There are 25,400 microns in an inch.  Therefore with a compound gauge reading 0 inches to 30 inches, there are 762,000 microns.

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11. I have been using my low side gauge to pull a vacuum, is this wrong?

YES.  The low side gauge knows only atmospheric pressure and cannot sense moisture or non-condensables.  A micron gauge is a heat sensing device that not only reads atmospheric pressure, but also measures the gases created by the vacuum pump as it boils the moisture.  For example, if you were to pull a vacuum on an enclosed bottle of water, the low side gauge when pulling a vacuum will read a perfect vacuum.  Using a micron gauge, it will immediately tell you with a high reading the you have a problem in you system.

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12. I have been pulling a vacuum on my system using a micron gauge and cannot get it down to a low reading.

See FAQ #1.  Another possibility is that some oil may have entered the micron gauge and is giving false readings.  The remedy is to pour regular rubbing alcohol into the connector on the micron gauge, shake, and pour out (do not use a q-tip, rag, or any other material- use the liquid alcohol only).  Do this about three times, then try to pull a vacuum with the gauge.

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13. I am able to pull a vacuum on my system, but when I blank-off, the micron gauge rises rapidly.

Unless you are using JB`s  DV-29, copper tubing, or flexible metal hoses, it is not recommended to use your existing manifold and hoses for blanking-off a system to check for leaks.  Hoses work very well under high pressure.  Vacuum is very critical in leaks, more so than pressure.  All charging hoses, including the black hoses ¼”or 3/8″  permeate.  Where the crimp is on the brass to the hose also has possible leak issues, and the gasket at the coupler is a major leak offender.  The vacuum industry uses o-rings on most couplers. When you screw down on a gasket, it goes into many contortions and will not seal.  When using an o-ring, you screw down on it to get a metal to metal seat and the o-ring lies around the lip of the flare giving it a positive seal.

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14. Can I mount my micron gauge onto the vacuum pump? 

It is not recommended to do so as you are reading what the pump is doing and not what the pump is doing to the system (see DV-29).  It is suggested that you tee off on the suction side of the system and mount the gauge there.

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15. How low of a vacuum should we pull on a system?

JB recommends that a system be pulled to at least 250 microns and held at least five minutes.  On any polyester oils in a system, it is recommended to pull a much lower vacuum as moisture is very difficult to remove even with heat and vacuum.

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16. Why does the micron gauge slowly fall back and then start to hold after pulling a vacuum and blanking-off?

The reason for this is there is equalization within the system.  If you pull a vacuum lower, it will then fall back at a shorter range and hold.

Infrared vs. Heated Diode – Take Two [Refrigerant Leak Detection Technology]

The Bastard Manifold: Evaluation of the Stalker™/Sherman™ Manifold

Just offering to open the floor to the other guys onboard here who have been quietly FieldTesting this cluster **** of a block for the past several months – let’s hear what your evaluations are because I am cocked and loaded on both barrells and do not intend to let this hit the field without my 2 cents on it – so…….don’t know what you’ve all been waiting on, but show us what you got.

Just starting the pre-release Evaluation process on this manifold on the Boards – Join us now to save yourself headaches in the future. This manifold is not what it seems to be. Only on the Exclusive – Original – Authentic HVACPROTech.com® FieldTests & Evaluations [FTE]™ Boards.

Gauge Comparison Demo 0-100-0 Psi

For any one just looking at going digital and seeing this
So you know and don’t know good or bad this stuff is similar vintage and the newer generation testo 523 is field “zeroed” and has different pressure sensors than this 1st generation 523. My high side will vary in pressure when compared to the low side depending on current temperature and atmospheric pressure and it gets more technical.