Thread: Air sealing oil

Usually these systems are over gassed to alow the purging of air
Purge each pipe as you connect, from the top fitting , there isn't much air to expell , just do it slowly.
More often than not valves in a/c systems are back seating , this means when you have finished purging etc and all the fittings are tight open the valve fully as it seats against the top of the valve housing to stop any leaks
It is illegal to vent a/c gas into the atmosphere thus the vacuum system so that the gas can be collected & disposed of properly.
Without completely vacuuming the system and re-charging with a new gas charge I don't know how you would only take out the air from the system with a vacuum unit.
Water in the system can cause problems , usually freezing the TX valve , this is the valve that expands the gas giving a tempreture reduction , just before the evaporator, but is highly unlikely in a simple split system if you follow the install instructions and don't remove the caps on the pipes untill you are ready to fit them.
Doubt if you ever will but should you get a frozen valve switch the unit off wrap with a cloth and pour boiling , or very hot water on it , this should melt any ice inside the valve, allow unit to settle and purge air/water from high point on the gas side.

Originally Posted by NAT32

My MSS10 worked fine after a self-install about a year ago - until today.
I turned it on as usual by pressing the I/O button on the Remote Control and all I get are two flashing LEDs: the green Run led and the red Sleep led. This seems to be some kind of self-test error indication, as no other keys produce any kind of response (other than a beep). Does anyone know what the flashing LEDs mean?

I have two such units and tried the remote control with the other unit and it works ok.

Have you tried replacing the batteries in the remote unit

Originally Posted by Ashore

Have you tried replacing the batteries in the remote unit

The remote control is OK. I had tested it with my second MSS10 to make sure.

I've since taken a look at the control board inside the indoor unit. It has a Toshiba 86P807N microcontroller. Its control inputs are three temperature sensors, a thermistor in the outdoor unit, a thermistor on the indoor heating/cooling coil, and an indoor air temperature sensor. I suspected that, on power on, the control program runs a self-test that checks those temperature sensors, as they are most likely crucial components. I then measured the resistance of the outdoor thermistor and it was only 2 Ohms. I checked the same component in my other MSS10 and it had a resistance of around 6000 Ohms (at 15 degrees). So I took out the bad thermistor and replaced it with a 4.7KOhm resistor and turned the unit on. Success! The unit started up normally and no flashing LEDs. So all I have to do now is get a proper replacement thermistor, hopefully from the service agent Electric Blue Installations in Dandenong.

Sorry Nat I miss read your other post I read it as you tried the second remote and it worked the unit ok , not that you tried the remote on the second unit
Job well done though, you might try jay-car if you have problems getting the replacement thermister.


Rgds

does anyone successfully install the mistral a.c ? is there any special tool that we need to buy in order to do the job?

Have been doing A/C work for about 10 years, Never heard of Air sealing oil !!!
Their is a product called leak lock, this is a proper refrigeration sealant for flared fittings or gaskets. As far as i now the oils is to stop the copper flare binding up with the brass fittings when you tighten it.
Not vaccing the system out will leed to moisture which does react with the gas and oil. This makes the oil acidic (as mentioned above) which will eventually remove the coating on the windings causing the compressor to short out.
This could be 12 months could be 5 years !!

You will normally need a flaring tool to flare the copper.

Good luck

Have been doing A/C work for about 10 years, Never heard of Air sealing oil !!!
Their is a product called leak lock, this is a proper refrigeration sealant for flared fittings or gaskets. As far as i now the oils is to stop the copper flare binding up with the brass fittings when you tighten it.
Not vaccing the system out will leed to moisture which does react with the gas and oil. This makes the oil acidic (as mentioned above) which will eventually remove the coating on the windings causing the compressor to short out.
This could be 12 months could be 5 years !!

Good luck

Originally Posted by Goose

Have been doing A/C work for about 10 years, Never heard of Air sealing oil !!!
Their is a product called leak lock, this is a proper refrigeration sealant for flared fittings or gaskets. As far as i now the oils is to stop the copper flare binding up with the brass fittings when you tighten it.
Not vaccing the system out will leed to moisture which does react with the gas and oil. This makes the oil acidic (as mentioned above) which will eventually remove the coating on the windings causing the compressor to short out.
This could be 12 months could be 5 years !!

You will normally need a flaring tool to flare the copper.

Good luck

Hi mate,
where can i buy this flaring tool,copper pipe and insulation?
is this safe to bleed the air out instead of vaccing it?
regards,
jolybean

You wont need a flaring tool for the Mistrals, as long as you dont go over the supplied 5 metres. I spoke to a service guy who said to use linseed or sesame oil as 'air sealing oil'. He said he has seen instructions to use canola oil on the back of similar devices for the same purpose.

The Mistral installation manual makes no reference to a need to vac the units unless going over 5metres in pipe length. Dont know much about it myself, so am not trying to put an opinion one way or the other.

Arron

I want to install one of these - this thread has given me valuable info! (I found the thread by googling for "air sealing oil")
But there are more issues:
- on page 17 in the manual, I am supposed to cut a part out of the indoor unit to let the pipes come out: can't I just put them through the wall without anything being exposed below the indoor unit?
- on page 19, I am supposed to install a "double channel drain joint" under the bottom of the outdoor unit: is it necessary, and if so - how do I find such a thing, and how do I fasten it since there is only a round hole in the bottom plate of the unit.

Finally, does anyone know of someone in the Melbourne area that does "commissioning" for a fair price?

air sealing oil is in fact light grade oil that is placed on the flared ends of the copper pipe to allow the flaring nut to eb able to spin on the copper to tighten to the correct tension and not to twist the copper out of shape ,pretty simple really !

could anybody tell me which pipe is the liquid pipe and which one is the gas pipe?
where can i buy a good copper pipe with insulation in Melbourne?
how do i bleed the air out of the system?
thanks,
jolybean

Originally Posted by occam

- on page 17 in the manual, I am supposed to cut a part out of the indoor unit to let the pipes come out: can't I just put them through the wall without anything being exposed below the indoor unit?
- on page 19, I am supposed to install a "double channel drain joint" under the bottom of the outdoor unit: is it necessary, and if so - how do I find such a thing, and how do I fasten it since there is only a round hole in the bottom plate of the unit.

You should not need to cut through the side of the unit - that is just one suggestion made for unusual installations. For neatness, you would normally have the pipe go straight through the wall from behind the unit so no pipes are visible.

The outdoor unit will produce a lot of water, especially when in heat mode. If you want to drain this away from the unit you can put in a drain joint - if you dont it will simply pool under the air conditioner - which may or may not matter to you. I didnt bother using one, the water just drips out the hole and into the garden.

It is well worth getting someone to commission these units after you have installed.

Arron

Originally Posted by Wildman

I read that in an El-cheapo Akai split system, I ignored it and just tightened up the piping and it seals fine. Put the split system in myself. No need for a vacuum pump, just blew the air out of the pipes with the system gas itself. Worked a treat.

Cheers
Ben

To let the gas blow the air of the pipes - does it matter which order the pipes are connected in? Should it be the end nearer to the indoor unit or the connection to the outdoor unit ? Is it timing critical ?- as in : wait too long and too much gas expelled, connecting it up too quickly causing air to be not fully expelled ?

Cheers
Jono