Ac tech help!

[takarge]

Please call 832-401-7781 need to talk to an Ac tech about welding aluminum Ac lines back together for a 410a system.

[takarge]

Wow 54 views and not one phone call!

[txoutdoorsman24]

Talk about what? What are you trying to do

[gusman]

Not gonna solder aluminum tube back together.

[double bogey]

You can use stainless steel compression fittings, may or may not work. I have used them on an elderly cousins condenser coil that couldn't afford a replacement. Trane offers them for a repair kit for their condensers. Course you are going to need a vacuum pump and some other knowledge too.

[krisw]

You can use stainless steel compression fittings, may or may not work. I have used them on an elderly cousins condenser coil that couldn't afford a replacement. Trane offers them for a repair kit for their condensers. Course you are going to need a vacuum pump and some other knowledge too.

My step dad used to keep something like that on his truck. It was aluminum (I think) on one side and copper on the other. He hated them. I only saw him use one or two.

[J-Fish]

Never seen anyone in the field ever successfully braze or weld aluminum coils in the field.


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[takarge]

Yah it wasn't the coils, the line it self running under the house. I was gonna ask anyone if they make a fitting to reconnect the line. (It was aluminum first time I've ever seen this.) I ended up cutting it all out and running new copper line (3/4 and 3/8) and sweating it all in. Vaccumed it all down and charged it. It's a 2k square foot house and it took about 4 hours to cool it down from 96 degrees to 70. Thanks for yalls help. If only the people who unhooked the system would have cut it about 8 inches closer to the condenser.

[double bogey]

I have not seen aluminum refrigeration lines yet. I do commercial more than residential though. More and more coils are all aluminum. Lot are going to the microchannel design. Mfgs tried aluminum coils unsuccessfully (except for GE/Trane) in the 80's, hope their technology is better this time around.

[Uncle Saggy]

Microchannel ------ no, technology is not better this time around


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[Fordtough68]

I actually work for the buisness that supplies trane, carrier, rheem, and many other with their manifolds. If you can get anew exact pat number for the manifold you need it may be able to help you out with a new one.

[Fordtough68]

I watch about 10,000 aluminum manifolds a day get brazed. The right rod and heat and it'll braze right up. Just have to clean it properly.

[Rat]

Aluminum is easy...
Hi-Alloy 181 flux
Alum brazing rods
MAPP Gas or B-tank turbo torch (low heat, no Oxy/Acetylene)

Use a stainless brush to clean the area well, heat end of rod and dip in flux, apply heat to line and let it flow.

You can also add a little alcohol to the flux and make a paste or almost a liquid flux and brush it on.

The trick is to use LOW heat, this is a whole different world than Sil/Phos brazing.

I've made hundreds of Alum repairs over the years. I know this is a little late for you, but save it for later; there will be more and more of this in our industry in the near future.

You can buy these supplies at any good welding store, I have never seen them in an HVAC supply house.

You have to be careful on the micro-channel coils, it is very easy to fill the tube with the rod and create an occlusion. Trane makes and epoxy kit for repair on this type of coil but I have never used it. Also, when making a repair in the vicinity of other joints it is recommended to not get the area hotter than 465°, I use a heat marker that is 450° for this type of repair.

Trane also makes a repair kit that uses compression fitting tech for their condensers, it is KIT01146 I believe; there are two kits and this one is for 3/8" repair. I have used this and it works well, although, I found a braze was both faster and cheaper (but not by much on either account).

[takarge]

Thank you for the advice! The job is done and the house is cooling all of the aluminum tubing is in a pile now lol!

Aluminum is easy...
Hi-Alloy 181 flux
Alum brazing rods
MAPP Gas or B-tank turbo torch (low heat, no Oxy/Acetylene)

Use a stainless brush to clean the area well, heat end of rod and dip in flux, apply heat to line and let it flow.

You can also add a little alcohol to the flux and make a paste or almost a liquid flux and brush it on.

The trick is to use LOW heat, this is a whole different world than Sil/Phos brazing.

I've made hundreds of Alum repairs over the years. I know this is a little late for you, but save it for later; there will be more and more of this in our industry in the near future.

You can buy these supplies at any good welding store, I have never seen them in an HVAC supply house.

You have to be careful on the micro-channel coils, it is very easy to fill the tube with the rod and create an occlusion. Trane makes and epoxy kit for repair on this type of coil but I have never used it. Also, when making a repair in the vicinity of other joints it is recommended to not get the area hotter than 465°, I use a heat marker that is 450° for this type of repair.

Trane also makes a repair kit that uses compression fitting tech for their condensers, it is KIT01146 I believe; there are two kits and this one is for 3/8" repair. I have used this and it works well, although, I found a braze was both faster and cheaper (but not by much on either account).