ACtion Magazine - May 2014 - (Page 21)

Giving the compressor more of a ﬁghting chance In the January/February 2014 issue of MACS ACtion Magazine, there was a compressor installation article (cover story) titled "Giving the new compressor a ﬁghting chance," which described what it takes to reduce the high failure and return rate of replacement compressors. The compressor supplier recommendations described in that article almost mirror the OE installation procedures, and wisdom from the ﬁeld described proper practice issues such as ﬁt, torque, belts, tensioners, ﬂushing, charge pressures, leaks, and more. Looks like we have got it all covered; so why do replacement compressors continue to fail? Many of you would answer this question with opinions about product quality, country of origin, installation procedures, factory service procedures, training, tooling, etc. While I can agree that many of these reasons are valid at times, they are not the root cause. From my perspective (and I'm not alone in this observation), the root cause is the failure to completely and properly clean and/or return the system to like-new condition. We need to look more closely at the fact that a failed compressor contaminates a system with used oils of unknown quality and quantity, potential additive cocktails and a high probability of metal shards and debris. Doing nothing more than "pooﬁng" some solvent at it and installing new parts is not enough. We must face the facts and accept the responsibility of properly preparing the system for a new compressor, or replacement compressors will continue to fail. The compressor manufacturers understand contamination; they do forced-failure tests and then effectively ﬂush and clean their test stands between tests. Regardless of brand or country of origin, each manufac- turer tests and measures the quality of their product, and they would never release a faulty product into the market. They see repeat failures as an installation issue, and many have made ﬂushing a condition of their warranty "using approved ﬂushing products and procedures." The methods they "approve" just mirror the OE procedures that require only the low-ﬂow, closed-loop ﬂush available in the RRR machine that OEs require their dealership service departments to have in their shops. Many require using refrigerant only and warn against the use of solvents. Why? Because this satisﬁes the OE's warranty, reduces their environmental liabilities and shifts almost all of the responsibility and associated costs to you, the Professional Installer. But is it enough? Don't you already go beyond minimum warranty requirements for other repairs when you know it decreases the chances of a repeat failure which is ultimately your responsibility? Superior, proven and validated cleaning methods exist and they are used every day in Automotive, Fleet, Aviation, and Industrial applications to clean multi path and micro channel heat exchangers. "You can't ﬂush those" is a myth. Other than replacing every component in the system, complete and effective enhanced-energy ﬂushing is the only way to achieve the goal of returning a system to like-new conditions. Going beyond minimum warranty requirements is a step that always pays for itself. Karl Matis HECAT Inc. DuPont Opteon YF TM AUTOMOTIVE REFRIGERANT HFO-1234yf Science of Cool Opteon® YF is now available at these preferred partners and other DuPont distributors nationally! For more on Opteon® YF, visit SmartAutoAC.com ® Copyright 2014 DuPont. All rights reserved. The DuPont Oval Logo, DuPontTM and Opteon YF are registered trademarks or trademarks of E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company or its affiliates. K-28356 (04/14) Reader Reply May 2014 * ACtion 21 http://www.SmartAutoAC.com http://www.factorymotorparts.com http://www.macsw.org/imis15/MACS/Publications/ACtion_Reader_Reply/MACS/Publications/ACTION/ACtion_Reader_Reply.aspx?hkey=ac24bddb-c045-442a-813c-cbf05f88ac4d

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of ACtion Magazine - May 2014

Selling the right things
Season opener
Outlook
Freeze Frame
Leonard's Law
Service Port
Virtual View
Last Watch
Member Profile
By the Numbers
Cooling Corner
Industry News
Association News
Letter to the editor
New Products

ACtion Magazine - May 2014