Michael A. Terrell wrote:
Terry Coombs wrote:

Joe wrote:
I have a small leak in my evaporator. So, here comes the cooling
season again, and until I have the money to get the system
repaired, I need to add a charge. I've got the gauges hooked up,
and measured the ambient temperature at 82 deg F.

I remember that I used to just subtract x deg. from the ambient, and
add refrigerant until I reached that value on the low-side gauge.
However, I don't remember what that value is. IIRC, it was 35 or 40,
but the synapses don't fire like they used to.

Can anyone help me out here? I fail to understand the
superheat/subcool stuff, but the rule-of-thumb has served me well in
the past.

Joe

Don't know all that much about superheat and saturation temps ,
but when mine got low from a return line leak (second season of use
is when it showed up) I put a clamp-on ampmeter on the compressor
lead and charged it until it read rated amps . I did have gauges
hooked up , but can't remember now what the exact readings were ,
but it's run flawlessly now for 8 or 9 years without touching
anything but the condensate drain line .
--
Snag
Daddy was an AC&R man ... after he retired from being an ET .


He was an Extra Terrestrial? Wow! ;-)

No , no , no , he was an Electronics Tech ! Worked at HAFB for something
like 26 years in an electronics test eqpt repair shop , forced retirement in
'78 due to a broken hip ca 1964 (slipped on a loading dock at Malmstrom
AFB). Dad was one of the first people (AFAIK) to be trained to repair CNC
machinery for the Air Force . He also worked in Minuteman silo's , and did a
lot of other things he never talked about ... he got to ride in some very
fast aircraft from time to time , when there was "a problem we need you to
look at , Dick" .
Dad was one of the most intelligent people I ever knew , and I wish I knew
a tenth of what he did ...
--
Snag
Been gone ten years now ...