chenn49115 asks

I need to temporarily temporarily disconnect and move the our
outdoor central air unit so some foundation repair work can be done.
I'm a fairly competent DIY. Is a disconnect and reconnect something
best left to the pros? If it's something I can do myself where can I
learn the steps to do it? The owners manual is not available and the
small unit is about 12 years old.

wrote:
chenn49115 asks

I need to temporarily temporarily disconnect and move the our
outdoor central air unit so some foundation repair work can be done.
I'm a fairly competent DIY. Is a disconnect and reconnect something
best left to the pros? If it's something I can do myself where can I
learn the steps to do it? The owners manual is not available and the
small unit is about 12 years old.


May be quite costly to have the refrigerant lines
disconnected/evacuated and reconnected later.
Ona 12 yr old unit, may not be cost effective.

Would it be possible to create a "bridge" of heavy planking
underneath the unit and not move it at all?

Jim

wrote:

chenn49115 asks

I need to temporarily temporarily disconnect and move the our
outdoor central air unit so some foundation repair work can be done.
I'm a fairly competent DIY. Is a disconnect and reconnect something
best left to the pros? If it's something I can do myself where can I
learn the steps to do it? The owners manual is not available and the
small unit is about 12 years old.



It would be against the law for you to do it yourself unless you obtain
a tech's license.

And also impossible to do legally even with a license without investing
in equipment which would cost you far more than having a licensed HVAC
tech do the job for you.

Be prepared to spend a few hundred bucks for the job, depending on where
you live.

Jeff

--
Jeffry Wisnia
(W1BSV + Brass Rat '57 EE)
The speed of light is 1.8*10^12 furlongs per fortnight.

wrote in message
oups.com...
chenn49115 asks

I need to temporarily temporarily disconnect and move the our
outdoor central air unit so some foundation repair work can be done.
I'm a fairly competent DIY. Is a disconnect and reconnect something
best left to the pros? If it's something I can do myself where can I
learn the steps to do it? The owners manual is not available and the
small unit is about 12 years old.


This falls in the catigory of 'if you have to ask, then you probably can not
do it'.

The electrical part is nothing to it. The problem is the two lines carring
the refrigerant gas. YOu will have to have a machine that will suck the gas
out and store it so you can disconnect the lines. They are are under a lot
of pressure so you don't just unhook them. After you get ready to install
the lines you have to have a vacuum pump to suck out all the air and then
recharge it with the gas.

Someone mentioned the legal part. About 20 years ago the government decided
the refrigerant gas in most systems (especially the r-12 and r-22) was bad
for the ozone layer of the atmosphere. You can not just blow the old gas
out to the air but must recover it from the system. If you can not put it
back in then you have to take it to a place that will recover it. Big fine
if you do not do this.

Speedy Jim wrote:
wrote:
chenn49115 asks

I need to temporarily temporarily disconnect and move the our
outdoor central air unit so some foundation repair work can be done.
I'm a fairly competent DIY. Is a disconnect and reconnect something
best left to the pros? If it's something I can do myself where can I
learn the steps to do it? The owners manual is not available and the
small unit is about 12 years old.


May be quite costly to have the refrigerant lines
disconnected/evacuated and reconnected later.
Ona 12 yr old unit, may not be cost effective.

Would it be possible to create a "bridge" of heavy planking
underneath the unit and not move it at all?

Jim

I agree with Jim. The best bet is if you can avoid disconnecting at
all. If not, then you need a pro. The equipment and required
authorizations are not DIY thing anymore.

I did it myself over 35 years ago, but I would not do it today.

--
Joseph Meehan

Dia 's Muire duit

On Fri, 23 Feb 2007 16:14:23 GMT, "Ralph Mowery"
wrote:


Someone mentioned the legal part. About 20 years ago the government decided
the refrigerant gas in most systems (especially the r-12 and r-22) was bad
for the ozone layer of the atmosphere.

It was not the theme of the show -- the remark was related but in
passing -- but I heard yesterday on the radio that the hole in the
ozone has closed a little.

My plan was to make ozone down here and use a vinyl hose to put it up
in the ionosphere. Vinyl is lighter than copper or PVC.

You can not just blow the old gas
out to the air but must recover it from the system. If you can not put it
back in then you have to take it to a place that will recover it. Big fine
if you do not do this.

This whole thing is quite comical. Five
years ago I had the refrigerator
compressor/condenser replaced. The
authorized service company collected
the freon is large plastic bags ....
looked like garment bags. I bet they just
dumped it later, but, I know that's
illegal and I don't know what they actually
did with said contents. Anyway, a few
years ago my evaporator on the
central AC started leaking condensate
into the furnace. I when to a local
HVAC place that is DIY friendly .... got
a new A coil. I asked them to
recharge the system once the new A coil
was installed (by me). I also asked
them if I should pump down the freon
into the condenser. BTW, on my unit,
you can suck the freon into the
condenser by using a procedure. The answer
surprised me .... "no, just release it
into the air." Maybe they just wanted to
sell me more "new" freon!

mm wrote:
On Fri, 23 Feb 2007 16:14:23 GMT, "Ralph Mowery"
wrote:

Someone mentioned the legal part. About 20 years ago the government decided
the refrigerant gas in most systems (especially the r-12 and r-22) was bad
for the ozone layer of the atmosphere.

It was not the theme of the show -- the remark was related but in
passing -- but I heard yesterday on the radio that the hole in the
ozone has closed a little.

My plan was to make ozone down here and use a vinyl hose to put it up
in the ionosphere. Vinyl is lighter than copper or PVC.

You can not just blow the old gas
out to the air but must recover it from the system. If you can not put it
back in then you have to take it to a place that will recover it. Big fine
if you do not do this.