Maytag Services

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• Maytag Services
• Refrigerant Handling
• Standard Operating Procedures

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• Federal EPA Refrigerant Recovery Guidelines

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Licensing Requirements

• Under section 608(c) of the 1990 Clean Air Act
  Amendments, ( It is )unlawful for any person,
  in the course of maintaining, servicing,
  repairing or disposing of an appliance. to
  knowingly vent or otherwise knowingly release or
  dispose of any Class I or Class II substance used
  as a refrigerant in such an appliance in a manner
  which permits such substance to enter the
  environment
• The Act further establishes that any technician
  that can be reasonably expected to enter a sealed
  system during the course of repair of a
  refrigeration appliance must be certified in
  refrigerant handling by a Federal EPA approved
  certification organization.

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EPA Penalties

• A willful release of refrigerants or failure to
  follow EPA recovery guidelines carries stiff
  penalties for the technician
• 30,000 per occurrence
• Up to 5 years jail time
• EPA offers a 10,000 reward to anyone reporting a
  violation

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Certification Classifications

• There are 4 certification classifications
• Type I- Allows technicians to perform service on
  refrigeration equipment containing less than 5
  lbs. of refrigerant.
• Type II- Allows technicians to work on
  refrigeration equipment containing more than 5
  lbs. but less than 50 lbs. of refrigerant.
• Type III-Allows a technician to work on
  refrigeration equipment containing more than 50
  lbs. of refrigerant
• Universal- Allows a technician to work on any
  refrigeration equipment, regardless of the amount
  of refrigerant.

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Certification Guidelines

• Type I or Universal certification is required to
  work on residential refrigeration appliances.
  Type II and Type III certifications do not permit
  working on small appliances.
• Technicians are required to have valid
  certification cards on their person anytime that
  they are performing repairs on a refrigeration
  system.

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EPA Restrictions

• Purchase of refrigerant is restricted to
  certified technicians and Section 608(c)
  certified technicians can only purchase
  refrigerant in 30 lb. (minimum) containers.
• Recovery of refrigerants must be accomplished
  with an EPA approved recovery device. Two types
  of recovery devices are allowed.
• Active- a recovery pump that is able to pull a
  system into a minimum 4 vacuum.
• Passive- a non powered device capable of
  capturing 80 of the system charge (such Recovery
  bag)

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EPA Restrictions

• Use of refrigerant recovery bags, such as the
  Whirlpool Ozone Saver Bag, is regulated by the
  EPA. Compliance requires
• The technician must recover a minimum of 80 of
  the system charge. On a non working compressor,
  the base of the compressor must be heated and
  struck sharply with a hammer to free any
  refrigerant trapped in the compressor oil.
• Recovery bags are designed as temporary
  refrigerant storage devices and should be removed
  from vans each night.
• The bag can only be used 4 times before it is
  discarded.
• The bag must be emptied within 48 hours
• Torn or damaged bags must be discarded.

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Recovered Refrigerant

• All Refrigerants must be recovered and reclaimed
• Mixed refrigerants cannot be reclaimed and must
  be destroyed
• Some refrigerants (R-12, R-134a) have value on
  the reclaim market.
• Every pound we have to destroy not only costs us
  3-4 per pound to dispose of but we miss out on
  the reclaim income that would have been generated

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Other EPA Recommendations

• All leaks should be located and repaired
• All hoses and manifold gauge sets must utilize
  low loss fittings

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• US Department Of Transportation (DOT) Guidelines

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Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS)

• Technicians are required to carry MSD Sheets for
  every type of chemical in their truck, including
  acetylene, oxygen, glues, cleaners and
  refrigerants.
• Technicians should read and follow all
  recommended safety guidelines when handling
  refrigerants and other chemicals.

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Transportation of Refrigerants and other
Compressed Gasses

• Refrigerant, acetylene, oxygen, nitrogen, etc.
  are all considered to be hazardous materials by
  US DOT. Shipping of these containers is highly
  regulated.
• Before shipping any of these items by common
  carrier, check with the carrier to determine
  packaging and Bill of Lading requirements.
• Air freighting of these items is strictly
  prohibited.
• All compressed gasses such as refrigerant,
  acetylene, oxygen, aerosol and paint cans, etc.
  must be in DOT approved containers and secured in
  the van with chains or other significant
  restraints to prevent containers from falling
  over, rolling around in the truck, etc.

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Transportation of Refrigerants and other
Compressed Gasses

• All cylinder valves should be completely closed
  and OXY/Acetylene regulators removed whenever a
  cylinder is being transported
• All cylinder must completely shut-off with no
  leaks

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Transportation of Refrigerants and other
Compressed Gasses

• The acetylene cylinder must not have been fully
  closed and a small leak occurred
• On the Monday morning when the van door was
  opened, a large explosion took place.
• Tech suffered damage to his ear drums and face.

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Transportation of Refrigerants and other
Compressed Gasses

• Transporting refrigerant in charging cylinders
  (such as Dial-a-Charge) is not permitted.
  Charging cylinders must be empty of refrigerant
  before transporting.
• Some states go as far as requiring that
  refrigerant be removed from self sealing hoses on
  compound gauges. To assure compliance,
  technicians should be sure to recover refrigerant
  from gauges before transporting.

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Cylinder Safety

• New refrigerant is packaged in DOT 39 disposable
  cylinders. When empty, these cylinders must be
  disposed of properly. After evacuating the
  cylinder (to 0 PSIG), the valve must be removed.
  The tank can then be disposed of with other metal
  waste.
• Reuse of DOT 39 disposable cylinders (such as
  storing or carrying compressed air) is illegal
  and carries a penalty of 25,000 and up to 5
  years in prison.

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Cylinder Safety

• Recovered refrigerant can only be stored in DOT
  approved recovery cylinders (with the exception
  of temporary storage in a refrigerant recovery
  bag.)
• US DOT regulates that recovery cylinders must not
  be filled beyond 80 capacity.
• Many of these tanks are equipped with a ball or
  float switch that, when connected to a recovery
  pump, will shut the pump off when the 80 mark on
  the tank is reached.

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Cylinder Safety

• If the cylinder is not equipped with a ball or
  float switch, the tank must be weighed prior to
  each recovery to insure that it can accept
  additional refrigerant. Cylinders are marked
  with their empty or tare weight (TW) and water
  content weight (WC). This represents the total
  weight of the cylinder and contents when the
  cylinder is filled to capacity.
• Sometimes the tank is marked with the tare weight
  and the MAX. Gross WT ___ LB. The max weight,
  again, represents the total weight of the
  cylinder when its filled to capacity.

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Cylinder Safety

• To insure that the recovery tank is not filled
  beyond 80, the technician must determine the max
  fill level for each tank. To do that, the
  technician must compute the WC weight (if not
  listed) and multiply by .8
• Example
• MAX weight 23.5 lbs, TW 10.5 lbs.
• Max WC weight 13 lbs. (23.5-10.5)
• Maximum refrigerant that can be put into tank
  10.4 lbs. (13 lbs. WC X 80)

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Cylinder Safety

• Overfilled cylinders present a serious safety
  hazard. Because liquids dont compress, any rise
  in temperature can cause an over filled tank to
  explode. Technicians must avoid overfilling or
  exposing a tank to extreme temperatures.
• In the summer, park in the shade whenever
  possible
• If the truck is equipped with vents, open them
• Never use an open flame to heat a refrigerant
  cylinder

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Hydrostatic Cylinder Testing

• Recovery cylinders must be hydrostatically tested
  every five years. The last test date will be
  stamped or embossed on the shoulder of the
  cylinder. In most cases, the tank will clearly
  be marked with the first retest date. For
  example,
• FIRST RETEST DATE
• 06 07
• RETEST EVERY FIVE YEARS
• This means that the tank must be submitted for
  testing prior to June of 2007 and every five
  years after that (on or before the month of
  June).

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Hydrostatic Cylinder Testing

• Older tanks may have the date stamped on them in
  the pattern shown to the right. This stamp
  indicates the last retest date and the testing
  organization that completed the test.
• In this example, this cylinder was last tested on
  May of 2002 by tester A253. The next retest
  date, therefore, is May of 2007.

A2 05 02 53
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Hydrostatic Cylinder Testing

• Technicians carrying tanks that are beyond the
  required test date must discontinue use of the
  cylinder immediately.
• Filling of cylinders with expired test dates is
  prohibited.
• Any tank that has an expired test date must be
  submitted to a reclaimer for refrigerant
  processing and cylinder testing.

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Labeling of Refrigerant Cylinders

• All refrigerant cylinders, both new and
  recovered, must be properly labeled with their
  content.
• If the recovery cylinder is in its original
  cardboard carton, there are boxes printed on the
  carton that allow placing an X or a v mark next
  to the type of refrigerant that is being carried.
  
• If out of the carton, most refrigeration supply
  houses supply stickers and/or tags that can be
  affixed to recovery cylinders to identify the
  contents.

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Contaminated Refrigerants

• Normal contaminants, such as air, refrigerant oil
  and water that are mixed with refrigerants in a
  recovery cylinder are not an issue. Care should
  be taken, however, to insure that no other
  contaminants are added to the refrigerant.
• If a reclaimer suspects that a refrigerant tank
  is contaminated with unidentified chemicals,
  regulations require that the contents of the tank
  be analyzed and the refrigerant be disposed of.
  Reclaimers charge a fee for this service.

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Mixed Refrigerants

• Mixing of refrigerants should be avoided.
• Refrigerants are considered to be mixed when more
  than 3 of a second refrigerant is added to the
  base refrigerant. For example, adding 1 lb of
  R-22 to a cylinder that contains 20 lbs of R-134a
  will render the entire tank as mixed.
• Mixed refrigerants cannot be easily or
  economically reclaimed and thus, must be
  destroyed. Instead of the usual 25 or 30
  handling fee for accepting used refrigerant, the
  price to dispose of mixed refrigerants can exceed
  100 per cylinder (3-4 per pound).

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Tracking of Refrigerant Usage and Recovery

• The Federal EPA has the ability to subpoena
  refrigerant usage records of an individual and/or
  a company to compare refrigerant purchases
  against recovery levels.
• Since the minimum recovery level for any system
  is 80, a discrepancy between refrigerant
  purchased and refrigerant recovered could
  indicate that technicians are not recovering at
  mandated rates.
• Technicians must maintain logs to track
  refrigerant usage

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• Refrigerant Handling Process

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Required Equipment

• Over the next few months, each White Goods
  technician will be supplied whatever equipment
  theyre missing to insure they all have
• Scale
• R-134a Charging Cylinder
• R-134a Manifold Gauge set
• Recovery pump
• 30 lb. recovery cylinder
• Electronic Leak Detector
• Hand valves (2)
• Process tube adapter kit
• Pinch off pliers
• Recovery Bags (2)

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Required Equipment

• Over the next few months, each specialty
  technician will be supplied whatever equipment
  theyre missing to insure they all have
• Scale
• R-134a Charging Cylinder
• R-134a Manifold Gauge Set
• CFC Manifold Gauge Set
• Micron Gauge
• Recovery pump
• Vacuum pump
• 30 lb. recovery cylinder
• Electronic Leak Detector
• Hand valves (2)
• Process tube adapter kit
• Pinch off pliers
• Recovery bags (2)

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Required Equipment

• Over the next few months, each PTAC technician
  will be supplied whatever equipment theyre
  missing to insure they all have
• Scale
• CFC/HCFC Manifold
• Vacuum Pump
• Micron gauge
• Recovery pump
• 30 lb. recovery cylinder
• Electronic Leak Detector
• Hand valves (2)
• Process tube adapter kit
• Pinch off pliers

PTAC techs who also work on White Goods will
also carry R-134a refrigerant and related tools
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Refrigerant Handling Process

• Virgin refrigerant
• Technicians serviced by land based currier will
  continue to receive new refrigerant from RPDC
• Technicians serviced by air currier must purchase
  refrigerant locally. (Use Refron facilities when
  possible to get quantity preferred pricing)

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Refrigerant Handling Process

• Used refrigerant
• Technicians serviced by land based currier will
  return full cylinders to RPC
• RPC will replace with empty, clean cylinder
• Technicians serviced by air currier must find
  local parts supplier that is willing to accept
  used refrigerant
• Work with virgin refrigerant supplier
• Set up cylinder exchange program

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Bag vs. Pump

• Use recovery pump and tank on all Major Brand
  refrigeration that
• can be swept
• uses R-134a
• Use the bag when servicing systems with
• Burnouts
• Unknown refrigerant
• Drop-in refrigerant

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Bag Handling Process

• Technicians serviced by land based currier
• Return bags to RPC with tag identifying contents
  as
• Unknown refrigerant
• R-134a Burnout
• R-22, MP-39, etc
• RPC will replace with empty, clean bag
• Technicians serviced by air currier
• Transfer contents of bag to a cylinder every
  night
• R-134a burnouts to R-134a tank
• R-22 to R-22 tank
• If enough R-410 is encountered, R-410 to its own
  cylinder
• All other refrigerants to mixed refrigerants
  tank

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RPC refrigerant handling

• Each RPC responsible to
• Maintain supply of empty tanks on hand to
  replenish tanks when a full tank is received
• Empty bags within 24 hours into appropriate
  recovery tank
• R-134a
• R-22
• R-410
• All other refrigerants to mixed refrigerants
  tank

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• Approved Sealed System Repair Process

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Why Change to Sweep

• Vacuum pumps require constant maintenance
• Oil changes every 3 or 4 normal evacuations
• After processing every burnout
• Dirty oil renders pump incapable of pulling
  system to required vacuum levels to assure
  complete dehydration
• Without ability to gauge dehydration level, there
  is no way to gauge how effective a vacuum was
  pulled, even with a well maintained vacuum pump
• Properly performed sweep superior to deep
  evacuation with poorly maintained pump or without
  measuring micron levels in system

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Why is proper dehydration important?

• In order for water to boil at normal room
  temperatures, system pressure must be dropped
  below 27 vacuum (About 3,000 Microns or less)
• Vacuum must be held over system until Micron
  levels drop below 300 microns
• Depending on pump conditions, proper dehydration
  could take several minutes or several hours.

Unless system pressure is dropped to 300 microns
or less, there is still water left in the system.
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What happens when water is left in the system?

• Moisture and refrigerant create acids
• Acids eat away at compressor winding insulation
• Acids and oil create sludge which plugs cap tubes

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Why is proper dehydration even more important
with R-134a?

• R-134a systems do not mix well with with mineral
  oils and require the use of Ester oils
• Ester oil are hygroscopic, meaning that they have
  a great affinity for moisture (actually pull and
  absorb moisture out of the air)
• Ester oils are made from acids that have been
  dehydrated
• When exposed to atmospheric moisture, the oil
  actually pulls vapor out of the air
• The airborne moisture combines with the ester oil
  and returns it to its original acidic state
• Acids eat away at the compressor windings
• Acids combine with R-134a to form salts and gels
  which can plug the capillary tube.
• Moisture in the system will eventually destroy
  the compressor (not a matter of if but when)

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Why Change to Sweep

• Sweep has been used in the industry for over 30
  years (Maytag, GE, Whirlpool, Sears, Montgomery
  Wards and a slew of independents)
• Over the 30 year period, no conclusive proof has
  ever surfaced that sweep results in any more
  repeat failures than deep evacuation
• In fact, laboratory testing has shown that a
  properly performed sweep is superior to deep evac
  that is performed with poorly maintained vacuum
  pump or without an accurate method of measuring
  dehydration levels in system

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Processing R-134a systems

• R-134a requires dedicated equipment to prevent
  cross contamination
• R-134a systems should not be open to the
  atmosphere for longer than 20 minutes (max)
• Verify compressor is nitrogen charged
• Keep plugs in compressor until ready to make
  final connections to system tubing

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Processing R-134a systems

• Low side leaks
• Find and repair leak
• Replace compressor and dryer
• High side leaks
• Find and repair leak
• Replace drier
• Compressor burnout
• Flush system
• Replace compressor and drier

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Processing R-134a systems

• Because of the small system charges of modern
  refrigerators, accurate charging is critical
• On a 5 oz. system, overcharging by ½ oz. results
  in 10 overcharge
• Because of energy and cooling capacity issues,
  its better to be slightly undercharged than to
  be overcharged by any amount.

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Affect of Over/Undercharge on 950 BTU Compressor
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Problem with using a scale to charge small systems

• One quarter ounce resolution could undercharge or
  overcharge a system by as much as 10- 20
  (depending on system charge)
• Unless scale is calibrated on a regular basis,
  there is no way to determine accuracy of scale
• Movement of the cylinder during charging changes
  the reading on the scale and could cause the
  final charge to be off by as much as 50

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Adding system charge

• Use Dial-a-Charge for all R-134a products.
• Charging scales should be used for
• Drop-ins
• R-22
• To weigh recovery cylinders if cylinder is not
  equipped with a ball float valve

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Approved Sealed System Process

• Sweep charge is the only approved method of
  refrigerator and freezer system processing for
  most product lines
• Exceptions
• PTACS
• Samsung 4 drawer side by side
• Refrigerator technicians will need to turn in
  their vacuum pumps
• Note Vacuum pumps will be re-allocated to
  commercial and specialty techs
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

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• Sweep Charge

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Sweep Charge Steps

• Reconfirm need for the sealed system repair
• Verify that new compressor is nitrogen charged
  (should hear a pop when line plug is removed from
  compressor)
• Reinstall plugs on compressor to prevent excess
  air from entering system while old compressor is
  removed from the system
• Attach temporary line taps to low side and drier
  process stubs
• Attach gauges and recovery pump. Recover
  refrigerant per pump manufacturers recommended
  procedures

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Sweep Charge Steps

• Cut out and remove old compressor
• Install new drier
• Install and plumb new compressor in place (keep
  compressor tubes plugged until ready to attach to
  system. This will assure that the system does
  not stay open longer than the recommended 20
  minutes.)
• Attach process stub adapters to new compressor
  and drier process stubs
• Reattach gauges. High and low side hoses should
  have hand valves attached at end of each hose

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Sweep Charge Steps

• Fill Dial-a-Charge with system charge plus 8 oz.
  and heat refrigerant until pressure on
  Dial-a-Charge is 30 lbs. over ambient. Remember
  to capture refrigerant if bleeding of the
  cylinder is necessary (EPA reg)
• Attach Dial-a-Charge to common hose on manifold
  gauge set.
• Purge air out of all hoses and pre-charge high
  side hose with liquid.
• Charge 4 oz of refrigerant into the system using
  the hand valve at the end of the high side hose
  to meter the refrigerant into system.

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Sweep Charge Steps

• Check all joints for leaks with a mirror and
  electronic leak detector
• Turn compressor on and allow charge to circulate
  for 5 minutes
• Close hand valve at drier
• Reattach pump and recover sweep charge as a
  liquid from the drier process stub while the
  compressor is running.
• Continue to run recovery pump until the system is
  down to the pump design pressure (usually around
  20 inch vacuum on most pumps)

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Sweep Charge Steps

• Close hand valve at drier and turn off compressor
  and pump
• Recheck pressure on Dial-a-Charge to make sure it
  is still at 30 lbs. over ambient. Reheat if
  necessary
• Disconnect pump and reattach Dial-a-Charge to
  center hose of gauge set
• Purge hoses and pre-charge high side hose with
  liquid
• Using the hand valve, meter system charge into
  the system Important Once the charge is added
  and the hand valve is closed, DO NOT reopen.

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Sweep Charge Steps

• Using pinch off pliers, pinch off the high side
  process stub.
• Remove the hand valve and process tub adapter and
  braise the stub shut
• Repeat process with low side process stub
• Check for low side leaks.
• Restart the compressor and check high side for
  leaks.
• Check current draw and feel compressor discharge
  for heat movement. Check air supply in freezer.
  If air is cold and current draw is normal, repair
  was successful.

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• R-12 and Replacements

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Processing R-12 Systems with Drop-in Refrigerants

• MP-39 only approved R-12 substitute
• Hot Shot should not be purchased or used due to
  safety concerns (flammable- contains 6 methane)
• As with all blends, the sweep and final charges
  of MP39 must go into the system as a liquid
• Requires that refrigerant be heated to 30 lb.
  over ambient
• If no heater blanket available for MP-39 tank,
  tank can be submersed into a partially filled 5
  gallon bucket of warm water.
• Water should be no hotter than your skin can
  tolerate (125º F)
• Charge must go into high side to prevent slugging
  of compressor
• Some older refrigerators have direct suction
  pumps and adding liquid to low side could dump
  refrigerant into compression chamber