Replacing Wires Inside a Unit

Occasionally it is necessary to replace original factory wiring inside a unit. Sometimes critters have nibbled on them, sometimes the weather has degraded them, and sometimes the overheating or failure of a connected component has made the wire stiff and brittle. Whatever the reason, it is important to note that all wiring must meet the original manufacturer factory specification. Of course you should replace the original wire with the same material and gauge, but there is more to the specification than just the actual wire.

The wire insulation rating is just as important. For example, a wire from an NM-B cable should never be used to replace power wring inside a unit even though it might be the same material (copper) and gauge. The wiring inside most equipment is rated as machine tool wiring (MTW).  MTW insulation is a thermoplastic that is rated for up to 600 volts and is moisture, heat, and oil resistant. The insulation on NM-B cable is not moisture, heat, or oil resistant.

The wire insulation rating can be found printed or embossed on the wire. The figure below shows the marking.

Note that the wire gauge can be seen in the yellow circle and the insulation type, MTW or THHN, can be seen in the green circles. You should check to make sure any wiring you plan to use inside a unit meets the manufacturer’s original specification. This specification can often be found in the wiring diagram notes. A common note is that any replacement wiring must be rated for a temperature of 105°C. The insulation of NM-B cable is only rated for temperatures up to 60°C, and so should not be used inside the equipment cabinet.

Zero is NOT Nothing!

Many times people have remarked that even though they recovered a system to 0 psig or lower, when they opened the system, there still appeared to be some refrigerant. Often the presence of some refrigerant was most noticeable when they started brazing on a system that supposedly has nothing in it, and noxious green flames come out of the joint. This is because zero is not nothing. And no, that is not my “casual” grammar coming out. Don’t assume that because you have recovered a system down to 0 psig, or even into a vacuum, there is no refrigerant remaining. In fact, there can be quite bit of refrigerant in the compressor oil even under a vacuum. Since the refrigerant oil and the refrigerant are miscible, refrigerant dissolved in the refrigerant oil leaves the oil very slowly. The attached video shows refrigerant boiling out of oil removed from a compressor that was removed from a system which was recovered down to 28” of vacuum. The oil continued to boil for hours after being removed.



 This helps explain why system pressure can rise in a system which is left under a vacuum. This also explains why you should make sure the compressor oil sump heater(crankcase heater) is on before recovering refrigerant. If you are planning on recovering refrigerant from a system that has an operable compressor, run the system until the compressor is warm before beginning recovery. The compressor can draw out the refrigerant from the oil faster than your recovery machine. A heat gun applied to the bottom of the compressor can also help a great deal. While you are heating places that trap refrigerant, go ahead and heat the bottom of accumulators, receivers, and filter driers as well. A little time spent warming these areas trap oil and refrigerant will save time during recovery and evacuation. Remember, zero is not nothing!

New HCFO Refrigerants

We might be seeing refrigerants containing chlorine again sometime in the near future. Some of the new olefin based refrigerants contain chlorine but still manage to have almost no ozone depletion potential. These chemicals are hydrochlorofluoro-olefins, or HCFOs. Why are chemical manufacturers taking a new look at chemicals containing chlorine? In short, to produce chemicals that have a low global warming potential, are non-flammable, and work at pressures common to “normal” refrigeration systems. Hold on - what about ozone depletion? Turns out, eliminating chlorine is not the only way to make a refrigerant that will not deplete the ozone. Another way it to make a compound with a very short atmospheric life. The atmospheric life of HCFOs is measured in days instead of years. HCFO refrigerants break apart quickly in the atmosphere, before they are able to reach the stratosphere. This same characteristic also helps reduce the global warming potential of HCFO refrigerants. For example, HCFO-1224yd(Z) has an atmospheric life of 21 days and HCFO 1233zd(E) has an atmospheric life of 26 days. They also have nearly 0 ozone depletion potential; for example HCFO 1233zd(E) has an ODP of 0.00012, which is commonly reported as 0.  Both a GWP less than 1. In addition, both have an A1 safety rating and can be used with both POE or napthenic mineral oil. HCFO 1233zd(E) from Honeywell and HCFO 1224yd(Z) from AGC Asahi Glass are currently the only two HCFO refrigerants I know about. They are both for low pressure centrifugal chillers. One more characteristic of these new HCFO refrigerants - they are very expensive. Like, if you have to ask how much you can't afford it expensive.