Recovering Refrigerant w/ a Working Compressor

We use the Fieldpiece MR-45 digital recovery machine instead of a manifold to recover the refrigerant (you can find that machine HERE).

It is a good idea to recover for a bit before turning the recovery machine on. On the machine, you will see the input and tank pressures start to equalize. Some units, like the Fieldpiece MR45, can be throttled. When the machine starts, the tank pressure will rise a bit and pull the refrigerant in relatively quickly.

Remember to weigh the charge in the tank every time you recover. Keeping the tank on a scale can also let you see the slowdowns in recovery. However, even if you don’t use a scale, you can still tell when your recovery is almost finished; the inlet pressure will drop heavily when the refrigerant has been almost completely recovered.

Even though the unit is running, the best practices remain the same: use large hoses and core removal tools for fast evacuations. However, another best practice is to place something on the condenser unit, such as a toolbox, to raise the head pressure during recovery and increase the pressure differential that allows the refrigerant to flow out. As an optional practice, you can take a pinch-off tool and crank down on the liquid line to raise the head pressure even more.

This procedure will be crucial as we decommission more R-410A units. You will notice an uptick in R-410A systems being decommissioned as R-22 slowly disappears.

If you have an iPhone, subscribe to our podcast HERE, and if you have an Android phone, subscribe HERE.

Check out our handy calculators HERE.