Arkansas HVACR NewsMagazine March 2022

HVACR NewsMagazine March 2022

Tech News

Problem #1: The Flare Size is too Small

10 Reasons Why a Mini-Split Ductless Flare May Leak Refrigerant!

· At the end of the copper tube, the surface on the flare face must be big enough to take up the full amount of space inside the flare nut. The reason for this is so that the tube's flare face entirely covers over the seat of the flare adapter. This will give you the best chance at sealing this connection point. · If the tube flare is not very wide, it will only cover half of the connection point and will barely seal the joint. · The flare may accidentally be made too small if the flare block is not tight enough. If the block is not tight enough, the copper tube will slide while you are trying to make the flare. Use the rod that comes with the flare block to tighten the block as hand tightening may not be sufficient.

On a mini-split ductless system, two copper tubes are needed to transport the refrigerant. These copper tubes are referred to as the line set and they connect the indoor head unit to the outdoor heat pump or condensing unit. Two flare connections are needed at the indoor head unit and two flare connections are needed at the outdoor mini-split unit. Things to consider: · A standard system has four flare connections while a multi-zone system has more flare connections for the additional indoor head units. · The pressure of the refrigerant in the system will be anywhere from approximately 100-400 PSI depending on whether the unit is in heating or air conditioning mode. Therefore, it is essential to have all the flare connections correctly sealed so that refrigerant does not leak out of the system. Listed below are the ten most common reasons mini-split flares may leak.

Problem #2: Over-Tightening the Flare Connection