How to legally "drain" R22 from old Cruisair system ?

12K BTU split system....replacing the condenser with a new unit, need to disconnect the suction and discharge lines to install new unit. Presume the only way to do this is to let the old R22 out first, yes ?

Not interested in re using it as it might be contaminated with oil from seized compressor....plus I have 30 lb tank of new R22 already.

What's the best way for my jack of all trades HVAC guy to deal with this considering there is no way to run the compressor on the old unit ?

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Having said that, if the R22 currently in the system smells ok (i.e. probably no oil contamination) is there a way to disconnect the discharge and suction lines just long enough to pull the old condensor, put the new one in place and reconnect the lines without venting more than a whiff of R22 into the engine room ? I don't see any shut off valves on the suction and discharge pipes themselves.... is there one on the air handler side maybe ??

Legal drain is to"recover" the gas. I.e. Suck it out with special pump. Then install new compressor. Vacuum the system. Longer the better to remove moisture & acidic oils n gases. Then introduce new refrigerant , R-22. You may want to price a complete replacement. When compressors die they sometime release acidic compounds that start to attack your new comp. Many differing opinions on this, however. Good luck.
Dave

Toolbuddie said:

Legal drain is to"recover" the gas. I.e. Suck it out with special pump. Then install new compressor. Vacuum the system. Longer the better to remove moisture & acidic oils n gases. Then introduce new refrigerant , R-22. You may want to price a complete replacement. When compressors die they sometime release acidic compounds that start to attack your new comp. Many differing opinions on this, however. Good luck.
Dave

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Agree with Dave 100%. If you still want to proceed call an A/C specialist to take care of it. He/she has all the right equipment such as a vacuum motor etc.

Alaskan Sea-Duction said:

Agree with Dave 100%. If you still want to proceed call an A/C specialist to take care of it. He/she has all the right equipment such as a vacuum motor etc.

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Where I am there are no marine A/C specialist and most, if not all, of the regular home HVAC companies refuse to work on boat systems.

So I use a guy that is mostly a home repair person but has his liscence for HVAC and equipment/knowledge to install the R22....but I don't think he has a vacuum for this sort of thing.

(on edit) He does have a vaccum and a recovery tank...yay...

Understand. Marine AC work is hard to obtain in a lot of places. to proceed with the work as you are pondering. A Vacuum pump should be used after new compressor is installed to remove the moisture that will immediately migrate into your system as soon as it is opened. Vacuum pumps can be purchased at Harbor Freight for 100 bucks or so. I am sure he has one of these,. If not buy him one. R-22 systems are in my opinion superior the newer units that operate at much higher pressures and are more prone to leaking and failure. However, compressor failures almost always contaminate the system. Good luck. Mind your words in public forum for your own good, wallet.
Dave

Toolbuddie said:

Understand. Marine AC work is hard to obtain in a lot of places.

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I just called him and he now has a vaccuum pump and recovery tank ! (maybe he had one before and forgot it... dunno... ) Now, if you would edit out your reference to the b things

Some but not all fridges or AC have a tank (booster receiver) that will hold the total refrigerant, stick it in there.

Use your gauge set to be sure not to over pressure the system.

Any working discarded compressor can be used to evacuate the system with some hook up work.

Make sure he installs a drier that is a heat pump drier if you have a reverseing valve. Find the cause of the compressor failure such as wiring ,cap etc. As this might cause the new one to fail also. You might want to install service valves so you can isolate each side in the future if you need to.

That only depends where you put a filter drier in a heat pump system
A compressor motor always spins the same direction, always pushes refrigerant in the same direction, any good filter drier can go in the compressors suction line after the reversing valve, so inline between compressor intake and reversing valve is good spot.
I used a Sporlan filter drier in my heat pump. Has a 3/8 flare hookup.

If he has the space in the footprint of the unit. My through was to put it inline after the unit on the suction line as the unit will run mostly in the cooling mode. But should he use the heat it would protect the unit also.