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Can we retrofit a CFC appliance with R-134a by changing the oil alone?

April 26, 2017appliance CFC changing Oil R-134a Retrofit

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Can we retrofit a CFC appliance with R-134a by changing the oil alone?

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We have to ensure that the percentage of mineral oil left behind should be only 1% (at least 5%) by weight. This is done by emptying the mineral oil from the compressor, filling POE oil and then running the system on R12 for at least 48 hours. After that the percentage of mineral oil is measured using a Refractometer and if it is found higher than 5% the process is repeated again and again till the percentage is brought down to at least 5% or better still 1%. It has been found that it is necessary to run the system at least three times like this i.e. totally for 6 to 7 days to reduce the residual mineral oil to this level. All this is time consuming, labour intensive and also does not guarantee safe working with 134a later. So, even small hermetic appliances were never retrofitted with 134a. They were either replaced or continued to operate with CFCs on recovered CFCs.