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Heavy Condensation with A/C on?

7K views 19 replies 8 participants last post by  87Roughneck 
#1 ·
So it seems like the amount of condensation coming off my AC system has increased pretty heavily in the last month or so. I noticed that after I raised the hood there is a pipe that is not insulated and this is where the condensation is coming from. Should I cover this pipe with some wrap?

I can snap a picture tomorrow. I searched, but could not find anything.

Thanks guys!
 
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#3 ·
Don't wrap anything that wasn't wrapped at the factory. You could hydraulic the compressor.
:histerica :histerica :histerica :histerica

So lemme get this straight...

The majority of the refrigerant evaporation is accomplished in the evaporator, the rest in the accumulator, and the suction line is sweating only because it's freaking cold, and you say that to insulate that low pressure vapor line is going to "hydraulic" the compressor?

How does that work? Will insulating the suction line (like most Broncos have the rubber portion of their suction line insulated... wonder why?) actually condense the refrigeration back to a liquid? You would need to remove heat to do that, and insulating the refrigerant line will only keep the heat in the...

See where this is going?

To the OP- don't worry about it. The line sweats because it's colder than the surrounding air, and it hurts absolutely nothinig at all. It's just pretending to be a glass of iced tea on a hot summer day.

:rockon
 
#9 ·
87, Defrost being a right condition, because it's cold in the cabin already... and the heater core is AFTER the evaporater in the air stream... Thus, there may NOT be enough heat load on the evap to boil off the refrigerant, flooding the evap... then the receiver... and if the sution line is further insulated.. preventing it from absorbing the heat from the engine compartment vaporizing whatever liquid that may have gotten in there...

Then you could hydraulock your compressor.

Under normal cooling conditions... you'd have to be SEVERLY overcharged to worry about that, with the engine compartment temps and that long suction line running directly over a hot intake, and 2 exhaust manifolds.

Defrosting is another story though... although, highly unlikely as the receiver and evap are more than large enough to handle the normal refrigerant charge.
 
#20 ·
87, Defrost being a right condition, because it's cold in the cabin already... and the heater core is AFTER the evaporater in the air stream... Thus, there may NOT be enough heat load on the evap to boil off the refrigerant, flooding the evap... then the receiver... and if the sution line is further insulated.. preventing it from absorbing the heat from the engine compartment vaporizing whatever liquid that may have gotten in there...
Sorry to be late to the party, but we've been getting ready for the hurricane.

Your explanation of the defrost setting becoming a problem because the cabin is already cold is amusing, as is your core heat load theory. What if you're using the defrost on a warm setting? No, wait, that would increase the heat load... in the airstream. Okay, so why don't you have a problem on "max A/C" on a cooler day (say, 75 degrees, which is right about where most auto manufactures say you should start using it), when you're using the already cold, dehumidified air from in the cabin and engine compartment temp is lower than on a hot, humid day? Why don't vehicles with heater hose shut-off as part of their "max" functions- and therefore no heat load from the core- have issues, especially if they're running their system set as I've described above?

Lemme guess... Those aren't the right conditions that Steve was concerned about? We're talking about a Bronco, here, not a test lab subject. He was right about one thing, though: it's foolish to continue to try and discuss anything around here, especially as the OP already got the info he needed. After all these years of ranting here I should know better, right? All this know-it-all, alpha-male bullshit because somebody asked if he should worry over his line sweating. Since you guys all love Steve so much, I guess I should just leave you to him; you don't think he's wrong, but you'll certainly find out when he is.

Anyway, you go sit in your little hole and build your controllers, and leave the work to the techs. You obviously know more than we do, :notworthy , so we'll call you if we need you. Don't wait by the phone.

You'd be surprised at what I hear on a daily basis
That works both ways... :thumbup

Oh, and it's an accumulator, not a reciever-dryer. I thought a smart fella like you would know the difference, and how it works to keep exactly what you guys were arguing about from happening, but I guess I was wrong.

Bye, bye, now.

Dumbasses.
 
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#10 ·
Doesn't bother me.... I'm used to it.

I build and install controls for commercial chillers, inspect/rebuild Hanbell screw compressors(Hanbell dealer), and provide support for techs in the field... You'd be surprised at what I hear on a daily basis... LOL.

Suction lines are cold... LOL. R134a at 35psi is 40deg. So in theory... it'll cause sweating on the suction line due to being below the ambients due point, just like a house system.

However, he's forgetting that the air in the engine compartment isn't usualy humid. Hot, yes.... Humid?? No. Rapidly increasing the heat of an air source, actually greatly decreases it's humidity. Yes, it has the "Ability" to hold more heat, and therefore be more humid than air at colder temps... but unless that moisture is actually added... it'll be DRIER than the air outside the engine compartment, and therefore less likely to cause sweating on the suction line.... I've seen flooding compressors without sweating suction lines at all, due to the lack of humidity in the air.

Temperature/Pressure is the ONLY thing you should be concerned with... IF you have 35psi on the low side, and your suction line is only 40deg at the compressor... you've got problems.
 
#11 ·
Is he STILL arguing this? I put him on my ignore list years ago, so I don't have to read his ranting. I guess he didn't have to learn this kind of stuff to get his A/C certifications.
years? he's only been here since Feb of this year. are you getting senile? :goodfinge

and for the love of GOD the word is HYDRO-LOCK!!!! NOT "hydraulic", not hydraulock....UGH!!!
 
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