HVAC repair HOW TO FIX A LEAK IN COUPLING BETWEEN COMPRESSOR AND THE ALU MINIM
MargetEved > 01-16-2020, 01:56 AM
I HAVE A SMALL LEAK BETWEEN THE COPPER TUBE ON THE COMPRESSOR AND THE ALUMINIUM COIL ON THE CONDENSER THE AC REPAIR MAN ATTEMPTED TO FIX IT WITH SOME TYPE OF SEALER BUT COULDN\'T AND SAID THE WHOLE UNIT WOULD HAVE TO BE REPLACED IS THERE ANY WAY TO PERMANENTLY STOP THE LEAK EITHER THRU SOLDERING OR A COUPLINGYes it can be repairedYour a/c guy is not very sharp if he cannot do itHe may just want to sell you a replacement unit There is a 45% silver yellow brazing wire specially designed for connecting dissimilar metals such as copper aluminumOne can even use it to connect steel and copper-but its NOT cheapAll the refrigerant will need to be recovered, then a trickle of nitrogen should be running through the system to avoid flaking oxidation on the inside of the pipe(s)The joint should be extremely clean and something called stay-silv flux should be usedNOT plumbing fluxThe heat can be something as cool as mapp gasOxy-acetylene not required(actually too hot) A HVAC tech with the skills to do this type of brazing should be kept on speed dialI used to teach 1st year refrigeration principles students how to do this type of brazing.Other related question