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Do I Need To Remove Refrigerant If I Cut My Line Set? - Ask the Expert Episode 168

For whatever reason, you may learn you don't need as much line set as you have for your AC unit, so you want to cut the extra line. So, do you need to remove the refrigerant? Video Script: Today's question comes from Tony. "Hey Dan, I had to cut my line set to nine feet. Is the unit going to be okay as it is, or do I need to remove the refrigerant?" In this situation, Tony has a mini split and he's running a line set for it and he wants to know if he has to remove refrigerant from the pre-charged condenser since he had to cut his line down. When the manufacturer gets you a condenser, it's going to be charged for a certain amount of line length. The answer is sometimes, yes. You want the right amount of refrigerant. It's like the Goldilocks rule. Have more questions? Just ask them in the comments below or on Facebook or on Twitter.

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Gabriel Gagnon

Some Senville units have a reservoir within the compressor to contain any extra refrigerant from the precharge, so even if your lineset is shorter than the precharge is meant for, you don't need to deal with removing refrigerant. 10ft is the shortest line length approved by Senville. An added advantage of said reservoir is that it will be able to compensate refrigerant loss in case of a minor leak.

William

When removing my Mini split to repair sheet rock behind it I have to disconnect the line set.. When doing so cool and sprays out is there something I need to do to not damage it when taking it out so I can just put it back in?

Daniel von Rabenau

Hi Dan Installing a 12,000 btu diy mini-split what if my refrigerant line is too long? I would like to go straight down from the entry hole. I believe they supply a 26 foot line. I need only about nine feet if I mount on the ground or less if I attach the condenser to the outside wall seven feet up. Dan

Jerry Shelby

I have mini split in one location and would like to move it to another. Can I do this without a service tech? ( I installed the unit originally with pre-charged lines)

Megan

I'm converting my fridge to be a large backyard cooler so I don't need the freon but having someone remove it is too expensive so I'm looking for alternatives. I have a section of lines inside the freezer that need to be removed can i clamp the line shut and cut it to remove that section in order to avoid having to remove the freon?

Phil

There’s no such thing as a minor leak. It’s eventually going to run out.

Josh Ashworth

I bought a cheap mini split system that in less than a year started giving me F2 errors and not properly working. When I contacted the manufacturer for warranty instead of fixing they refunded all of my money. I bought a new better unit and want to replace the unit I had installed that broke. I understand that I need to get all of the refrigerant back into the main outdoor unit, but if it’s not communicating to the indoor unit, how am I supposed to do that? Do I have to hire HVAC to come out and USA a reclaimer so I can safely remove the unit?

Niko

Yes, he needs to remove r410a if he cuts the lineset below manufacturer minimum requirement. I found out the hard way and ruined two minisplit compressors. Typical hvac contractors don't know this so be sure to research your model.

Rick

I installed a Mr Cool Universal 3 ton system with normal copper lines. I'm getting an "Overload" error on the ODU. How do you determine the amount of refrigerant that should be removed? The installation manual states a maximum line length and a nominal length, but not a minimal length.

Brooke Kozak

I have the 3rd. Gen mini and it was installed on my breezeway and once winter hit I realized that was a very chilly decision to have made. I went outside a few days so ago and it had completely frozen us and slid on the ice mound it created and bent one of the lines completely and it lost all of the refrigerant. What do I do now? Thank You Brooke

darren

How do you remove refrigerant? And how do you know how much to remove per foot below 10'?

Dan Hochberg

I am swapping in a new Mitsubishi compressor (the entire outdoor unit) for one that failed. It has not one but two linesets coming in (4 lines total). Do I need to pull a vacuum twice, that is, once on each lineset? And, as I understand the Mitsubishi instructions they are telling me to pull a vacuum twice, once on the liquid side and once on the gas side. Is that necessary? Lastly, I would like to skip pulling the Schrader core though some videos recommend that. Can I skip that?

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Do I Need To Remove Refrigerant If I Cut My Line Set? - Ask the Expert Episode 168