Ducane Heat Pump

jim lockard

I am thinking that a 10 seer dukane HP has a flow check piston and not a TXV, I could be wrong.
When you say the pressures are up on what ports and what are the pressures?? What is your common suction pressure could you have a blockage at the indoor coil. How does it look in the cooling mode?? Could the outdoor unit be mispiped ?? walk each outdoor coil thru with your hand. What is your superheat ?? HI /LO Ducane has tech support you can call, work thru your supplier. Best Wishes J.Lockard

fast5frog

General Consensus on Ducane heat Pumps

I just installed a 10 seer heat pump and all was going well until I started it up and watched my pressures go through the roof. I looked at the little paperwork that comes with the unit and noticed that a TXV should have come with the unit but none was found. Also there were no other orifices. I am pretty sure that the problem lies with the TXV missing and nothing electrical (i used existing wiring) becaus everything cycled through properly but once the outdoor kicked on the pressures shot up. One other thing, there is no heat package installed yet and both liquid line and suction line were burnin hot....someone please give me some ideas to look at, thanks guys

Jamie_6

Jim is on the money here! Where you in heating or cooling mode? If it was heating and you did not have your gauges on the ports inside of the unit you will have very HIGH readings. I am pretty sure that all heat pumps have TXV on the indoor coil because trying to run refrigerant through a piston backwards may cause a problem when you are running in the heating mode. But then again I am wrong a lot! (At least that what my father tells me!) I also agree with Jim in that you really need to do a supper heat and sub cool if you are going to set this equipment up properly. Especially low end equipment like Ducane. They are burdened with problems from the start!

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don_99

Sounds like

a airflow problem to me..if you have hot gas going up to your condenser,and you got hot gas coming back to the evaporator..then you are not transferring the heat from the freon to the air.

I have found problem with some installed where they had to flip the coil and did not flip the the end sheet..which
block the coil and reduce its capacity.

If you can keep the unit running long enough without it tripping out on safety,you could check airflow with this
formula.

Heating cfm=btus devided by 1.08 x t2-t1.

jim lockard

Well Don

Lets put the unit in cooling if the air flow is blocked the indoor coil will ice up and freeze.

don_100

true

but,why would you want to put a compressor in floodback mode?

I was not trying to disagree with you Jim,just trying to help.Peace!

jim lockard

Jamie

The Duke uses a flow check piston on its low seer air handlers, I would check for the correct size and maybe its blocked with flux or dirt.
I prefer a flow check piston to a TXV with a bypass on a heat pump, easier and they perform well.

jim lockard

Don

I am not doing anything that a loaded dirty filter would not. Nor am I suggesting a soild freeze just a testing tool to prove operation. Turn off the fan, open the coil cabinet and with the HP running in cooling check for iceing on each cap tube this will prove your R-22 flow. If you are running the H.P in cooling mode and upon opening the coil cabinet you discover ice on the cap tubes then you have a low charge/low air problem. Peace Don. Best Wishes J.Lockard

fast5frog

Thanks alot for some ideas guys... the only thing is i am not running it long enough to get a temp split or superheat. Reason being is the pressures are climbing so fast when the outdoor comes on I am just pulling the disconnect when It reaches 350 so i dont blow anything out.

jim lockard

frog

you have a blockage in the system. Kill power to the unit. close your service valves, attach your gauges to the service ports at the service valves and attempt to blow nitrogen thru the system. If you can not get nitrogen pressure thru the system you have a blockage. Now release the pressure go in to the air handler coil find the flow check piston holder open it slowly use 2 wrenches remove the piston and blow nitrogen from the outside unit service valves in to both the big and little pipes check that the piston (CHECK FOR THE PROPER SIZE PISTON) its holder and the screen are clear, reassemble and leak check. When you are sure the blockage has been cleared evacuate the system to 500 microns, break vac, and open your service valves. Best wishes J.Lockard

don_101

Would it

be possible to have a restriction on the high side and still get hot vapor back to the evaporator?

It could be a restriction like Mr Lockhart says,however Jim
and I both are just guessing here with so little info to go
on.

Start it up again and let it run..it will either overload out are go out on either low or high pressure switch depending on your problem.Make note of the highside pressure
and the lowside pressure,then report back.

Please tell us they dont have a wood stove going and its
eighty degree inside the house..if so 350 on the highside might just be right.lol.

fast5frog

How about no TXV or metering device...ya think that could be a cause?

jim lockard

Maybe

Frog--Are you saying that you do not have a heat pump coil in you air handler??

Tharon

hey frog

are you sure you have the pump down ports ran all the way out

fast5frog

No. I was being sarcastic...I was looking at it and realized that you have to buy a txv for it because it doesnt even come with a orifice or piston. I just assumed (yeah i know, it makes an **** outta u and me) that it had one in from the factory, but it did not...oh well, a learning experience. This was the first ducane i put in, obvious huh?

Dale

Refrigerant?

I assume this is a R22 system, if it's 410A the pressures would really look higher, if the txv was missing the low side would be much higher as it would flood liquid back to the accumulator if it uses one. Is the reversing valve reversing and are the check valves working. As to the missing txv sometimes theres a cap tube between the indoor and outdoor coils.

jim lockard

ME KNOW

Think this guy is for real, just enjoys jerking our chain. J.Lockard

don_105

Jim

I'm starting to get the same feelin.

Take that set of guages away from that boy..I mean HO.

Overcharge,non condensible..I want a refund.

jim_49

Check your wiring, in heating mode the reversing valve will be not powered or in default mode. In cooling mode it will be energized. In defrost it will be in A C mode with no outdoor fan.

jim lockard

for your

benefit James your on the right track if you have a high head low suction on a Duke heat pump in cooling (reversing valve energized) pull a wire on the reversing valve coil this will put the machine in heating, if you pressures return to a more normal state you have a indoor problem IE blocked (TXV or flow check)If the pressures remain unchanged you have a outdoor problem reversing valve or (TXV or flow check) Best Wishes J.Lockard