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Old 01-12-2021, 10:27 AM   #21
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That's right, most of the currently marketed system do NOT require braising and come pre-charged.

I hear you on braising though because I literally watched my HVAC guy mess this up when he replaced the main valve in my system. Apparently, there were a couple of wires touching the copper line UPSTREAM from where he was working and the line got hot enough to fry the insulation off those wires. They promptly shorted out. It took him several hours to figure out what had happened as it was quite difficult to see that part of the line. Anyway, it was that scene that convinced me never to mess with braising HVAC lines...

No braising required. Not sure I would have wanted to try that.
Was relatively easy with the kits and vacuum pump and gauges.
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Old 01-12-2021, 10:38 AM   #22
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I think I have discovered the difficulty -


As verbs the difference between braise and braze
is that braise is (cooking) to cook in a small amount of liquid, in a covered pan somewhere between steaming and boiling while braze is to join two metal pieces, without melting them, using heat and diffusion of a jointing alloy of capillary thickness.
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Old 01-12-2021, 11:35 AM   #23
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Originally Posted by bjorn2bwild View Post
I think I have discovered the difficulty -


As verbs the difference between braise and braze
is that braise is (cooking) to cook in a small amount of liquid, in a covered pan somewhere between steaming and boiling while braze is to join two metal pieces, without melting them, using heat and diffusion of a jointing alloy of capillary thickness.
Good catch - thanks for explanation!
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Old 01-12-2021, 11:57 AM   #24
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Good catch - thanks for explanation!

After typing and posting I thought whoops, this might be one of those British dialect issues like aluminum/aluminium.
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Old 01-12-2021, 12:07 PM   #25
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Originally Posted by bjorn2bwild View Post
I think I have discovered the difficulty -


As verbs the difference between braise and braze
is that braise is (cooking) to cook in a small amount of liquid, in a covered pan somewhere between steaming and boiling while braze is to join two metal pieces, without melting them, using heat and diffusion of a jointing alloy of capillary thickness.

I actually knew that (retired ME)but was too lazy and used his spelling.
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Old 01-12-2021, 07:53 PM   #26
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Copper line brazing is required only if you are swapping out components of a traditional HVAC.

Mini-split systems universally use compression couplings with soft copper lines. If you order a line set of the right length, you simply bolt everything together.

Usually, the line has extra length, which has to be coiled up somewhere. In order to cut a line to the right installation length, you will need a copper tubing flaring tool.



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Old 01-13-2021, 10:36 AM   #27
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The main advantage of brazing or high strength soldering (Stay Brite 8) is that a well executed joint is 100% leakproof and this can be known with a high degree of confidence before the system is pressurized.
With a mechanical joint, the system must be fully pressurized before it can be tested. A leak at this point can be problematic.
Personally, I would opt to cut off the fittings and braze/solder if that is possible with these pre-charged units.
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Old 01-13-2021, 01:55 PM   #28
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We received our replacement refrigerator control board from Amazon. It is now operational. One relay shorted on the damaged board as shown. I'm pretty sure I can repair the original control and ordered a new relay for about $7 with shipping. I will keep it as a back-up after repairs. In the mean time we will monitor the refrigerator over the next two weeks during the burn-in period of the new control board. We saved a bundle by repairing it own our own.
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Old 01-13-2021, 01:59 PM   #29
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Got a little cold this morning at the ponderosa. First my well pressure switch stuck, a point file from way back fixed that. Than after everything in the water works got going a hydrant to a buried outside faucet started a geyser. Easy fix with parts on hand. I love/hate pvc work, because every time I need primer and glue I always have to open a new can. They should be sold in smaller cans.
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Old 01-14-2021, 12:56 AM   #30
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Originally Posted by bjorn2bwild View Post
The main advantage of brazing or high strength soldering (Stay Brite 8) is that a well executed joint is 100% leakproof and this can be known with a high degree of confidence before the system is pressurized.
With a mechanical joint, the system must be fully pressurized before it can be tested. A leak at this point can be problematic.
Personally, I would opt to cut off the fittings and braze/solder if that is possible with these pre-charged units.

The way mini-split systems are constructed, the fittings for the outdoor unit are right at the compressor inlet/outlet valves, and not at the end of a tubing as shown in the illustration in my earlier post. Therefore they cannot be replaced. For the indoor unit, the compression fittings may be cut off, but soldering/brazing the connections cannot be done with the unit prehung on the wall due to no clearance. The torch heat will burn the wall and the blower unit itself.

With an electronic vacuum gage sensitive to a few microns of absolute pressure, I could be sure of no leakage when I evacuated the system, then let it sit for a long time. Perhaps a compression joint can be tight against a vacuum and still leaks under pressure, but I suspect that's rare.

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Old 01-14-2021, 08:08 AM   #31
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The way mini-split systems are constructed, the fittings for the outdoor unit are right at the compressor inlet/outlet valves, and not at the end of a tubing as shown in the illustration in my earlier post. Therefore they cannot be replaced. For the indoor unit, the compression fittings may be cut off, but soldering/brazing the connections cannot be done with the unit prehung on the wall due to no clearance. The torch heat will burn the wall and the blower unit itself.

With an electronic vacuum gage sensitive to a few microns of absolute pressure, I could be sure of no leakage when I evacuated the system, then let it sit for a long time. Perhaps a compression joint can be tight against a vacuum and still leaks under pressure, but I suspect that's rare.

Ah, I see. Thanks for the explanation.
So, a motivated individual (me) could braze/solder a section to the indoor unit before mounting, then cut the tubing to length and braze/solder for a nice fit at that end.
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Old 01-14-2021, 08:21 AM   #32
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The way mini-split systems are constructed, the fittings for the outdoor unit are right at the compressor inlet/outlet valves, and not at the end of a tubing as shown in the illustration in my earlier post. Therefore they cannot be replaced. For the indoor unit, the compression fittings may be cut off, but soldering/brazing the connections cannot be done with the unit prehung on the wall due to no clearance. The torch heat will burn the wall and the blower unit itself.

With an electronic vacuum gage sensitive to a few microns of absolute pressure, I could be sure of no leakage when I evacuated the system, then let it sit for a long time. Perhaps a compression joint can be tight against a vacuum and still leaks under pressure, but I suspect that's rare.


Yes and I let mine sit overnight under with the vac pump off and the gauge didn't move at all. I was confident of no leaks and it has worked perfectly since.
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Old 01-15-2021, 12:09 PM   #33
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Not really a repair, but I inspected the septic tank. It is required every 3 years and by taking a short course, I'm allowed to do it myself every other time.

The upshot is that you measure the thickness of the scum on the top and sludge on the bottom and compare it to the depth of the tank. I'm still OK, but will probably be over in 3 years, so I'm thinking of having it pumped now. I was shocked to see what it costs here in Washington - about $600 for a 1250 gallon tank. In Michigan 3 years ago I was paying half that.
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Old 01-15-2021, 01:16 PM   #34
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My repair was quite a bit different than typical listed here; I inherited an as-new-in-box 1977 Colt Diamondback revolver. It has been a safe queen for over 40 years. Never taken out for maintenance, certainly never fired. The cylinder release mechanism was frozen....completely frozen. Tried oil, Ballistol, WD-40, putting a wood dowel through the cylinder and tapping it. Nothing budged it.
Since it was pristine, I wanted a professional to work on it so I took it to my local gunsmith mid-November. Every couple of weeks I called and was told, "well, we've been really busy. We will get to it." After seven weeks, I went and picked it up.
I then decided to be give it a shot. There were/are no videos on Youtube showing the complete dismantling of a Diamondback, but there are some of similar Colts. Right panel off, cylinder removed, left panel off. The cylinder locking pin was completely frozen in its chamber. Took some tapping and pliers to get it free. After a good cleaning and lubrication, time for re-assembly. This is where it went south. At least 10 times, i put it back together but it would not function properly (cylinder was not turning, trigger would not re-set). I put it away for the night. The next morning, I re-visited it, put it together again and it functioned perfectly. No visible scratches on the screws or panels. I am very pleased with my self!
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Old 01-15-2021, 01:23 PM   #35
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Not really a repair, but I inspected the septic tank. It is required every 3 years and by taking a short course, I'm allowed to do it myself every other time.

The upshot is that you measure the thickness of the scum on the top and sludge on the bottom and compare it to the depth of the tank. I'm still OK, but will probably be over in 3 years, so I'm thinking of having it pumped now. I was shocked to see what it costs here in Washington - about $600 for a 1250 gallon tank. In Michigan 3 years ago I was paying half that.
Yowsa. I had our septic tank pumped out back in the fall.
CAD185.00 (usd145.00) same as three years ago.

I had to find and dig up the cleanout, mind you.

Still, you Yanquis must be more full of .....
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Old 01-15-2021, 03:41 PM   #36
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Not really a repair, but I inspected the septic tank. It is required every 3 years and by taking a short course, I'm allowed to do it myself every other time.
The upshot is that you measure the thickness of the scum on the top and sludge on the bottom and compare it to the depth of the tank. I'm still OK, but will probably be over in 3 years, so I'm thinking of having it pumped now. I was shocked to see what it costs here in Washington - about $600 for a 1250 gallon tank. In Michigan 3 years ago I was paying half that.
Had my septic tank pumped out 2 months ago for $375 here in AZ. No periodic inspections required here, only required when selling the home. I do pull the filter out annually and clean it. During the last pump out the septic guy suggested pouring a quart of buttermilk (better if spoiled) down the drain about every 3 months, it's suppose to help break up the solids better, seems like cheap ($2/qt) maintenance. Anyone else do this?
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Old 01-15-2021, 03:58 PM   #37
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Originally Posted by travelover View Post
Not really a repair, but I inspected the septic tank. It is required every 3 years and by taking a short course, I'm allowed to do it myself every other time.

The upshot is that you measure the thickness of the scum on the top and sludge on the bottom and compare it to the depth of the tank. I'm still OK, but will probably be over in 3 years, so I'm thinking of having it pumped now. I was shocked to see what it costs here in Washington - about $600 for a 1250 gallon tank. In Michigan 3 years ago I was paying half that.
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Yowsa. I had our septic tank pumped out back in the fall.
CAD185.00 (usd145.00) same as three years ago.
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Had my septic tank pumped out 2 months ago for $375 here in AZ. No periodic inspections required here, only required when selling the home.
Are your septic systems aerobic or the traditional type? I have a 600 gallon/day aerobic system which consists of three tanks and a total of about 1500 gallons of "content". Last time I had them pumped out (2017) the cost was $585.
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Old 01-15-2021, 04:01 PM   #38
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Not really a repair, but I inspected the septic tank. It is required every 3 years and by taking a short course, I'm allowed to do it myself every other time.

The upshot is that you measure the thickness of the scum on the top and sludge on the bottom and compare it to the depth of the tank. I'm still OK, but will probably be over in 3 years, so I'm thinking of having it pumped now. I was shocked to see what it costs here in Washington - about $600 for a 1250 gallon tank. In Michigan 3 years ago I was paying half that.
That seems REALLY expensive. Maybe you should shop around more.

I have to pay $500 to pump mine out every 5 years (once I get it in and approved).
Catch is mine is on an island, so of course it's expensive, and the 5 yr rule applies, even if the place was empty for 5 yrs.
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Old 01-15-2021, 04:07 PM   #39
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My septic is the traditional type, 1200 gal two chamber tank.
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Old 01-15-2021, 04:52 PM   #40
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Are your septic systems aerobic or the traditional type? I have a 600 gallon/day aerobic system which consists of three tanks and a total of about 1500 gallons of "content". Last time I had them pumped out (2017) the cost was $585.
My septic system is a traditional gravity flow, two chambered tank. I suspect the required regular inspection as well as relatively stringent guidelines on when to pump drive the price up, or allow gouging.
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