Fridge Waeco ColdMachine 55 O-Evaporator pipe bending

[MagicalArmchair]

As part of Triolas mega refit, I am fitting a fridge box with using the O-Evaporator Waeco kit. The box is made out of marine ply with a couple of layers of glass and WEST SYSTEM epoxy over it tinted white (who knew making a box was so involved!).

The below is the fridge box with O-Evaporator in it and curled up pipe - note the O-Evaporator ended up at the TOP of the box as Waeco suggest in the end.

I had to unroll the pipe to get it to pass through the hole (below) I made in the fridge box:

Finished box (apologies for blurry photo) with pipe sticking out the right hand side of the photo.

Question: I now need to shape the pipe to get the end of it to the compressor. I presume this is copper pipe? I'm frightened to death of kinking it or breaking it in any way. Does anybody have any tips to manoeuvre this pipe to its end location successfully?

 

[Tradewinds]

Just bend it to were you want into go - it's quite forgiving.

BTW my installer (Haven Refrigeration) said the pipe coming off the evaporator was actually aluminium, not copper. News to me.

I await others to say otherwise .

 

[Hydrozoan]

Not me - I also recall it's being quite forgiving, though I guess it's wise to avoid small radius bends as much as possible, and repeated bending and straightening. If you're now worried about kinking it or breaking it, you'll probably also worry about the 'one-chance' connection to the compressor when you get to that point successfully - which I'm sure you will! I found it a bit nerve wracking (and seem to remember having to spanner with a bit more oomph than I had expected) but if you have the right sizes to hand as instructed, it should be fine.

PS Having got it working I switched off to lag the pipework. I then found it no longer worked, even on the 'maximum' setting. Great consternation - until I found that I'd managed to turn the control the wrong way!

 

[owen-cox]

Hello, Pipe is definitely aluminium with a copper capillary tube inside and it is quite easy to bend by hand unless you want a tight radius in which case I recommend buying a set of pipe benders to do it without kinking. do not bend it around a lot if possible just bend it once but I have never broken one putting it in and I have fitted hundreds. Be careful and you will be fine.

 

[yotter]

Hello,
I managed to fracture the aluminium pipe while attempting to bend it. I friend attempted to braze/weld it, this was not successful and I ended up buying a new evaporator plate and pipework (as you know it comes complete filled with the R134). Even worse, several months later I found the the compressor was misbehaving, and the most cost effective solution was to exchange it for a new one (50% trade in).

I was then told by Dometic that the pipe should be warmed to allow it to bend easier. So, worth being careful, especially where the pipe joins onto the evaporator plate. I speak from experience:-(
Angus

 

[MagicalArmchair]

Hello all, Thanks for all the good advice, especially Angus who had that negative experience there. I didn't think about warming it up, and that's a cracking idea (no pun intended...) as it is exceedingly chilly when I arrive at the boat for a "work on boat day" (circa 7am on a Sunday morning :sleeping. I'll put it next to the little fan heater I have and warm it up a bit before I attempt to dock the fridge into its new home beneath my new worktop.

I think where I am going to struggle is losing excess length I don't need. I may need to do a loop before I reach the compressor.

So, warm it up, check, go gently, check, avoid tight corners, check. I already have a set of pipe benders from recently fitting out my gas, so I'll use these if push comes to shove thanks owen-cox (and I may need to as I need to go through a bulkhead and will mount the compressor the other side of it).

 

[MagicalArmchair]

So the fridge box is in and after warming the pipe it went through the hole and around the corner without too much drama. Insulation installed beneath and behind the starboard side, next step will be putting insulation around the rest.

I could only find space under the deck to mount the compressor, so not below the waterline, however there is plenty of airflow around it. I put up a shelf to house it behind the galley. I'd like to tuck the pipe up a bit more to get it out of the way which I will attempt next weekend after warming the pipe through again. Any ideas for protecting the pipework from stray cockpit locker junk (vital equipment I mean, of course)?

 

[MagicalArmchair]

Quick question all - Do I put a spanner on the nuts on the compressor where marked below when I tighten the Evaporator pipes on?

 

[Hadenough]

Yes.

 

[MagicalArmchair]

Yes.

Thanks ... now to not lose all the refrigerant in the process.....

 

[SiteSurfer]

A quick aside : is the 'O' bit the freezer bit?
Is it at the top so that it cools the lower sections whilst providing a small freezinfg bit inside the 'O'?

 

[MagicalArmchair]

Its only difference is it will cool a larger capacity I think when compared to the l evaporator.

So its all fitted, the instructions were less than clear when connection in the pipes to the compressor. 'Hand tight plus 90 degrees' so quarter of a turn. They also stipulate only 3mm of thread should be left. After going hand tight and then 90 degrees I still had north of 10mm of thread on the connection! So I continued doing them up till I reached the 3mm - at which point the connections would do up no further anyhow.

After the first few revolutions, to my horror, I am sure I heard a hiss of gas, is that usual? Or will I have lost all my refrigerant??? I did test it once I completed the wiring and it all fired up fine, compressor ran for about three minutes then switched off, was off for about four minutes, then ran again. All normal?

Insulation installed around fridge box:

Hand tight connections:

Pipe run that needs sorting out!

First item in fridge!

 

[Hydrozoan]

... So its all fitted, the instructions were less than clear when connection in the pipes to the compressor. 'Hand tight plus 90 degrees' so quarter of a turn. They also stipulate only 3mm of thread should be left. After going hand tight and then 90 degrees I still had north of 10mm of thread on the connection! So I continued doing them up till I reached the 3mm - at which point the connections would do up no further anyhow.

After the first few revolutions, to my horror, I am sure I heard a hiss of gas, is that usual? Or will I have lost all my refrigerant??? I did test it once I completed the wiring and it all fired up fine, compressor ran for about three minutes then switched off, was off for about four minutes, then ran again. All normal? ...

Well, as nobody has responded to your last ...

I did warn you (#3) about having had to spanner with a bit more oomph than I had expected! If you got to the 3mm thread I expect it is OK - and it sounds to be working. I cannot absolutely remember a 'hiss', but I think there was a bit of one when I did it - as the seal was breached and the connector filled, I assume.

 

[MagicalArmchair]

Thanks Hydrozoan. The bottom connection was bonkers as they expect you to be able to get a spanner on the captive flats, which is impossible as there is only about 1mm that stands proud. Well, time will tell I suppose. I will button it all up and make it look pretty (try and tidy up that pipe run ) and see how it performs over summer...

 

[Hydrozoan]

I'm sorry but it was a good few years back for me (and even though it was the same model, details may have changed) and I don't recall particular difficulty with the 'captive flats'. But I note that Hadenough said you'd marked the right places, and if that section was indeed 'captive' that may presumably have been enough to hold it while you connected up.

If it's all up tight to the specified lengths of visible threads, and you did not notice any prolonged hissing, I'd be optimistic. I did warn that you'd probably get concerned about it, but mine's been running fine ever since I did it and I expect that yours will, too. Good luck and hope you enjoy many cold beers!

 

[MagicalArmchair]

... Good luck and hope you enjoy many cold beers!

It was all a little alarming. Bending that pipe around to get it to run where I want will be just as alarming I reckon . I am a little worried about insulation too. I hadn't taken into account where the galley sink was, meaning that the fridge had to snuffle over was slightly too BIG to get insulation under the slanting bit closest to the hull. My hope is that as it is below the waterline, the will help provide cooling...

 

[MagicalArmchair]

FYI, if anyone else comes travelling this way with a worry of hearing gas when they connected up the couplings, I had a response from Dometic:

Many thanks for your email,

The hiss of gas is perfectly fine, this is just the exchange of gas between the two products.

It is possible to test the product by bridging the C & T, the unit should run continuously, cooling the evaporator down.

Remember to leak test the couplings with soapy water, and any other joints. If there are bubbles appearing, then there is a leak and the couplings need to be tighter, obviously try not to cross thread.

Do not undo the couplings otherwise the gas will be lost,

If the product is only running in a stop start fashion, then they will need to check the wiring. ensure the cables are large enough to allow for any volts drop.

The pipes will need to be fixed, to stop them bouncing around during movement, this will prevent stress fractures, and also prevent rubbing of the pipes on any cut outs or holes that they may pass through.

I hope this is helpful.

 

[Hydrozoan]

I hope that puts your mind at rest! I'd forgotten the soapy water bubble test which I guess you did. BTW I do not know what you have done, or plan to do, thermometer-wise - I fitted a simple digital thermometer external to the coolbox which gives both the internal temperature via a probe and the ambient galley temperature.

 

[MagicalArmchair]

I hope that puts your mind at rest! I'd forgotten the soapy water bubble test which I guess you did. BTW I do not know what you have done, or plan to do, thermometer-wise - I fitted a simple digital thermometer external to the coolbox which gives both the internal temperature via a probe and the ambient galley temperature.

To my shame, in my panic that I had vented all the refrigerant out I actually forgot to do the leak test (I have proper leak testing fluid too from when I was fitting out my gas). I'll test it next time I'm down... likely too late now mind you if there was a leak .

I hadn't thought about a thermometer, I'll mount a dual read one next to the fridge controller. Did you drill its own specific 'hole' or did you run it through the lid?

edit: something like this? http://www.amazon.co.uk/Hygiplas-Digital-Fridge-Freezer-Thermometer/dp/B00237TWSO/

 

[Hydrozoan]

I dunno - worried about leaks but doesn't do a leak test! (Jus' jokin' ). I ran the probe lead through the same hole as the refrigeration lines (I had to cut and rejoin the wires). It is something like the one you show, but older and somewhat bulkier. It saves opening the lid to check the temperature, and useful if you are worried that it's stopped working Actually, even with my old hearing I can tell (in the silence of night, anyway) when the compressor kicks in and out, even though it's in the cockpit locker.