SKYE® AIR CONDITIONING SERVICE EQUIPMENT OWNERS MANUAL MODEL EC14x Multi-Refrigerant Charging Station SKYE International Holdings, Inc., 7441 Tower Street, Fort Worth, Texas 76118 Phone: (817) 595-0077; FAX: (817) 595-1106 January 1, 2000 OWNERSHIP INFORMATION FOR TECHNICAL SUPPORT AND CUSTOMER SERVICE, PLEASE CALL 1-800-722-SKYE (7593) RECORD YOUR EQUIPMENT DETAILS BELOW. MODEL NUMBER SERIAL NUMBER _______________________________________ _______________________________________ DATE PURCHASED _______________________________________ PURCHASED FROM _______________________________________ INVOICE NUMBER _______________________________________ Thank you for choosing SKYE. With proper set up and maintenance your equipment will provide years of trouble free service. To activate your warranty and free technical support, fill out and mail the enclosed registration card today. Thanks Again. 2 TABLE OF CONTENTS Ownership Information Important Information, Warnings, Cautions Know Your Unit, Illustrations Set Up Instructions Evacuation (Vacuum) Procedure Charging Procedure Vacuum Pump Information Scale Information Trouble Shooting Chart General Specifications Replacement Parts Warranty 2 4 5 6 6 7 8 10 11 12 13 14 3 WARNING: 1. This equipment operates at high pressures and high voltages. Improper use may cause personal injury. 2. Risk of injury - This equipment must be operated by certified personnel. 3. Read instructions carefully before servicing. 4. To prevent personal injury from refrigerants, operators must wear safety glasses, gloves and protective clothing. 5. Do not lay unit down. Loss of vacuum pump oil will result. 6. Close all valves when the equipment is not in use. 7. Do not transport the unit with a refrigerant tank on the scale platform. Place the lid on the scale, place the tank on the lid then attach the strap around the tank for transport purposes. IMPORTANT 1. Read operating instructions completely prior to using this equipment. 2. Recover the refrigerant trapped in the service hoses after each charging operation. ABOUT YOUR UNIT 1. The SKYE EC14x provides complete capability for the vacuum and charging functions on AC systems containing CFC, HCFC and HFC refrigerants. 2. Follow the operating and maintenance instructions in this manual to protect yourself and your equipment. Change vacuum pump oil regularly. Turn the scale off after each use. 4 KNOW YOUR UNIT The SKYE EC14x is designed to perform the evacuation (vacuum) and charging functions on CFC, HCFC and HFC air conditioning systems. NOTE: Storage tanks are not included with the EC14 Series Charging Stations. Use the tank(s) from your recycling system or virgin refrigerant bottles. The EC14x comes complete with: 1 x 72" R12 Low pressure (Blue) service hose with 1/4" FFL x 1/4" ABB connectors. 1 x 72" R12 High pressure (Red) service hose with 1/4" FFL x 1/4" ABB connectors. 1 x 72" R134a Low pressure (Blue) service hose with 1/2" F Acme x Quick Connect. 1 x 72" R134a High pressure (Red) service hose with 1/2" F Acme x Quick Connect. 1 x 36" R12 Tank-to-scale connecting hose with 1/4" ABB fittings. 1 x 36" R134a Tank-to-scale connecting hose with 1/2" Acme ABB fittings. 1 x Vacuum pump oil - 32 oz. 5 ESSENTIAL PRE-OPERATING PROCEDURES Before operating your machine for the first time the following procedures must be performed. SET UP PROCEDURE 1. Remove the oil fill plug from the vacuum pump housing and fill the pump to the top of the sight glass fill line using the vacuum pump oil supplied. 2. Connect both 36" yellow tank-to-scale hoses to their respective scale inlet ports. 3. Connect the 72" service hoses to their respective manifold gauge set ports. 4. Remove the lid from the scale and any support packing under the scale platform. 5. Remove the battery compartment cover and the battery pack then connect the lead to the pack and replace the pack and cover. 6. Connect to shop power and test the vacuum pump. Turn the scale on to verify the LCD works then turn it off and disconnect shop power. YOUR MACHINE IS NOW READY FOR USE OPERATING PROCEDURES EVACUATION (VACUUM) PROCEDURE CAUTION: Recover the refrigerant trapped in the charging station service hoses and in the AC system before connecting to the system. 1. Connect the appropriate service hoses (see page 5) to the AC system then connect the charging station to power. 2. Turn the pointed end of the control valve knob located between the gauge sets toward the gauge set being used. IMPORTANT: Be sure to turn this valve to the OFF or CLOSED position when vacuum is complete and before charging. 3. Open the BLUE and RED hand valves on the gauge set being used and turn the vacuum pump ON using the switch on the end of the pump motor. 4. Allow the vacuum pump to operate for 30 to 40 minutes to remove the air and moisture from the system. NOTE: R134a systems are more susceptible to moisture contamination - vacuum times of 50 to 60 minutes may result in substantially improved AC system performance. 6 5. When vacuum is complete close the gauge set valves, turn the control valve to the OFF or CLOSED position then turn the vacuum pump off. IMPORTANT: Failure to close the control valve will result in venting refrigerant through the vacuum pump when charging the system. 6. Allow the AC system to remain in a vacuum for 5 to 15 minutes before charging to ensure there are no vacuum leaks. NOTE: The "T" connector on the back of the control valve provides an auxiliary vacuum connection point for multiple job capability. YOU ARE NOW READY TO CHARGE THE SYSTEM CHARGING PROCEDURE NOTE: You may prepare the machine for charging while the vacuum operation is in process. WARNING: The control valve must be in the OFF position when charging to prevent refrigerant from being vented through the vacuum pump. 1. Place the refrigerant supply tank on the center of the scale platform being sure that it is not rubbing against any other machine component. (Do not attach the strap around the tank.) NOTE: The scale is capable of vapor or liquid charging. Place the tank in the position or connect the hose to the tank port that accomplishes the type of charge you want. 2. Connect the appropriate 36" yellow hose to the tank port and open the tank valve. 3. Press the scale keypad ON button and allow the scale to warm up. 4. Press and hold the ZERO button for 2 seconds then press the SET button. The scale will beep and the red LED in the corner of the button will illuminate. 5. Press and hold the ! and FAST buttons to set the charge amount. Use the " button to fine tune the charge amount. 6. Press the SET button again to enter the charge amount. The scale will beep, the red LED will go out and the LCD display will read 0 lbs 00 oz. 7. Press the GO/HOLD button. The scale solenoid will open and allow refrigerant flow. NOTE: The charging process may be interrupted at any time to change refrigerant supply tanks or perform an AC system test by pressing the GO/Hold button. To restart the charge, press GO/HOLD again. 8. Open the BLUE gauge set hand valve. If the AC system is OFF, you may open the RED hand valve also. 7 9. When the programmed weight has been dispensed the scale solenoid will close and the scale will beep. 10. Close the gauge set valve(s) and turn the scale OFF. 11. Perform the AC system operating checks. IMPORTANT: If an AC system problem that requires refrigerant recovery occurs, connect your recovery/recycling system to the auxiliary center service port on the charging station gauge set. Recover the refrigerant following your normal recovery procedure, fix the problem then repeat the vacuum and charging procedures. 12. Disconnect the charging station from the AC system and power. WARNING: Refrigerant will be trapped in the service hoses. Connect your recovery/recycling system to the auxiliary center service port on the charging station gauge set, open the gauge set hand valves and recover the refrigerant before connecting to another AC system. COMPONENT INFORMATION VACUUM PUMP (Part # SA322) CAUTION: Do not operate the vacuum pump before adding oil. Use SKYE # SA132 vacuum pump oil or an oil specifically refined for deep vacuum type pumps. IMPORTANT: To reach maximum vacuum this pump must have clean, moisture free oil. Change your oil regularly. A. OIL LEVEL CHECK 1. Turn the vacuum selector valve to the OFF or CLOSED position and open the GAS BALLAST VALVE on the vacuum pump. 2. Connect the charging station to power, turn the pump on for 5 to 10 seconds then turn it off. 3. The oil level should be even with the TOP of the sight glass oil level line. Add oil through the oil fill port if necessary. B. OIL CHANGE PROCEDURE NOTE: Frequent oil changes will improve vacuum pump performance and extend pump life. CAUTION: Avoid oil contact with skin and clothing. 8 WARNING: Dispose of used oil in accordance with local, state and federal regulations. 1. With the pump and oil warm, place the charging station on an elevated surface, open the drain valve and drain the oil into a suitable container. 2. Close the drain valve (finger tight) and remove the oil fill plug. 3. Fill the pump to the TOP of the sight glass oil level line then replace the oil fill plug (finger tight). C. GAS BALLAST VALVE 1. To reduce oil contamination and prevent internal pump vacuum lock, open the ballast valve for the first few seconds of operation then close the valve. 2. If internal pump vacuum develops, open the ballast valve with the pump running, turn the pump off then close the valve. 3. Periodically remove the ballast valve, clean (or replace) the "O" ring and the seat surface, lubricate both with vacuum pump oil then replace and tighten the valve. D. VACUUM PUMP MOTOR IMPORTANT: The vacuum pump must be above 30 degrees at start up. Normal motor operating temperature is 160 degrees with thermal overload protection that resets automatically. CHARGING SCALE (Part # SAR312) WARNING: Protect your warranty. The electronic scale is designed to withstand normal shop usage. Do not expose the unit to moisture. Do not drop tanks or other items on the scale platform. Do not expose the LCD to direct sunlight for long periods. Do not overload the accessory outlet. IMPORTANT: Follow the manufacturer's recommendations and procedures for AC system charging. CAUTION: Avoid operation in windy conditions - The scale will detect weight shift caused by wind. Do not disconnect hoses while unit is in operation. The scale circuit board is powered by the battery pack. Turn the scale off after each use to prevent early battery failure. Do not leave an open refrigerant tank connected to the scale while not in use. A. POWER ALERT 9 The scale will beep once every 3 minutes if left on but not used. This will continue until the unit is turned off or the batteries die. B. WEIGHT MEASUREMENT FEATURES IMPORTANT: Scale measurement default is lbs and oz. DO NOT press the LBS or Kg button while the scale is charging - This will erase the programmed charge amount and stop the charging process. NOTE: The scale may be used for weighing purposes only. This may be useful for determining the amount of refrigerant in a storage tank or other in shop purposes. Shop power is not required for this function. Turn the scale on, allow warm up, press ZERO, place item on scale platform, read the LCD, turn the scale off and remove item. C. MAINTENANCE 1. BATTERY REPLACEMENT 2. FUSE REPLACEMENT TROUBLESHOOTING CHART SYMPTOM Oil/refrigerant blows out pump exhaust port. POSSIBLE CAUSE Vacuum pump selector valve in wrong position. Selector valve failure. Vacuum pump runs - No or low vacuum. Vacuum selector valve in wrong position. Position valve correctly. SOLUTION Turn valve to OFF position. Replace valve. 10 Auxiliary service port open or uncapped. Pump oil level low. AC system leak. Gas ballast valve open. Internal pump vacuum. Vacuum pump shuts off during operation. Vacuum pump cycles on/off from cold start. Scale will not charge. Thermal overload tripped. Motor malfunction. Unit not connected to 115V AC. Incorrect programming. Scale inlet/outlet hoses reversed. Hose ABB valve malfunction. Blown fuse. No power at accessory outlet. Scale LCD blinks continuously. Scale LCD inoperative. Scale reading fluctuates. Manifold gauge set needles will not return to ZERO position. Blown fuse. Low battery power. Battery pack disconnected or dead. Scale platform loose/unseated on support shaft. Refrigerant trapped in service hoses. Calibration shift due to mechanical shock, pressure or vibration. CALL SKYE's TECHNICAL HOTLINE Cap ports. Fill pump to correct level. Locate and repair leak. Close ballast valve. Break vacuum per instruction manual. Shut pump off and allow to cool for 15 to 20 minutes then restart. Call 1-800-722-7593 Connect to power. Reprogram per instructions. Check hose connections. Check ABB valves and connectors. Check and replace fuse Check and replace fuse. Check and replace batteries. Check connecti ...