# Forum Home Renovation Heating & Cooling  disconnect split system for reconnect later (again)

## toooldforthis

A few old threads on this https://www.renovateforum.com/f193/r...please-108037/ 
Am looking to remove inside unit for reno
Its a floor mount
Want to store it for reinstall later. 
My understanding is the best thing to do is get a pro to pump down the gas into the external unit (compressor) and seal that.
There is no power at the house or ac unit
Will this be required?
I can get an extension lead, 10amp, to the unit. 
Any differences I need to know about with these floor mounts versus wall mounts? 
Any tips on storing the internal unit? Pipes/connections sealed? Or can all this be sorted on reinstall? 
Will be looking into tidying up external pipework/electrical on reinstall.
That box hanging off the external wall must be from an old oil heater system, maybe.

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## commodorenut

You will need power to pump down the split A/C. 
On the outdoor unit where the 2 pipes connect, you'll find a brass cap hiding a valve where each pipe is - these are actuated by an allen key. 
You need to have it running - run it for a good 15 minutes or so, and then you shut off the valve on the smaller line - you need to do it quite firmly, but don't overdo it. (if it's not firm enough, it can leak). 
Depending on the pipe run, the compressor size, and other minor variables, it will take 30 seconds or so for it to pull a decent vacuum.  A practiced person can hear the change in pitch from the unit as the vaccuum builds.  Don't let it go too long, or you can damage the compressor.  This is where having a set of gauges on it helps, but they're not essential to achieve the end result.
Once you're satisfied the vacuum is right, shut off the valve on the larger pipe - and as soon as you have closed it, kill the power to the unit. 
You can now undo the pipes, and you won't be letting any gas out to the atmosphere.  Cap all open ends immediately.  
When they reinstall it, they will need gauges & a vacuum pump.  If the pipe run is the same as the initial install, and the unit was performing fine, then you won't need additional gas.
Cowboys will "bleed" the air out of a system by releasing gas, rather than vacuuming, and this is highly illegal - make sure your installer does it properly, with a vacuum pump.

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## toooldforthis

Thanks 
Not planning to disconnect myself   
Sounds like I need a way to power it up though

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## Brian7886

1. get a pro to do it. 
   a. you know it will be done right, plus its illegal for you to do it if you dont hold an arctick license
   b. you have more chance of being able to get someone to come and install it later on when required if its been pulled out by a professional. I dont re-install an air con if i havent taken it out myself (or my company). Can open up a huge can of worms when you re-install to find its got no refrigerant cos the guy who pulled it out just dumped the gas. I'll only do a job start to finish, and many others are the same.  
2. If you can only get a 10A lead to it, but cant run the air con, your fridgey might just have to reclaim the refrigerant into a bottle, and weigh it back in upon re-install. This will cost more as it will be more time consuming.  
Best bet, call up a fridgey and ask the questions directly. If you try to do this yourself, and bugger it up, it will cost you 4 times as much to get it right.

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## toooldforthis

yep
as i said not doing it myself.
wasn't sure about how they pump it down
but sounds like needs power, and maybe more than 10a
even so unit will need wiring moded to connect to extension lead. 
getting a fridge out to quote is tricky, have tried  two already.
Trying to get a local as it will be quite a while before reconnect.
Might even be easier to sell and buy a new unit later.

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## toooldforthis



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## Brian7886

i wouldnt bother trying to sell it mate, r22 refrigerant is nearly phased out. its illegal to sell a system (obviously not second hand) with r22, and i think its only a matter of time before they outlaw any new installation of r22 systems. thats another thing you need to consider when installing. You spend say 800 to get it re-installed, no warranty at all on the system, meaning if it dies, you lose ya 800 and start again. Might be worth pulling it out, chuck it (honestly, the system is worth nothing at all), and get a new system when ur ready to go

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## toooldforthis

> i wouldnt bother trying to sell it mate, r22 refrigerant is nearly phased out. its illegal to sell a system (obviously not second hand) with r22, and i think its only a matter of time before they outlaw any new installation of r22 systems. thats another thing you need to consider when installing. You spend say 800 to get it re-installed, no warranty at all on the system, meaning if it dies, you lose ya 800 and start again. Might be worth pulling it out, chuck it (honestly, the system is worth nothing at all), and get a new system when ur ready to go

  Thanks for that
Good advice.

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## phild01

About 5 years ago a fridgy connected a second hand R410A split for me without drama.  He was a commercial guy and was happy with the way the unit had been decommisioned. All I did was place the units and new pipes.  He had it, and the other Fujitsu R22 relocate done in good time.
My Japanese Fujitsu R22 is still a great unit but getting on (I believe the Thailand ones aren't as good).  You could get someone to reconnect and if any issues, then just buy a new unit.
 Is R22 still available for topping up existing units, apparently so until 2030.

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## toooldforthis

> About 5 years ago a fridgy connected a second hand R410A split for me without drama. He was a commercial guy and was happy with the way the unit had been decommisioned. All I did was place the units and new pipes. He had it, and the other Fujitsu R22 relocate done in good time. My Japanese Fujitsu R22 is still a great unit but getting on (I believe the Thailand ones aren't as good). You could get someone to reconnect and if any issues, then just buy a new unit. Is R22 still available for topping up existing units, apparently so until 2030.

  More good advice 
Will it never end?  :Smilie: 
Either way it needs to be professionally disconnected.
Will ask about getting it pumped down to make reinstall easier. Might not be possible, economical, given power situation. 
Then when reinstall happens, a long time away, cross that bridge.

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## Brian7886

> About 5 years ago a fridgy connected a second hand R410A split for me without drama.  He was a commercial guy and was happy with the way the unit had been decommisioned. All I did was place the units and new pipes.  He had it, and the other Fujitsu R22 relocate done in good time.
> My Japanese Fujitsu R22 is still a great unit but getting on (I believe the Thailand ones aren't as good).  You could get someone to reconnect and if any issues, then just buy a new unit.
>  Is R22 still available for topping up existing units, apparently so until 2030.

  im not saying you will have drama.....but we live in a society full of liability, and people who will get on social media and bag you, unwarranted. If i havent de-commissioned a unit, i wont re-install it. plain and simple. A visual check is 1 thing, but how it works, if it works are other things you wont know til you power up.  
r22 is being phased out, and supply costs of cfc's and hcfc's are understandably getting higher and higher by the year. Depending when are where i buy r22 i could pay anywhere between $100/kg to $300......plus bottle rental fees etc.  
Nothing wrong with the thailand fuji's actually their new ranges, using r32 refrigerant are top notch, i couldnt rate them highly enough.

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## phild01

> Nothing wrong with the thailand fuji's actually their new ranges, using r32 refrigerant are top notch, i couldnt rate them highly enough.

  Good to know.
Thought I read a post ages ago that the Japanese ones were better then those made in Thailand when production changed.

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## Brian7886

> Good to know.
> Thought I read a post ages ago that the Japanese ones were better then those made in Thailand when production changed.

  chalk and cheese mate.  
Fujistu along with Daikin were probably the leaders in the transition from fixed speed air cons into inverter systems. this basically also overlapped the transition from r22 into r410a. I started in the air con trade when inverters existed, but werent really in huge supply.  
the early inverters (of all brands) had plenty of issues, a particular series of Fujitsu i was never a fan of, and it was pretty bad in terms of break down rates (inverter board failure). Its impossible to compare fixed speed to inverter in terms of performance and reliablility cos they are 2 different things, I myself wish we never moved away from fixed speed. They have always advertised inverters as a more economical option....yet 1 board failure and youve lost all your money you saved on power in 1 service call. Not worth it. However, as a firm believer in climate change and the greenhouse effects, anything that saves us burning so much coal im all for.  
Im not sure what year they swapped from japan to thailand, but the 1 thing thats stayed the same with most major brands is quality controls, superior components and a strict manufacturing policy. Not to mention a much better warranty and service. If you pulled apart a modern day daikin, fuji, MHI, panasonic and then compared the copper, or the components or even the casing of the air cons, theres not much difference, then pull apart a stirling or an akai or something.....

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