Clogged Filter Dryer in the Liquid Line

4:56 AM Moms Daily Tips

When a faithful old refrigerator or air conditioning unit no longer seems to be getting the job done, figuring out why can be tricky. Any number of system breakdowns could be responsible for stealing your cool. One very common cause, and one you should expect periodically if you haven't been maintaining your refrigeration unit on schedule, is a clogged liquid line filter dryer.

The liquid line is the copper tubing that connects the condenser coil to the expansion valve. It's so named because it carries refrigerant during the part of the refrigeration cycle when it's liquid.

The refrigerant enters the condenser coil as a vapor that's under so much pressure that its temperature is higher than that of the air outdoors. The second law of thermodynamics states that heat flows from warmer substances to cooler ones; accordingly, the vaporized refrigerant loses heat as the condenser coil brings it into contact with outside air. As it cools, the refrigerant changes from a gas to a liquid. The copper liquid line carries it into the expansion valve, where a drop in pressure will cool the liquid to a temperature below that of the air inside the building.

In refrigerant units with an expectation of system servicing, you'll find a filter dryer installed on the liquid line. As its name suggests, it serves two important functions: filtering contaminant particles out of the liquid refrigerant and removing water moisture from the system.

Contaminants can enter the refrigeration system during manufacturing and assembly, during the wear and tear of optimal use, or whenever suboptimal conditions cause damage to machine parts. The filter dryer stops all particles large enough to damage the system -- particles 20 microns or greater.

The filter dryer contains a group of molecular sieve beads that can take up a very large amount of water, effectively removing it from the system. Over time, moisture would otherwise accumulate and cause the formation of corrosive hydrochloric acid, obstructive ice crystals and system freeze-ups.

A liquid line filter dryer has a limited life span. All the particles it filters out of the refrigerant will eventually clog it up. Similarly, the moisture sieve beads will inevitably reach a saturation point; they can hold only so much water. A regular preventive maintenance schedule will help you avoid reaching this point because you'll regularly replace the filter dryer. She just cut her electricity bill to 60%, click here to read. If a system is experiencing other problems causing it to function poorly, the filter dryer can clog sooner than scheduled.

As a liquid line filter dryer clogs up, it begins to meter, or restrict, the amount of refrigerant that can pass through. Usually this becomes apparent as the unit's effectiveness decreases. The restricted flow of refrigerant causes abnormal temperatures throughout the system. The evaporator and compressor areas become hotter than normal, while the condenser and liquid line cool dramatically. A serious filter dryer clog can cause sweat or even frost to form on the outside of the liquid line.

Filter Driers In Refrigeration Systems? Can You Tell When They're ...
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Filter driers often tell you when they are restricted. If a liquid line drier becomes severely restricted it begins ... The same effect occurs within a clogged drier.
Clogged Filter Dryer in the Liquid Line eHow
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what pressures would i expect with a clogged filter drier ... Originally Posted by Pat schluter what pressures would i expect with a clogged filter drier Hi Pat ...
Signs & Symptoms of a Bad Liquid Line Filter Drier - LinkFac
www.linkfac.com/.../filter-drier...of-a-bad-liquid-line-filter-drier
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www.appioninc.com/downloads/files/TB-Inline_Filters.pdf PDF file
has a liquid line filter/dryer in it ahead of the expansion device. It performs ... above), otherwise it could become clogged and slow down the recovery
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Signs & Symptoms of a Bad Liquid Line Filter Drier. ... A symptom of a clogged liquid line filter drier is a temperature drop across the filter drier.
Signs & Symptoms of a Bad Liquid Line Filter Drier eHow UK
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Signs & Symptoms of a Bad Liquid Line Filter Drier. When the air conditioning breaks, there can be a number of different culprits that have caused the cool air to ...