yellow jacket RecoverX User manual

Warranty Information
Ritchie Engineering guarantees
YELLOW JACKET products to be free
of defective material and workmanship
which could affect the life of the product
when used for the purpose for which it
was designed. Warranty does not cover
items that have been altered, abused or
returned solely in need of field service
maintenance. If found defective, we will
either replace or repair at our option
products returned within 15 months of
factory shipment. All returns must be
return freight prepaid.
The following steps must be taken by
you or your wholesaler before the unit
can be returned:
1. Call our technical service personnel
at [phone] to see if the prob-
lem can be resolved over the phone.
2. Obtain an RMA number from
Ritchie Engineering.
3. Fax a copy of the original invoice to
[phone].
If at any time after the warranty period
you have problems with your YELLOW
JACKET recovery unit, call our
technical service department for help in
selecting the correct replacement parts,
or arrange for us to make the repair at a
reasonable cost.
Ritchie Engineering
YELLOW JACKET Products Division
10950 Hampshire Avenue South
Bloomington, MN 55438 USA
Phone: [phone]
Phone: [phone]
Fax: [phone]
e-mail: [email protected]m
Web Site: www.yellowjacket.com
Printed in U.S.A. Part #151053_D
RecoverX™Oil-Filled Hermetic
Refrigerant Recovery System
Operation and Maintenance
Manual

1) Know your equipment. Read and
understand the operation manual and
the labels affixed to the unit. Learn its
applications and limitations, as well as
the specific potential hazards of your
equipment.
2) Use the correct hoses. Use only hoses
designed for handling of refrigerants.
The hoses should be the minimum
length required to do the job and be
equipped with a shut-off device (such
as the compact ball valve) located
within 12 inches of the end to reduce
the likelihood of refrigerant leaks to
the atmosphere. There is a YELLOW
JACKET hose for almost every type of
refrigerant. See your distributor for
more information.
3) Ground all equipment. Plug this
device into properly grounded
receptacle with an appropriate plug.
4) Do not pressure test with com-
pressed air. Some mixtures of air
and refrigerant have been shown to be
combustible at elevated pressures.
5) Avoid dangerous environments.
Use with sufficient ventilation to
keep operator exposure to
a minimum.
Always perform recovery in well
ventilated areas. Use this equipment
only in locations with mechanical
ventilation, providing at least four air
changes per hour, or the equipment
should be placed 18” above the floor.
This equipment should not be used
near open containers of gasoline or
any other flammable liquid. Do not
allow refrigerants to contact open
flame. Refrigerant decomposition in
flame results in phosgene gas.
Breathing phosgene gas can be fatal.
6) Always wear safety goggles and
gloves. Personal protective equip-
ment should be worn to protect
operator from frostbite.
7) Use caution when connecting or
disconnecting. Improper usage may
result in refrigerant burns (frostbite).
General Safety Instructions
Table of Contents Page
General Safety Instructions 2-3
SystemOverview 3
OperatingGuide 4
RestartProcedure 4
Push-Pull Liquid Recovery 5-6
Care and Maintenance
Change-over Procedure 6-7
CompressorMaintenance 7-8
Recovery Tips & Techniques 8
Troubleshooting Guide 9
PartsLocationandList 10
RecoverX Wiring Diagram 11
Technical Data 11
Important Notices To Purchaser 11
Warranty Information 12
Compressor: 1/6 HP hermetically sealed reciprocating
Power Source: 115Vac 60 Hz
Amperage: Run Load Amps: 1.5
Full Load Amps: 2.0
Locked Rotor Amps: 8.0
Size: Height: 12.5"
Width: 12.4"
Depth: 19.3"
Weight: 29 lbs.
Important Notice To Purchaser
Check for damage immediately.
Prior to shipment, all YELLOW
JACKET RecoverX Recovery Systems
are completely tested and inspected to
assure compliance with Ritchie
Engineering factory specifications.
If the recovery system carton is
damaged, check contents immediately.
Note damage on shipper’s Bill of Lading
and have shipper sign statement. Notify
the carrier immediately of the damage to
arrange inspection of the recovery sys-
tem and packaging.
The CARRIER ALONE is responsible
for handling and settling your claim.
Ritchie Engineering will cooperate in
assessing damage if the recovery system
is returned to the factory prepaid.
Carton contents include:
• RecoverX Series Recovery System
• Owner’s manual
• Warranty registration card
To validate warranty, mail
registration card within 10 days.
11
Wiring Diagrams
Technical Data

10
Item # Part# Description Item # Part# Description
1 95444 Case, Front 9 95178 4" Fan Motor Assembly
2 95445 Case, Rear 10 95460 Bypass Valve
3 95446 Case Half (both halves) 11 95463 Compressor Inlet Assembly
4 95447 Case, Cord Wrap 12 95464 Discharge Hose Assembly
5 93394 1/4" Flare Cap & Strap 13 95473 Compressor Discharge
Assembly
6 95549 High Pressure
Gauge Panel Mount
14 95423 High Pressure Switch
7 95550 Low Pressure
Gauge Panel Mount
15 95163 Check Valve (2) 1/4" mfl x
1/4" mfl
8 95450 Condenser Coil 16 95472 Service Compressor
N/A 95158 Start Relay N/A 95465 Operation Manual
Parts Location and List
95700 Parts
If a major leak occurs, proceed
immediately to a well ventilated area.
8) Disconnect recovery machine from
power before servicing. An electrical
shock hazard is present when the unit is
disassembled.
9) Repair damaged parts. Do not
operate the recovery machine with a
defective part. Repair unit to proper
operating conditions.
10) Use recommended accessories.
Follow the instructions that accompany
all accessories. Improper use of acces-
sories may damage equipment or create
a hazard.
11) Use the RecoverX only with the
correct refrigerants. (See specifica-
tions for a complete list of compatible
refrigerants.)
12) Operate unit within the design
parameters. The RecoverX was
designed to operate in a temperature
range from 40o (4o C) to 120oF (49oC).
Do not operate unit in a wet location.
13) Caution: All refrigerant hoses, recov-
ery tanks, refrigerant lines, the
RecoverX, and other vessels containing
refrigerants should be handled as if
under high pressure. When opening a
tank with refrigerant in it, open valves
slowly to prevent release of refrigerant
if valves are damaged.
14) Caution: To avoid cross contamination
of refrigerant and potential leakage to
the atmosphere, the proper hoses and
fittings should be used and checked for
damage.
15) Caution: To avoid overfilling the
refrigerant cylinder, read and follow
the manufacturer’s recommended
filling instructions for the refrigerant
being recovered.
To prevent the risk of fire DO NOT use an
extension cord longer than 25ft (7.6m) and
a minimum of 16 AWG (1.276mm2).
System Overview
The RecoverX offers significant flexibility
to meet your refrigerant handling needs.
Careful handling of refrigerant is an impor-
tant part of servicing air-conditioning
equipment. Specific regulations apply to
refrigerant handling. Familiarize yourself
with these regulations.
Refrigerant recovery is used to remove the
working fluid of an air conditioning or re-
frigeration system. The refrigerant is trans-
ferred to a holding tank. For field service,
this tank is normally a portable refrigerant
tank. The refrigerant is subsequently trans-
ferred to a large collection tank when the
service technicians return to the office at the
end of the day.
Because the refrigerant is combined in a
large tank, every technician must ensure of
which refrigerant is in each tank. Your
company procedures should help you
determine this. Mixing refrigerants can
contaminate a large volume of refrigerant.
Use care when recovering refrigerant into a
portable tank. As stated in the warnings,
overfilling a tank can be extremely danger-
ous. The best method for monitoring tank
level is a scale that continually monitors the
weight of the tank.
The RecoverX is designed for recovery of
vapor refrigerant only. It can also be used
for the traditional push-pull method of re-
covering liquid refrigerant.
Liquid refrigerant will flush the oil from the
compressor sump and cause the compressor
to seize or could damage the compressor
valve plates.
3

The RecoverX is a VAPOR ONLY
recovery unit. It will not tolerate liquid.
Use your RecoverX to pull vapor refriger-
ant directly out of the system and transfer
it into your recovery cylinder.
Vapor recovery can be done by connect-
ing to the low pressure system suction
service port (Vapor port) side of the sys-
tem. See diagram on following page.
Follow the steps below:
1) Ensure the recovery unit Power
Switch is off (○) and power to the
system to be serviced is off.
2) Connect the recovery unit, manifold
set, the system to be serviced, and the
recovery tank as shown on page 5.
3) Open the valves on the recovery
cylinder.
4) Turn the Bypass Valve to “OPEN.”
5) Turn the Power Switch on (׀) .
6) Turn the Bypass Valve clockwise to
“CLOSED.”
7) Slowly open the low pressure valve
on the manifold set, regulating the
suction pressure at no more than 40
psi. This will prevent the compres-
sor from stalling.
8) Monitor the manifold low-pressure
gauge. Once the pressure has reached
the required vacuum level, recovery
is complete.
9) Turn the Power Switch off (○).
10) Wait five (5) minutes to ensure the
pressure does not rise.
11) If the pressure rises above the re-
quired vacuum level, continue the
recovery at Step 4.
12) If the pressure remains below the
required level, close the low-pressure
valve on the manifold set and the
recovery tank valves. Disconnect the
hoses.
13) Because oil can be removed from the
HVAC system during recovery, the
Oil Drain port should be drained after
every usage. By draining this oil into
a measuring device, it can be deter-
mined how much refrigerant oil was
removed from the HVAC system.
See the “Oil Level Check” procedure
on page 7.
Operating Guide
Restart Procedure
Liquid refrigerant will flush the oil from the
compressor sump and cause the compressor
to seize or could damage the compressor
valve plates.
The RecoverX is designed for recovery of
vapor refrigerant only. It can also be used
for the traditional push-pull method of
recovering liquid refrigerant.
CAUTION: This unit IS NOT designed for the direct recovery of liquid refrigerant.
If the recovery unit was stopped during
operation, it may be necessary to balance
the internal pressures before the unit will
start.
• Turn Power Switch off (○).
• Stop refrigerant flow to the suction
port on the unit.
• Open “Bypass Valve”.
• Wait 30 seconds.
• Restart the recovery unit.
• Close “Bypass Valve”.
• Resume normal vapor recovery.
4
Troubleshooting Guide
Problem Possible Cause Solution
Compressor will not
start
• Power cord not plugged in • Plug in to energized 110V receptacle
• 110V receptacle not energized • Check 110V receptacle for power
• High Pressure Switch not reset • Reduce discharge pressure and reset.
• If switch will not reset, check dis-
charge for restrictions or schrader
core not fully depressed.
• Circuit Breaker is tripped • Reset circuit breaker
• Defective system switch • Replace switch
Unit starts but stops
after a short period
• Restriction on the discharge port • Open valve on recovery tank
• Ensure schrader core on discharge
port is fully depressed
• Check for other restrictions
• High differential pressure across
compressor
• Turn Bypass Valve to “OPEN.”
• Liquid refrigerant present in the
sump of the compressor
• Remove liquid refrigerant from
sump of compressor.
• Compressor oil level is too low
or too high.
• Check oil level and add or drain if
necessary
Unit will not perform
liquid push-pull
recovery
• System to be serviced does not
allow liquid recovery
• Use Vapor Recovery method
Compressor starts but
trips the circuit breaker
upon start up
UL Certified Rates to ARI Standard 740-98
Other Refrigerants:
YELLOW JACKET RecoverX is approved for use with the following refrigerants which
has not been certified for a particular recovery rate.
R-12, R-134a, R-401C, R-406A, R-500, R-401A, R-409A, R-401B, R-412A, R-411A, R
-407D, R-22, R-411B, R-502, R-407C, R-402B, R-408A, R-509.
R12 R134a R22 R500 R502
Vapor lbs./min .24 .20 .29 .24 .24
Liquid lbs./min N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A
Push-Pull lbs./min 10.4 9.3 8.8 9.6 7.6
Vacuum Level 15 in. Hg 15 in. Hg 15 in. Hg 15 in. Hg 15 in. Hg
9

Here are a few time saving techniques to
help you on your next job:
1) Use the shortest hoses possible and
when possible avoid hoses with
schrader depressors. This will help
assure the fastest and quickest
recovery possible.
2) Know what kind of refrigerant you
are going to recover and the amount.
You need to know what kind to
avoid contamination. More
importantly you need to know how
much refrigerant you plan to
recover. This will help you avoid
overfilling your recovery cylinder
which can have disastrous results.
3) If you plan on recovering large
amounts of refrigerant (20lbs or
more) it would be a good idea to use
the push-pull method. Note: This
process requires you to switch
hoses to finish recovering the
remaining vapor. See the “Push–
Pull Liquid Recovery” section of
this manual.
4) Protect your RecoverX by using an
in-line filter drier. Failure to use a
suction filter drier can cause damage
to your compressor.
5) Recovery machines are not vacuum
pumps. For proper evacuation use
your YELLOW JACKET vacuum
pump. To speed up the evacuation
process try using your TITAN™
manifold and core removal tool
(P/N 18975). For more information
contact your local YELLOW
JACKET wholesaler.
8
Recovery Tips and Techniques
RecoverX
Front View
5) Uncap the suction port. The compres-
sor oil will come out of the drain port.
Low pressure compressed air can be
applied to the suction port to assist the
draining process.
6) Refill the oil sump with 7 ounces of
POE refrigerant oil.
7) Return the machine to a flat position
and check the oil level as described
previously.
Compressor Maintenance, cont. Vapor Recovery Diagram
Push-Pull Liquid Recovery
The Push-Pull Liquid Recovery method is
used for transferring large volumes of
liquid refrigerant. The RecoverX “pulls”
vapor from the recovery cylinder and
produces high pressure discharge gas that
“pushes” liquid out of a HVAC system
into a recovery cylinder (see page 6 for
diagram).
Some systems may not allow push-pull
liquid recovery. If any of the following
conditions apply to your recovery job,
proceed directly to the Vapor Recovery
Method.
• Equipment contains less than 8 pounds
of refrigerant.
• Equipment is a heat pump or other unit
with a reversing valve.
• Equipment has an accumulator be-
tween the service ports used in liquid
recovery.
• Liquid refrigerant has migrated and the
location of the refrigerant is not
known.
• The refrigerant system does not allow
for a solid column of liquid refrigerant
to be formed.
When using push-pull recovery, the
RecoverX will not recover to the re-
quired vacuum level in the recovered
system. Use a sight glass to determine
when the liquid is being “pushed” into the
recover tank. When liquid refrigerant is
no longer visible, go to the Vapor Recov-
ery section of this manual for further in-
structions.
The hose connections for push-pull liquid
recovery are shown on page 6. Perform
the following steps for push-pull liquid
recovery:
1) Ensure the recovery unit Power
Switch is off (○) and the power to the
system to be serviced is also turned
off.
2) Connect the recovery unit, the sys-
tem to be serviced, the manifold set,
and the recovery tank as shown on
page 6.
3) Open the valves on the recovery cyl-
inder.
4) Turn the Bypass Valve to “OPEN.”
5) Turn the Power Switch on (׀) .
5

6) Turn the Bypass Valve to “CLOSED.”
7) Slowly open the low pressure valve
on the manifold set. Manually regu-
late the suction pressure at no more
than 40 psi. This will prevent com-
pressor from stalling.
8) Monitor the sight glass. When there is
no longer significant liquid refrigerant
passing through the sight glass, push-
pull liquid recovery is complete.
9) Close the low pressure gage on the
manifold set.
10) Turn the Power Switch off (○).
11)Close the valves on the recovery tank.
Proceed to the Vapor Recovery procedure
to remove the remainder of the refrigerant
and to evacuate the system to the required
vacuum level.
Push-Pull Liquid Recovery, cont.
Push-Pull Diagram
Change-over Procedure
Different types of refrigerant and refrig-
erant oil should not be mixed in the re-
covery unit. If recovering a different
type of refrigerant, the recovery unit
must be completely evacuated. Follow
these steps to pump down the system for
use with another refrigerant.
1) Place a cap on the suction port of the
unit and turn the Bypass Valve to
“CLOSED.” Turn the unit on and run
it for two minutes.
2) Apply 10-30 psig pressure of inert
gas such as nitrogen to the suction
port.
3) Turn the Bypass Valve to “OPEN.”
4) Turn the Power Switch on (׀) .
5) Turn the Bypass Valve to
“CLOSED” and run for 15 seconds.
Note: The inert gas will enter the re-
covery cylinder. This small amount of
non-condensable gas will be removed
during the reclamation process.
6) Turn the Power Switch off (○).
7) Close all valves and remove the hose
from the recovery tank.
8) Connect the hose to a vacuum pump.
6
9) Run the vacuum pump for at least
10 minutes to remove the remaining
refrigerant and non-condensable
gas.
10) Check the compressor oil for con-
tamination and proper level. Add
or change oil if needed.
11) Unit is ready for use with another
refrigerant.
Change-over Procedure, cont.
Compressor Maintenance
OIL LEVEL CHECK
This unit has been factory charged with 7
ounces POE oil. Check the compressor oil
before and after each use. An overfilled oil
sump can overload the compressor. Too
little oil can cause the compressor to seize.
CAUTION: The recovery unit is under
high pressure. Do not remove the cap on
the compressor oil port without following
this complete procedure!
To check the oil level:
1) Place a cap on the suction port of the
unit and close the bypass valve. Turn
the unit on and run it for two minutes.
2) Slowly remove the brass cap from the
compressor oil port. If pressure is pre-
sent, continue running the unit until
there is no pressure on the port.
3) Place a small catch device under the
open drain port or attach a hose and
direct it toward a catch device.
4) With the machine on a flat surface,
uncap the suction port. Excess oil will
come out of the oil drain port. Low
pressure compressed air can be applied
to the suction port to assist the draining
process.
5) Allow excess oil to drain into the catch
device.
6) If no oil comes from the drain, add one
ounce of refrigerant oil to the compres-
sor. Check the oil level. Once a small
amount of oil comes from the drain, the
oil level is correct. If not, repeat this
step.
7) Replace the brass cap on the oil drain
port.
8) Ensure the unit is working properly
before using it to recover refrigerant.
COMPLETE OIL CHANGE
The compressor oil should be changed at
least every six (6) months (more often if
unit is used frequently). The oil may need to
be changed after servicing a system that had
a compressor burn out or high contamina-
tion levels.
To change the compressor oil:
1) Place a cap on the suction port of the
unit. Turn the unit on and run it for
two minutes.
2) Remove the brass cap from the com-
pressor oil port
3) Place a catch device under the open
drain port or attach a hose and direct it
toward a catch device.
4) Tilt the machine on its side as shown.
This allows most of the oil to
drain out of the recovery unit. 7