Compressor oil analysis changed my whole repair approach after 11 years

I used to think compressor oil analysis was just something the big commercial guys did to justify their service contracts. Then last spring I had a reach-in cooler at a diner in Cleveland that kept tripping the overload after I swapped the start relay twice. The owner was getting impatient and I was about to condemn the compressor. On a hunch I pulled an oil sample into a clean vial and sent it to a local lab for like 45 bucks. The report showed high moisture and a bunch of copper particles, which meant the system had been running with a leak for months before I even touched it. That one report told me the compressor was toast but also that the evaporator probably had micro leaks I would have missed. Now I take a sample on any sealed system over 5 years old before I quote a compressor swap. Has anyone else started doing oil analysis on smaller units or is that still overkill for residential work?

0 comments

0 Comments

No comments yet

Be the first to share your thoughts on this discussion.