Refrigeration repairs
Here's the news about the Sundanzers: They seem to have a very small leak somewhere in one of the plates - the heat absorbing plate on the inside, or the heat dissipating plate on the outside. Neither of these plates is accessible, so repairing the leak is not feasible. Dave hopes that his re-charge of the refrigerant will last for several years. When (or if) this becomes not worthwhile, he says that a new plate could be installed inside the box, or outside, or both - as long as the compressor is working well. He says that Danfoss compressors are well built and should last for at least 10 years, and maybe more. Cost of new plates would be in the range (currently - who knows what in a few years) 5 to 6 hundred dollars.
Since Dave fitted fixtures to recharge the coolant in the units, it will be faster and less expensive (depending on the cost of the coolant) to re-charge the units again in the future. It's worth noting that Dave charged his usual fee of $80 an hour, but didn't charge for the fittings or the coolant, or for his time waiting to see if the unit was working well.
You should know that if there is a leak, especially at a fitting but also anywhere you can see, you will discover oil leaking out of the system too. If you see oil in the compressor compartment, it's from a leak, and you are loosing coolant.
Many thanks to everyone who helped, and especially to Don MacDonald, who loaned us his acetylene tank for the project and made it possible after I lined up a tank with different fittings.
If anyone has questions or concerns, please contact me. Dave had a good time here, and was glad to make at least six large boxes useful (or more useful) again. He's willing to come back, especially if we can guarantee sunny and calm weather. I told him it was that way all the time, but I don't think he believed me. Peter 8785
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