AECSLtd explains Airconditioning equipment options in laymens terms.
What does all the blurb on the Ecotechnics spec sheets mean?
Which R&R machine suits my operation best?
So why should I buy a fancy top of the line machine like the ECK 3900 and not just a basic model like the ECK 750?
Well the best is to compare specifications, but what the specifications do not show is the technology behind the used components, and how the process is automated or requires attention of an operator.
The fully automatic machines all have the option to select any stage from the whole process manually, so an automatic machine does not just ‘take off’ on you.
Protecting the equipment
A fully automatic Ecotechnics aircon service machine has a lot of safety checks on board.
One is to see if for example the vehicle’s system has leaks. It does not make sense to charge a leaking AC system, so the machine will not charge in automatic mode even if it is told to do so.
It will also for example check if there is still liquid refrigerant in the system. Liquid will damage the vacuum pump, so the pump will not start when liquid is present. Also the remaining liquid refrigerant could be recovered, so before the vacuum pump starts it will recover the refrigerant. Very functional on cold day’s.
Another function you won’t see is that the machine will automatically select internally the low and high connections for charging and recovery, greatly reducing service time and again protecting the aircon system and your equipment.
In the ‘high precision’ machines (high end) another function is included. This function will meter out the refrigerant very precisely.
Where the low end machines will charge the vehicle, and shut the valves when the required amount has been reached, the ‘high precision’ machines will shut the valves about 50 grams before the required amount has been reached, and then cycle the valves. This is to meter small amounts at the time to get the precise required charge into the vehicle.
Especially important if you work on late model vehicles or anticipate to be still in the industry a long time from now. Late model vehicles work with very small and precise metered quantities of refrigerant. In some vehicles the variation tolerance of refrigerant is only 10 grams!
The high end machines will also guide the operator through several processes, whether it is a simple service or a flush on for example an accident damaged car. The low end machines require far more skill to operate. A good example is that the high end machine warns you not to use normal PAG oil on certain hybrid vehicles.
What are the advantages of all the options and specifications that are listed in the catalogue? Click on any of the index items.
Capacity
All the Ecotechnics R&R machines have a sophisticated patented distillation and filtration systems on board. These purification systems are similar on all the new machines.
The difference between the low end and top end machines is in the capacity of the components. The more expensive machines have higher rated pumps and larger on board capacity than the lower cost units.
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Heater blanket Standard on all machines.
The whole range of Ecotechnics R&R machines have a heater blanket around the on board storage bottle to increase the bottle pressure just before charging. This is to speed up the charging process.
The top end machines have a large 22 litre on board tank while the low end machines have the cheaper 12 litre bottle. A small bottle needs more operator intervention in the form of bottle charging/discharging. The truck unit has a 40 litre tank.
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Refrigerant management (standard on ECK 3900, ECK 2900, ECK 1900)
Refrigerant management is that the machine keeps track of who uses what quantity of refrigerant. The amount of refrigerant used is the amount charged into the vehicle minus the amount recovered from the vehicle per individual operator. It’s a bit of a European thing where the flow of refrigerant is controlled by government for environmental reasons. It is also controlled in the USA and Australia, so it is prudent to think about what could happen here in the foreseeable future.
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Digital display (different types)
To guide the operator and to be able to perform aircon diagnostics the machines need a display and warning buzzer. The high end machine have this, the low end machine do not.
The high end testers have sophisticated displays, many menus and a lot of guidance.
For example the optional diagnostic software needs a display to communicate with the operator, it needs to tell what to connect where and what to do with for example the engine.
It also shows when for example the heater blanket comes on, or what the onboard tank pressure is.
The low end R&R machines only show with 4 digits, things like weight and time. LED’s on the side are showing to what unit the value relates
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Database (basic and advanced) Standard on ECK 3900, ECK 2900, ECK 1900. Optional on ECK 1000, Truck CV. Value: .
The high end machines have an advanced on board data base, which can be updated regularly and added to with your own data. The database can be selected from the automatic menu and sets up the machine to charge the vehicle with the correct amount of refrigerant after recovery and vacuum.
The basic database is a list with codes for each vehicle, the 3 digit code can be entered into the mid range machines. The code loads the refrigerant charge quantity into the machine for the semi automatic process.
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Refrigerant identifier Optional only on the ECK 3900. Value: .
A refrigerant identifier can only be fitted in the ECK 3900, which is the highest spec machine.
The identifier is an infra red gas bench, and checks what type of refrigerant is present in the vehicle. Some older cars still have R12 as refrigerant, some Jap imports are charged with LPG and some vehicles serviced in NZ have gasses like R22 or blends in the system. All these gasses are not or poorly compatible with the R134a seals and oil. To get one of these gasses into your R&R machine will not harm the machine but will contaminate the on board bottle. Every vehicle connected to your machine after contamination has occurred will now receive a blend of gasses with expensive aircon failures as a result.
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Diagnostics Optional on ECK 3900, ECK 2900, ECK 1900, ECK 1000. Value: .
Diagnostics is optional software loaded into the top end machines which together with probes (part of the kit) evaluate the aircon system. The evaluation process takes into the equation pressures, temperatures and clutch cycle rate.
The report printed at the end of a 2 minute evaluation period contains suggested repairs if faults are found.
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Air purge Standard on all machines, but automatic on ECK 3900, ECK 2900, Truck EV.
All gasses are condensable. Condensing (transforming a gas to a liquid) for example air into a liquid happens at far higher pressures than condensing refrigerant.
Sometimes air enters into the system besides the refrigerant, for example when in a system a new accumulator has been fitted and the vacuum before charge has not been executed properly, or where a gauge set with pressure gauges reading ambient pressure is connected to the aircon system. An aircon system with air contamination will not run very well, so it might come in for service, or has to be redone. During service the recovery compressor will try to keep on pumping gas into the refrigerant storage bottle, but because the air does not condenses in the bottle the pressure just keeps increasing. The non refrigerant gasses need to be purged out of the bottle, as else the compressor will lose the capability to pump refrigerant into that high pressure bottle (which results in compressor damage).
On a manual and low end systems the temperature of the bottle has to be measured regularly and compared with the pressure in the bottle. The relation between the two indicates if there are non refrigerant gasses in the bottle. On a high end machine the on board computer will compare the bottle temperature with the pressure sensors reading and purge automatically via a solenoid valve.
The low end Ecotechnics systems do have an audible high pressure warning on board, but the purging still needs to be done with a bleed valve while comparing chart values with a pressure sensor and temp sensor.
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Leak check Standard on all machines.
During the vacuum time the machine will disconnect the vacuum pump from the vehicle’s system. It will monitor the pressure (vacuum) for a set period. A leak in the system has a pressure rise as result. If that pressure rise exceeds a certain value the Ecotechnics will stop the procedure and switch off, sounding an alarm.
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Tracer dye Standard on ECK 3900. Optional on ECK 2900, ECK 1000, Truck EV. Value: .
The high end Ecotechnics machines can be equipped with automatic UV dye injection equipment. The UV dye assist in leak searching. The sealed bottles are clipped to a quick coupling on the back of the machine. The machine will carefully meter the desired amount of UV dye in the vehicle through the appropriate HP/LP port. It will inject the dye at a time during the process so that the dye does not stay behind in the service hoses.
The Dye bottles are sealed and collapsible so that the dye port on the machine cannot become an entry point for moisture and air to enter the aircon system.
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On board bottle filling Standard on all machines (guided on all, except the ECK 750).
The refrigerant in the on board storage tank will be used up at some stage. When the bottle alarm has indicated that there is not sufficient refrigerant in the bottle anymore to deliver a requested charge, the bottle needs to be filled.
On the low end Ecotechnics machines the on board bottle filling needs to be done with knowledge and a certain level of skill.
The high end Ecotechnics machine will simply guide the operator through the process with its software and display.
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Bottle alarm Standard on all machines.
The bottle alarm will sound and appear on the machine’s display, warning the operator that the pressure is too high, or that the bottle is over full by weight or that the bottle is empty by weight and pressure.
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Printer Standard on ECK 3900, ECK 2900, ECK 1000, Truck EV. Optional on ECK 1900, ECK 750, Truck CV. Value: .
On the high end models the thermal printer is to print reports of how much refrigerant and oil has been recovered, and how much oil, dye and refrigerant has been charged into the vehicle. It will also show the amount of time the machine has held the car under vacuum.
The low end machines only show the amount of refrigerant recovered and charged on the printout.
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Updateable Standard on all machines.
The high end machines have intelligent software on board, for example certain service methods, diagnostics and its data base. New developments and data can be introduced into your high end machine as they become available, through connecting the machine to a PC and loading that file (for AECSLtd service personnel only!). This ensures future compatibility.
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Automatic service alarm Standard on all machines.
The Ecotechnics machines use a special filtration and dehumidifying system. The filters are rated to handle a certain quantity of refrigerant after which they are deemed to be past their use by date.
All new Ecotechnics machines are equipped with a service counter, indicating to the operator when the filters need to be changed. The indicator also serves as a reminder that the full service of the machine is due, like oil change, leak check and scale calibration.
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Nitrogen leak check bottle connector Standard on ECK 3900. Optional on ECK 2900. Value: .
Leak checking on the vehicle with vacuum is not always conclusive. In some cases a pressure test needs to be done with a non reacting dry gas. Nitrogen is such a gas. The high end Ecotechnics machines can be equipped with a nitrogen connection and solenoid valves. This so that only a nitrogen bottle with pressure regulator needs to be connected to the port. The Ecotechnics machine will do the rest, the charging, leak test and extraction of this high pressure condensable gas.
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Flushing Standard on ECK 3900, ECK 2900, ECK 1900, ECK 1000, Truck CV.
When a vehicle’s aircon system suffers damage due to for example no maintenance like a destroyed compressor, filings and oil crust will be spread throughout the system. Contrary to believe, a vehicle’s receiver dryer or accumulator is not a filter! So the contamination needs to be removed from the system. This can only be done by flushing the system. The best is to flush with refrigerant as the oil present in the system is miscible with refrigerant (dissolves in R 134a like two stroke oil in petrol). The old oil needs to be fully removed together with the remaining particulates.
Best practise is to have a high quantity of liquid refrigerant going very fast through the system. The high end Ecotechnics machines will guide the operator through this automatic process together with the optional flushing kit.
The low end machines require a lot of skill and time to perform this cumbersome process.
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Saniflux Optional on ECK 3900, ECK 2900, ECK 1900, ECK 1000. Value: .
Evaporators (the cooling part inside the passenger compartment) are moist during operation of the aircon system. The air circulated through the evaporator has spores and bacteria, which like to grow on moist surfaces. Some evaporators grow literally completely blocked. Besides the diminished cooling capacity of the system the growth can smell very unpleasant and is unhealthy. It is just part of normal maintenance that the growth on the evaporator gets killed off once every year and turned into dust. This can only be done by cycling certain airborne chemicals through the evaporator.
The high end Ecotechnics machines can be equipped (in the factory) with a Saniflux kit.
The kit consists out of an ultrasonic bath, which evaporates a special European approved chemical. This vapour is force fed with a fan into the vehicle’s ventilation system. The vehicle needs to have its ventilation switched on and switched to recirculation during this process.
The software in the Ecotechnics machine guides the operator through the process step by step, and it can be preformed while the vehicle gets its refrigerant recycled, cleaned, dried and topped up, costing virtually no extra time.
The Saniflux special liquids can be bought in a ten pack of handy 125ml bottles. A box with 10 bottles is .
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What are my ongoing costs (service)?
As the importers of the Ecotechnics equipment range we at AECSLtd Ltd keep spares and consumables in stock to keep down time to an absolute minimum.
The Ecotechnics machines have 2 filters on board, which need to be replaced after a certain amount of usage. The manual explains clearly how to.
Also the vacuum pump needs maintenance, in the form of an oil change every year, or when the filters are due. Also here does the owner’s manual clearly explains how to.
It is good practice to have the scales calibrated once a year, but you do not have to. This is a specialist job.
AECSLtd (the NZ distributor of Ecotechnics) has a mobile service which comes around once a year performing those jobs for you if you wish to keep your investment in top condition. Our charges are clear and transparent.
Ecotechnics
Calibration
performed by AECS
AECSLtd standard annual
Aircon equipment service and calibration.
(Nation wide mobile calibration service available!)
Consider all the facts, also the technical back up and training from AECSLtd before investing into the highly profitable aircon service and repair partition of our automotive industry.
This document is subject to change without any prior notice. All pricing is plus GST.
AECSLtd
Training and Ecotechnics Equipment suppliers.
06 8749 077
