Komatsu 830E Shop Manual page 566

REFRIGERANT
Recycled Refrigerant
Recycled refrigerant has been extracted from a mobile
air conditioning system using a recovery unit. The
refrigerant is cleaned by the recovery unit as it passes
through filters located on the unit that meet specifica-
tions stipulated by Society of Automotive Engineers,
SAE J2099. The refrigerant that has passed through
the filtering process has only been cleaned of contami-
nants that are associated with mobile systems. There-
fore, recycled refrigerant from mobile systems is only
acceptable for reuse in mobile systems.
Reclaimed Refrigerant
Reclaimed refrigerant has been filtered through a more
thorough filtering process and has been processed to
the same standards of purity as virgin refrigerant.
Because of this, reclaimed refrigerant is acceptable for
use in all systems, not just mobile. The reclaiming
equipment used for this process is expensive, and
therefore, not common among normal maintenance
shops. Equipment such as this is more commonly
found in air conditioning specialty shops.
Always use new, recycled, or reclaimed refrigerant
when charging a system. Failure to adhere to this
recommendation may result in premature wear or
damage to air conditioning system components
and poor cooling performance.
REFRIGERANT QUANTITY
If not enough refrigerant is charged into the system,
cooling ability will be diminished. If too much refrigerant
is charged into the system, the system will operate at
higher pressures, and in some cases, may damage
system components. Exceeding the specified refriger-
ant charge will not provide better cooling.
If an incorrect charge is suspected, recover the refrig-
erant from the system, and charge the system with the
correct operating weight (6.9 lb, 3.13 kg). This is not
only the recommended procedure, but it is also the
best way to ensure that the system is operating with
the proper charge and providing optimum cooling.
Using the sight glass to determine the charge is
not an accurate method.
M9-10
An unclear sight glass on R-134a systems can indi-
cate that the system may be low on refrigerant.
However, the sight glass should not be used as a
gauge for charging the system. Charging the sys-
tem must be done with a scale to ensure the proper
amount of refrigerant has been added.
R-134a Refrigerant Containers
Two basic, readily available containers are used to
store R-134a: the 30 or 60 pound bulk canisters (Fig-
ure 9-2).
Always read the container label to verify the contents
are correct for the system being serviced. Note the
containers for R-134a are painted light blue.
FIGURE 9-2. R-134a CONTAINERS
1. 30 lb. Cylinder
Air Conditioning System
for HFC 134a Refrigerant
2. 60 lb. Cylinder
05/02 M09010