Air Purging Best Practices
Air purging is done to the piping system after all piping has been connected between the indoor and outdoor unit. This step is necessary to
be sure that refrigerant can flow through the system without danger of leakage or pressure issues. Air and moisture that is left in the piping
can lead to undesirable results and can cause damage to the working unit. It is important to go through a complete air purging cycle to be
sure that the lines are cleared out. Note that you may have to repeat this process should any air or moisture be found to remain in the piping.
After air purging and evacuating the lines, be sure to take a leak test for all piping and tubing.
Insufficient or incorrectly done air purging may lead to the following:
• Pressure in the system can rise.
• Operating current can rise.
• Cooling or heating efficiency falls.
• Moisture in the refrigerant circuit may freeze and block capillary tubing
• Water can lead to corrosion of parts in the system.
Air Purging with a Vacuum Pump - Preparation Steps
1. Verify that each set of pipes (liquid and gas) are properly connected between the
indoor and outdoor unit.
• Verify that all wiring for a test run has been completed.
2. Remove service valve caps from the gas and liquid valves at the outdoor unit
(Figure 80).
• Both the liquid and gas side service valves at the outdoor unit should be kept closed
at this step.
3. Set up the purging, hose connections by referring to Figure 81.
4. Do a Leak Test, by proceeding to Soap Water Method - Leak Testing section on
next page.
• Successful leak testing must be performed before Evacuation can begin.
5. Go to Evacuation section, on page 51 to complete the purging process.
• Be sure to use a manifold valve for air purging. If it is not available,
use a stop valve for this purpose.
• Be sure that the knob of the three-way valve is always kept close.
Table 33: Evacuation Table
Evacuation Table*
Tubing = Less than 33 ft.
10 minutes or more
Required time for evacuation when 30 gal/h vacuum pump is used.
REFRIGERANT PIPING CONNECTIONS
Tubing = More than 33 ft.
15 minutes or more
Due to our policy of continuous product innovation, some specifications may change without notification.
©LG Electronics U.S.A., Inc., Englewood Cliffs, NJ. All rights reserved. "LG" is a registered trademark of LG Corp.
Figure 80: Removing Service Valve Caps - Outdoor Unit
(appearance may be different depending on model)
Outdoor Unit
3-way valve(Close)
3-way valve(Close)
2-way valve(Close)
2-way valve(Close)
Figure 81: Evacuation Setup
Air Purging / Evacuation Setup
Outdoor Unit
Manifold Valve
Pressure
Lo Hi
Gauge
Lo=Open
Air Purging
Evacuation
Gas side
Liquid side
Valve
Caps
Indoor Unit
Piping Bundle
Hi=Close
Charge Hose
Vacuum Pump
49