General
Service Bulletin
RTAC
Oil Charge
Order Number: RTAC-SVB09A-EN DATE: December 2003
Pueblo Built Units Only
Introduction
The purpose of this bulletin is to advise customers of a correction to the oil charge
listed in RTAC-SVX01D-EN and the symptoms associated with an oil overcharge. All
units have been charged correctly at the factory and have the correct charge on the
nameplate.
NOTICE: Warnings and Cautions appear at appropriate sections through-
out this literature. Read these carefully.
WARNING: Indicates a potentially hazardous situation which, if not
avoided, could result in death or serious injury.
CAUTION: Indicates a potentially hazardous situation which, if not
avoided, may result in minor or moderate injury. It may also be used to
alert against unsafe practices.
CAUTION: Indicates a situation that may result in equipment or property-
damage only accidents.
© 2003 American Standard Inc. All rights reserved.
Discussion
The oil charge for 2 compressor units in RTAC-SVX01D-EN are incorrect. The correct
charge is listed in the table below.
Like many machines, an excessive oil charge can cause operational problems. Special
care should always be taken to avoid adding extra oil. The symptoms of an oil over
charge are as follows:
EXV is open wide
Liquid Level is low
Flashing in the Sight Glass
Little or no Discharge Superheat
These symptoms may occur in one or both circuits. Oil overcharge should not be
confused with an undercharge of refrigerant which may exhibit the first three
symptoms but will be accompanied by high Discharge Superheat.
Units that exhibit the symptoms of an oil overcharge at high loads may still run fine at
light loads. An oil overcharged unit may result in an evaporator limit warning or even a
low liquid level or low evap temp (LRTC) diagnostic. An oil overcharged unit may
exhibit increased approach temperatures and decreased overall unit efficiency.
If an oil overcharge is suspected refer to the following procedure.
Oil Charge
Circuit 1 Circuit 2
Unit gallons gallons
140 Standard Efficiency 60Hz 1.5 1.5
155 Standard Efficiency 60Hz 1.5 1.5
170 Standard Efficiency 60Hz 1.5 1.5
185 Standard Efficiency 60Hz 2.1 1.5
200 Standard Efficiency 60Hz 2.1 2.1
225 Standard Efficiency 60Hz 2.1 2.1
250 Standard Efficiency 60Hz 2.1 2.1
140 High Efficiency 60Hz 1.5 1.5
155 High Efficiency 60Hz 1.5 1.5
170 High Efficiency 60Hz 1.5 1.5
185 High Efficiency 60Hz 2.1 1.5
200 High Efficiency 60Hz 2.1 2.1
225 High Efficiency 60Hz 2.1 2.1
2 RTAC-SVB09A-EN
Oil Charge
Circuit 1 Circuit 2
Unit gallons gallons
225 High Efficiency 60Hz 2.1 2.1
140 Standard Efficiency 50Hz 1.5 1.5
155 Standard Efficiency 50Hz 1.5 1.5
170 Standard Efficiency 50Hz 1.5 1.5
185 Standard Efficiency 50Hz 2.1 1.5
200 Standard Efficiency 50Hz 2.1 2.1
140 High Efficiency 50Hz 1.5 1.5
155 High Efficiency 50Hz 1.5 1.5
170 High Efficiency 50Hz 1.5 1.5
185 High Efficiency 50Hz 2.1 1.5
200 High Efficiency 50Hz 2.1 2.1
Procedure
WARNING
Contains Refrigerant!
System contains oil and refrigerant under high pressure. Recover refrigerant to
relieve pressure before opening the system. See unit nameplate for refrigerant
type. Do not use non-approved refrigerants, refrigerant substitutes, or
refrigerant additives.
Failure to follow proper procedures or the use of non-approved refrigerants,
refrigerant substitutes, or refrigerant additives could result in death or serious
injury or equipment damage.
CAUTION
Hot Oil and Severe Oil Loss!
Do not attempt to measure oil level with the circuit in operation. Always turn
lock out circuit when measuring the oil level. Failure to follow these instruction
may result in minor or moderate injury or severe oil loss.
The circuit must be off to check the oil level.
1. Lock the circuit out.
It is important to give the refrigerant time to equalize after shut down. If the
circuit has been running wait a minimum of 1 hour before checking the oil level.
If possible, an overnight shutdown is preferred. Also, it is important to verify
RTAC-SVB09A-EN 3
that the oil separator heater is operational.
If an oil over charge is suspected run the unit unloaded for 30 minutes prior to
shutting down and locking out the circuit.
2. To measure oil level, use the oil drain valve on the oil line and the discharge
service valve on the top of the oil separator. This measurement can only be
made when the circuit is not running.
The level is measured from the bottom of the separator and 1” must be
subtracted for the thickness of the bottom plate.
3. The oil charge should be approximately at the level in the table below.
4. After the unit has run for a while, the oil level in the sump can vary greatly.
However, if the unit has run “normal” conditions for a long time the level should
resemble the level in the table below.
5. +1” to – 4” is acceptable.
Circuit Approximate sump oil level after running
(Tons) (in)
70 6
85 6
100 7
120 7
Questions
Contact the Product Technical Service department in Pueblo, Colorado with questions
regarding this Service Bulletin. They can be reached at [email protected]
or 888-244-5537.
Literature Order Number RTAC-SVB09A-EN
File Number SL-RF-RLC-RTAC-SVB09A-EN-1203
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www.trane.com
Trane has a policy of continuous product data and product improvement and reserves the right to
For more information contact your local district change design and specifications without notice. Only qualified technicians should perform the
office or e-mail us at [email protected] installation and servicing of equipment referred to in this bulletin.
