10,000 pounds of R-12, driven by a steam turbine

Installed in 1963, this York multistage M runs on a steam turbine at a rubber plant, cooling a glycol storage tank plus a side load a few decks up. The system is designed to hold 10,000 pounds of R-12. To pull the relief valves for rebuilding and testing, the crew recovered the whole charge into a 10,000-pound tank. Putting it back means heating that tank with plant steam, the fastest way to move liquid refrigerant. Every service port and hose is one inch. Weighed, the charge came up 1,500 pounds short, and they found a few small leaks. The last top-off had been in 2014. The next week's job was adding back 1,500 pounds at $55 a pound, labor extra at $155 an hour.