Polycold Unit Balance Pressure Chart

The information provided in the table above, is for purposes of determining if a unit is in need of a top-off charge, and/or if a refrigerant leak has occured. We provide Top-Off Charges for many of the units listed.

It is not advisable (or legal) to add additional refrigerant to a unit without first fixing any leaks that may be present.

If you need to top-off a unit more then 3 times, or if more then 40% of the charge is missing, it is highly recommended that the unit be completely recharged from a new pre-mix refrigerant charge. Failure to adhere to this recommendation could present a danger to the safe operation, and longevity of the Polycold unit.

Additional Note:

For small units (P-75, P-100, PGC-150, ect.), if a refrigerant recovery unit is used to transfer a full refrigerant charge into the unit, it is not unusual to exceed the top-of-range balance pressure by as much as 20-25 psi (1.4-1.7 bar). This pressure will drop into a more reasonable range within 24 hours, once the refrigerant has had a chance to soak into the compressor's oil. In most cases this means using the entire pre-mix charge, even though the balance pressure may seem high at first.

Larger units will experience a similar drop in pressure, but not to the same extent as the smaller units do. As an example; A PFC-1100HC unit will typically be at 205-210 psi (14.1-14.5 bar) just after it is charged. By the next day, the pressure will have dropped into the 185-190 psi range (12.8-13.1 bar).

So although it may be tempting to want to reduce the pressure of a freshly charged unit to better fit into the range specified in the table above, it is always best to wait for at least one to two days before making this decision.