Looking to understand what a micron gauge is and its role in HVAC? Explore this article for a clear explanation and importance of vacuum measurements in heating, ventilation, and air conditioning systems
A micron of mercury (or micron) is a very small/fine unit of measure related to the displacement of a mercury column by atmospheric pressure, thus the distance part
Some may vac to 300 or 500, or even 1000, and don't wait for a rise
Bryan uses the BluVac app to display data throughout the evacuation process
Generally speaking, if you get down to a few thousand microns and it doesn't go much past that, you don't have a leak, but probably have moisture and/or refrigerant still in the system boiling off (usually Many people say, “Pull a vacuum to 500 microns and you’re good,” but when I started studying how vacuum works in a system, I realized that there was a lot more involved to get the system to 500 microns, or lower, and to hold that level
A MERV 11-rated filter captures 85% or better of particles between the sizes of 3
It also provides additional protection against smoke The rating is derived from a test method developed by the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) [see www
Average Particle Size Efficiency in Microns
The micron levels of a vacuum can tell if it is good or not
According to the ASHRAE, the best rating for residential HVAC systems is MERV 13
500 microns and below, will be ready 4days
TL;DR: Micron detector are a supplemental components used to measure vacuum levels
The reading should not go more than 1000 microns if there is no leakage
09-13-2008, 03:33 PM #5
3 microns (µm)
Pump blank offs are notorious for leaking, so do not depend on one for isolating the vacuum pump