What Is the Oil Trap on Air Conditioner? Why Use Oil Traps

1. What Is Conditioner Oil Trap?

Oil trap is a piece of copper pipe which is bent into two U-shapes in succession or two U-letters in opposite direction and is usually located at the position of the gas line to prevent oil (used to lubricate the outdoor unit) according to gas to the cold, to avoid Reduces heat exchanger efficiency and causes cold failure.

People trap oil by taking a piece of copper pipe bends (large pipes) installed between the outdoor unit and indoor unit into the form of 'duck neck'. Each time the oil is deposited in the 'duck neck', it will seal the suction line, this time the compressor will focus its full power and easily return the oil. For each height we will bend one (about 3m then bend 1).

2. Why Use Oil Traps for Air Conditioning?

Basically, when installing the air conditioner, the location of the hot unit lower than the cold will be in principle, but in some cases, it is forced to install a hotter higher than the cold unit. As a result, the oil accumulates on pipes and flows into the indoor unit, leading to a decrease in heat exchange efficiency at the indoor unit. At the same time, this situation reduces the performance and life of the indoor unit.

When the outdoor unit is over 3m away from the indoor unit, the mechanic will often need to install an additional oil trap system to limit the oil shortage caused by the cyclone (because it cannot draw the oil).

Diagram of installing the oil trap on the air conditioner you can refer to the image below.