LG AC gas oil choke ?

Crazy_Eddy

Staff member
Super Mod
I have a 2 year old LG AC that has thrown up a CH38 error code for low gas issues.
The LG service engineer checked the gas pressure and found it to be ok. He released a bit of the gas and showed it having a slightly oily residue. He says the compressor oil has entered the indoor unit coil and 'choked' it which is why the gas isn't able to flow through.
His solution is to release the gas, which will bring out the oil, and refill fresh gas.
However he cannot say for sure what caused this. And no plans to refill the compressor oil.

Does anyone have a similar experience?
I have seen a few youtube videos on this, all by third party Indian techs, but don't see any official guidelines on this.
 
If this is a known issue + replacing the gas is a permanent fix, go for it

But if the oil leakage continues, then this issue will keep repeating, until the day the compressor dries and seizes up

I'd suggest you try escalating this matter up the chain first to sort out the oil leak issue. If they too are clueless, then it might be worth checking with a local AC service outlet about refilling the oil.

For reference, my split AC just turned 10 years old and the only maintenance i did was cleaning the air filter. ACs are sealed systems that don't require maintenance as such
 
Is there a significant height level difference between the inner unit and outer unit placement? If yes then this can cause all sorts of problems. Ideally they should be at the same height.

Also the distance between the two should be as short as possible.

Compressor oil in Refrigerant Gas is considered okay in small quantity but yours seems to be severe.
 
n1r0 said:
If this is a known issue
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Have heard of this in car AC systems; usually old ones. Compressor seals may wear out after a long while (or) if the compressor had to do some heavy-lifting such as this :
Heisen said:
significant height level difference between the inner unit and outer unit
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Not sure if such after-market seals are available for home AC units; ask around.

Better to figure out the root-cause and fix it or replace compressor entirely, as running without circulation of coolant may overheat the entire system, primarily the compressor, causing the issue to repeat sooner and sooner.
 
@Heisen
> Is there a significant height level difference between the inner unit and outer unit placement? If yes then this can cause all sorts of problems. Ideally they should be at the same height.

How much height difference is tolerable ?
Didn't know this, new a/c fixtures in my place is at least located ~15ft far and ~6ft high if am guessing right.
 
I've had the same compressor oil issue recently with our Daikin AC. The service guy took all the gas out using vacuum pump then refilled fresh gas. He also mentioned that the compressor oil cannot be refilled but this fix should last for a few years.
 
TEUser2K1 said:
How much height difference is tolerable ?
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I have no idea, but after quick googling and understanding some of the terminologies, it seems that the recommend height and distance between the two units should be mentioned in the manual of the AC and it varies with the model.

One thing for sure is exceeding the maximum distance puts strain on the compressor.
Also it seems like there is also a minimum distance to be maintained, for efficiency reasons.
 
rockstah said:
I've had the same compressor oil issue recently with our Daikin AC. The service guy took all the gas out using vacuum pump then refilled fresh gas. He also mentioned that the compressor oil cannot be refilled but this fix should last for a few years.
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Oh :( Did he have any clue what caused it? Is it performing as well as before after the fix?

Heisen said:
Is there a significant height level difference between the inner unit and outer unit placement?
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This was one of the first things I checked.
The outdoor unit has a sticker showing it's rated for max 10m elevation/height, 20m length. Mine is about 5m length, possibly 4m height, so well within spec.
 
If you are operating within standard parameters, and if the compressor has extended warranty - most usually have 10 years or so, why not ask to change the compressor under warranty?
 
Crazy_Eddy said:
Oh :( Did he have any clue what caused it? Is it performing as well as before after the fix?
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The next day capacitor went kaput, after changing that it's been running good and cooling is great too. Kindly check if it's possible to get it changed under warranty as suggested. I asked similiar question to the service guy who said it might be possible to get it fixed under warranty.