MASTERCOOL 63010 Refrigerant Recovery Tank
The MASTERCOOL 63010 Refrigerant Recovery Tank is a top-quality product that provides suitable storage for most refrigerants types. And today, we would like to review it to help you make an informed buying decision.
As an HVAC technician, you will come across different refrigerant tanks (cylinders) in the market. Most of them may look familiar, but they have significant differences. For instance, refrigerant tanks differ in how much refrigerant they can carry, how many refrigerants they can handle, their user-friendliness, and how many certifications the cylinder has.
We researched what this canister offers to the user, and for most people, this unit is reliable for refrigerant recovery. If you’d like to know what we think about this product, read further. We will uncover the features of this product, from the company that manufacturers it, the benefits of using it, and the limitations.
So, let’s get into business.
Brand
When researching any product, I like to know more about the brand – and why I should trust their products. Because let’s face it. A lot of products in the market are being cloned. You end up buying or ordering a product that doesn’t sort your needs out or breaks down after a few days of using it.
Is Mastercool a reliable brand? In our findings, it most certainly is. The company has been around for more than 35 years. And their focus is on producing high-quality HVAC and automotive products. They also have several other refrigerant recovery tanks on their website, including the MasterCool Refrigerant Recovery Cylinder Tank 30Lb, which we reviewed a while back.
Most of the products they manufacture come from the USA. They also have facilities in Belgium, Brazil, and other 60 countries, which is enough proof that the brand has reliable products for different markets. Also, products brought from them come with a one-year warranty.
When it comes to customer service, this company provides technical assistance when required. I saw some buyers saying their customer support team replied to them within 24 hours. They also offer necessary documentation and user manuals for each product you buy.
Product Features
Right out of the box, the MASTERCOOL 63010 Refrigerant Recovery Tank is a 50-pound cylinder that comes with a grey and yellow heavy-duty HP325 steel covering. Manufacturers use steel in most cylinders because they are solid and safe to store any gas, especially flammable ones. The covering also has a high gloss and a durable finish. Besides that, the tare weight is 27.5 pounds. For those who may not know what tare weight is, it’s the tank’s weight when it’s completely empty.
The top part of the refrigerant tank has a collar, making it easy to lift. In the middle, it features a Y valve with a 1/4-inch air outlet on both valves. The blue valve is for vapor, while the red one is for liquid recovery. Note that nowadays, technicians don’t follow the color codes strictly; however, you can use them as guides, especially if you want to recover the refrigerant in both forms. The Y valve also has a relief valve just below it for safety purposes.
We also noticed that this product doesn’t have a float switch. These switches are no longer as applicable nowadays because even though they turn the refrigerant recovery machine’s motor off once the refrigerant bottle is full, experts noted that they don’t stop the refrigerant flow into the unit. It can, therefore, lead to refrigerant leaks into the air.
Other notable features:
- It comes pre-charged with nitrogen
- Works with all types of refrigerants
- The product is also AUS and TC (Transport Canada) tested
- It has also DOT and ARI Certifications
Pros
Based on the features of this refrigerant recovery tank, you can already see that it’s quite a reliable unit for the refrigerant recovery process. The first thing I like about it is the price. I saw a buyer say that the unit works better than most of the costly cylinders you will find in the market.
We can also confirm that this unit is a 50-pound unit, as the manufacturer claims. Some buyers complained that its weight is lower than this. However, such complaints arise when the user doesn’t know how to use this product well. Typically, technicians will recommend you to fill this unit up to 80% if you plan to store it in temperatures below 103 degrees Fahrenheit. If the temperature is higher than this, you will have to lower the refrigerant content to 60% since the refrigerant can explode out of the cylinder.
Besides, this MASTERCOOL 63010 will handle all types of refrigerants, including CFCs, HFCs, HCFCs, and other blends. Use the cylinder to recover one refrigerant only to avoid adding impurities to a refrigerant you can use later. We also noticed that this cylinder could handle high-pressure refrigerants since it has a working pressure of about 400 psi.
You can also use this cylinder multiple times. In fact, the hydro stamp on the side states you should retest it for use after every 5 years. Other brands in the market only allow you to use it once and then dispose of it. Nonetheless, ensure you use it to store one type of cylinder only. Mixing refrigerants can lead to fines or chargebacks from refrigerant reclaimers.
The refrigerant recovery tank is also pre-charged with nitrogen. Hence, the interior is clean and dry for use. Nitrogen prevents rust from developing inside the tank. Before you start the recovery process, however, vacuum the bottle to remove the gas since it can compromise the purity of the refrigerant.
Finally, because this cylinder has various certifications, it indicates that it’s a quality product, environmentally friendly, and easy to store and transport.
Cons
Amidst the strengths and benefits of this refrigerant recovery tank, it still had its weaknesses. For instance, since it’s a 50-pound cylinder, it’s not efficient for recovering large amounts of refrigerants, especially in commercial settings. We would only recommend it for small HVAC systems in residential spaces, especially if you don’t know how much refrigerant is in the system.
The other problem I had with this unit was the user manual. It compares other similar refrigerant recovery cylinders from this brand instead of including instructions on how to use this cylinder. Hence, we can only recommend this product to experienced HVAC technicians.
Conclusion
That’s all folks. We’ve come to the end of the MASTERCOOL 63010 Refrigerant Recovery Tank review. I hope by now you have all the information you need to buy or not buy this cylinder.
We do recommend this product to any professional technician who wants a refrigerant recovery cylinder they can use to recover different types of refrigerants. It also provides two ways to recover the refrigerant – liquid and vapor. It’s also lightweight, and you are sure of a clean and dry interior to store your refrigerant. Furthermore, it comes at a reasonable price, since you can use it for many years.
If you’d like to know more about this product, check the Amazon product page.