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Short #81 - Air vs. Nitrogen vs. Oxygen
In this short podcast, Bryan discusses the differences between air, nitrogen, and oxygen. He also explains why we should only use nitrogen for purging, flowing, and pressurization.
You DON'T want to pressurize line sets with air because air contains water vapor and oxygen. Water acts as an oxidizer, and moisture can turn POE oil acidic via hydrolysis. You cannot dry out POE oil, and the acid can lead to compressor burnout.
Nitrogen is non-reactive (unlike oxygen) and does not contain water vapor (unlike air). It also does a good job of chasing water vapor out of the lines. Because nitrogen…
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