Copper pipe standards for air conditioners that you need to know

Installing copper pipes for air conditioners to the right standards is an extremely important and necessary job to help your home equipment operate stably. Let’s learn about copper pipe standards for air conditioners with Cfis.edu.vn through the article below!

Why must standard copper pipes be installed?

The correct installation of copper pipes will:

• Helps the air conditioner operate stably, run at correct performance and provide maximum cooling efficiency.
• Increases the durability of copper pipes and helps them last for a long time.
• Limit the situation of cracked pipes, gas leaks, pipe shrinkage that changes gas flow leading to serious consequences.
• When the machine has a problem or weak operation due to wrong copper pipe installation, it will be easy for manufacturers to refuse the warranty.

Insulated copper helps protect copper pipes from extreme weather conditions

Standard sizes of copper pipes for air conditioners

Standard size copper pipe

Copper pipe is used for 2 directions, which is the input pipe connecting the outdoor unit to the indoor unit and the output pipe connecting the indoor unit to the outdoor unit. The size of the inlet pipe will be smaller than the outlet pipe, specifically:

Machine type	Inlet pipe diameter	Outlet diameter
1 HP air conditioner.	6 mm.	10 mm.
Air conditioner 1.5 HP.	6 mm.	10mm or 12mm.
Air conditioner 2 HP.	8 mm.	12 mm.
Air conditioner 2.5 HP.	8 mm.	10mm or 12mm.

In addition, air conditioners using R22 gas have a standard copper tube thickness of 0.51 – 0.61 mm and air conditioners using R410a gas have a minimum standard copper tube thickness of 0.61mm .

You should install copper pipes according to the standard size because it will be safe to use

Length of copper pipe connecting outdoor unit and indoor unit

The length of copper pipe connecting the outdoor unit and the indoor unit must be complied with the installation requirements specified by the manufacturer, because if the copper pipe is installed too short, it may occur that the gas cannot return to the compressor in time and blocked, causing serious damage.

Conversely, when the copper tube is too long, it may cause the air conditioner to cool slowly or not cool at all. In addition, if the copper pipe length is outside the limits specified by the company, the company may refuse to warranty the product.

The minimum length of copper pipe will be about 3m , the maximum is about 15-20m and the average length for the best operation of the air conditioner is 3-7m depending on the manufacturer.

The length of the copper pipe connecting the outdoor unit and the indoor unit should be installed according to the instructions of the air conditioner manufacturer

Height difference between outdoor unit and indoor unit

The height difference between the outdoor unit and the indoor unit is a factor that you need to pay attention to first when installing the air conditioner. Because according to the regulations of the manufacturers, this difference must be within their allowable limits and depends on the length of the copper pipe.

However, this height difference will not have too much effect, because users often install 2 outdoor and cold units on the same floor.

The height difference will be very important for high-rise buildings, apartments, etc. To know more about the height of each machine, you can see the technical specifications.

The height difference between the outdoor unit and the indoor unit is an important factor to pay attention to when installing the air conditioner

The most popular types of air-conditioner copper pipes in Vietnam

Copper Coil PC (Pancake Coil)

PC coil copper tube is one of the most popular refrigerant copper pipe lines. Pipes have standard lengths of 15m or 30 – 45m , depending on installation requirements. Ø6.35, Ø9.52, Ø12.7, Ø15.88 are common diameter lengths in which PC coil copper tubing is used.

This type of pipe has a minimum thickness of 0.61 mm , however, currently air-conditioners recommend using pipes with a diameter of 0.81mm for high pressure gases such as R410a, R32 .

PC coil copper pipe is the most common type of copper pipe used by technicians today

Level Wound Coil (Level Wound Coil)

LWC coiled copper pipe (brass tube) is a large coil of copper pipe, weighing over 100kg and having a length of up to several thousand meters . The product has a thickness of about 0.27 – 1.2mm , usually soft annealed before being put into use to increase flexibility and more malleability.

Due to its superior length, this type of copper pipe makes installation convenient without the need for additional joints, suitable for layout in large, complex areas or for installation of central air conditioning systems.

LWC copper pipe is a large coiled copper tube and has a length of hundreds, thousands of meters

Straight Tube

Straight copper pipes (tree copper pipes) have a common length of 2 – 6m with a diameter ranging from Ø4.76 – 41.28 . Commonly used in factories producing heat exchangers, … and valves in the refrigeration industry.

In addition, due to the needs of use, straight copper pipes are also produced with different hardnesses such as hard tubes, semi-rigid tubes, bright annealed tubes and soft annealed tubes.

Straight copper tubes are commonly used in heat exchange plants

Insulation foam copper pipe

Insulated foam copper pipe is a type of copper pipe that helps to optimize the efficiency of the cooling system. This copper pipe product has a maximum length of up to 50m and has a layer of insulating foam wrapped around the outside, saving time and ensuring conduit technique. Insulated foam copper conduit has many benefits such as:

• Durable and safe copper pipe protection from harsh environments.
• Limiting corrosion of copper pipes during heat exchange.
• Helps save electricity when in use by limiting heat exchange with the environment.
• Support to reduce noise during use in large works and buildings.

Insulated copper conduit saves time and effectively protects copper pipes

Inner Grooved Tube

Clear striped copper tube is a new product that is popular in the market and has popular diameters from Ø5, Ø7, Ø7.94, Ø8, Ø9.52, Ø12.7 . The inside of the pipe is structured with striated grooves with twisting directions along the length of the pipe with the following uses:

• Increase heat exchanger efficiency.
• Due to the small size of the striped copper tube, the material is also more economical than other plain copper pipes.
• It is possible to keep and increase the thermal efficiency with a small size, since then the size of the air conditioner is also getting smaller and smaller.

The inner striped copper tube is designed with striped grooves inside the tube

Copper pipe sizes of some popular air conditioners today

Machine series	Inverter Air Conditioner	Conventional air conditioner
Toshiba Air Conditioner.	Model N3KCV: 1 HP using 6/10 tube. 1.5HP using 6/10 tube. 2 HP using 6/12.7 tube.	Model N3KPX: 1 HP using 6/10 tube. 1.5HP using 6/12.7 tube. 2 HP using 6/12.7 tube.
Daikin air conditioner.	Model FTKS: 1 HP using 6/10 tube. 1.5HP using 6/10 tube. 2 HP using 6/12.7 tube. Inverter Gas R22: FTKD FTKD25 6/10. FTKD35 6/12. FTKD50 6/12.	Model FTE: 1 HP using 6/10 tube. 1.5HP using 6/12.7 tube. 2 HP using 6/16 tube.
Panasonic Air Conditioner .	Model TS: 1 HP using 6/10 tube. 1.5HP using 6/12.7 tube. 2 HP using tube 6/12.7 (for MNP codes). Date 2014 Q code uses tube 6/16.	Model KC/C: 1 HP using 6/10 tube. 1.5HP using 6/12.7 tube. 2 HP using 6/12.7 tube. Particularly for model 2 HP date 2014 with tail code QKH using tube 6/16.
Sharp air conditioner.	1 HP using 6/10 tube. 1.5HP using 6/12 tube.	1 HP using 6/10 tube. 1.5HP using 6/12 tube. 2 HP using 6/12 tube.
Air conditioner Fujitsu/General.	1 HP using 6/10 tube. 1.5HP using 6/10 tube. 2 HP using 6/12.7 tube.	1 HP using 6/10 tube. 1.5HP using 6/12.7 tube. 2 HP using 6/12.7 tube.

Above are the copper pipe standards for air conditioners that Cfis.edu.vn shares with you. If you have any questions, leave us a comment below!