VRF Installation Specification

1.0 General

This section of the specification covers the installation specification of VRF system
including materials requirement, storage requirement, refrigerant pipe work, drain
pipe work, insulation requirement, indoor unit installation, outdoor unit installation,
electrical and communication requirement, and testing and commissioning.

Contractor shall ensure that the installations and connections to equipment are
accordance to the recommendations and specifications provided by VRF
manufacturer, including refrigerant pipe length requirements, restrictions, etc.

Contractor shall provide all necessary competent personnel and equipment

specifically for R410a VRF installation.

2.0 Materials

2.1 Refrigerant Copper Pipe

The refrigerant copper pipe shall be of good quality dephosphatized seamless copper
pipe conforming to local code and complete with factory quality certificate and test
report. No pinhole, crack, peeling, blister, inclusion, copper powder, carbon
deposition layer, green rust, dirt and severe oxidation film inside and outside of the
pipe surface, and no obvious defects such as scratches, pits, spots is allowed. Prior
to installation, all refrigerant copper pipe shall be thoroughly cleaned by silk cloth
method or blow cleaning method as described below:

 Silk cloth method (for straight pipe): Bind a clean silk cloth to a fine steel wire,
tie the silk into a ball shape, the diameter of which should be slightly bigger than the
diameter of the copper pipe. When cleaning the pipe, immerse the cloth into a
cleaning agent, trichloroethylene, and then cram it into one end of the copper pipe
and draw it out from the other end. Cloth ball must be clean when immerge into
trichloroethylene. Repeat the cleaning until all the dust and impurities inside the
copper pipe have been cleared.

 Blow cleaning method (for coil pipe): Connect one end of the coil pipe with
nitrogen gas supply with a pressure of 5 - 6kgf/cm2. Use a finger to block the other
opening end of the coil pipe until the pressure built-up inside the pipe. Release the
finger to allow the nitrogen gas to blow out the dust and impurities from the coil pipe.
Repeat the steps until all the dust and impurities are discharged from the coil pipe.

The opening end of the copper pipe in storage shall be sealed with tape to avoid
entering of impurities. The opening end shall be brazing sealed if it shall be stored for
a long period before use. The impurity content inside the copper pipe shall not
exceed the limit of 30mg/10m. During installation, all open ends shall be kept
covered in an approved manner to prevent the ingress of dust and general building
debris. All the damages to equipment due to dust and debris left in the refrigerant
copper pipe during installation shall be the responsibility of contractors.

Page 1 of 9
VRF Installation Specification

The minimum refrigerant copper pipe diameter and thickness shall be in accordance
to the table as shown below:

Diameter R410A
(mm/inch) Thickness
(mm) Material
6.35 (1/4”) 0.80 O material
9.53 (3/8”) 0.80 O material
12.70 (1/2”) 0.80 O material
15.88 (5/8”) 1.00 O material
19.05 (3/4”) 1.00 1/2H material
22.20 (7/8”) 1.00 1/2H material
25.40 (1”) 1.00 1/2H material
28.60 (1 1/8”) 1.00 1/2H material
31.75 (1 1/4”) 1.10 1/2H material
38.10 (1 1/2”) 1.35 1/2H material
41.30 (1 5/8”) 1.45 1/2H material
44.45 (1 3/4”) 1.55 1/2H material
**Whenever the pipe diameter as mentioned above is not available, a larger pipe
diameter pipe shall be selected for installation.

2.2 Branch Pipe

Branch pipe used for VRF installation shall be from the same VRF manufacturer or
approved by the VRF manufacturer.

2.3 Insulation
All insulating materials shall be delivered to the site in a dry condition and shall be
stored in dry room prior to use. Condensate pipe, refrigerant pipe and branch pipe
shall be insulated with not less than 80kg/m3 density closed-cell insulation to a
thickness of 19mm for pipe diameter of ≥15.8mm while a thickness of 13mm for pipe
diameter of ≤ 12.7mm. The insulating materials shall be 120°C heat-resistant.
Alternatively, PU insulation with aluminium cover may be used. The PU insulation
shall be of rigid polyurethane foam completely filling the annular space between pipe
and casing, and shall have the following physical properties:-

a. Density of 35kg/m3 (above ground piping), 65 kg/m3 minimum (underground

piping) and k factor not exceeding 0.021 w/m K at 23o C. Closed cell content
90%.
b. Outer jackets shall be a spiral formed of the inside locked seam galvanized
iron type, 0.6 mm up to 200 mm dia.
c. Installation joints between pre-insulated units and valves shall be insulated
with field galvanised sheet cladding and foaming strictly in accordance with
manufacturer's instruction.
d. Minimum thickness of insulation shall be 40mm and above. The Contractor
shall ensure that the above minimum thickness will prevent condensation on
the surface of the outer jacket at 35oC, 90% RH and ambient still air
conditions with 6oC fluid temperature.

Page 2 of 9
VRF Installation Specification

e. All piping showing sweating shall be stripped, allowed to come to ambient

temperature, thoroughly dried and recovered with in-situ polyurethane.

2.4 Refrigerant R410A

Non-ozone depleting and non-flammable refrigerant of R410A used shall be

approved by VRF manufacturer. The recommended brands are DuPont and
Honeywell.

2.5 Electrical Wiring

Power supply cable used shall be in accordance with technical manual provided by
VRF manufacturer.

2.6 Communication Wiring

Shielded twisted-pair cable with diameter of ≥0.75mm2 x2 (AWG18) shall be used

for communication wiring. For longer communication distance (>500m), the cable
size shall increase to ≥1.0mm2 x2 (AWG17).

2.7 Protection Conduit

Metal conduit, flexible conduit and plastic conduit shall be used to protect power
supply cable and communication cable separately.

2.8 Outdoor Pipe Protection Material

Outdoor refrigerant copper pipe shall be protected by trunking made of mild steel
sheet, rigidly formed and with galvanized finish. Thickness of the steel sheet shall be
1.2mm for trunking of sizes up to 100mm x 100mm and 1.6mm for larger sizes.
Covers of same material shall be protected and secured by means of plated screws.
No projection from screws or other sharp objects shall be allowed inside the trunking.

2.9 Duct Material

All duct material shall be in accordance with Sheet Metal and Air Conditioning
Contractors National Association Inc. - HVAC Duct Construction Standards Metal
and Flexible.

3.0 Indoor Unit Installation

3.1 Storage of Material and Product

The storage of indoor unit shall be kept away from dampness, clean and far away
from sunshine. The indoor units shall be stack in order.

Page 3 of 9
VRF Installation Specification

3.2 Installation Method Statement

1. Mark and fix the round steel rod on the slab accurately.

2. Using Ф10mm round steel rod to fix the indoor unit on the slab firmly and level
horizontally. The minimum distance between the indoor unit and the slab is 10mm.

3. Use two nuts to fix each round steel rod suspender. If necessary, add another nut
to prevent loosing.

4. When the round steel rod suspender is longer than 1500mm. Additional X support
shall be installed to prevent waggle.

3.3 Inlet and Outlet Protection

To prevent the ingress of dust and general building debris into the indoor units, the
inlet and outlet opening of the indoor units shall be covered with plastic bags or other
material after unit installation prior to duct connection.

3.4 Service Space

The minimum manhole size for indoor unit servicing is 400 x 400mm.

4.0 Outdoor Unit Installation

4.1 Protection for Outdoor Unit

Do not disassemble the packing prior to installation.

4.2 Location

If there is any wall barrier near to the outdoor unit location, the distance between top
of the outdoor unit and the top barrier shall be more than 1500mm. If there is a wall
barrier behind the outdoor unit, the distance between wall and the outdoor unit shall
be more than 300mm. The location for outdoor units shall be far from office area and
resting area to avoid noise disturbance.

4.3 Louvers

Weatherproof louvers are prohibited to use at the location of outdoor units. When the
installation of louvers is required, the gap between louvers shall not be less than
80mm and the angle shall be less than 10° horizontally. The total free area of the
louvers shall be more than 80%.

In order to avoid poor air circulation, the outdoor units shall be installed as near to the
louvers as possible. If necessary, the discharge air outlet of the outdoor units shall be
ducted to the louvers to avoid suction and discharge air short-circuit.

Page 4 of 9
VRF Installation Specification

4.4 Outdoor Unit Fixation and Vibration Damping

The foundations for the outdoor units shall have adequate load bearing capacity.
Rubber sheet with a thickness of 5 – 10mm shall be installed under the outdoor units.
A proper size bolt shall be used to fix the outdoor units on the RC plinths. All outdoor
units shall be soft-started to ensure low starting current.

5.0 Refrigerant Pipe Work

5.1 The Cleanness for Copper Pipe

The refrigerant copper pipe shall be kept clean in condition prior to installation.

5.2 Copper Pipe Cutting

Pipe cutter shall be used to cut the copper pipe and make sure that the pipe does not
deformed. Saw and cutter bar are prohibited to use for copper pipe cutting. After the
pipe cutting, the burrs that remain on the cutting edges shall be removed while the
copper pipe end opening is facing downward in order to avoid copper pipe interior
contamination.

5.3 Flaring Work

Dedicated flaring tool shall be used. Prior to flaring work, a nut shall be cross into the
pipe to make sure the flaring surface is smooth. There shall be no crack and
deformation on the surface after flaring work.

5.4 Bending Work

Manual bending shall be applied for the pipe diameter Ф6.35 – Ф15.88mm.
Mechanical bending shall be applied to all other pipe diameters. After bending, the
pipe shall have no deformation and wrinkle.

5.5 Expansion Work

Dedicated expansion tool shall be used to expansion the pipe. The insertion depth of
the expansion shall met the requirement to ensure a strong welding strength. Do not
use nipper pliers or other tools to expand the pipe. The expansion depth requirement
for copper pipe is shown in the table below:

Pipe Diameter, A (mm) Minimum Depth (mm)

5<A≤8 7

8 < A ≤ 12 8

12 < A ≤ 16 8

Page 5 of 9
VRF Installation Specification

5.6 Brazing with Nitrogen

Brazing with nitrogen can avoid the formation of copper oxide on the inner surface of
copper pipe. The flow rate of the nitrogen shall not be less than 0.05m³/h (Pressure
0.02 – 0.05 MPa). Charge nitrogen into the copper pipe for a while and ensure that
the air inside the copper pipe is blown out and the pipe is full of nitrogen prior to start
the brazing work. Gas nitrogen shall be charged for another 3 to 5 minutes after
brazing to avoid any oxidation. The pipe shall be cooled naturally and cooling using
water is prohibited.

The nitrogen used shall be filled in certified cylinders of size 47L or 50L, with
hydrotesting and stamped testing date on the cylinder shoulder. The cylinder shall
properly label the gas with either banana sticker or CLASS sticker as per OSH
(Classification, Labelling and Safety Data Sheet of Hazardous Chemicals)
Regulations 2013. The content of the nitrogen gas shall be filled to 150 bar or 200
bar. The volume of the nitrogen gas shall be 6.8m3 or 9.4m3. The purity of the
nitrogen shall be 99.999% with impurities of oxygen <2 ppm, moisture < 3ppm, and
total hydrocarbon THC <0.5ppm. Certificate of conformance shall be issued for every
cylinder, traceable to the cylinders supplied.

In order to maintain the quality of copper pipe work, inspection will be carried out by
VRF manufacturer. The intention of the inspection is to make sure the installer follow
the requirement of manufacturer. Manufacturer shall take note on oxidation condition
at inner of copper pipe during inspection. All costs incurred in recovering the installed
copper pipe and insulation after inspection shall be borne by installer.

5.7 Copper Pipe Connection

Copper pipe connection shall be done though pipe expansion with pipe insertion
depth that meets the requirement with proper gap to ensure a strong welding
strength. Butt brazing and flared brazing are forbidden between pipes of the same
diameter. Indoor unit shall be connected with flared pipe. Two spanners are used for
the pipe tightening. One spanner is used to keep the joint still while the other is used
to tighten the flaring nut.

Alternatively, copper pipe connection can be done by brazed free connection.

5.8 Branch Pipe Installation

Branch pipe shall be installed horizontally or vertically only. For the horizontal
installation, three ends of branch pipe shall be on the same level. The inclination of
angle of branch pipe shall not be more than 15 degree from the horizontal level. For
vertical installation, both upwards and downwards are accepted without any
inclination. The length of straight pipe before inlet of branch pipe and between the
two branch pipes shall not be less than 500mm.

5.9 Pipe Fixing Work

Page 6 of 9
VRF Installation Specification

Angle steel plate with the size of 30 x 30 x 3mm shall be used to support the base of
pipe. Proper protection shall be around the insulation when using pipe clamp to fix
the pipe. Usually the distance between two clamps is 1.5m. The diameter of round
steel bar hanging the angle steel plate shall be Ф 8mm. The advantage of using
round steel bar support is flexible height.

For vertical pipe fixing, U-shape pipe clamp shall be used to fix vertical pipe on the
insulation base.

Infrared leveling instrument shall be used check and adjust the pipe gradient.

5.10 Replaceable Filter Core System

For installation that failed to carry out nitrogen protection brazing, the VRF system
must be installed with a replaceable filter drier. The filter drier shall consist of the
replaceable filter core and shell. This replaceable filter drier shall be installed in the
suction line before entering the compressor. After running for 200 hours, it is
recommended to inspect and replace the filter core. If the filter core is clean after
inspection, the filter core can be removed permanently. Please take note that all
costs shall be borne by installer.

6.0 Insulation Work

The inner size of the insulation shall match with the copper pipe size. The end
opening of the copper pipe shall be sealed when installing the insulation to avoid
possible contamination of the copper pipe.

All insulation shall be continuous through the sleeves and hangers and must be
absolutely water and vapour tight. The insulation pipe joint and cutting position shall
be glued and wrapped by an electrical tape of more than 50mm in width. Insulation
shall not be applied over wet or frosted pipes.

7.0 Electrical and Communication Requirement

Earth leakage breaker shall be installed after the main power supply and then
connect to the indoor or outdoor units. Technical manual provided by VRF
manufacturer shall be referred for choosing a proper diameter of wiring and sizing of
breaker. Individual circuit breaker is recommended for each indoor unit.

Electrical wiring and communication wiring shall be protected separated using

individual conduit.

Electrical wiring for indoor and outdoor unit shall be connected to the terminal with 0-
shaped or Y-shaped wire lug. Wrap the bare part with insulation tape. For the one
core thin wire, shaped as a “?” and then connected to the terminal. Wire lug shall be
used to connect communication wiring to the terminal.

Before installing the wire controller, communication cable should be separated with
insulation tape. Controller shall be installed neatly and firmly. Using wireless
controller, receiver shall be installed within rage and the sensor is far from
interference such as lighting and electrical wiring switches. The communication
cables connecting outdoor-to-outdoor units, outdoor-to-indoor units and indoor-to-

Page 7 of 9
VRF Installation Specification

indoor units shall be shielded twisted-pair cable with having a minimum effective area
equal to that of 0.75 mm2.

8.0 System Cleaning

After soldering work, the piping system shall be blown with nitrogen to ensure
cleanness before connecting the indoor and outdoor units. Nitrogen shall be blown
from the main pipe which will be connected to the outdoor unit to each branch with
the pressure 0.6MPa.

9.0 Pressure Leak Test

Nitrogen shall be used to perform pressure test. Charge the piping system with
nitrogen slowly from both gas and liquid piping until the pressure of 4.15 MPa (600
psi). The piping system shall hold the pressure for 24 hours and then discharge to a
pressure of 1.5 MPa.

10.0 Vacuum Process

Vacuum the liquid and gas piping to a pressure of 500 microns (-14.68PSIG). The
vacuum pump shall be able to vacuum up to 100 microns (-14.69PSIG) or below.
The suction rate of the vacuum pump is suggested to be more than 4L/s. The piping
system shall be maintained at the vacuum condition for minimum 2 hours. Check to
ensure that the pressure in the vacuum gauge does not increase after 2 hours.

If the pressure inside the gauge does not reach 500 microns, it is considered that
there is gas leakage or moisture. Check for any gas leakage once again. If no
leakage exists, it might be moisture remains inside the pipes. Perform the “Triple
Evacuation Method” to remove the moisture.

Triple Evacuation Method

< Step 1 >

(1) Vacuum until the pressure reaches 2000 microns (2.0 mmHg).

(2) Pressurize with nitrogen up to 0.3 MPaG (50 PSIG) for 15 minutes.

(3) Release pressure to atmosphere level as less than 0.03 MPaG (5 PSIG).

< Step 2 >

(1) Vacuum until the pressure reaches 1000 microns (1.0 mmHg).

(2) Pressurize with nitrogen up to 0.3 MPaG (50 PSIG) for 15 minutes.

(3) Release pressure to atmosphere level as less than 0.03 MPaG (5 PSIG).

< Step 3 >

(1) Vacuum until the pressure reaches 500 microns (0.5 mmHg).

Page 8 of 9
VRF Installation Specification

(2) Stop vacuum pump.

(3) Check that the vacuum 500 microns (0.5 mmHG) can maintain for one hour.

11.0 Refrigerant Charging Process

Refrigerant charge amount shall be calculated in accordance with the requirement of

specification which accompany with the equipment. The calculated amount shall be
counter check with VRF manufacturer prior to refrigerant charging. The actual
charged amount of refrigerant charging shall be mark on the table and then stick on
the cover of main board of outdoor unit.

The potential pollutions inside refrigerant piping such as moisture, dust, air, mixture
of 2 or more types of refrigerant, mixture of compressor lubricating oil, and welding
flux shall be eliminated prior to refrigerant charging.

Page 9 of 9