r/refrigeration

I’ve been told Ultrasite doesn’t work well with the E3. What are guys using to edit Setpoint files offline for the E3?

I’m a 3rd year apprentice doing 90% residential with just 10% of my calls including any commercial or multi family systems. I run completely solo with the occasional hand from another tech on larger, heavier jobs.

I notice that since residential is almost all ductless heat pumps, i’m not pushed to keep my critical thinking skills as sharp as I feel they need to be to be successful with my work and get more responsibility.

I’m looking for online resources, youtube, podcasts, etc.. that can help in my spare time or when doing something like an install keep me learning and growing without being around service calls.

Thanks and hope this made any sense

Está semana entre a un nuevo trabajo con el puesto de técnico en refrigeración y hoy me vine a enterar de que no tienen toda la herramienta necesaria para un trabajo de refrigeración (cambio de compresor, instalación de equipos, etc), les pase una lista de herramientas que a mí parecer son las necesarias y quería pedir una segunda opinión porque soy el único técnico en refrigeración y en dónde e trabajado anteriormente ya tenían toda la herramienta.

La empresa es prestadora de servicios a fabricas y no hacían trabajos de refrigeración.

Lista de herramientas que hice:

Manómetros

Bomba de vacio

Soplete de map gas

Saca pivotes

Multímetro

Herramientas de mano (desarmadores, pinzas, llaves)

Corta tubos

I have been doing hvac install for about 8 months now and I am at the point where I could be a lead in the next few months but I just dont feel like install is the place for me and I have been thinking about switching to commercial refrigeration and applying for a service apprentice role. I want something where I can learn a lot and also not have to deal with so much shitty conditions, I also wouldn't mind less hours considering that I average 55-60 hrs at the moment. I have looked into a couple companies around me and there is one called refrigeration heros i looked at the reviews on indeed and a lot of people say that they dont train the employees and there are just a lot of mixed reviews on if the place is a good place to work. I'm honestly just at a weird place at the moment I dont know if I should apply to refrigeration heros or some other companies or maybe even do commercial hvac.

I'm looking to get rid of 50lb cylinder of freon 12 in western Washington state. Epa Certified buyers only

who is successfully and continually repairing leaks in aluminum coils. I’m a 12 year old dragged through the mud tried and true technician. I have had about a 30-40% success rate. does anyone have any game changing advice?

My old Bacherach Informant 2 is no longer able to survive it's biannual calibration and I'm looking for a good replacement.

I don't mind spending a bit, but I'd like something that will last and has good resolution.

Recommendations?

Specifics about why are appreciated.

Working on a 404A walk in freezer with a water cooled condenser that won’t get down temp. Setpoint is -5f, the box will only get down to 0*. Looking for some insite, I usually work on chillers and RTU’s so this is new. This unit has had a bunch of issues, multiple leak repairs, txv’s, and just got a new compressor.

Any ideas on what I should be looking at for possible issues?

SP: 21.3psi/-16.1*
ST: -11.1*
SSH: 5.0*
LLP: 265.3psi/107.4*
LLT: 83.6*
LLSC: 23.8*

Edit:

Adding this since it has been brought up a few times.

It could be overcharged, but according to Bally’s tech support it holds 17.5lbs and it only has 14lbs in it. Maybe one of you knows better, according to them sub cooling doesn’t matter. This doesn’t sound right to me, but that’s what they keep telling me.

Also for the superheat txv may be out of adjustment. That’s measured at the evap, it’s 60*+ at the compressor.

Update for the next guy chasing issues:

Check your pressure probes vs a real PT chart mine are off, which through everything else off.

Cleaned the condenser tubes, it helped bring the head down slightly. Pulled 4lbs of refrigerant, head is down to 224psi with 9-10*sc, runs much better now.

Hey y'all, it's a 30 minute wait for heatcraft tech support. We have an er19 error which is replace board battery. Replaced the battery but the error persists. This system was installed 2 weeks ago. We run into the battery error fairly often and never had an issue replacing the battery. Usually cycling the power clears the error. That didn't work. I have another battery I am going to try today.

If it doesn't fix the error, am I looking at a new control board?

Hey yall. I work in a cooler where we process and do cold storage on some fruits / veggies and whatever.

Lately in some of the colder 35* rooms the evaporators have been freezing up right next to the distributor, usually its just a few inches maybe 1 ft from the side panel onwards but lately they have grown. The distributors are literal giant balls of ice. Wouldn't really be a problem but they start spitting out water droplets all over everything. Even the distributors on some of the 45 degree rooms got some big ol iceballs on them but the coils on those are fine and as long as the coil is clear and the rooms hit temp I don't really worry about it, but in some of these colder rooms I think the big ass ball of ice touches the plate that separates it form the coil and starts freezing up the evap from the outside in.

My receiver level is fine. We have electric defrost, but 80% of the coil is totally fine and its just that first 20% that is frozen solid and the electric defrost doesnt really do anything to the big iceball on the distributor, but sometimes i put it in manual defrost for 30-40 minutes till the ice falls off. The ice is on the face of the coil, super thick - a few inches in spots.

I've heard that its normal to have balls of ice on distributors with high glide refrigerants, my place uses 407a. Surely there has got to be something I can do about this?

I run a 43 psi suction, head pressure 170-200psi r407a depending on ambient, bac condenser. Coldest rooms are 34-35, the evaps have a 30 minute on, then 6 minutes off cycle, fans spins regardless

Fans are good, defrost heaters are good, coils are clean enough, drains are good, receiver level is good. The evaps have ke2 superheat controllers and sporlan eevs. Sh set to 5*F. We have been getting pretty much nothing but hot product the last few weeks which I'm sure caused this, but I don't want to deal with defrosting these dumb coils ever again if I can avoid it. So I'm looking for everything and anything I can do to mitigate this, if anyone has any ideas on what I could do to help my situation it would be greatly appreciated, thanks.