“I was giggling like a kid in a candy store with a $20 bill.”

Don Cole has three decades of refrigeration experience, which he relies on as director of training and journeyman refrigeration technician at Arctic Cooling Systems in Chino, California. He’s also a certified trainer at the local United Association’s 250 HVACR branch. For the past five years, he’s helped to install, start up and commission CO₂ systems from various equipment and component manufacturers. 

Despite (or because of) his experience, he knows every installation comes with potential snags. “There are always some hiccups.” So, he didn’t anticipate an installation so seamless that it made him giggle with delight. 

In 2023, Cole led a contractor team through the start-up process using a Zero Zone CO₂ booster system with a full-Copeland solution of compression, controls, valves and associated components. “Everything just meshed and worked perfectly together,” he said. “The CV4 high-pressure valve ran flawlessly.” 

Troubleshooting was easy with Copeland’s onboard compressor electronics technology. His team didn’t have any issues with the compressors during start-up, though it’s worth noting that the system features built-in safety measures to help protect compressors from harm or failure and preserve end users’ system investments. 

When it came time to get the compressor racks up and running, Cole recounted how the operation of Copeland compressors and variable-frequency drives surpassed anything he’d previously worked with — particularly in terms of their quiet sound, low vibration levels and high performance.

“It was so quiet that I was physically a foot and a half away, and I couldn’t hear it,” he said. “Vibration levels were non-existent all the way from 25 to 60 Hz, which we had never seen before.” In addition, the oil carry-over rate was very low in the all-Copeland system, “… nowhere near the oil we typically see moving through a system.” 

The system has been running so well that Cole uses it as an example of an ideal CO₂ booster system. Those who have visited the installation have even called him to rave about the rack and system performance. 

“It’s been running flawlessly and alarm-free. I tell my friends, ‘You need to come down here and see this.’ It’s something to behold,” Cole proudly exclaimed. 

Read more about this “flawless” CO₂ booster system installation.