With each passing day, more laws around the world are prohibiting the venting of refrigerants during service work. This requires contractors and technicians to update and educate themselves about the latest refrigerant recovery machines, especially when planning to purchase one.
When a refrigeration system is designed to maintain a product temperature at or below the freezing temperature of water, there will always be a necessity for the system evaporator to be defrosted at some sort of interval (due to the fact that air may contain large quantities of moisture).
With the approach of 2010, the industry will be faced with a shift in both refrigerants and system lubricants. The impending phaseout of chlorine-based refrigerants mandates that the industry move to lubricants that work satisfactorily with the new hydrofluorocarbon (HFC) refrigerants.
The correct placement and installation of a
thermostatic expansion valve’s (TXV’s) sensing bulb is important to its overall
performance and reliability. An incorrectly installed or placed sensing bulb
can lead to two major system problems.
The only fluids circulating within a refrigeration system should be refrigerant and oil. Any other fluids contained within the system may reduce its capacity and possibly cause harm to the system. One common contaminant that can enter a system is atmospheric air.
The compressor's discharge temperature is often an overlooked temperature when troubleshooting a refrigeration or A/C system. However, it's very important because it's an indication of the amount of heat absorbed in the evaporator and suction line, and any heat of compression generated by the compression process.
Soldering is a viable method of joining ACR tubing and components while servicing and installing refrigeration systems. However, not all types of solders can be used satisfactorily.
This is the first in a series of advanced basic articles on the refrigeration cycle. All of these articles deal with refrigerant pressures, states, and conditions as applied to a refrigeration system with a refrigerant like R-134a that is not a blend.
A common refrigeration equipment service problem occurs when an evaporator or its drain pan becomes completely engulfed in ice, and the technician needs to de-ice them. Here are ways to de-ice the coil - the right way.
The core of a refrigeration system is the compressor that is designed to pump cool refrigerant gas from the evaporator into the condenser. Refrigeration compressors need to be properly maintained and require periodic inspection and testing.