The most common—and often most frustrating—questions that trainers and senior techs get asked sound something like this: “What should my ______ be?” or “My _____ is at ______. Does that sound right?” Usually, when the conversation is over, both the senior and junior techs walk away feeling frustrated because the junior tech just wanted […]

I used to call PTCR devices a "Soft Start". I was wrong.

We’ve talked about compression ratio a lot over the years. Compression ratio is the number you get when you divide the absolute head pressure (PSIG + 14.7) by the absolute suction pressure (PSIG + 14.7). It measures the efficiency of a compressor, and lower numbers indicate that the compressor is moving more refrigerant while consuming […]

   This podcast features a lively discussion on expansion valves, particularly thermostatic expansion valves (TXVs or TEVs), with a panel of expert guests – Corey Cruz (a market refrigeration tech), Matthew Taylor (head of refrigeration service at Kalos), and Joe Shearer (with Precision Air Conditioning). The conversation kicks off by busting some common myths […]

Eric Mele and Joe Shearer join Bryan to discuss the challenging issue of diagnosing and rectifying non-condensibles in the circuit. Non-condensibles are gases that don't condense, including nitrogen. These are NOT moisture or contaminants, and they can be tricky to diagnose; the pressure readings will likely be normal, but the charge will actually be quite […]