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 […]

John Pastorello from Refrigeration Technologies joins us to talk about testing oil and refrigerant for contamination. He also explains what each test is good for. John developed the Checkmate testing kit when he recognized a need to test reclaimed and recycled R-12 for acid and moisture. The Checkmate method removed a small amount of refrigerant […]

John Pastorello from Refrigeration Technologies is back on the podcast to talk about leak detection procedures from start to finish. Big Blu was what started the Refrigeration Technologies empire. John developed Big Blu to create a bubble leak detector with a higher sensitivity to leaks than any other bubble test solution on the market. Big […]

John Pastorello, the HVAC chemist, comes on the podcast and discusses refrigerant additives such as acid inhibitors, oil enhancers, dyes, and leak sealants with his knowledge and some things to consider. Acid neutralizers are refrigerant additives. Oil works best in a slightly acidic environment, and these additives can change the pH of the system. If […]