Flowing nitrogen while brazing and pressurizing with nitrogen are great practices. Putting nitrogen in with the refrigerant? Not so much. Nitrogen is a “non-condensable” gas because it cannot be condensed (under normal conditions). However, nitrogen is just one of the non-condensables. First, let's talk about what a non-condensable gas is. Any gas that does […]

Over the years, I have heard technicians say that refrigerant can wear out or “lose its blend” by sitting in a tank. Refrigerant does not wear out or “lose its blend”… at least not like that. What can and does happen is called “fractionation.” Refrigerant blends are composed of a mix of refrigerants with different […]

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