Doing it right

[Gary Lloyd]

It's amazing. People will spend months assembling a system, but getting them to report temperatures and pressures is like pulling teeth. I get the distinct impression that as long as it gets cold they don't care if it's right.

I find myself telling them how to ballpark it (cold suction line, warm compressor). I then tell them we need temperatures and pressures to get it right, and that's the last I hear from them.

When I check out a system, I am monitoring a minimum of 8 temperatures, and sometimes as many as 12.

For those who may be interested, here is what is needed:

Low side:

CPU temp
Evap temp
SST (saturated suction temp) or low side pressure (and type of refrigerant)
Suction line temp near compressor inlet

High side:

Condenser air in temp
Condenser air out temp
SCT (saturated cond temp) or high side pressure (and type of refrigerant)
Liquid line temp near condenser outlet

It's not a one time deal. Each time you change something, the entire list needs to be reported again.

That's what it takes to do it right.

And if you haven't insulated yet, don't bother. The system should not even be started until it is insulated.

[LardArse]

I agree with you Gary, but a lot of times I try to do this part better and that part better before reporting all the temps and pressures.
Insulation wise, sometimes its pretty permanent so I try to make sure whatever I'm insulating is working fine first before doing it.

[Gary Lloyd]

Don't mind me, I'm just ranting a little. Nor is this aimed at anyone in particular, nor even this group in particular. I run into the same problems even in the professional refrigeration groups I frequent. The quality of service education in the industry is appalling, and even more so the attitudes. For the past couple of decades, I have been taking more refrigerant out of systems than I put in systems. That speaks volumes. I have spent most of my adult life trying to change this. It's an uphill battle.