Gangrene, Gas Coolers & Back Pain: CO₂ Rack Chaos, Bitzer Secrets, and a Venturi “Ejector” TowerTwo exhausted hosts swap war stories from nonstop construction and CO₂ remodels: one is forced back to Pennsylvania after his father’s death to handle the estate, a rejected body donation due to gangrene, and unexpected cremation costs, while the other throws out his back wrestling a 24-foot coffin case packed with ice and fights sticking three-way drain valves dumping water. With no guest, they riff on training Kroger techs, calibration and control quirks on older Microthermal/Advancer CO₂ stores, and a little-known Bitzer service-valve center plate that directs suction gas toward the head or the windings—impacting cooling, floodback tolerance, and motor protector trips. They also compare BAC performance to others and dig into a Mack gas cooler using a Venturi setup to circulate water without a pump, plus delays, shorted case glass heaters, and general startup chaos.

Gangrene, Gas Coolers & Back Pain: CO₂ Rack Chaos, Bitzer Secrets, and a Venturi “Ejector” Tower

Two exhausted hosts swap war stories from nonstop construction and CO₂ remodels: one is forced back to Pennsylvania after his father’s death to handle the estate, a rejected body donation due to gangrene, and unexpected cremation costs, while the other throws out his back wrestling a 24-foot coffin case packed with ice and fights sticking three-way drain valves dumping water. With no guest, they riff on training Kroger techs, calibration and control quirks on older Microthermal/Advancer CO₂ stores, and a little-known Bitzer service-valve center plate that directs suction gas toward the head or the windings—impacting cooling, floodback tolerance, and motor protector trips. They also compare BAC performance to others and dig into a Mack gas cooler using a Venturi setup to circulate water without a pump, plus delays, shorted case glass heaters, and general startup chaos.

Copeland E3 Tiles, Layout Stuff, Firmware & Atlanta Hood Rat Sh$t Episode-- 514 E3 Tile Chaos to Clean Startup Screens: Organizing CO₂ Racks, Layouts, and a Firmware ‘Oops’Brett Wetzel and Kevin Compass kick off this rowdy Advanced Refrigeration Podcast episode with travel talk and a quick rant about getting an E3 to communicate after an IP change, then jump into turning a messy CO₂ rack tile setup into something actually usable. They walk through creating and reorganizing tile groups (receiver, gas cooler, suction groups, oil separator, cases, etc.), explain why breaking menus down makes troubleshooting faster, and show how to build custom layout/startup screens with the key points techs actually need (pressures, temps, valve %, superheat). Along the way they discover icon management, debate the “misc/other” junk-drawer tabs, fumble through the lack of search, and even start a firmware/display update while joking about what might slam shut if it goes sideways. They finish with a quick Modbus address tip and plans for future E3 training videos.

E3 Tile Chaos to Clean Startup Screens: Organizing CO₂ Racks, Layouts, and a Firmware ‘Oops’

Brett Wetzel and Kevin Compass kick off this rowdy Advanced Refrigeration Podcast episode with travel talk and a quick rant about getting an E3 to communicate after an IP change, then jump into turning a messy CO₂ rack tile setup into something actually usable. They walk through creating and reorganizing tile groups (receiver, gas cooler, suction groups, oil separator, cases, etc.), explain why breaking menus down makes troubleshooting faster, and show how to build custom layout/startup screens with the key points techs actually need (pressures, temps, valve %, superheat). Along the way they discover icon management, debate the “misc/other” junk-drawer tabs, fumble through the lack of search, and even start a firmware/display update while joking about what might slam shut if it goes sideways. They finish with a quick Modbus address tip and plans for future E3 training videos.

Sensors and Pressure Transducers: Ranges, Power Requirements, and Troubleshooting TipsThe hosts discuss travel fatigue, long commutes, and airport TSA delays that led to canceling a flight and driving instead, then shift to field work issues during store startups and CO2 conversions, including controller communication problems caused by cabling, IT security port shutdowns from new MAC addresses, and router performance differences. The main technical focus is identifying and troubleshooting pressure transducers and temperature sensors: common signal ranges (1–6V, 0.5–4.5V, 0–5V, 0–10V, and 4–20 mA), matching transducer power requirements (5V, 12V, 24V/24–36V), and selecting correct pressure ranges for applications up to CO2 gas coolers. They cover sensor types (PT1000, 10K2 vs 10K3, 2.2K, 3K, 86.3K), wiring/offset issues with PT1000 over distance, and using linear interpolation apps to convert measured voltage to expected pressure or controller readings. They briefly mention megger use and plan to discuss CO2 leak detection and drain-related concerns next week.

Sensors and Pressure Transducers: Ranges, Power Requirements, and Troubleshooting TipsThe hosts discuss travel fatigue, long commutes, and airport TSA delays that led to canceling a flight and driving instead, then shift to field work issues during store startups and CO2 conversions, including controller communication problems caused by cabling, IT security port shutdowns from new MAC addresses, and router performance differences. The main technical focus is identifying and troubleshooting pressure transducers and temperature sensors: common signal ranges (1–6V, 0.5–4.5V, 0–5V, 0–10V, and 4–20 mA), matching transducer power requirements (5V, 12V, 24V/24–36V), and selecting correct pressure ranges for applications up to CO2 gas coolers. They cover sensor types (PT1000, 10K2 vs 10K3, 2.2K, 3K, 86.3K), wiring/offset issues with PT1000 over distance, and using linear interpolation apps to convert measured voltage to expected pressure or controller readings. They briefly mention megger use and plan to discuss CO2 leak detection and drain-related concerns next week.

CO2 Rack ‘What-If’ Simulations: Gas Cooler Control, Fan/Motor Issues, and Low-Charge BehaviorBrett Wetzel and Kevin Compass open Episode 511 of the Advanced Refrigeration Podcast discussing busy travel, severe weather, and Brett’s final field training day, where they ran CO2 rack “what-if” simulations. They focus on gas cooler TD control via the gas cooler outlet temperature sensor, stressing proper sensor placement and comparing Danfoss limitations to other EMS options (including saturation-based control and fan lockouts). Brett describes attempts to override sensor values on a pack controller, using offsets instead, and demonstrates how warmer gas cooler outlet temperatures (or fan loss) increase flash gas, driving the BGV and medium-temp suction/compressors. They simulate an I-pressure valve stuck open and discuss pitfalls of overriding valves in multiple Danfoss screens. They troubleshoot inverted/programmable EC fan motors, documentation challenges, daisy-chained control wiring issues, and discuss low-charge behavior causing HPV and BGV to close while cases may starve. They also debate liquid piping pickup location (side vs bottom), heat exchanger effects, superheat settings, and hot gas injection setpoints versus Copeland minimum superheat guidance.

CO2 Rack ‘What-If’ Simulations: Gas Cooler Control, Fan/Motor Issues, and Low-Charge BehaviorBrett Wetzel and Kevin Compass open Episode 512 of the Advanced Refrigeration Podcast discussing busy travel, severe weather, and Brett’s final field training day, where they ran CO2 rack “what-if” simulations. They focus on gas cooler TD control via the gas cooler outlet temperature sensor, stressing proper sensor placement and comparing Danfoss limitations to other EMS options (including saturation-based control and fan lockouts). Brett describes attempts to override sensor values on a pack controller, using offsets instead, and demonstrates how warmer gas cooler outlet temperatures (or fan loss) increase flash gas, driving the BGV and medium-temp suction/compressors. They simulate an I-pressure valve stuck open and discuss pitfalls of overriding valves in multiple Danfoss screens. They troubleshoot inverted/programmable EC fan motors, documentation challenges, daisy-chained control wiring issues, and discuss low-charge behavior causing HPV and BGV to close while cases may starve. They also debate liquid piping pickup location (side vs bottom), heat exchanger effects, superheat settings, and hot gas injection setpoints versus Copeland minimum superheat guidance.

The episode opens by thanking sponsors NDL Industries, Parker Sporlan, and Westermeyer Industries, then highlights NDL’s CO₂-rated components including ball and check valves tested up to 2030 PSI with CE/CRN/UL certifications, high-pressure copper fittings rated to 1,885 PSI, and a CO₂ service tee. Parker Sporlan promotes its Virtual Engineer tool for sizing and selecting components for A2L refrigerant projects, and Westermeyer features RDP series differential pressure monitors for oil separator filter condition, including a transcritical CO₂ model. Brett and Kevin discuss actuator torque challenges on CO₂ valves under high differential pressure, ISO 5211 actuator mounting, and the tradeoff between leak-tight sealing and actuator size. They compare CO₂ adoption in the US (~5,000 systems) versus Europe (~95,000), discuss efficiency gains from improved controls, gas cooler sizing impacts, water restrictions affecting adiabatic cooling, ejectors, split gas coolers, and a Walgreens CO₂ rack using extensive heat reclaim, geothermal, and transcritical operation at about 90 bar.

The episode opens by thanking sponsors NDL Industries, Parker Sporlan, and Westermeyer Industries, then highlights NDL’s CO₂-rated components including ball and check valves tested up to 2030 PSI with CE/CRN/UL certifications, high-pressure copper fittings rated to 1,885 PSI, and a CO₂ service tee. Parker Sporlan promotes its Virtual Engineer tool for sizing and selecting components for A2L refrigerant projects, and Westermeyer features RDP series differential pressure monitors for oil separator filter condition, including a transcritical CO₂ model. Brett and Kevin discuss actuator torque challenges on CO₂ valves under high differential pressure, ISO 5211 actuator mounting, and the tradeoff between leak-tight sealing and actuator size. They compare CO₂ adoption in the US (~5,000 systems) versus Europe (~95,000), discuss efficiency gains from improved controls, gas cooler sizing impacts, water restrictions affecting adiabatic cooling, ejectors, split gas coolers, and a Walgreens CO₂ rack using extensive heat reclaim, geothermal, and transcritical operation at about 90 bar.