Refrigeration Mentor Trevor Matthews returns to the podcast to share some of his tips for supermarket rack service. The supermarket refrigeration world is ripe with high-paying opportunities and uses similar skills that HVAC technicians use daily.

Switching from HVAC to refrigeration will require a little bit more attention to some new components, especially controls and control systems. Technically-minded people tend to do well in the refrigeration field regardless of where they come from.

When you're sent to a job site, you'll need to investigate the store and the case (where the refrigeration happens) before checking the controller and looking at the alarms and trends. As with HVAC, you'll want to start by looking for the obvious, like frozen drains. (Even though these systems are designed to freeze, we still need proper airflow and don't want standing water in the drains to freeze.) We don't want to go in there with our tools and start adjusting valves immediately.

Attention to detail is critical in refrigeration. Getting familiar with the details of the equipment, especially by studying the P&IDs, will help you immensely. Being detailed in your service notes and logs will help you and anyone else who might work on the equipment; you can also keep a list of follow-up calls, which allows you to make proposals that bring value to your company, especially in the slower seasons, and prevents emergency service calls later.

Trevor and Bryan also cover:

• The growth of Refrigeration Mentor
• Moving from an HVAC career to a refrigeration career
• Refrigeration dispatch procedure and tips
• Ice-bound coils, defrost, and freezing patterns
• Service procedures for common drains
• Band-aid fixes and re-commissioning equipment
• What to keep in a detailed log
• Quality vs. quantity of work
• Bringing value to your grocery refrigeration clients
• Positives and drawbacks of the refrigeration industry

 

Check out some of the great training Trevor offers through his Refrigeration Mentor program at https://refrigerationmentor.com/. You can also email Trevor at [email protected]. 

Learn more about the 5th Annual HVACR Training Symposium at https://hvacrschool.com/Symposium24.

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