Advanced Refrigeration Podcast

Skills Canada Gold, Rack Life inNewfoundland, and the Great Apprenticeship Debate | Advanced Refrigeration Podcast In this episode of the Advanced Refrigeration Podcast, hosts Brett Wetzel and Kevin Compass welcome Devon Owens from Newfoundland, a three-time Skills Canada gold medalist, to talk shop andtrade some laughs. Devon breaks down Skills Canada—provincials, nationals, and worlds—plus the intense 15-hour two-day refrigeration build he finished as theonly competitor, featuring a two-evaporator, two-temperature system with EPRs, solenoids, transducers, a superheat controller, and an EEV. The conversationshifts to how Canadian apprenticeship schooling differs from U.S. union training, including unpaid full-time pre- eployment, block exams, pay-scale progression, and a challenging 125-question journeyman exam that spans everything from CO2 and ammonia to natural gas. They also touch on rack work,CO2 sites in Newfoundland, 600V power, and why water leaks can ruin your day.

Parallel Compression, Oil System Differences & Brett's Flat in Bat Country - Episode-524 Hotel Wi‑Fi, Flat Tires & Parallel Compression Chaos | Advanced Refrigeration PodcastBrett Wetzel and Kevin Dumpless kick off this episode from a wildly bright SpringHill Suites in Fort Worth after travel chaos, traffic frustration, and a flat tire that dropped pressure to zero in record time. From there, they jump into real-world rack work: long weeks on a rack change-out, frustrations with manufacturers leaving no room for core pullers on EPRs/A8 valves, and the familiar pain of electrical contractors who don’t read prints. Kevin walks through a parallel compression CO₂ startup, including staging issues tied to flash gas bypass valve capacity, oil reservoir differential problems, and how a weighted check valve maintains oil flow when flash tank pressures rise. They compare oil separator strategies, discuss ICAD reliability versus steppers, and highlight a dock reheat/dehumidification setup using defrost return gas and controls.

Newfoundland Time, 43-Year-Old Hill Racks, and CO2 Mini Packs Gone Wild | Advanced Refrigeration PodcastBrett and Kevin open the Advanced Refrigeration Podcast with travel chaos and stories from Brett’s Newfoundland training trip, including sightseeing, getting “screeched in,” and learning about the 2 and a half-hour time zone. Kevin contrasts with a rough week changing out 43-year-old Hill racks for new Hussmann racks, dealing with tight valve layouts, vacuum work, reused refrigerant, and major electrical/control complications in an old store with fuse buckets. They explain what Atron surge receivers are, why they fail, and common retrofit approaches. The conversation shifts to small Walmart CO2 “baby” racks and common field issues: critical charging challenges with heavy tanks, relief valves popping due to 650-psi-rated filter driers, problematic relief piping requirements, and the need for better high-pressure serviceable solutions. They close by teasing a deeper future episode on these single CO2 units and their controllers.

VFD and Controller Settings Does It Matter ??? And Kevin Loves His Neighbors Episode - 522Stop the VFD Hunt: Fixing 0–10V Scaling, Ramps, and Skip Frequencies (Advanced Refrigeration Podcast)Brett Wetzel and Kevin Compass kick off the Advanced Refrigeration Podcast with early-morning chaos, then dive into a common rack problem: VFD and controller settings that don’t match, causing suction oscillation and valve hunting. Using an E3/E2-style controller and a Danfoss drive example, they explain correcting the 0–10V analog output scaling so the drive responds immediately (often setting the low end to about 5V and matching minimum reference), aligning minimum/maximum references and speed limits (e.g., typical low-speed limits around 28–30 Hz and high limits around 60 Hz), and avoiding overly aggressive ramp rates that worsen overshoot. They also discuss using skip/bypass frequencies to eliminate resonance that shakes racks, breaks clamps, and damages piping, noting common troublesome ranges seen on certain compressors.

TekLab TK4 Compressor Oil Level Control, Kevin's in Georgia??--- Episode 521TechLab TK4 Oil Level Controls: Dongles, Alarms, and Why “Limit Injections” Can Kill a RackBrett and Kevin swap war stories from a sweltering Georgia service call where Kevin quickly solves a persistent comm issue caused by a fallen rod rubbing through and shorting a comm wire, while also noticing a dangerously supported main water line. Back home, they dig into TechLab oil level controls (TK4/TK1), rant about hard-to-find manufacturer documentation, and walk through setting up the Bluetooth dongle/software to communicate, view status, and manually cycle the solenoid to watch oil-fill timing. They highlight how the “limit injections” setting can stop refilling during an alarm and shut down a rack, discuss injection/monitoring timing tradeoffs for low vs. medium temp systems, and note the pressure differential setting doesn’t appear to change timing automatically. They compare TechLab favorably to Kriwan, show teardown observations, and joke about laptops, metric screws, and oil-shower failures.

CO2 LMP Racks Hot Gas & What The Heck Is A DTR Valve ?? Episode 520 VideoLMP Rack Deep Dive: Hot Gas Defrost, Superheat Mitigation & Refrigeration “Witchcraft”Brett Wetzel and Kevin Compass kick off the Advanced Refrigeration Podcast with weekend plans and a chaotic start featuring mystery music and van-recorded audio, then jump into Kevin’s hectic week swapping out 40-year-old racks and venting about painfully unserviceable EPR and valve layouts while converting controls from CPC to Danfoss. Brett outlines a common VFD control issue where a 0–100% signal causes deadband, aggressive ramping, and cycling, teeing up a future demo with virtual displays. The main discussion breaks down an LMP rack P&ID with heat reclaim, low-temp hot gas defrost, suction setpoints, superheat mitigation via inversely controlled valves and plate heat exchangers, discharge pressure regulation and staged valve reopening after defrost, load shedding, oil separation strategy, and auxiliary heat exchanger quirks, then detours into cool gas defrost debate and a cutaway look at a Venturi-style “injector” device used to cool discharge gas.

Danfoss Mini Pack Controller Overveiw PC572, Its Friday back from Jersey Episode 519 Mini Pack Controller Deep Dive (PC572 + AK-PT50): CO₂ Condensing Unit Controls, Gateways, and HeadachesBrett and Kevin open the Advanced Refrigeration Podcast with Kevin driving across multiple states after an unexpectedly expensive hotel stay near Springfield, Illinois. Brett gives a brief, hands-on overview of a Danfoss Mini Pack controller (PC572) used on newer single CO₂ condensing units, explaining that programming requires the AK-PT50 Windows software plus a Danfoss gateway and a data-capable micro USB cable. He walks through connecting, uploading, and navigating key menus for plant type, suction groups, compressor/VFD settings (including start speed logic), gas cooler and receiver pressure controls, oil control options, alarms, I/O configuration, and expansion modules needed for missing sensors/outputs. They note unit settings are largely in Celsius/Kelvin, warn not to program Danfoss VFDs with a laptop plugged into wall power, and conclude that these compact condensing units are cramped and would benefit from phone-accessible tools.

Big Blue Bubbles, Nylog Truths & CO₂ Oil Mysteries (w/ John Pastorello) | Advanced Refrigeration PodcastBrett Wetzel and Kevin Kompus open with shop-talk about chaotic workloads, out-of-town jobs colliding with local work, a thrown-out back from flipping coffin cases, and joking about “not looking” at oil sample results. They welcome guest John Pastorello, founder of Refrigeration Technologies, who shares his path from bench chemist to HVAC/refrigeration tech to contractor, then into product formulation after back issues. John explains how he developed Big Blue as a refrigerant-compatible bubble leak detector and why spray application helps identify leaks, then discusses Nylog’s origins, red (mineral oil) vs blue (POE) versions, and cautions against using Nylog alone on high-pressure CO₂ systems. They review a CO₂ oil analysis, sampling locations, possible contaminants, and why some bubble sprays can trigger electronic leak detectors due to chlorinated preservatives, and John also critiques harsh coil-cleaner chemistry and private-equity buyouts.

CO2 Nope, Kool Gas Defrost Operation I'm Finally Home Episode 517Cool Gas Defrost Chaos: Deer Hits, Smashed Windows, and Hussman Rack TroubleshootingBrett Wetzel and Kevin Compass kick off the Advanced Refrigeration Podcast by begging for listener topic requests and recapping a week of pure mayhem, including Brett’s 27-hour drive home from Pennsylvania after hitting a deer and nearly blowing a tire, plus Kevin’s disaster-filled week running multiple remodel startups while a customer changed EMS controller passwords mid-day and thieves smashed van windows in a Chicago parking lot. They pivot into a hot-weather technical deep dive on Hussman cool gas defrost, contrasting it with hot gas defrost and explaining cool gas as a latent-heat process that depends on proper termination. They cover how LDR/OLDR differential control can spiral during vapor-in/vapor-out conditions, how receiver level and outlet piping height can ruin defrost by pulling liquid, why head pressure isn’t the fix, and how to troubleshoot via graphing and defrost schedules. They also stress correct defrost termination temps in winter, proper fan shutoff strategy (preferably via EMS or suction-line controls), and common Hussman retrofit pitfalls like miswired bi-flow CME solenoids, wrong internal rebuild parts, and when to gut or remove unnecessary solenoids and branch boards to reduce leaks and headaches.

HCR Air Door Trials & Tribulations: Getting the Air Curtain Right (Without Losing Your Mind)In this episode of the Advanced Refrigeration Podcast, Brett and Kevin swap war stories from a week of startups and an “air door extravaganza,” breaking down how to properly set up HCR air doors in open walk-in produce and dairy boxes before summer humidity wrecks everything. They explain why dirty or plugged coils, incorrect VFD frequency, misadjusted discharge louvers, missing intake screens, and uncapped or improperly trapped drains can kill airflow, spike humidity, and lead to frosting, sweating pans, and nonstop load issues. They share practical setup targets using a vane anemometer, flagging tape (or even low-ply toilet paper), and basic hand tools, plus why building envelope and store humidity control matter as much as the door itself. They also discuss night doors, coil staging, PID response, and how “lab specs” don’t survive 50,000 shoppers.

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.

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.