Advanced Refrigeration Podcast

Kevin and I continue the conversation with Tom Mathews, and William Carrol about saving energy in the Commercial setting,

More CO2 Oil Issues, & HPV AndBGV How Far Should It Be Open, And A Pizza Review Episode 537Oil Gremlins, 90-Bar Racks & Why Your BGV Is Always “Wrong” | Advanced Refrigeration PodcastBrett and Kevin kick off the Advanced Refrigeration Podcast comparing miserable travel weeks, altitude sickness, and brutal high-desert heat during transcritical CO₂ Target startups, then dive into recurring rack problems—especially oil management. They describe a common piping/design issue where the oil drain shoots straight across the oil reservoir toward the flash tank vent, sending oil into the system and back through suction, and explain a field fix by relocating/flip-flopping valves and adding access points.They also cover repeated startup headaches (wrong DIP switches, drive wiring reversed, Belimo valve position errors, programming mistakes), discuss newer HB oil sensors and inverted digital inputs, and complain about overly complicated 0–10V solid-state relay oil controls.Finally, they use Danfoss CoolSelector calculations to estimate proper high-pressure valve and flash gas bypass valve sizing/opening percentages and relate this to hot-gas defrost impacts, adiabatic gas cooler performance, and limited EMS permissions for forcing valves on XM/iPro controllers.

More CO2 Oil Issues, & HPV AndBGV How Far Should It Be Open, And A Pizza Review Episode 537Oil Gremlins, 90-Bar Racks & Why Your BGV Is Always “Wrong” | Advanced Refrigeration PodcastBrett and Kevin kick off the Advanced Refrigeration Podcast comparing miserable travel weeks, altitude sickness, and brutal high-desert heat during transcritical CO₂ Target startups, then dive into recurring rack problems—especially oil management. They describe a common piping/design issue where the oil drain shoots straight across the oil reservoir toward the flash tank vent, sending oil into the system and back through suction, and explain a field fix by relocating/flip-flopping valves and adding access points.They also cover repeated startup headaches (wrong DIP switches, drive wiring reversed, Belimo valve position errors, programming mistakes), discuss newer HB oil sensors and inverted digital inputs, and complain about overly complicated 0–10V solid-state relay oil controls.Finally, they use Danfoss CoolSelector calculations to estimate proper high-pressure valve and flash gas bypass valve sizing/opening percentages and relate this to hot-gas defrost impacts, adiabatic gas cooler performance, and limited EMS permissions for forcing valves on XM/iPro controllers.

Pulling Vacuums, Removing Moisture, Bad Piping, Charging CO2, and Smoking Brisket Episode 536 Vacuum Fiascos, BlueVac Hoses, and the Brisket Shift: Pulling Deep Vacuums on CO₂ Racks. In this episode, the hosts bounce from brisket trash talk into a practical (and chaotic) deep-dive on pulling vacuums for CO₂ rack startups after a week of target store work complicated by leaks and half-finished racks. They break down their preferred setup—NAVAC NRD30/32 vacuum pumps with KF16 fittings, BlueVac hoses, and multi-hose manifolds—plus why they avoid belt-drive pumps and dislike multiple-pump setups. They cover best practices for maximizing vacuum flow, managing wet systems, and why “triple evac” is ineffective compared to using heat with continuous vacuum and oil changes, with cold traps and desiccant as alternatives. The conversation also hits moisture risks like carbonic acid damage, questionable CO₂ tank dryness, filtering practices, and the frustration of 650-psi reliefs on charging lines tied to low-rated dryer housings.

Vacuum Fiascos, BlueVac Hoses, and the Brisket Shift: Pulling Deep Vacuums on CO₂ Racks.In this episode, the hosts bounce from brisket trash talk into a practical (and chaotic) deep-dive on pulling vacuums for CO₂ rack startups after a week of target store work complicated by leaks and half-finished racks. They break down their preferred setup—NAVAC NRD30/32 vacuum pumps with KF16 fittings, BlueVac hoses, and multi-hose manifolds—plus why they avoid belt-drive pumps and dislike multiple-pump setups. They cover best practices for maximizing vacuum flow, managing wet systems, and why “triple evac” is ineffective compared to using heat with continuous vacuum and oil changes, with cold traps and desiccant as alternatives. The conversation also hits moisture risks like carbonic acid damage, questionable CO₂ tank dryness, filtering practices, and the frustration of 650-psi reliefs on charging lines tied to low-rated dryer housings.