Accurately troubleshooting and repairing refrigeration systems requires technicians to use many specialty instruments. They base many of their diagnoses on what is read from these instruments. Relying on them to be consistently accurate day in and day out is a must. If these tools are inaccurate, more than likely the diagnoses will be inaccurate.

Nearly 55,000 people ambled through the Las Vegas Convention Center during three days of non-stop activity at the industry’s largest trade show. A typical Wednesday at the expo is usually considered a light day for foot traffic. But even on the last day of the show, attendees were drawn to the 1,800-plus exhibitors’ booths displaying the latest HVACR products.

Thermography uses an infrared camera (thermal imager) to capture two-dimensional representations of the surface temperatures of parts of buildings. Often, those images reveal temperatures or temperature differences that indicate conditions contributing to the waste of heated or cooled air and, as a result, needlessly excessive energy costs.