Controller Delivers Energy Savings, Tighter Temperature Control, and Eliminates Icing Issue
With ongoing refrigeration system problems, and no replacement parts available for its old Beacon systems, the McDonald’s owner in Godfrey, Ill., looked to the ingenuity of its service company, R.E.C. Service Corp., for a solution. R.E.C. was able to patch the system to keep it running. However, the firm wanted to offer a viable, long-term solution that would provide energy savings, maintain tighter temperature control, and eliminate a nagging icing issue.
When Ross Cailotto, the owner of R.E.C. Service Corp., heard about the KE2 Evaporator Efficiency controller (KE2 Evap), he knew he had found the solution. Before having the KE2 Evap, replacing an old Beacon system with mechanical controls meant moving product from the walk-in to temporary storage while the refrigeration system was off for eight hours or more. This time, replacing an old Beacon system with the KE2 Evap reduced the repair time — despite pumping down the system to add an electric expansion valve (EEV) and running the controller wiring. In addition, the KE2 Evap fulfilled Cailotto’s wish list for energy savings, much tighter temperature control, and elimination of the icing issue. According to Cailotto, “The KE2 Evap provided more than I expected. We are able to use the KE2 Evap for system troubleshooting since it provides real-time superheat readings and electric valve position. Plus, we can view a graph of the coil and space temperature for the past five days of history.”