Components & Accessories

ZoomLock Fittings Voted Top Contracting DDA Component

Parker Hannifin’s brazeless press-to-connect fittings clamp down on the gold award

ZoomLock™ brazeless press-to-connect fittings from Parker Hannifin, Sporlan Division, earned the gold award in the Components & Accessories category of the 2015 Dealer Design Awards. The fittings are engineered for high-pressure copper refrigeration connections and are designed to replace the highly skilled and time-consuming practice of manually brazing copper joints.

Five years of research and development went into ZoomLock.

“The patented Parker ZoomLock technology was developed with contractor productivity in mind,” said Scott Junkin, product manager. “Brazing has been used in HVAC systems for more than a century and takes years to master. With modern-day safety regulations and municipal codes requiring hot work permits, fire spotters, deactivating fire suppression systems, etc., brazing has become much more cumbersome and labor intensive.

“With the ZoomLock fittings, time is saved, consistency is improved, and there are significant increases in safety, resulting in total installation cost reduction that will be instantly seen in the bottom line on every job,” Junkin said. “ZoomLock fittings have gone through extensive third-party testing for quality, durability, corrosion resistance, and ease of installation.”

ZoomLock refrigeration press fittings are UL-listed to 700-psi operating pressure. They can be used in refrigeration applications down to minus 25°F and air conditioning applications up to 300° with approved refrigerants (R-410a, -134a, -404A, -407A/C/F, -507, and -32).

According to Parker Hannifin reps, ZoomLock offers time savings (no braze permits, nitrogen purging, or fire safety equipment are required); improved productivity (more flexible access to job site, reduced callbacks because of leaks and no false smoke alarms); reduced labor costs (no special raining is required); and improved quality (more repeatable than brazing). The company said ZoomLock will improve system cleanliness, reduce warranty issues caused by overheating components, and will help to reduce the amount of refrigerant leaks caused by brazing issues.

Parker Hannifin plans to offer the ZoomLock fitting in many of its ancillary products, such as thermostatic expansion valves (TEVs), electric expansion valves (EEVs), solenoid valves, filter driers, and ball valves in the near future, and intends to expand to larger sizes within the next year.

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In the words of one Dealer Design Awards judge: “This is a great product. I’d rate it a 10 if I knew it was proven. We have a product like this for plumbing, and it’s great.”

SILVER

Nu-Calgon’s EasySeal Direct Inject refrigerant leak sealant is a super-concentrated refrigerant leak sealant that creates a permanent seal at the site of leaks. Compatible with all commercially available refrigerants and oils, EasySeal Direct Inject is designed to treat all 1.5- to 5-ton systems, including residential split systems and packaged units — even those with microchannel coils.

EasySeal Direct Inject features a new injection method for fast installation while eliminating the need for special injection tools or a pump-down procedure.

The injection method utilizes the pre-charged Direct Injector to make a bypass with a technician’s manifold. EasySeal Direct Inject’s clear tube is chemical-resistant and has a burst strength of 1,058 psig. This allows technicians to see the product entering the system while keeping them safe and allowing it to be used with all refrigerants. A one-way check valve allows flow in only one direction, into the low side of a system. In addition to quickly sealing leaks in refrigeration and air conditioning systems, EasySeal Direct Inject also can be used to prevent leaks from occurring.

BRONZE

The Copeland Scroll™ ZPK6 product line of 1- to 5-ton fixed-capacity scroll compressors was developed to support the 2015 regional efficiency standards for residential unitary air conditioning and heat pump systems. According to Emerson Climate Technologies Inc., the ZPK6 line delivers a 2-5 percent efficiency improvement at key conditions.

More than two years of research went into the design of the ZPK6. Emerson surveyed OEMs and conducted “voice of the customer” research, which included system simulations with advance performance coefficients. The company also gathered input from contractors and distributors through its contractor council.

The ZPK6 line features enhancements such as indirect suction, revised scroll sealing, a new face seal interface, and a new bracket design. Other features include transient sound reduction design improvements, an optimized motor, and gas management technology designed to enhance performance. The physical dimensions of the K6 support drop-in replacement of current K5 compressors, and the K6 features the same footprint and same tube location.