Troubleshooting a failed compressor on a typical capillary tube refrigeration system, such as a reach-in cooler, is generally an easy process. Replacing the old compressor is often not too difficult, either. However, this seemingly straightforward and easy process can sometimes turn into a nightmare for any contractor.

Here is the potential problem: A contractor quotes a customer on the compressor replacement, and he agrees to repair the cooler at the quoted price. Then, as the technician is completing the job — or even after he has finished replacing the compressor — he finds out there is another system problem, such as a restricted capillary tube or a major leak in the evaporator. Both of these are major issues that will require more time and materials to correct.

Now the contractor needs to have a very uncomfortable conversation with the customer when he offers a quote on the additional repairs. Depending on the extent of the additional repairs, the final cost to complete the entire job could be at a point where the customer would have rather purchased a new cooler instead of repairing the old cooler. This turns into a lose-lose scenario for the customer and the contractor. The customer is either paying for work done on a cooler that is still not working, or he is forced to proceed with a more costly repair. The contractor, now with a tarnished reputation, may need to absorb some or all of the additional cost for the repair or walk away from the repair, receiving only a minimum payment or none at all.

So how can you possibly avoid this potential problem? One step is to attempt to determine if the system has a refrigerant leak before offering a quote to the customer. Measuring the standing pressure of the refrigerant on the high and low side may help to identify this issue. The measured pressure should be equal to the saturation temperature of the condenser and evaporator. If the measured pressure is much lower, the system has lost refrigerant, and the source of the refrigerant leak should be identified or included in the quoted price to the customer.

Determining if a system has a plugged capillary tube is difficult with a nonoperational compressor, so identifying this issue is problematic. To avoid this potential problem, some contractors will include the replacement of the capillary tube with the compressor changeout. This will definitely eliminate the issue up front. The only downside is that it definitely adds to the repair cost; but then again, it ensures the capillary tube is not restricted. An option here may be to tell customers of this potential issue, and quote them on the capillary tube replacement after or during the repair. That way, they can decide on how they would like to handle this potential issue. Are they willing to take a chance and change the capillary tube only if needed after replacing the compressor, or are they okay with the additional cost to change it out during the compressor replacement?

So with some initial work upfront and during the replacement of the compressor, these two major issues can be avoided. This will keep the customer happy (or at least as happy as they can be after paying for the repair) and prevent contractors from losing time, money, and their reputations.

Publication date: 8/6/2018

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