Hilmor’s new refrigerant recovery machine is designed with a DC motor, making it lighter than recovery machines with an AC motor.

“The theme is making it easier for technicians to carry things around,” said Jason Chen, product manager, tools. “It comes designed with a carrying strap and hoist points to mount the carrying strap, so if you have a technician trying to get up a ladder ... he can have it over his shoulder rather than try to haul it up the ladder and climb with one hand.”

The Lightweight Brushless DC Refrigerant Recovery Machine also has an auto stop feature, so when the tank is full, it will stop by itself instead of malfunctioning.

The new 12 CFM Brushless DC Vacuum Pump, developed for light commercial applications, also has a hands-free design. It is a continuation of hilmor’s family of pumps, previously offered in 3, 5, and 9 cfm. When it’s time to pull a vacuum, technicians can connect a hose to the ¼-, 3/8-, or ½-inch port, open the leak-proof blank-off valve, and crack the gas ballast to start evacuating.

“Like the other vacuum pumps, it has an extra-large inlet to make it easier to introduce the oil, and a sloped outlet so that it’s easy to pour out the oil,” Chen said.

Additionally, technicians can check oil through an oversized sight glass. The drain plug is tethered to the pump so it doesn’t get lost.

After evacuating a system with a vacuum pump, techs can use hilmor’s wireless micron gauge to test the vacuum in the system.

“It comes with a wireless display, so you can be up in the attic while this thing is sensing down at the sensor,” said Chen. “It has a range of 33 feet. Unlike most micron gauges in the market, it’s full range. It can sense 25 microns, and it can sense 800 mm of mercury.”

The gauge’s sensor does not require calibration, so the technician doesn’t have to worry about whether the reading he’s seeing is accurate or not, and it’s replaceable.

“This is an SKU you can buy separately,” Chen said. “It makes it much cheaper to keep your system going than either sending it back and losing a week or two when you have the manufacturer recalibrate it or fix it, or even buying a new system, which would cost a few hundred dollars.

“[Hilmor is] filling out our line of what a technician needs to service the equipment,” he added. “If they’re replacing a condenser unit, they need this. We don’t want them to be using some of our innovative hilmor tools, and have to use a competitor’s recovery machine.”

On the other side of the booth, DiversiTech highlighted several sealants and additives. Ron Grabowski, product line manager for chemicals and condensate management, sees leak sealants gaining a wider market in the near future.

“Especially since the higher pressure systems are driving more potential for leaks because of pinholes and things along those lines,” he said. “More people are going to try it, especially if the economy goes into a downturn and people shift from buying new systems to trying to fix what they currently have … and because of the higher-pressure refrigerants being dictated by the EPA [Environmental Protection Agency]. We see a lot of opportunity in that. Efficiency, too. With Boost Juice, we’re able to reduce amperage, which saves electrical bills and saves electrical draw on the grid as a whole.”

Boost Juice, offered in a can-and-hose or injectable solution format, is an HVACR system performance improvement additive that lowers energy costs to reduce the amperage draw up to 22 percent on running systems.

“What this does is reduce current draw into a system,” Grabowski said. “It removes debris from the system, it lubricates, so in the process of doing this … it reduces the electric bill.”

It also reduces compressor noise, making the system quieter; removes up to 20 drops of moisture; and prevents acid formation, which can cause corrosion. Homeowners can realize improvements within 24 to 72 hours, depending on system age. Boost Juice can be used on old or new systems.

Flex Inject Sealant Advanced and Flex Inject Sealant Total offer a way to seal and prevent minor leaks without tools or gauges. The formula is polymer-free and works with all compressors, heat pumps, condensers, recovery units, and other system components in residential and commercial systems, and it stays active in the system for up to 10 years.

“This new product has UV dye in it; it fixes leaks and also has the dye,” said Grabowski. “If a leak occurs because of a crack, the dye exposes the area, so when they come to do an inspection of the area, they can troubleshoot pretty fast. There are no tools required, no manifold gauges. It installs in seconds, and uses the system’s refrigerant pressure to inject. It has all the stuff in the hose; it’s very simple to use.”

DiversiTech’s Super Change Inject, another product now available in hose solution, converts R-22 to R-410A without having to flush out the system.

“It’s an easy way to make changeouts faster,” Grabowski said.

Publication date: 2/18/2019

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