Refrigeration

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The most commonly heard three-letter term in the ice machine business used to be “ice.” Now, it has been joined by “EPA” and “DOE,” which both are garnering as much attention as the actual end products.

Very few end users fully understand the importance of properly cleaning and sanitizing their ice machines, storage bins, and dispensers. Yet the quality and safety of every beverage they serve as well as the longevity and power consumption of their equipment depends on proper maintenance.

Manufacturers of coolers and freezers are emerging from a regulation-driven innovation cycle and are ready and eager to return to one driven by their customers’ wish lists. 

Hydrofluorocarbon (HFC)-134a replaced chlorofluorocarbon (CFC)-12. Now, 134a is on its way out, too. The July 2, 2015, ruling from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) set forth the time frames for the phasedown of certain HFC refrigerants in specific applications.

An iced-up evaporator is a common service call for any service technician working in this industry. Generally, determining this is the cause of the system problem is rather easy. But what caused the evaporator to ice up may not always be obvious.

At a recent International Institute of Ammonia Refrigeration (IIAR) meeting, Mark S. Dreux, a partner and head of the OSHA group at the Washington, District of Columbia, law firm Arent Fox LLP, gave a presentation on how facility personnel can manage the biggest challenges associated with an OSHA inspection.

Through a the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grant, Kansas City, Missouri-based QM Power recently commercialized a high-efficiency motor for commercial refrigerators that has the potential to transform the market.

All refrigerant containers should have one uniform paint color, a light green/gray (RAL 7044), and existing individually assigned container paint colors should be transitioned to that color by 2020. That’s the word from the Air-Conditioning, Heating, and Refrigeration Institute (AHRI), which announced changes to its Guideline N.

In March, Airgas Refrigerants began operating an Air-Conditioning, Heating, and Refrigeration Institute (AHRI)-accredited refrigerants testing lab after nearly a year of design and construction. The sophisticated testing lab is housed in Airgas Refrigerants’ Atlanta filling and reclamation facility.