This is a common request for service, and even though it sounds inocuous - quite frankly a refrigeration system in need of refrigerant is one of the most serious things that can go wrong with your equipment!

Refrigerant (Freon is a tradename of Dupont and we avoid using the tradename in general) does not wear out nor require occcassional "recharging", unless of course your machine has a refrigerant leak. You should wish that any refrigerant leaks in your machine be repaired. Leaks in refrigeration systems result in overheated compressors and contamination of the refrigerant itself with heat, air, and moisture which impairs the refrigeration cycle and creates chemical compounds and acids that attack compressor motor windings and bearing surfaces.

Aside from the mechanical and chemical manifestations of refrigerant leaks, the cost of constantly "recharging" a system is high. Not only that, it's illegal!

The good 'ol days of "Blow and Go" are gone. Refrigerants are now moderately expensive, and current laws require that special processes be utilized to service and contain refrigerants, the costs of which are passed on to you, the consumer.

If your machinery needs a recharge, we will do our best to locate the cause of the loss of refrigerant. Some leaks can be elusive, or located in difficult areas of equipment. Sometimes it takes history to determine the rate of leakage and the location of a refrigerant leak.

But, don't worry too much... because 90% of all refrigeration system failures have NOTHING to do with the refrigerant charge.

Well, understandably so. You see the temperature control in your equipment is really just an on/off switch. Turning the dial to a colder temperature does not make the machinery "work harder".

The numbers on the control dial indicate at what point the refrigeration will be on, and then at which point it will turn off. The compressor is only either on or off.

If you notice your temperatures are considerably out of range, and you are certain that the temperature control setting is correct and has not been tampered or accidentally changed, you are best to call for service, now.

Chances are that turning the thermostat to a different setting will only elongate the downtime you are experiencing and may not only jeopardize your product, but may become more expensive if at 5:00pm it is determined that emergency service is required and after-hours charges are incurred. Even worse however, is allowing the equipment to run in a malfunctioning condition that may result in more serious damage to the refrigeration system - and the additional costs of repairs, thereof.

This is a subject that is difficult for the layman to understand. It would seem that since a freezer box gets down to 0 degrees, that if one just turned the thermostat up to 35, presto - refrigerator. But there are a few problems with this.

One would think that the machinery would not work as hard at a 35 degree box, as opposed to a 0 degree box, but this is not the case. In fact, a "low temperature" refrigeration system operating in a "medium temperature" application is most likely operating out of it's rated operating range (maximum rated evaporating temperature), and the compressor is drawing high amperages and is not being cooled properly.

Refrigeration compressors and other system components are made to operate efficiently in the application that they are employed. Low temperature applications have low pressures entering the compressor compared to the significantly higher pressures in a medium temperature application. The higher the evaporator temperature, the higher the return pressure to the compressor, and the "harder" the compressor works - because the higher the pressure the heavier or more dense the refrigerant is. It's like compressing rocks! Well, figuratively.

Compressors and condensing units are rated for efficient operation according to the evaporating temperature of the application that it is recommended to be employed. For instance a typical low temperature condensing unit for a 0 degree freezer may be rated for -20 to +10 degrees, whereas a medium temperature unit may be rated for evaporator temperatures +15 to +35. As the evaporating temperature decreases, the condensing unit becomes less efficient (does less work), as the evaporating temperature increases the unit becomes more efficient. But if you exceed the maximum rated evaporating temperature for the unit, you will be operating in an overloaded condition. A refrigeration condensing unit operating in a system that is designed above or below it's specified operating range is doomed.

Freezers employ controls to control or minimize the return pressure to the compressor, because the system is regularly "out of the operating range" of the compressor, after defrost for instance. One method to control the pressure is to disable the evaporator fan by means of a thermostat. A thermostat senses the evaporator temperature and at the point that the evaporator temperature is within the operating range of the system, the thermostat will then enable the fan motor and refrigeration commences in the space. You may have noticed this behaviour in your equipment, before. Most low temperature systems are not designed to have the (indoor) fan running and refrigerating when the evaporator coil temperature is above, say +10 degrees.

In general, if you need to utilize a previously low-temperature space for a medium temperature application, you're best to replace the low temperature refrigeration with a medium temperature system. The medium temperature system will be about 1/3 less horsepower and consume less electricity, and because it is operating within it's design (if specified properly) you will be much less at risk of incurring losses of product and maintenance expenses for maintaining a piece of equipment in an application that it was never intended to be married to.

Your Refrigeration Condenser coil was dirty - We cleaned it.

Things that you need to know:

1.) Dirty condenser coils produce high temperatures and pressures that can cause; premature failure of compressor friction surfaces, deteriorate lubricants, damage refrigerant filter-driers, damage expansion valves, and overheat motors.

2.) Most often any damage that has occurred is not observable and the equipment will operate normally for some time after the condenser coil is cleaned.

3.) IF any unobservable damage occurred during the failure, any affected components may continue to wear abnormally after proper operation has been established.

4.) We do not warranty that there will be no future failures resulting from the dirty condenser coil condition that was addressed - EXCEPT for waiver of service call fee up to 14 days after servicing your equipment upon determination of; condenser motor failure; compressor failure; or refrigerant circuit restriction - ONLY.

5.) True Manufacturing Company voids their compressor warranty if compressor failure is related to a dirty condenser coil.

After having serviced your dirty condenser coil, you should monitor the operation of your recently serviced equipment closely over the next couple of weeks and call for service if any discrepancies are observed.

It is important that you understand the terms of warranty on any equipment that you own in order to not be disappointed by unreasonable expectations relating to service within a manufacturer's warranty period.

First of all you must realize that the statement, "The machine is under warranty" is gramatically incorrect, and the sentence lends itself to dissatisfaction when services incur costs for non-warranty related failures. More accurately, one would be best served by understanding that, "The machine is within the warranty period of coverage for certain failures".

The extent to which you realize financial relief for any particular failure varies from manufacturer to manufacturer, and the treatment that you recieve from a servicer in handling a warranty related issue varies according to your relationship with the service company or perhaps any particular company's policies.

Certain norms apply to manufacturer warranties, of which you can pretty much bet on, for instance;

1. Labor warranties normally do not cover emergency or after-hours charges - regular labor rates only will be compensated for. So if you request after-hours service for a covered repair, the servicer will look to you for compensation for the excess labor charges that are not reimbursed by the manufacturer.

2. Labor warranties often do not cover service call fees or travel.

3. Labor warranty coverage is often limited by the manufacturer to a maximum time allowed to perform covered procedures and do not allow for unusual conditions relating to location or installation which result in more than the allocated time frame, those costs you may be liable for.

4. Parts only warranty coverage doesn't cover costs of additional materials required for some parts replacements. For instance a compressor warranty (part only) does not cover refrigerant and other accessories and processes that are required to properly perform a compressor replacement.

Depending on your relationship with your service company your servicer may be inclined to make allowances relating to your manufacturer's warranty claim. What interest does he have in fulfilling your warranty repair need?

When you purchase equipment from Austin Industrial Refrigeration, we have an interest in assuring that you are happy with any product that we represent or provide to you. Typically, equipment that is purchased and installed directly through and by your service provider and a covered failure occurs that is within the labor coverage of the warranty period, he may bill only the manufacturer for labor and absorb any excesses in consideration of the prior compensation for the previously provided product.

On the other hand, when you purchase directly from a wholesaler or retailer and then call upon a third party (service company) for a warranty related repair, you might receive a bill indicating all charges, less a credit for the manufacturer's warranty allowance with a balance due. The servicer in this case is lacking the previously realized revenue from the sale of the equipment to cover any discrepancies in compensation by the manufacturer for fulfilling the requirements of a covered repair, unless the servicer has a special relationship with the manufacturer.

Warranty doesn't necessarily mean "free". Machines are made by man. Like most things that are made by man, they tend to break. This is often a source of frustration, and occassionally some dissatisfaction.

We'd all like to avoid the frustration and dissatisfaction, however.

We don't recall ever having been "not authorized" to do warranty service on any equipment that we have encountered, nor have we ever been denied compensation from a manufacturer for a validated warranty claim.

Chances are, we have the contact information for the Factory that manufactured your machinery. When we respond to your manufacturer's warranty need, we aim to represent the manufacturer.

You purchased your equipment because of some value that it offered you. Maybe the machine was economical, or highly dependable with elaborate features. Whatever the case, it is our intent to restore and maintain the original integrity and design of your investment. We provide factory parts and service your equipment within the requirements and direction of the manufacturer.

We do have special relationships with some Manufacturers. We are the Parts and Service Depot for Elkay, Halsey Taylor, Oasis, Sunroc, and other drinking fountain and water cooler manufacturers. We are the authorized Parts and Equipment distributor of Kold Draft ice machines in Central Texas.

You will find Austin Industrial Refrigeration listed as service center by many refrigeration equipment manufacturers, or you may have even been personally directed by the plant to contact us.

We provide 24-hour emergency service for our established customers only.

It is our policy that we do not run after-hours/holiday/weekend service for anyone that has not already established a relationship with us. It is our experience that a "cold call" on a (weekend) does not often lend itself to satisfactory or complete remediation of a critical failure when the dynamics of interacting with the public are occurring during a "first visit". There are very many other servicers that are happy to do this.

New relationships are qualified from 8:00a to 5:00p, Monday through Friday, less holidays.

As an established customer of Austin Industrial Refrigeration, you receive preferred treatment and consideration. Since we are familiar with your operation and requirements, we maintain our availability to serve you when your needs are critical... we are not out slaying dragons.

It is impossible to diagnose a problem over the phone. In regard to estimating the cost of remediation for a refrigeration failure, there are some diagnostics that must occur to determine what course of action is required. As such this requires a service call and a service call incurs expense. Upon determination of the cause of failure, the costs and timeframe of the proposed remediation will be presented for your consideration.

Often we receive requests to quote a repair that has been diagnosed by another servicer. These conversations could be telling of either the other servicer, or the prospective customer that is on the phone - an interesting dynamic. But, again we require that we make our diagnosis and base a plan of action according to our own determinations. As such a service call is required, otherwise we are not serving you well and certainly are not serving well to ourselves.

If you are interested in equipment and installations, and you have specifications, we will happy to help you with your selection and provide you with a quote or estimate - whichever is appropriate.

Many components of a refrigeration system require licensing, certification, training and special skills and equipment to install, and in some cases to even legally purchase. These requirements incur costs to satisfy, and these costs are met in part through the sale of parts.

When we install a part, we assume some liabilities in the integrity of the part, our own workmanship and skill in it's installation, and even in the selection of the part itself. These liabilities manifest themselves occassionally. These costs consist of wages, liability insurance, auto insurance and vehicle operating costs (to procure parts), and sometimes replacement parts themselves when newly provided parts fail. We make these expenditures to assure your satisfaction, that we are insured and take financial responsibility for the integrity of the products and services that we provide.

If we were to install "your part", then the liability for any failure or loss relating to the operation of the equipment that was serviced becomes unclear.

We will avoid this by only installing parts that we provide, those that are determined to be appropriate and applied with the skill and knowledge required to assure proper operation and do so in a businesslike manner in order to protect the integrity of your property and livelihood.