March 27, 2025 • 32 mins
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This conversation is an introduction to the Supermarket Academy - a specialized program designed to enhance the skills and confidence of supermarket and commercial refrigeration technicians. I share my early career struggles that helped inspire and formulate the program, and the specific topics and methods of the program, backed by real-life success stories from technicians of all ages and career levels who have taken it. The ultimate goal is is reducing stress and improving job performance of technicians so we can better serve customers, create better work-life balance and uplift the commercial refrigeration industry around the world.
In this episode, we cover:
-Overcoming early career challenges
-Common struggles on service calls
-Supermarket Academy curriculum and learning method
-Importance of understanding compressors
-Electrical troubleshooting
-Hands-on learning
-Advanced troubleshooting techniques
-Setting up and adjusting EPRs
-Understanding temperature units
-Continuous learning and development
Helpful Links & Resources:
Supermarket Academy Course Outline & Signup
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker (00:00):
it took me a long time to become really, really good at supermarket refrigeration. You know what I mean? I remember on-call stressing me right out because I wasn't as good as I wanted to be, but I didn't invest enough into myself. 'cause I did know I. and then when I talked with the guys that were 10, 20 years in, they were like, around seven or eight year after putting into work, banging my head against the, the refrigeration unit rag breaking stuff a lot. I'm like, I feel you. It's designed to help reduce your learning curve Super excited that you're here always. It's so great to have you hanging out here. Thank you for all the comments and responses, the dms, the emails. I really appreciate that, and it's important to me to continue to sharpen my skills, to help sharpen your skills, to grow your confidence, to really help you dominate.
(00:01):
it took me a long time to become really, really good at supermarket refrigeration. You know what I mean? I remember on-call stressing me right out because I wasn't as good as I wanted to be, but I didn't invest enough into myself. 'cause I did know I. and then when I talked with the guys that were 10, 20 years in, they were like, around seven or eight year after putting into work, banging my head against the, the refrigeration unit rag breaking stuff a lot. I'm like, I feel you. It's designed to help reduce your learning curve Super excited that you're here always. It's so great to have you hanging out here. Thank you for all the comments and responses, the dms, the emails. I really appreciate that, and it's important to me to continue to sharpen my skills, to help sharpen your skills, to grow your confidence, to really help you dominate.
In the commercial refrigeration industry. Today I'm gonna dive into the supermarket academy that we have and why I built it. I've been in the industry for over 20 years now. I was a technician in the field for nearly 10, and I did construction and I did service, and I was on startups. I did a lot of stuff.
But it took me a long time to become really, really good at supermarket refrigeration. And this is one of the things why I, I created. The supermarket academy, and this is not only for supermarket technician. I have some technicians who do commercial refrigeration. I've taken so much away from it. But really why I structured this online program the way it is really to help technicians like you or people you know to.
But it took me a long time to become really, really good at supermarket refrigeration. And this is one of the things why I, I created. The supermarket academy, and this is not only for supermarket technician. I have some technicians who do commercial refrigeration. I've taken so much away from it. But really why I structured this online program the way it is really to help technicians like you or people you know to.
Going to get a really good grasp of rack refrigeration or commercial refrigeration. Get better at electrical troubleshooting, get better on advanced compressor diagnostics. I think one of the biggest questions I get all the time is like, Trevor, I am, I am struggling at electrical or controls or, or this.
And when we dive in deep, we. It gets, it's more than just that, more than just electrical. It's, it's the confidence level I really believe. And even after you do like six or seven years in it, that's really when you, you start to get on call. I was having some conversations with technicians this week actually, and I was talking to some that were six years in, some that are two years in, some that were 20 years in.
And when we dive in deep, we. It gets, it's more than just that, more than just electrical. It's, it's the confidence level I really believe. And even after you do like six or seven years in it, that's really when you, you start to get on call. I was having some conversations with technicians this week actually, and I was talking to some that were six years in, some that are two years in, some that were 20 years in.
And like I, I felt what. A lot of them felt like the two year guy was like, man, I asked what stress you have to on this, on call. You know what I mean? I remember on-call stressing me right out because I wasn't as good as I wanted to be, but I didn't invest enough into myself. 'cause I did know I. I didn't know the value of investing in myself as much as I do today because it, it'll take you so much further.
It will reduce that stress level. And then when I talked with the guys that were 10, 20 years in, they were like, yeah, like around seven or eight year after putting into work, banging my head against the, the refrigeration unit rag and just, you know, stuck there, just having to figure out breaking stuff a lot.
And I, I'm like, I feel you. 'cause that's really when I started to be like, okay, like oncologist on call. Not where I stress about it. For man. Definitely for the, quite the first few years when I started taking on-call, it was, it was a stressful week and. This is one of the reasons why I create the Supermarket Academy was for helping technicians that were just like me six or seven years in.
And I, I'm like, I feel you. 'cause that's really when I started to be like, okay, like oncologist on call. Not where I stress about it. For man. Definitely for the, quite the first few years when I started taking on-call, it was, it was a stressful week and. This is one of the reasons why I create the Supermarket Academy was for helping technicians that were just like me six or seven years in.
And we, I do dive into it in short video form that, and that's what I really like about it. And a lot of people give a response like, Trevor, why I like the program. It's quick videos, there's lots of quizzes. It's challenge me and you're pushing me to go out and try this in the field. And that's the biggest thing.
Like I got a bunch of comments back from the Supermarket Academy and one of the biggest. Things is, is that, you know, the videos are great. One of the things that you helped me do is push me to do, take some of that action and then it's all up to up to me. And that's what I say all the time. It's up to you.
I can teach you so much stuff about refrigeration, super micro refrigeration, commercial refrigeration, CO2 refrigeration, but if you don't. Go out and take the action and try some of the things that we talk about and learn with your hands and take an action. It's gonna take you a lot longer to learn as well, because one of the things is it's designed to help reduce your learning curve, reducing your technical learning curve by going out.
I can teach you so much stuff about refrigeration, super micro refrigeration, commercial refrigeration, CO2 refrigeration, but if you don't. Go out and take the action and try some of the things that we talk about and learn with your hands and take an action. It's gonna take you a lot longer to learn as well, because one of the things is it's designed to help reduce your learning curve, reducing your technical learning curve by going out.And trying some of the things and going, you know, for example, if you're going to troubleshoot a compressor, it's not just going out and you know, just checking the superheat back at the compressor called the compressor super heat or the system super heat. You gotta check the compressor super heat.
You gotta check the compressor discharge or the discharge super heat. You gotta check the pump pressure. If it has an oil pump on it, you have to check the vols. You gotta check the amps, you gotta check the temperature of each cylinder if it's a semi-hermetic. So there's so many things that you, you want to do that I suggest you do because a lot of things are missed because we don't have enough data, and that's all refrigeration is.
We are data driven. You may not think about it, but we need our pressures, our temperatures, our volts, our amps, and when we get all that information in there that there can compile a diagnostic, and this is what we talk about in the Academy, really to help understand how to break down a complex problem.
'cause inside the academy I get into the fundamentals, which is super important. Understanding glide and sub cooling and things that you already know how to check, super eat that. That stuff is very, very important if you're newer to the industry. If you're four or five years in and you haven't checked.
'cause inside the academy I get into the fundamentals, which is super important. Understanding glide and sub cooling and things that you already know how to check, super eat that. That stuff is very, very important if you're newer to the industry. If you're four or five years in and you haven't checked.
Super eat very, very much. Well, where do I check Super Eat and talking about it, the different terms do, is it an evaporator super eat that I need to get, is it total or system Super Eat? And on a rack application, you don't just go and look at the E two or the microthermal da Danfoss to just look, okay, well it's looking good on the, on the.
At the rack, at the rack controller, well, one of those compressors could be running into an issue. So you gotta check each compressor. If there's six compressors on that parallel rack, you're gonna have to check each one of them because you may not know that there's one cylinder blown. And that's why I, I said earlier, it's like to check the temperature across 'em and diving into why, like, talk a lot about compressors because they are that.
Main component that hard of the system because if those fail, your system goes down or your customer system goes down and it's the most expensive component in a refrigeration system. So our job as technicians is to really take care of those, you know. From the service and the maintenance and the follow up.
Main component that hard of the system because if those fail, your system goes down or your customer system goes down and it's the most expensive component in a refrigeration system. So our job as technicians is to really take care of those, you know. From the service and the maintenance and the follow up.
What else we, I like to talk about is some of the big things is on the electrical side and in inside the programs, like how do you properly troubleshoot e electrical? I've been taught by so many different people, but I struggled first, six, seven years, electric, even longer probably than that to, to fully grasp electrical, troubleshoot.
And honestly, I'm still learning when, when I get onto DC voltage stuff or more control voltage side, but. If I have a wiring diagram, it makes it so much easier. It's following the map, and that's kind of what we talk about for an example, like I've done a a compressor course last, last night. I had a bunch of technicians there and one of the things was, a few of them said, well, I struggle with the electrical and controls troubleshooting, and one quick tip.
I said, okay, well if you want to follow the whole map, you take out the wiring diagram and where you put your meter at is that's where how you follow it. And then. Going to ground is just to check it. The potential energy that's safety, it's to see if there's any voltage there. When you're going to take say you're gonna isolate it.
I said, okay, well if you want to follow the whole map, you take out the wiring diagram and where you put your meter at is that's where how you follow it. And then. Going to ground is just to check it. The potential energy that's safety, it's to see if there's any voltage there. When you're going to take say you're gonna isolate it.
So you power it down, you lock it out. Then you use your meter to check, do you have any voltage at any of these places where you're gonna touch, you're gonna double check that stuff, triple check that stuff so you don't get shock. And one of the ones was like I asked like, what could cause a compressor fail?
And one person said, well, a contact her. And I'm like, that's such a great. Idea because I've seen many compressors being misdiagnosed or potentially replaced because the contactor has failed, not the compressor. And so one thing is, is I ask like, well, how do you know if the contactor has issued?
They're like, well, I pull it apart and I look, and if it's pitted, then I will change it inside or replace the contact. But you don't have to dive in that deep. You know what you can do is you can use your electrical meter and go across the contactor and see if you have a voltage drop. So if it's pulled in, you should have zero volts across that contact.
They're like, well, I pull it apart and I look, and if it's pitted, then I will change it inside or replace the contact. But you don't have to dive in that deep. You know what you can do is you can use your electrical meter and go across the contactor and see if you have a voltage drop. So if it's pulled in, you should have zero volts across that contact.
If you get four or 5, 6, 7 volts, that means that's pitting. You're gonna have to replace the internals or replace that whole contactor. And this is what we talk about inside the Supermarket Academy, really to help give ideas when you're out in the field doing troubleshooting. I had a technician reach out to me in the last week or two, took the program and has messaged me multiple times.
Now I'm solving problems because of taking the supermarket Academy. It's like, I've been doing this for 10 years in hvac, I've been doing supermarket for a year or two. And man, it, it was, it's huge. It, it's humbling to me that I can share some knowledge and they go out and they try the stuff and I'm super excited.
More and more people keep. Messaging me or writing comments in the supermarket Academy to say how it's helping them and then adding extra tips. Well, I seen this video and I tried this and then I did this and this is what fix it. And it's like, that is how you grow and this is how I want technicians to use.
More and more people keep. Messaging me or writing comments in the supermarket Academy to say how it's helping them and then adding extra tips. Well, I seen this video and I tried this and then I did this and this is what fix it. And it's like, that is how you grow and this is how I want technicians to use.
The Supermarket Academy is like you learn a little bit from the videos and then you go out and try it. For example, setting up or replacing an EPR that. You know, there's, there's things that you need to look at. Well, how do I check an EPR? What if it is a glide refrigerant? How do I, how do I organize all that?
So a standard refrige, like a standard blend, like an R 22, 4 0 4, is a glide refrigerator, but it's like one degree glide. So we never ever talked about it, but when you go there, you would check your. SST So your pressure, right? So what do I want that evaporator to be running at so I can make sure that I am pulling the heat outta that product?
So if you're looking for a, a case temp of say, 34, 33, and you're doing it off a low temp circuit, you can't run on that low temp pressure. So what you need to do is you have to have an EPR in there and these, the old mechanical EPRs. You have to increase the pressure. You increase the pressure, and you increase the, the temperature.
So if you're looking for a, a case temp of say, 34, 33, and you're doing it off a low temp circuit, you can't run on that low temp pressure. So what you need to do is you have to have an EPR in there and these, the old mechanical EPRs. You have to increase the pressure. You increase the pressure, and you increase the, the temperature.
So what you would do, you would set it for a certain SST. So, and if your coil, you're looking to manufacture data and it says, okay, this coil's A, they're looking for a 10. TD on it. Temperature difference across it. So that means you, the coil is say 23, 24, and then the airflow is 34, 33, 34. So what you need to do is set that EPR up.
You adjust it and there's a stem on it, and some have locks it, depending on what type of valve, if it's a sporin or if it's another brand or if it's an electronic EPR. There's different ways to do it, but we talk about that in the supermarket guide. But then you go out and you check what is coming out of the.
The discharge of, or the supplier of that case. And when you're dealing with the glide, what I've been recommending, lots of people think differently. You don't have to go to the midpoint or you just, you just go off set in the pressure pressure point, and then you go to the temperature. But what I was taught was you used the midpoint.
The discharge of, or the supplier of that case. And when you're dealing with the glide, what I've been recommending, lots of people think differently. You don't have to go to the midpoint or you just, you just go off set in the pressure pressure point, and then you go to the temperature. But what I was taught was you used the midpoint.
So you get the bubble point temperature, you get the dew point temperature and you divide it by two and whatever that that pressure is, you set it, set it to that. Now you can do pressure and pressure, divide it by two, and then you, that's what you get for your, your midpoint pressure. And, but that's the starting point.
You don't leave it at there. You run the system. And then you make sure that you're getting that supply air, that discharge air temperature. But before you even set that stuff, you gotta make sure that coil's clean. The drain is not plugged, your coil is down tight to the frame. So there's no like, bypassing of air, you gotta make sure there's no leaks in the case. You gotta make sure all the pans are down properly so there's, there's a proper airflow. The honeycombs are clean if they have honeycombs. So there's so many things you gotta want to check before you even go start adjusting any type of valve.
It's no different than a TX valve. You don't start adjusting a TX valve if everything is not, you know, all the things. Clean all the fan motors are running, so it's so, so important. And then with the e EPR, if you set it too high, that product's gonna run warm. AV said it too low, you're gonna frost up or you're gonna start freezing up.
It's no different than a TX valve. You don't start adjusting a TX valve if everything is not, you know, all the things. Clean all the fan motors are running, so it's so, so important. And then with the e EPR, if you set it too high, that product's gonna run warm. AV said it too low, you're gonna frost up or you're gonna start freezing up.
I've seen some great videos online last year on setting up an EPR. They went out to do a service call and all of a sudden it's, it's freezing out. There was water on the floor in this, in this case. Not sure why. I think it was a mo, a meat meat room. Walk-in box, but then he would walk, he walked in and he seen that the ice is, is starting to freeze on the floor, which that's too cold.
So he had to go in, adjust it a little bit. The spring. Started to lose some of its calibration was able to adjust it on call, but went back and then changed internals on it. So this is some of the stuff that we talk about, the things that you would have to do in, out in the field on checking it, and we show all these short videos and quizzes to, to really give you that, that.
So he had to go in, adjust it a little bit. The spring. Started to lose some of its calibration was able to adjust it on call, but went back and then changed internals on it. So this is some of the stuff that we talk about, the things that you would have to do in, out in the field on checking it, and we show all these short videos and quizzes to, to really give you that, that.That little boost. Did I see this for you? And you may have seen it. I have technicians who take this academy who are really skilled in supermarket refrigeration and commercial refrigeration. They're like, this was great. There were so many good reminders and tips that, you know, I forgot along the way that now I can use again.
You know, it got me a bit more focused. I was pigeonholed just in the way I was for the last. Couple years and, and gave me some ideas in the check on the multiflex board or how to check a transfuser or a temperature probe. And I think this is really why I spent a lot of time and I spent a lot of time working really hard on, on developing good videos, short videos, things that relate to technicians because I was a technician in the field and this is something I wish I had.
When I look back now now if I. Think back 17 years ago, would I be as acceptive as training as I'm now? Maybe not, you know? 'cause I was around people that we weren't really into training and we weren't thinking about training. And now I, I'm around people that, that are in personal development all the time and level up their skills and understand that the more that they learn, the more valuable they are to a company or to themselves.
When I look back now now if I. Think back 17 years ago, would I be as acceptive as training as I'm now? Maybe not, you know? 'cause I was around people that we weren't really into training and we weren't thinking about training. And now I, I'm around people that, that are in personal development all the time and level up their skills and understand that the more that they learn, the more valuable they are to a company or to themselves.
You know, the most important thing in anything is investing in yourself. Think about that, investing in yourself. You can take that knowledge with you anywhere you go, anywhere you travel around the world. And that's kind of why I built a lot of this stuff, really to build confidence working on complex systems.
Right? And the big thing is, is when I was having that conversation that I mentioned earlier with some of those technicians where the, the younger technician was doing it for a couple years. And he, he was like, well, I'm just out there and I'm figuring it out, you know, and it's, it's stressful. And I'm like, Hey, I know I've been there.
I. But the service managers I'm sure would want them to, they're, they're looking and hopefully they can take more calls or reduce the calls that they get. And I hear this all the time from people who take our private trainings or some of our other supermarket courses or commercial refrigeration courses where I get a call from the service managers.
You know what the biggest thing is, Trevor? Is that. My phone is not ringing as much as it used to, and I can get more of my work done as a service manager because they're more confident out there. They're solving problems. Is it, is it, you know, do you learn everything? Of course, not this this is a academy where if you watch it over and over and over again and you put the work in and you went out and tried, you'll become very proficient at, troubleshooting refrigeration systems. And that's the hands down for sure, because there's compressors in there and there's some electrical in there and there's how to repeat IDs and then how to go through a system and I don't know how understand oil management issues, like huge things that it took me forever to, to understand even oil management.
You know what the biggest thing is, Trevor? Is that. My phone is not ringing as much as it used to, and I can get more of my work done as a service manager because they're more confident out there. They're solving problems. Is it, is it, you know, do you learn everything? Of course, not this this is a academy where if you watch it over and over and over again and you put the work in and you went out and tried, you'll become very proficient at, troubleshooting refrigeration systems. And that's the hands down for sure, because there's compressors in there and there's some electrical in there and there's how to repeat IDs and then how to go through a system and I don't know how understand oil management issues, like huge things that it took me forever to, to understand even oil management.
Now I work on a lot of different systems. It, it still can get complex. The newer systems out there with with oil management. And so if you don't understand the, the oil carryover rate of the compressors, you don't understand the mass flow through the oil separate or coalescent separators or if, or if you don't understand like where all the filters are or what should the pressure differential be or where they're, how they're set or where they're set.
And. This, this can run into an issue when you're on a low load application or when you're running really hot. That's some of the things that I didn't understand even in the first, quite a few years. Like if you run the compressors really hot, your discharge head's really hot, it takes that oil, whatever the oil is, it starts to thin it out.
And. This, this can run into an issue when you're on a low load application or when you're running really hot. That's some of the things that I didn't understand even in the first, quite a few years. Like if you run the compressors really hot, your discharge head's really hot, it takes that oil, whatever the oil is, it starts to thin it out.
It, it changes the viscosity. Now that oil separator is not gonna separate the oil that should be going back to the reservoir, that should be going back to those compressors and you run into issue lubrication issues. And then if you have too low of an application, so. Too low of an Ambien, for example, or super low load.
Maybe you don't have the right pressure differential or you have a blown float on your oil pod and it's stopping the oil either to come in or it's filling the compressor up. So these are some of the things that we talk about and really dive into this stuff because I think it's really important to understand what you, what you'll see inside the program.
Maybe you don't have the right pressure differential or you have a blown float on your oil pod and it's stopping the oil either to come in or it's filling the compressor up. So these are some of the things that we talk about and really dive into this stuff because I think it's really important to understand what you, what you'll see inside the program.
And I know more and more technicians who take it, both men and women, that I'm getting great feedback from it and. You gotta, you gotta look at it, you gotta invest in yourself. But I know what I want to help the technicians with is really to save some times on their service calls so they can make it home in time for their sporting event with their kid, a date night with their spouse.
It's important to me now because I know. How long we work, how many hours we're on the road by ourselves for sometimes 8, 10, 12 hours in our head. And this is one of the reasons why, if I, I feel if you, you have that confidence and when you go into a service hub, when you leave a call, you're not stressed out, did I fix it?
Did I not fix it? Because I went through that. I remember leaving service calls and driving two hours away from the site and actually turning back around to go make sure and double check. And it was, I did, I opened all the valves, like the, the Huck Gas bypass or the Huck gas valve. And I just, you know, after to cleaning the case, they isolate all the, the components to, to do deicing.
Did I not fix it? Because I went through that. I remember leaving service calls and driving two hours away from the site and actually turning back around to go make sure and double check. And it was, I did, I opened all the valves, like the, the Huck Gas bypass or the Huck gas valve. And I just, you know, after to cleaning the case, they isolate all the, the components to, to do deicing.
And then you gotta open all the valves back up. And I re, I remember turning around and did I make sure I opened that ball valve? So, so I didn't get a call two hours later or three hours later, but I'd go back and it was open or go back and check did I turn that condensing unit back on because I've done it before.
Honestly, just working so many hours that you work on a system, you get it up and running and you forget to turn the condenser back on. It just happens, you know, you are just a brain fog. It is if you work too many hours. And then we work a demanding, demanding job. But I know those technicians who understand how to troubleshoot, have the confidence and who can fix the problems the first time.
They don't stress out as much. There is their stressful taste. Man, every job has a stressful day. I, I have stressful days, you know? And it's important to really recognize on what you know and what you want to learn and how you want to grow. That's, and that's how I get better. I, you know, I continue to invest in my myself to try to better myself so I can share this knowledge with more technicians out there from around the world.
They don't stress out as much. There is their stressful taste. Man, every job has a stressful day. I, I have stressful days, you know? And it's important to really recognize on what you know and what you want to learn and how you want to grow. That's, and that's how I get better. I, you know, I continue to invest in my myself to try to better myself so I can share this knowledge with more technicians out there from around the world.
I built a program so it doesn't matter where you're from, I got units in Celsius and Fahrenheit and Bar and PSI. So it'll give a, a big versatile, more versatile program where more people can, can take it from around the world. And I think that that's one of the differentiators. I'm trying to help people globally.
Units used to struggle. I still struggle with units 'cause I live in Canada and we do our temperatures and. In Celsius, and then I, if I travel to the US or then it's in Fahrenheit and then, you know, it's like, oh. And then I do refrigeration in Canada and we talk about it in Fahrenheit, but you know, you go to all on the news or in our houses, it's all in Fahrenheit and it's, it's funny.
Or in Celsius, sorry. And it, and it's funny. That, you know, we do refrigeration, we need enough Fahrenheit we just personal life, it's in Celsius. So understanding the differences is very, very important to me. Like I, I'm actually better at reading manuals now because there's lots of manuals that come from Europe or different places around the world that are in, in Celsius or Bar or Calvin.
Or in Celsius, sorry. And it, and it's funny. That, you know, we do refrigeration, we need enough Fahrenheit we just personal life, it's in Celsius. So understanding the differences is very, very important to me. Like I, I'm actually better at reading manuals now because there's lots of manuals that come from Europe or different places around the world that are in, in Celsius or Bar or Calvin.
(00:21):
And I. Now it's easier for me to understand. That was one big thing that I, I, it took me a long time to grasp when I was reading all these Alco man mules coming from Europe and inside it, like the super heat was six K. I'm like, what does six K mean? Well, that's six Calvin. Well, what's six Calvin mean?
That means 10 degrees, 10 point something degrees Fahrenheit. I'm like, well, 10, 10 degrees Fahrenheit. So. Why do we say it in fair and they say it in Calvin? 'cause I thought Calvin, well, it's like that minus 273. But no, it's a temperature difference. So this is one of the things is when we talk about temperature units, that's Celsius and Fahrenheit.
When we talk about temperature difference, that's Calvin and Rankin. So it's, it's just understanding these terminologies. And I try to implement a lot of that in the training program in the supermarket Academy. So. It'll, it'll make it easier for you. 'cause I know now it's CO2 and more people getting and starting to learn.
When we talk about temperature difference, that's Calvin and Rankin. So it's, it's just understanding these terminologies. And I try to implement a lot of that in the training program in the supermarket Academy. So. It'll, it'll make it easier for you. 'cause I know now it's CO2 and more people getting and starting to learn.
CO2. A lot of the equipment and components come from Europe and it's not converted into, say, Fahrenheit and really, which it should be, it should be ranking, for example. So if you're checking sore at a case. And you're looking for the temp temperature differential where we say it's 10 Fahrenheit. For an example, it's really 10 ranking.
Another little tip there. Does it, does it really matter? No. You just need to be checking the super eat. That's one of the biggest things you need to be checking it and making sure you're getting the right. Information and is it the super evaporate or is it the super at the compressor? So many different things that you want to check, right?
And and this is another reason why we built this is is to really fast track that. I know for sure I can see it already. People reducing their learning curves. I had another technician talk about having a plug. Suction filter. Something that they never really checked before, but coming into a program and just talking about it and seeing it and getting a better understanding of these different checkpoints and where you should check them, gave them the confidence.
And and this is another reason why we built this is is to really fast track that. I know for sure I can see it already. People reducing their learning curves. I had another technician talk about having a plug. Suction filter. Something that they never really checked before, but coming into a program and just talking about it and seeing it and getting a better understanding of these different checkpoints and where you should check them, gave them the confidence.
Okay, let me just check it and see what it is. Oh man. I have a 30 PSI differential 35 PSI differential across this filter dot. Does not make sense or going across a check valve or a filter dryer going across, and the temperatures, oh, I got 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 degree temperature drop across it. We know something's plugging up.
So this is one of the reasons, some of the reasons why I want to share this knowledge and, and have a look. Head to refrigeration mentor.com slash courses, or go into the course page and click on the Supermarket Academy and check it out for yourself. Like it's, I, I know for sure I spent a lot of time, I had a lot of good, great people review it.
My good friend Andrew Freeberg, he spent some time going through it. Another friend Aiden, he, they. They spent some time looking at it, and these guys have been doing it for 20, 20 years, you know, and they, they're taking a, at a lens of, okay, how would this help me when I was five, six years in the industry?
And, and and a lot of the apprentices take it and newer technicians that are getting a huge amount of value at it, and HVAC technicians who want to get into supermarket commercial refrigeration are, are really grasping that knowledge. And another technician been doing it for 26 years, my friend John.
And, and and a lot of the apprentices take it and newer technicians that are getting a huge amount of value at it, and HVAC technicians who want to get into supermarket commercial refrigeration are, are really grasping that knowledge. And another technician been doing it for 26 years, my friend John.
And before, before he met, he was like, man, I'm trying to, you know, break into the supermarket industry, trying to get a, a feel for it and what do you have? So, took the academy and it's like, it just breaks it down for him. He did a lot of VRF and the big thing is, is that I can make it. Comparable to the things that you would see in the VRF world, because one of the big things is, is that they're similar.
It's refrigeration, right? We're moving heat and I. When he took the program, he's like, he could relate a lot of the stuff he learned from all the field into the supermarket world. And once again, all of this comes back to you investing in yourself, you going out and actually doing and putting action in to complete.
The, these tasks and, and building that confidence and showing your, your employer that you can do it or yourself, that I can go out and try this and go, oh, yeah, I've never really tested a, a pressure transducer electrically before. I just threw my gauge on and says, but you can do it electrically. They're on a linear, linear curve chart.
The, these tasks and, and building that confidence and showing your, your employer that you can do it or yourself, that I can go out and try this and go, oh, yeah, I've never really tested a, a pressure transducer electrically before. I just threw my gauge on and says, but you can do it electrically. They're on a linear, linear curve chart.
So you go up and you get, okay, well my, my feed signal is five. Volts. Say it's a five or a 12 volt, doesn't matter. So it's five volt e dc or 4.5. So I check it, oh, I'm getting three point i I get my five going into the transducer. Now I check my my feedback and my signal coming back and oh, I'm getting 2.1.
Well, that correlates to a specific pressure depending on the range of that transducer. So you can check it electrically as well, without. Putting a, a gauge on it. I always recommend testing it multiple ways so you totally understand. Or an output. Well, how does the output work? Well, that board or that node or whatever it is from whatever control manufacturer is sending out a zero to 10 volt signal will say to say, A Rampa fan up or Rampa fan down.
Well, that correlates to a specific pressure depending on the range of that transducer. So you can check it electrically as well, without. Putting a, a gauge on it. I always recommend testing it multiple ways so you totally understand. Or an output. Well, how does the output work? Well, that board or that node or whatever it is from whatever control manufacturer is sending out a zero to 10 volt signal will say to say, A Rampa fan up or Rampa fan down.
Where's that 10 volts coming from? Well, there's an input going into that board. So it could be a temperature probe or a pressure probe going into the board. The board converts it into a zero to 10 volt signal. So you say it's a range. So at zero P at zero PS, I. That's at zero volts at a hundred PSI.
That's 10 volt. So as the PSI increases, it starts to increase. You'll see that voltage volts DC start to go out. Go 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. So when you're at six Volts DC that's 60 PSI. And this is a simple example. I'm just making these numbers up, but that's how it works. So I get an input coming in. My pressure starts.
To rise, that pressure starts to rise inside that input so that board knows, okay, well we're at 60 PSI, let's send an output signal or six volts DC to do an action. So it could be ramping up a compressor or, or ramping down or ramping up a fan or ramping down and a compressor on A-V-F-D-I guess I should have mentioned on a suction pressure.
So the, all these different things that, that we need to, to learn about. And it gets into the supermarket program. It gets into electronic valves and, and how to test the electronic valves and case controllers. You gotta get into these manuals, so if you really want to learn, I, I'll show you how to test them quickly and troubleshoot them pretty quick.
So the, all these different things that, that we need to, to learn about. And it gets into the supermarket program. It gets into electronic valves and, and how to test the electronic valves and case controllers. You gotta get into these manuals, so if you really want to learn, I, I'll show you how to test them quickly and troubleshoot them pretty quick.
But you do understand you need to understand all the parameters. This does this take time? It does take time. You can get quick start menus, which is great now, but if you want to be really. Really proficient. You wanna understand that specific component you're working on to the best of your ability and not be like well I don't know how to set the address, or if I'm gonna change it, I pull it out and put it in.
You don't set anything up. You can't just do that with a lot of case controllers. You gotta set the refer, at least the address minimum. It doesn't matter what manufacturers, you gotta at least set the address and you set the address. Sometimes it'll drop. The file back into it, but you still have to understand even how to do that.
So getting in there, understanding, well, what's the refrigerant and what's the set points? And you can, sometimes you can do a backup off a different controller and put it in there, and then you verify this stuff. Does it take time to learn? Yes, but I'm, I'm learning from all these different. Experts from around the world and trying to compile great information for technicians and great technicians who want to invest in themselves, who want to learn, who want to get better.
So getting in there, understanding, well, what's the refrigerant and what's the set points? And you can, sometimes you can do a backup off a different controller and put it in there, and then you verify this stuff. Does it take time to learn? Yes, but I'm, I'm learning from all these different. Experts from around the world and trying to compile great information for technicians and great technicians who want to invest in themselves, who want to learn, who want to get better.
And this is why I keep doing it. Why I keep doing building programs like the Supermarket Academy for Technicians, for Contractors is because I want them to, to get better. I want them to have a, a, a better opportunity at learning because. Not everyone gets the opportunity to have someone to bounce ideas off or, or look at the, you know, videos that may, man, I was working on that and I didn't really know what I was doing.
Now it's like, okay, look, okay, now give you an idea of what to try and troubleshoot. I. So there's so much more, you know, understanding the discharge line temps, which I talked about so, so important. Depending on the compressor manufacturer, it's gonna be a different number. You know, we, we know that oil starts losing lubrication over 300 Fahrenheit or 150 Celsius.
After you start to get above that, you start to, the viscosity starts changing, then you start to get to 400 degrees of Fahrenheit or, or 200 degrees. Celsius, you know, it's, it's usually you're breaking down the oil in 200 degrees. Is, is. Too high, but say 1 70, 180, you're starting to, you're starting to break down that oil.
After you start to get above that, you start to, the viscosity starts changing, then you start to get to 400 degrees of Fahrenheit or, or 200 degrees. Celsius, you know, it's, it's usually you're breaking down the oil in 200 degrees. Is, is. Too high, but say 1 70, 180, you're starting to, you're starting to break down that oil.
You're starting to, it cause issues inside that compressor to where it leads to a, a failure. And so it's, it's something that we need to continue to check if we're at. And that's what's inside a lot of this, this program. Just taking a look at that understanding the system as a whole. This is something I dive in heavy into the academy.
It's like, it doesn't matter this, if you're working on a chiller, if you're working on an air handler or you're working on a rack, if you take the same process to it, you can. You can work on more equipment, ice machines. It doesn't matter when you understand the process of. The system. How does it actually work?
What is the se sequence of operation? Where is the wiring diagram room? Understanding all that stuff will be a game changer. I really wanna thank you for taking the time and if you have any comments, put them down below. You can d DM me, shoot me DM on LinkedIn or Facebook. You can email me at info@refrigerationmentor.com.
What is the se sequence of operation? Where is the wiring diagram room? Understanding all that stuff will be a game changer. I really wanna thank you for taking the time and if you have any comments, put them down below. You can d DM me, shoot me DM on LinkedIn or Facebook. You can email me at info@refrigerationmentor.com.
I'm here to help. We just launched a, a community, the refrigeration mentor hub, if you're interested in that. Jump onto my link tray. I'll put it down in the The post before, and to get in there to just start learning to see the kind of content and the people that we're trying to help in the community.
This is the community that really cares and we're gonna help support technicians out there who want to grow and who want to learn. And that's who we're looking for, to support people who want to get to the next level in their career, who bring a positive attitude you know. Every day is not gonna be perfect.
But if we can look at what we're doing right and how we can help other people, and how we can grow together, learn together, and grow together, that's gonna be a game changer. So head to refrigeration mentor.com, check out the Supermarket Academy. I know it's gonna be a game changer for so many out there.
And look forward to seeing you in some of these program. Look forward to chatting with you. And as always, thank you so, so much for, for being there, learning, growing. My name is Trevor Matthews. Let's get a conversation going.
And look forward to seeing you in some of these program. Look forward to chatting with you. And as always, thank you so, so much for, for being there, learning, growing. My name is Trevor Matthews. Let's get a conversation going.
And look forward to seeing you in some of these program. Look forward to chatting with you. And as always, thank you so, so much for, for being there, learning, growing. My name is Trevor Matthews. Let's get a conversation going.
it took me a long time to become really, really good at supermarket refrigeration. You know what I mean? I remember on-call stressing me right out because I wasn't as good as I wanted to be, but I didn't invest enough into myself. 'cause I did know I. and then when I talked with the guys that were 10, 20 years in, they were like, around seven or eight year after putting into work, banging my head against the, the refrigeration unit rag breaking stuff a lot. I'm like, I feel you. It's designed to help reduce your learning curve Super excited that you're here always. It's so great to have you hanging out here. Thank you for all the comments and responses, the dms, the emails. I really appreciate that, and it's important to me to continue to sharpen my skills, to help sharpen your skills, to grow your confidence, to really help you dominate.
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it took me a long time to become really, really good at supermarket refrigeration. You know what I mean? I remember on-call stressing me right out because I wasn't as good as I wanted to be, but I didn't invest enough into myself. 'cause I did know I. and then when I talked with the guys that were 10, 20 years in, they were like, around seven or eight year after putting into work, banging my head against the, the refrigeration unit rag breaking stuff a lot. I'm like, I feel you. It's designed to help reduce your learning curve Super excited that you're here always. It's so great to have you hanging out here. Thank you for all the comments and responses, the dms, the emails. I really appreciate that, and it's important to me to continue to sharpen my skills, to help sharpen your skills, to grow your confidence, to really help you dominate.
In the commercial refrigeration industry. Today I'm gonna dive into the supermarket academy that we have and why I built it. I've been in the industry for over 20 years now. I was a technician in the field for nearly 10, and I did construction and I did service, and I was on startups. I did a lot of stuff.
But it took me a long time to become really, really good at supermarket refrigeration. And this is one of the things why I, I created. The supermarket academy, and this is not only for supermarket technician. I have some technicians who do commercial refrigeration. I've taken so much away from it. But really why I structured this online program the way it is really to help technicians like you or people you know to.
But it took me a long time to become really, really good at supermarket refrigeration. And this is one of the things why I, I created. The supermarket academy, and this is not only for supermarket technician. I have some technicians who do commercial refrigeration. I've taken so much away from it. But really why I structured this online program the way it is really to help technicians like you or people you know to.
Going to get a really good grasp of rack refrigeration or commercial refrigeration. Get better at electrical troubleshooting, get better on advanced compressor diagnostics. I think one of the biggest questions I get all the time is like, Trevor, I am, I am struggling at electrical or controls or, or this.
And when we dive in deep, we. It gets, it's more than just that, more than just electrical. It's, it's the confidence level I really believe. And even after you do like six or seven years in it, that's really when you, you start to get on call. I was having some conversations with technicians this week actually, and I was talking to some that were six years in, some that are two years in, some that were 20 years in.
And when we dive in deep, we. It gets, it's more than just that, more than just electrical. It's, it's the confidence level I really believe. And even after you do like six or seven years in it, that's really when you, you start to get on call. I was having some conversations with technicians this week actually, and I was talking to some that were six years in, some that are two years in, some that were 20 years in.
And like I, I felt what. A lot of them felt like the two year guy was like, man, I asked what stress you have to on this, on call. You know what I mean? I remember on-call stressing me right out because I wasn't as good as I wanted to be, but I didn't invest enough into myself. 'cause I did know I. I didn't know the value of investing in myself as much as I do today because it, it'll take you so much further.
It will reduce that stress level. And then when I talked with the guys that were 10, 20 years in, they were like, yeah, like around seven or eight year after putting into work, banging my head against the, the refrigeration unit rag and just, you know, stuck there, just having to figure out breaking stuff a lot.
And I, I'm like, I feel you. 'cause that's really when I started to be like, okay, like oncologist on call. Not where I stress about it. For man. Definitely for the, quite the first few years when I started taking on-call, it was, it was a stressful week and. This is one of the reasons why I create the Supermarket Academy was for helping technicians that were just like me six or seven years in.
And I, I'm like, I feel you. 'cause that's really when I started to be like, okay, like oncologist on call. Not where I stress about it. For man. Definitely for the, quite the first few years when I started taking on-call, it was, it was a stressful week and. This is one of the reasons why I create the Supermarket Academy was for helping technicians that were just like me six or seven years in.
And we, I do dive into it in short video form that, and that's what I really like about it. And a lot of people give a response like, Trevor, why I like the program. It's quick videos, there's lots of quizzes. It's challenge me and you're pushing me to go out and try this in the field. And that's the biggest thing.
Like I got a bunch of comments back from the Supermarket Academy and one of the biggest. Things is, is that, you know, the videos are great. One of the things that you helped me do is push me to do, take some of that action and then it's all up to up to me. And that's what I say all the time. It's up to you.
I can teach you so much stuff about refrigeration, super micro refrigeration, commercial refrigeration, CO2 refrigeration, but if you don't. Go out and take the action and try some of the things that we talk about and learn with your hands and take an action. It's gonna take you a lot longer to learn as well, because one of the things is it's designed to help reduce your learning curve, reducing your technical learning curve by going out.
I can teach you so much stuff about refrigeration, super micro refrigeration, commercial refrigeration, CO2 refrigeration, but if you don't. Go out and take the action and try some of the things that we talk about and learn with your hands and take an action. It's gonna take you a lot longer to learn as well, because one of the things is it's designed to help reduce your learning curve, reducing your technical learning curve by going out.And trying some of the things and going, you know, for example, if you're going to troubleshoot a compressor, it's not just going out and you know, just checking the superheat back at the compressor called the compressor super heat or the system super heat. You gotta check the compressor super heat.
You gotta check the compressor discharge or the discharge super heat. You gotta check the pump pressure. If it has an oil pump on it, you have to check the vols. You gotta check the amps, you gotta check the temperature of each cylinder if it's a semi-hermetic. So there's so many things that you, you want to do that I suggest you do because a lot of things are missed because we don't have enough data, and that's all refrigeration is.
We are data driven. You may not think about it, but we need our pressures, our temperatures, our volts, our amps, and when we get all that information in there that there can compile a diagnostic, and this is what we talk about in the Academy, really to help understand how to break down a complex problem.
'cause inside the academy I get into the fundamentals, which is super important. Understanding glide and sub cooling and things that you already know how to check, super eat that. That stuff is very, very important if you're newer to the industry. If you're four or five years in and you haven't checked.
'cause inside the academy I get into the fundamentals, which is super important. Understanding glide and sub cooling and things that you already know how to check, super eat that. That stuff is very, very important if you're newer to the industry. If you're four or five years in and you haven't checked.
Super eat very, very much. Well, where do I check Super Eat and talking about it, the different terms do, is it an evaporator super eat that I need to get, is it total or system Super Eat? And on a rack application, you don't just go and look at the E two or the microthermal da Danfoss to just look, okay, well it's looking good on the, on the.
At the rack, at the rack controller, well, one of those compressors could be running into an issue. So you gotta check each compressor. If there's six compressors on that parallel rack, you're gonna have to check each one of them because you may not know that there's one cylinder blown. And that's why I, I said earlier, it's like to check the temperature across 'em and diving into why, like, talk a lot about compressors because they are that.
Main component that hard of the system because if those fail, your system goes down or your customer system goes down and it's the most expensive component in a refrigeration system. So our job as technicians is to really take care of those, you know. From the service and the maintenance and the follow up.
Main component that hard of the system because if those fail, your system goes down or your customer system goes down and it's the most expensive component in a refrigeration system. So our job as technicians is to really take care of those, you know. From the service and the maintenance and the follow up.
What else we, I like to talk about is some of the big things is on the electrical side and in inside the programs, like how do you properly troubleshoot e electrical? I've been taught by so many different people, but I struggled first, six, seven years, electric, even longer probably than that to, to fully grasp electrical, troubleshoot.
And honestly, I'm still learning when, when I get onto DC voltage stuff or more control voltage side, but. If I have a wiring diagram, it makes it so much easier. It's following the map, and that's kind of what we talk about for an example, like I've done a a compressor course last, last night. I had a bunch of technicians there and one of the things was, a few of them said, well, I struggle with the electrical and controls troubleshooting, and one quick tip.
I said, okay, well if you want to follow the whole map, you take out the wiring diagram and where you put your meter at is that's where how you follow it. And then. Going to ground is just to check it. The potential energy that's safety, it's to see if there's any voltage there. When you're going to take say you're gonna isolate it.
I said, okay, well if you want to follow the whole map, you take out the wiring diagram and where you put your meter at is that's where how you follow it. And then. Going to ground is just to check it. The potential energy that's safety, it's to see if there's any voltage there. When you're going to take say you're gonna isolate it.
So you power it down, you lock it out. Then you use your meter to check, do you have any voltage at any of these places where you're gonna touch, you're gonna double check that stuff, triple check that stuff so you don't get shock. And one of the ones was like I asked like, what could cause a compressor fail?
And one person said, well, a contact her. And I'm like, that's such a great. Idea because I've seen many compressors being misdiagnosed or potentially replaced because the contactor has failed, not the compressor. And so one thing is, is I ask like, well, how do you know if the contactor has issued?
They're like, well, I pull it apart and I look, and if it's pitted, then I will change it inside or replace the contact. But you don't have to dive in that deep. You know what you can do is you can use your electrical meter and go across the contactor and see if you have a voltage drop. So if it's pulled in, you should have zero volts across that contact.
They're like, well, I pull it apart and I look, and if it's pitted, then I will change it inside or replace the contact. But you don't have to dive in that deep. You know what you can do is you can use your electrical meter and go across the contactor and see if you have a voltage drop. So if it's pulled in, you should have zero volts across that contact.
If you get four or 5, 6, 7 volts, that means that's pitting. You're gonna have to replace the internals or replace that whole contactor. And this is what we talk about inside the Supermarket Academy, really to help give ideas when you're out in the field doing troubleshooting. I had a technician reach out to me in the last week or two, took the program and has messaged me multiple times.
Now I'm solving problems because of taking the supermarket Academy. It's like, I've been doing this for 10 years in hvac, I've been doing supermarket for a year or two. And man, it, it was, it's huge. It, it's humbling to me that I can share some knowledge and they go out and they try the stuff and I'm super excited.
More and more people keep. Messaging me or writing comments in the supermarket Academy to say how it's helping them and then adding extra tips. Well, I seen this video and I tried this and then I did this and this is what fix it. And it's like, that is how you grow and this is how I want technicians to use.
More and more people keep. Messaging me or writing comments in the supermarket Academy to say how it's helping them and then adding extra tips. Well, I seen this video and I tried this and then I did this and this is what fix it. And it's like, that is how you grow and this is how I want technicians to use.
The Supermarket Academy is like you learn a little bit from the videos and then you go out and try it. For example, setting up or replacing an EPR that. You know, there's, there's things that you need to look at. Well, how do I check an EPR? What if it is a glide refrigerant? How do I, how do I organize all that?
So a standard refrige, like a standard blend, like an R 22, 4 0 4, is a glide refrigerator, but it's like one degree glide. So we never ever talked about it, but when you go there, you would check your. SST So your pressure, right? So what do I want that evaporator to be running at so I can make sure that I am pulling the heat outta that product?
So if you're looking for a, a case temp of say, 34, 33, and you're doing it off a low temp circuit, you can't run on that low temp pressure. So what you need to do is you have to have an EPR in there and these, the old mechanical EPRs. You have to increase the pressure. You increase the pressure, and you increase the, the temperature.
So if you're looking for a, a case temp of say, 34, 33, and you're doing it off a low temp circuit, you can't run on that low temp pressure. So what you need to do is you have to have an EPR in there and these, the old mechanical EPRs. You have to increase the pressure. You increase the pressure, and you increase the, the temperature.
So what you would do, you would set it for a certain SST. So, and if your coil, you're looking to manufacture data and it says, okay, this coil's A, they're looking for a 10. TD on it. Temperature difference across it. So that means you, the coil is say 23, 24, and then the airflow is 34, 33, 34. So what you need to do is set that EPR up.
You adjust it and there's a stem on it, and some have locks it, depending on what type of valve, if it's a sporin or if it's another brand or if it's an electronic EPR. There's different ways to do it, but we talk about that in the supermarket guide. But then you go out and you check what is coming out of the.
The discharge of, or the supplier of that case. And when you're dealing with the glide, what I've been recommending, lots of people think differently. You don't have to go to the midpoint or you just, you just go off set in the pressure pressure point, and then you go to the temperature. But what I was taught was you used the midpoint.
The discharge of, or the supplier of that case. And when you're dealing with the glide, what I've been recommending, lots of people think differently. You don't have to go to the midpoint or you just, you just go off set in the pressure pressure point, and then you go to the temperature. But what I was taught was you used the midpoint.
So you get the bubble point temperature, you get the dew point temperature and you divide it by two and whatever that that pressure is, you set it, set it to that. Now you can do pressure and pressure, divide it by two, and then you, that's what you get for your, your midpoint pressure. And, but that's the starting point.
You don't leave it at there. You run the system. And then you make sure that you're getting that supply air, that discharge air temperature. But before you even set that stuff, you gotta make sure that coil's clean. The drain is not plugged, your coil is down tight to the frame. So there's no like, bypassing of air, you gotta make sure there's no leaks in the case. You gotta make sure all the pans are down properly so there's, there's a proper airflow. The honeycombs are clean if they have honeycombs. So there's so many things you gotta want to check before you even go start adjusting any type of valve.
It's no different than a TX valve. You don't start adjusting a TX valve if everything is not, you know, all the things. Clean all the fan motors are running, so it's so, so important. And then with the e EPR, if you set it too high, that product's gonna run warm. AV said it too low, you're gonna frost up or you're gonna start freezing up.
It's no different than a TX valve. You don't start adjusting a TX valve if everything is not, you know, all the things. Clean all the fan motors are running, so it's so, so important. And then with the e EPR, if you set it too high, that product's gonna run warm. AV said it too low, you're gonna frost up or you're gonna start freezing up.
I've seen some great videos online last year on setting up an EPR. They went out to do a service call and all of a sudden it's, it's freezing out. There was water on the floor in this, in this case. Not sure why. I think it was a mo, a meat meat room. Walk-in box, but then he would walk, he walked in and he seen that the ice is, is starting to freeze on the floor, which that's too cold.
So he had to go in, adjust it a little bit. The spring. Started to lose some of its calibration was able to adjust it on call, but went back and then changed internals on it. So this is some of the stuff that we talk about, the things that you would have to do in, out in the field on checking it, and we show all these short videos and quizzes to, to really give you that, that.
So he had to go in, adjust it a little bit. The spring. Started to lose some of its calibration was able to adjust it on call, but went back and then changed internals on it. So this is some of the stuff that we talk about, the things that you would have to do in, out in the field on checking it, and we show all these short videos and quizzes to, to really give you that, that.That little boost. Did I see this for you? And you may have seen it. I have technicians who take this academy who are really skilled in supermarket refrigeration and commercial refrigeration. They're like, this was great. There were so many good reminders and tips that, you know, I forgot along the way that now I can use again.
You know, it got me a bit more focused. I was pigeonholed just in the way I was for the last. Couple years and, and gave me some ideas in the check on the multiflex board or how to check a transfuser or a temperature probe. And I think this is really why I spent a lot of time and I spent a lot of time working really hard on, on developing good videos, short videos, things that relate to technicians because I was a technician in the field and this is something I wish I had.
When I look back now now if I. Think back 17 years ago, would I be as acceptive as training as I'm now? Maybe not, you know? 'cause I was around people that we weren't really into training and we weren't thinking about training. And now I, I'm around people that, that are in personal development all the time and level up their skills and understand that the more that they learn, the more valuable they are to a company or to themselves.
When I look back now now if I. Think back 17 years ago, would I be as acceptive as training as I'm now? Maybe not, you know? 'cause I was around people that we weren't really into training and we weren't thinking about training. And now I, I'm around people that, that are in personal development all the time and level up their skills and understand that the more that they learn, the more valuable they are to a company or to themselves.
You know, the most important thing in anything is investing in yourself. Think about that, investing in yourself. You can take that knowledge with you anywhere you go, anywhere you travel around the world. And that's kind of why I built a lot of this stuff, really to build confidence working on complex systems.
Right? And the big thing is, is when I was having that conversation that I mentioned earlier with some of those technicians where the, the younger technician was doing it for a couple years. And he, he was like, well, I'm just out there and I'm figuring it out, you know, and it's, it's stressful. And I'm like, Hey, I know I've been there.
I. But the service managers I'm sure would want them to, they're, they're looking and hopefully they can take more calls or reduce the calls that they get. And I hear this all the time from people who take our private trainings or some of our other supermarket courses or commercial refrigeration courses where I get a call from the service managers.
You know what the biggest thing is, Trevor? Is that. My phone is not ringing as much as it used to, and I can get more of my work done as a service manager because they're more confident out there. They're solving problems. Is it, is it, you know, do you learn everything? Of course, not this this is a academy where if you watch it over and over and over again and you put the work in and you went out and tried, you'll become very proficient at, troubleshooting refrigeration systems. And that's the hands down for sure, because there's compressors in there and there's some electrical in there and there's how to repeat IDs and then how to go through a system and I don't know how understand oil management issues, like huge things that it took me forever to, to understand even oil management.
You know what the biggest thing is, Trevor? Is that. My phone is not ringing as much as it used to, and I can get more of my work done as a service manager because they're more confident out there. They're solving problems. Is it, is it, you know, do you learn everything? Of course, not this this is a academy where if you watch it over and over and over again and you put the work in and you went out and tried, you'll become very proficient at, troubleshooting refrigeration systems. And that's the hands down for sure, because there's compressors in there and there's some electrical in there and there's how to repeat IDs and then how to go through a system and I don't know how understand oil management issues, like huge things that it took me forever to, to understand even oil management.
Now I work on a lot of different systems. It, it still can get complex. The newer systems out there with with oil management. And so if you don't understand the, the oil carryover rate of the compressors, you don't understand the mass flow through the oil separate or coalescent separators or if, or if you don't understand like where all the filters are or what should the pressure differential be or where they're, how they're set or where they're set.
And. This, this can run into an issue when you're on a low load application or when you're running really hot. That's some of the things that I didn't understand even in the first, quite a few years. Like if you run the compressors really hot, your discharge head's really hot, it takes that oil, whatever the oil is, it starts to thin it out.
And. This, this can run into an issue when you're on a low load application or when you're running really hot. That's some of the things that I didn't understand even in the first, quite a few years. Like if you run the compressors really hot, your discharge head's really hot, it takes that oil, whatever the oil is, it starts to thin it out.
It, it changes the viscosity. Now that oil separator is not gonna separate the oil that should be going back to the reservoir, that should be going back to those compressors and you run into issue lubrication issues. And then if you have too low of an application, so. Too low of an Ambien, for example, or super low load.
Maybe you don't have the right pressure differential or you have a blown float on your oil pod and it's stopping the oil either to come in or it's filling the compressor up. So these are some of the things that we talk about and really dive into this stuff because I think it's really important to understand what you, what you'll see inside the program.
Maybe you don't have the right pressure differential or you have a blown float on your oil pod and it's stopping the oil either to come in or it's filling the compressor up. So these are some of the things that we talk about and really dive into this stuff because I think it's really important to understand what you, what you'll see inside the program.
And I know more and more technicians who take it, both men and women, that I'm getting great feedback from it and. You gotta, you gotta look at it, you gotta invest in yourself. But I know what I want to help the technicians with is really to save some times on their service calls so they can make it home in time for their sporting event with their kid, a date night with their spouse.
It's important to me now because I know. How long we work, how many hours we're on the road by ourselves for sometimes 8, 10, 12 hours in our head. And this is one of the reasons why, if I, I feel if you, you have that confidence and when you go into a service hub, when you leave a call, you're not stressed out, did I fix it?
Did I not fix it? Because I went through that. I remember leaving service calls and driving two hours away from the site and actually turning back around to go make sure and double check. And it was, I did, I opened all the valves, like the, the Huck Gas bypass or the Huck gas valve. And I just, you know, after to cleaning the case, they isolate all the, the components to, to do deicing.
Did I not fix it? Because I went through that. I remember leaving service calls and driving two hours away from the site and actually turning back around to go make sure and double check. And it was, I did, I opened all the valves, like the, the Huck Gas bypass or the Huck gas valve. And I just, you know, after to cleaning the case, they isolate all the, the components to, to do deicing.
And then you gotta open all the valves back up. And I re, I remember turning around and did I make sure I opened that ball valve? So, so I didn't get a call two hours later or three hours later, but I'd go back and it was open or go back and check did I turn that condensing unit back on because I've done it before.
Honestly, just working so many hours that you work on a system, you get it up and running and you forget to turn the condenser back on. It just happens, you know, you are just a brain fog. It is if you work too many hours. And then we work a demanding, demanding job. But I know those technicians who understand how to troubleshoot, have the confidence and who can fix the problems the first time.
They don't stress out as much. There is their stressful taste. Man, every job has a stressful day. I, I have stressful days, you know? And it's important to really recognize on what you know and what you want to learn and how you want to grow. That's, and that's how I get better. I, you know, I continue to invest in my myself to try to better myself so I can share this knowledge with more technicians out there from around the world.
They don't stress out as much. There is their stressful taste. Man, every job has a stressful day. I, I have stressful days, you know? And it's important to really recognize on what you know and what you want to learn and how you want to grow. That's, and that's how I get better. I, you know, I continue to invest in my myself to try to better myself so I can share this knowledge with more technicians out there from around the world.
I built a program so it doesn't matter where you're from, I got units in Celsius and Fahrenheit and Bar and PSI. So it'll give a, a big versatile, more versatile program where more people can, can take it from around the world. And I think that that's one of the differentiators. I'm trying to help people globally.
Units used to struggle. I still struggle with units 'cause I live in Canada and we do our temperatures and. In Celsius, and then I, if I travel to the US or then it's in Fahrenheit and then, you know, it's like, oh. And then I do refrigeration in Canada and we talk about it in Fahrenheit, but you know, you go to all on the news or in our houses, it's all in Fahrenheit and it's, it's funny.
Or in Celsius, sorry. And it, and it's funny. That, you know, we do refrigeration, we need enough Fahrenheit we just personal life, it's in Celsius. So understanding the differences is very, very important to me. Like I, I'm actually better at reading manuals now because there's lots of manuals that come from Europe or different places around the world that are in, in Celsius or Bar or Calvin.
Or in Celsius, sorry. And it, and it's funny. That, you know, we do refrigeration, we need enough Fahrenheit we just personal life, it's in Celsius. So understanding the differences is very, very important to me. Like I, I'm actually better at reading manuals now because there's lots of manuals that come from Europe or different places around the world that are in, in Celsius or Bar or Calvin.
(00:21):
And I. Now it's easier for me to understand. That was one big thing that I, I, it took me a long time to grasp when I was reading all these Alco man mules coming from Europe and inside it, like the super heat was six K. I'm like, what does six K mean? Well, that's six Calvin. Well, what's six Calvin mean?
That means 10 degrees, 10 point something degrees Fahrenheit. I'm like, well, 10, 10 degrees Fahrenheit. So. Why do we say it in fair and they say it in Calvin? 'cause I thought Calvin, well, it's like that minus 273. But no, it's a temperature difference. So this is one of the things is when we talk about temperature units, that's Celsius and Fahrenheit.
When we talk about temperature difference, that's Calvin and Rankin. So it's, it's just understanding these terminologies. And I try to implement a lot of that in the training program in the supermarket Academy. So. It'll, it'll make it easier for you. 'cause I know now it's CO2 and more people getting and starting to learn.
When we talk about temperature difference, that's Calvin and Rankin. So it's, it's just understanding these terminologies. And I try to implement a lot of that in the training program in the supermarket Academy. So. It'll, it'll make it easier for you. 'cause I know now it's CO2 and more people getting and starting to learn.
CO2. A lot of the equipment and components come from Europe and it's not converted into, say, Fahrenheit and really, which it should be, it should be ranking, for example. So if you're checking sore at a case. And you're looking for the temp temperature differential where we say it's 10 Fahrenheit. For an example, it's really 10 ranking.
Another little tip there. Does it, does it really matter? No. You just need to be checking the super eat. That's one of the biggest things you need to be checking it and making sure you're getting the right. Information and is it the super evaporate or is it the super at the compressor? So many different things that you want to check, right?
And and this is another reason why we built this is is to really fast track that. I know for sure I can see it already. People reducing their learning curves. I had another technician talk about having a plug. Suction filter. Something that they never really checked before, but coming into a program and just talking about it and seeing it and getting a better understanding of these different checkpoints and where you should check them, gave them the confidence.
And and this is another reason why we built this is is to really fast track that. I know for sure I can see it already. People reducing their learning curves. I had another technician talk about having a plug. Suction filter. Something that they never really checked before, but coming into a program and just talking about it and seeing it and getting a better understanding of these different checkpoints and where you should check them, gave them the confidence.
Okay, let me just check it and see what it is. Oh man. I have a 30 PSI differential 35 PSI differential across this filter dot. Does not make sense or going across a check valve or a filter dryer going across, and the temperatures, oh, I got 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 degree temperature drop across it. We know something's plugging up.
So this is one of the reasons, some of the reasons why I want to share this knowledge and, and have a look. Head to refrigeration mentor.com slash courses, or go into the course page and click on the Supermarket Academy and check it out for yourself. Like it's, I, I know for sure I spent a lot of time, I had a lot of good, great people review it.
My good friend Andrew Freeberg, he spent some time going through it. Another friend Aiden, he, they. They spent some time looking at it, and these guys have been doing it for 20, 20 years, you know, and they, they're taking a, at a lens of, okay, how would this help me when I was five, six years in the industry?
And, and and a lot of the apprentices take it and newer technicians that are getting a huge amount of value at it, and HVAC technicians who want to get into supermarket commercial refrigeration are, are really grasping that knowledge. And another technician been doing it for 26 years, my friend John.
And, and and a lot of the apprentices take it and newer technicians that are getting a huge amount of value at it, and HVAC technicians who want to get into supermarket commercial refrigeration are, are really grasping that knowledge. And another technician been doing it for 26 years, my friend John.
And before, before he met, he was like, man, I'm trying to, you know, break into the supermarket industry, trying to get a, a feel for it and what do you have? So, took the academy and it's like, it just breaks it down for him. He did a lot of VRF and the big thing is, is that I can make it. Comparable to the things that you would see in the VRF world, because one of the big things is, is that they're similar.
It's refrigeration, right? We're moving heat and I. When he took the program, he's like, he could relate a lot of the stuff he learned from all the field into the supermarket world. And once again, all of this comes back to you investing in yourself, you going out and actually doing and putting action in to complete.
The, these tasks and, and building that confidence and showing your, your employer that you can do it or yourself, that I can go out and try this and go, oh, yeah, I've never really tested a, a pressure transducer electrically before. I just threw my gauge on and says, but you can do it electrically. They're on a linear, linear curve chart.
The, these tasks and, and building that confidence and showing your, your employer that you can do it or yourself, that I can go out and try this and go, oh, yeah, I've never really tested a, a pressure transducer electrically before. I just threw my gauge on and says, but you can do it electrically. They're on a linear, linear curve chart.
So you go up and you get, okay, well my, my feed signal is five. Volts. Say it's a five or a 12 volt, doesn't matter. So it's five volt e dc or 4.5. So I check it, oh, I'm getting three point i I get my five going into the transducer. Now I check my my feedback and my signal coming back and oh, I'm getting 2.1.
Well, that correlates to a specific pressure depending on the range of that transducer. So you can check it electrically as well, without. Putting a, a gauge on it. I always recommend testing it multiple ways so you totally understand. Or an output. Well, how does the output work? Well, that board or that node or whatever it is from whatever control manufacturer is sending out a zero to 10 volt signal will say to say, A Rampa fan up or Rampa fan down.
Well, that correlates to a specific pressure depending on the range of that transducer. So you can check it electrically as well, without. Putting a, a gauge on it. I always recommend testing it multiple ways so you totally understand. Or an output. Well, how does the output work? Well, that board or that node or whatever it is from whatever control manufacturer is sending out a zero to 10 volt signal will say to say, A Rampa fan up or Rampa fan down.
Where's that 10 volts coming from? Well, there's an input going into that board. So it could be a temperature probe or a pressure probe going into the board. The board converts it into a zero to 10 volt signal. So you say it's a range. So at zero P at zero PS, I. That's at zero volts at a hundred PSI.
That's 10 volt. So as the PSI increases, it starts to increase. You'll see that voltage volts DC start to go out. Go 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. So when you're at six Volts DC that's 60 PSI. And this is a simple example. I'm just making these numbers up, but that's how it works. So I get an input coming in. My pressure starts.
To rise, that pressure starts to rise inside that input so that board knows, okay, well we're at 60 PSI, let's send an output signal or six volts DC to do an action. So it could be ramping up a compressor or, or ramping down or ramping up a fan or ramping down and a compressor on A-V-F-D-I guess I should have mentioned on a suction pressure.
So the, all these different things that, that we need to, to learn about. And it gets into the supermarket program. It gets into electronic valves and, and how to test the electronic valves and case controllers. You gotta get into these manuals, so if you really want to learn, I, I'll show you how to test them quickly and troubleshoot them pretty quick.
So the, all these different things that, that we need to, to learn about. And it gets into the supermarket program. It gets into electronic valves and, and how to test the electronic valves and case controllers. You gotta get into these manuals, so if you really want to learn, I, I'll show you how to test them quickly and troubleshoot them pretty quick.
But you do understand you need to understand all the parameters. This does this take time? It does take time. You can get quick start menus, which is great now, but if you want to be really. Really proficient. You wanna understand that specific component you're working on to the best of your ability and not be like well I don't know how to set the address, or if I'm gonna change it, I pull it out and put it in.
You don't set anything up. You can't just do that with a lot of case controllers. You gotta set the refer, at least the address minimum. It doesn't matter what manufacturers, you gotta at least set the address and you set the address. Sometimes it'll drop. The file back into it, but you still have to understand even how to do that.
So getting in there, understanding, well, what's the refrigerant and what's the set points? And you can, sometimes you can do a backup off a different controller and put it in there, and then you verify this stuff. Does it take time to learn? Yes, but I'm, I'm learning from all these different. Experts from around the world and trying to compile great information for technicians and great technicians who want to invest in themselves, who want to learn, who want to get better.
So getting in there, understanding, well, what's the refrigerant and what's the set points? And you can, sometimes you can do a backup off a different controller and put it in there, and then you verify this stuff. Does it take time to learn? Yes, but I'm, I'm learning from all these different. Experts from around the world and trying to compile great information for technicians and great technicians who want to invest in themselves, who want to learn, who want to get better.
And this is why I keep doing it. Why I keep doing building programs like the Supermarket Academy for Technicians, for Contractors is because I want them to, to get better. I want them to have a, a, a better opportunity at learning because. Not everyone gets the opportunity to have someone to bounce ideas off or, or look at the, you know, videos that may, man, I was working on that and I didn't really know what I was doing.
Now it's like, okay, look, okay, now give you an idea of what to try and troubleshoot. I. So there's so much more, you know, understanding the discharge line temps, which I talked about so, so important. Depending on the compressor manufacturer, it's gonna be a different number. You know, we, we know that oil starts losing lubrication over 300 Fahrenheit or 150 Celsius.
After you start to get above that, you start to, the viscosity starts changing, then you start to get to 400 degrees of Fahrenheit or, or 200 degrees. Celsius, you know, it's, it's usually you're breaking down the oil in 200 degrees. Is, is. Too high, but say 1 70, 180, you're starting to, you're starting to break down that oil.
After you start to get above that, you start to, the viscosity starts changing, then you start to get to 400 degrees of Fahrenheit or, or 200 degrees. Celsius, you know, it's, it's usually you're breaking down the oil in 200 degrees. Is, is. Too high, but say 1 70, 180, you're starting to, you're starting to break down that oil.
You're starting to, it cause issues inside that compressor to where it leads to a, a failure. And so it's, it's something that we need to continue to check if we're at. And that's what's inside a lot of this, this program. Just taking a look at that understanding the system as a whole. This is something I dive in heavy into the academy.
It's like, it doesn't matter this, if you're working on a chiller, if you're working on an air handler or you're working on a rack, if you take the same process to it, you can. You can work on more equipment, ice machines. It doesn't matter when you understand the process of. The system. How does it actually work?
What is the se sequence of operation? Where is the wiring diagram room? Understanding all that stuff will be a game changer. I really wanna thank you for taking the time and if you have any comments, put them down below. You can d DM me, shoot me DM on LinkedIn or Facebook. You can email me at info@refrigerationmentor.com.
What is the se sequence of operation? Where is the wiring diagram room? Understanding all that stuff will be a game changer. I really wanna thank you for taking the time and if you have any comments, put them down below. You can d DM me, shoot me DM on LinkedIn or Facebook. You can email me at info@refrigerationmentor.com.
I'm here to help. We just launched a, a community, the refrigeration mentor hub, if you're interested in that. Jump onto my link tray. I'll put it down in the The post before, and to get in there to just start learning to see the kind of content and the people that we're trying to help in the community.
This is the community that really cares and we're gonna help support technicians out there who want to grow and who want to learn. And that's who we're looking for, to support people who want to get to the next level in their career, who bring a positive attitude you know. Every day is not gonna be perfect.
But if we can look at what we're doing right and how we can help other people, and how we can grow together, learn together, and grow together, that's gonna be a game changer. So head to refrigeration mentor.com, check out the Supermarket Academy. I know it's gonna be a game changer for so many out there.
And look forward to seeing you in some of these program. Look forward to chatting with you. And as always, thank you so, so much for, for being there, learning, growing. My name is Trevor Matthews. Let's get a conversation going.
And look forward to seeing you in some of these program. Look forward to chatting with you. And as always, thank you so, so much for, for being there, learning, growing. My name is Trevor Matthews. Let's get a conversation going.
And look forward to seeing you in some of these program. Look forward to chatting with you. And as always, thank you so, so much for, for being there, learning, growing. My name is Trevor Matthews. Let's get a conversation going.
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