It is officially Summer. If you want to get the most out of your equipment during the hottest months of the year, it is important to understand how hot weather can affect your chiller as temperatures heat up. Monitoring a few key performance issues on your chiller should become part of your hot weather routine:
Condenser
Check the clearances related to your chiller’s condenser. If too much hot air is traveling through the condenser, pressure will build. This can cause a certain built-in safety features to activate, the high/low switch.
Condenser tubes can be cleaned by hand or use of a chemical based cleaning method. Significant performance reduction can be caused even by scale build up that is quite thin and seemingly irrelevant.
Air Flow
As air flow diminishes, pressure rises. Once the pressure reaches a high enough level, the high/low switch will be tripped.
Determine that the space around the chiller is providing adequate airflow. Warmer air expands. As ambient temperature heats up around your chiller, you may need to adjust its position to provide more space for air circulation. If it is too near a surface, such as a wall, as the hot air is expelled, the area between the chiller and the wall will heat up quickly. Allow enough space for discharged hot air to dissipate effectively.
Inspect fan blades, motors and blowers and determine that all are operating properly and have no obstructions.
High/Low Switch
This safety feature is designed to protect the chiller’s compressor from damage or failure due to high pressure. Once activated, the chiller will have to be reset manually. Rather than have an automatic reset design, the manual reset requires an operator to determine that the high pressure problem has been resolved. There are other issues other than high ambient temperatures that can result in high pressure that will trip the high/low switch:
- Malfunctioning fan motor
- Reduced air flow
- Condenser blockage
- Rapid glycol temperature increase due to sudden high load
Once the high/low switch has activated the compressor is no longer running. The chiller’s pump may be running and distributing glycol but the compressor will not run until the high/low switch is manually reset.
Regardless of the function of your chiller (brewery, foodservice, medical field, industrial), the principles of how the machine operates are the same. Chillers require proper monitoring and maintenance, especially during the hottest season of the year, in order to operate at optimum efficiency. A non-operative chiller can interfere with a business or industry’s productivity. A qualified technician may not be immediately available. To avoid operational disruption of your chiller and the resulting down-time it could cause, the best solution is to rent a chiller from a qualified company. By renting your chiller you enjoy the following advantages:
- Replacement unit without investing thousands of dollars
- Easily upgrade or downsize according to need
- Rapid response for unit delivery
- Professional maintenance
- Dependable, reliable, round the clock service
- Rental agreement protection for damage as well as normal wear and tear
When selecting your chiller, the key to success is the company you choose. Experience and reputation should be high on the list when comparing competitors. With over fifty years of experience in the industry, our customers can rent chillers with confidence. Qualified service technicians receive the best education and training. As manufacturers of chillers we have the expertise to know all the intricacies of how to keep your chiller operating at peak performance.
We meet the chiller needs of a variety of industries and have an extensive inventory. We can meet any chiller need anywhere, whether it is delivering an entire unit or servicing an existing one. For more information on how your expectations can be surpassed by our service, please contact us.
