Page 39 - Climate Control News May 2021
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                 Troubleshooting Tips
  7GET A MONITORING TOOL AND LEARN HOW TO USE IT. All the major HVAC compa- nies have monitoring tools. This tool allows you to connect and see how the system will behave. If the system is in error it is much harder to identify the problem without a mon- itoring tool. It will also allow you to record data and produce graphs that allow you to analyse the system while also referring to the service manuals. Connecting your gauges to the system, without being able to know what the unit sees, is like trying to diagnose the system blindfolded.
8CHECK THE AIRFLOW. HVAC SYSTEMS ARE DESIGNED TO PERFORM UNDER CERTAIN AIRFLOW RANGE.
If the unit tries to maintain a Super-heat of 5K over the heat exchanger by controlling the opening ratio of the expansion valve – and the airflow is below a certain level - the system will decrease the expansion valve opening to keep a proper Superheat and prevent the risk of wet-operation. Another thing you might discover is an airflow dif- ference between the inlet and the outlet that might indicate air leaks or untreated air going to the unit which impacts perfor- mance, and leads to a dirty heat exchanger. Again, do the test after you have allowed the unit to stabilise.
9CHECK THE INLET AND OUTLET TEMP FROM THE UNIT. Especially in ducted units, we might have a major difference between the energy the unit transfers and what is in- troduced to the building. We have to check
(again, after the system has stabilised) the in- let and outlet air temp and compare it to the temp of the return air grille and the diffusers. We might discover that we lose energy to the roof space.
This was a very brief explanation about the basics of HVAC service diagnostics and there is so much more to cover. However, these tips will improve service skills and may save time, money and a lot of frustration.
To contact the author go to: linkedin.com/in/steven-mantine ✺
  MEET THE SOLVERS
 Manufacturers serious about product support, find inventive ways to assist customers.
A popular platform for technical support is You Tube, which has an endless supply of How-to videos.
More than 500 hours of content is posted on You Tube every minute of every day.
A manufacturer that has even created characters for its troubleshooting series is Hitachi.
The Hitachi series gets straight to
the point and is surprisingly entertaining. The presenters are a trio of superhero styled technicians known as the Solvers.
The team tagline for the Solvers is ‘Be professional and Enjoy your work’. The Solvers are made up of Johnny
Trust, Amy Smart and Max Snappy. Each video deals with a different
problem and covers specific error codes relating to commercial air conditioners.
For example, there is 31 error code on centrifugal VRF, VRF and Utopian systems as well as other error codes. Interest in VRF systems has sky- rocketed in recent years because of their high energy saving potential and easy maintenance. Each video provides the causes of each problem before going onto the solutions.
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 CLIMATE CONTROL NEWS
MAY 2021
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