Cold Ambient Flooded Condenser, & It's Not Time For Xmas Stuff, Brett's In Nashville Episode 539Low Ambient Chaos: Headmasters, Flooded Condensers, and Why Your Receiver’s ScreamingOn the Advanced Refrigeration Podcast, Brett Wetzel and Kevin Compas rant about stores pushing Christmas displays too early, then dive into low-ambient season nuisance calls: low receivers, liquid feed problems, and winter headaches caused by tight holdbacks, bad summer startups, and improperly set ORI/headmaster valves. They discuss standalone case-controller frustrations where settings won’t save and firmware quirks break lights and fans unless defrost times fall between midnight and 3:00 AM. The episode covers troubleshooting smoking-hot receivers and cool condensers from headmaster bypassing, proper flooded-condenser charging using Sporlan charts (and tools like an Excel calculator), and why blindly adding refrigerant can backfire—especially when condenser split/pump-out issues trap liquid. They also warn about fan-splitting controls, uneven condenser piping, rooftop suction lines condensing liquid, and Chicago “fireman’s dump” lines causing additional cold-weather problems.

Cold Ambient Flooded Condenser, & It's Not Time For Xmas Stuff, Brett's In Nashville Episode 539Low Ambient Chaos: Headmasters, Flooded Condensers, and Why Your Receiver’s ScreamingOn the Advanced Refrigeration Podcast, Brett Wetzel and Kevin Compas rant about stores pushing Christmas displays too early, then dive into low-ambient season nuisance calls: low receivers, liquid feed problems, and winter headaches caused by tight holdbacks, bad summer startups, and improperly set ORI/headmaster valves. They discuss standalone case-controller frustrations where settings won’t save and firmware quirks break lights and fans unless defrost times fall between midnight and 3:00 AM. The episode covers troubleshooting smoking-hot receivers and cool condensers from headmaster bypassing, proper flooded-condenser charging using Sporlan charts (and tools like an Excel calculator), and why blindly adding refrigerant can backfire—especially when condenser split/pump-out issues trap liquid. They also warn about fan-splitting controls, uneven condenser piping, rooftop suction lines condensing liquid, and Chicago “fireman’s dump” lines causing additional cold-weather problems.

CO₂ Single Condensing Units: Relief Valves, pRack Pain, and Dorin Two‑Stage DiagnosticsBrett Wetzel and Kevin Compass open the Advanced Refrigeration Podcast joking about “pop” in the Midwest before diving into CO₂ single condensing units as Brett teaches in Minnesota and discusses an SCM Frigo unit. They compare common controllers (Carel pRack/mini PAC, Danfoss, and Copeland possibilities), complain about limited tech-friendly navigation and lack of onboard trending, and discuss pulling data via Modbus/BACnet and supervisory options like Boss Mini. Brett reviews relief valve piping after seeing popped reliefs, critiques tight packaging and reliability, and notes issues like overcharging and mismatched evaporator/valve capacity that can empty a sight glass. They walk through SCM Frigo medium-temp piping, internal heat exchange, Carel E2V-C valves, BGV function, and oil system designs, then cover a Dorin two-stage low-temp unit with floating flash tank pressure and shared plenum cooling. Brett demonstrates using Dorin software to estimate expected interstage/flash tank pressure, amperage, and temperatures to diagnose performance without relying on pump-down tests, and points to the web-based version of the tool.

CO₂ Single Condensing Units: Relief Valves, pRack Pain, and Dorin Two‑Stage DiagnosticsBrett Wetzel and Kevin Compass open the Advanced Refrigeration Podcast joking about “pop” in the Midwest before diving into CO₂ single condensing units as Brett teaches in Minnesota and discusses an SCM Frigo unit. They compare common controllers (Carel pRack/mini PAC, Danfoss, and Copeland possibilities), complain about limited tech-friendly navigation and lack of onboard trending, and discuss pulling data via Modbus/BACnet and supervisory options like Boss Mini. Brett reviews relief valve piping after seeing popped reliefs, critiques tight packaging and reliability, and notes issues like overcharging and mismatched evaporator/valve capacity that can empty a sight glass. They walk through SCM Frigo medium-temp piping, internal heat exchange, Carel E2V-C valves, BGV function, and oil system designs, then cover a Dorin two-stage low-temp unit with floating flash tank pressure and shared plenum cooling. Brett demonstrates using Dorin software to estimate expected interstage/flash tank pressure, amperage, and temperatures to diagnose performance without relying on pump-down tests, and points to the web-based version of the tool.

More CO2 Oil Issues, & HPV AndBGV How Far Should It Be Open, And A Pizza Review Episode 537Oil Gremlins, 90-Bar Racks & Why Your BGV Is Always “Wrong” | Advanced Refrigeration PodcastBrett and Kevin kick off the Advanced Refrigeration Podcast comparing miserable travel weeks, altitude sickness, and brutal high-desert heat during transcritical CO₂ Target startups, then dive into recurring rack problems—especially oil management. They describe a common piping/design issue where the oil drain shoots straight across the oil reservoir toward the flash tank vent, sending oil into the system and back through suction, and explain a field fix by relocating/flip-flopping valves and adding access points.They also cover repeated startup headaches (wrong DIP switches, drive wiring reversed, Belimo valve position errors, programming mistakes), discuss newer HB oil sensors and inverted digital inputs, and complain about overly complicated 0–10V solid-state relay oil controls.Finally, they use Danfoss CoolSelector calculations to estimate proper high-pressure valve and flash gas bypass valve sizing/opening percentages and relate this to hot-gas defrost impacts, adiabatic gas cooler performance, and limited EMS permissions for forcing valves on XM/iPro controllers.

More CO2 Oil Issues, & HPV AndBGV How Far Should It Be Open, And A Pizza Review Episode 537Oil Gremlins, 90-Bar Racks & Why Your BGV Is Always “Wrong” | Advanced Refrigeration PodcastBrett and Kevin kick off the Advanced Refrigeration Podcast comparing miserable travel weeks, altitude sickness, and brutal high-desert heat during transcritical CO₂ Target startups, then dive into recurring rack problems—especially oil management. They describe a common piping/design issue where the oil drain shoots straight across the oil reservoir toward the flash tank vent, sending oil into the system and back through suction, and explain a field fix by relocating/flip-flopping valves and adding access points.They also cover repeated startup headaches (wrong DIP switches, drive wiring reversed, Belimo valve position errors, programming mistakes), discuss newer HB oil sensors and inverted digital inputs, and complain about overly complicated 0–10V solid-state relay oil controls.Finally, they use Danfoss CoolSelector calculations to estimate proper high-pressure valve and flash gas bypass valve sizing/opening percentages and relate this to hot-gas defrost impacts, adiabatic gas cooler performance, and limited EMS permissions for forcing valves on XM/iPro controllers.

Vacuum Fiascos, BlueVac Hoses, and the Brisket Shift: Pulling Deep Vacuums on CO₂ Racks.In this episode, the hosts bounce from brisket trash talk into a practical (and chaotic) deep-dive on pulling vacuums for CO₂ rack startups after a week of target store work complicated by leaks and half-finished racks. They break down their preferred setup—NAVAC NRD30/32 vacuum pumps with KF16 fittings, BlueVac hoses, and multi-hose manifolds—plus why they avoid belt-drive pumps and dislike multiple-pump setups. They cover best practices for maximizing vacuum flow, managing wet systems, and why “triple evac” is ineffective compared to using heat with continuous vacuum and oil changes, with cold traps and desiccant as alternatives. The conversation also hits moisture risks like carbonic acid damage, questionable CO₂ tank dryness, filtering practices, and the frustration of 650-psi reliefs on charging lines tied to low-rated dryer housings.

Pulling Vacuums, Removing Moisture, Bad Piping, Charging CO2, and Smoking Brisket Episode 536 Vacuum Fiascos, BlueVac Hoses, and the Brisket Shift: Pulling Deep Vacuums on CO₂ Racks. In this episode, the hosts bounce from brisket trash talk into a practical (and chaotic) deep-dive on pulling vacuums for CO₂ rack startups after a week of target store work complicated by leaks and half-finished racks. They break down their preferred setup—NAVAC NRD30/32 vacuum pumps with KF16 fittings, BlueVac hoses, and multi-hose manifolds—plus why they avoid belt-drive pumps and dislike multiple-pump setups. They cover best practices for maximizing vacuum flow, managing wet systems, and why “triple evac” is ineffective compared to using heat with continuous vacuum and oil changes, with cold traps and desiccant as alternatives. The conversation also hits moisture risks like carbonic acid damage, questionable CO₂ tank dryness, filtering practices, and the frustration of 650-psi reliefs on charging lines tied to low-rated dryer housings.

CO2 Hot Gas Defrost Causing Flood back & The Happiest Place In The World & He’s still Angry Episode 535 Rusty Cases, Wet Racks & Hot Gas Defrost Chaos (CO₂ Rack Tuning Gone Wild)Hosts Brett Wetzel and Kevin Compass recap a hectic week on the Advanced Refrigeration Podcast, starting with widespread issues from a case manufacturer in Mexico where components arrive severely rusted or even full of water, leading to leaks, missing rack parts, long evacuation times, and concerns that contractors will rush vacuums.They also describe multiple failing case controllers that output erratic signals and drop communication.The conversation shifts to Brett’s work in Vermont teaching and troubleshooting a ZeroZone CO₂ rack hot gas defrost setup, including inlet pressure regulator and relief protection, and how an incorrectly set regulator caused flash tank turbulence, flash gas bypass over-opening, low medium-temp superheat, oil carryover, and compressor issues—especially with horizontal “laydown” flash tanks.They discuss PID tuning challenges, valve reliability, and an oil dump line piping detail that can vent oil straight out of the receiver.

CO2 Hot Gas Defrost Causing Flood back & The Happiest Place In The World & He’s still Angry Episode 535 VideoRusty Cases, Wet Racks & Hot Gas Defrost Chaos (CO₂ Rack Tuning Gone Wild)Hosts Brett Wetzel and Kevin Compass recap a hectic week on the Advanced Refrigeration Podcast, starting with widespread issues from a case manufacturer in Mexico where components arrive severely rusted or even full of water, leading to leaks, missing rack parts, long evacuation times, and concerns that contractors will rush vacuums.They also describe multiple failing case controllers that output erratic signals and drop communication.The conversation shifts to Brett’s work in Vermont teaching and troubleshooting a ZeroZone CO₂ rack hot gas defrost setup, including inlet pressure regulator and relief protection, and how an incorrectly set regulator caused flash tank turbulence, flash gas bypass over-opening, low medium-temp superheat, oil carryover, and compressor issues—especially with horizontal “laydown” flash tanks.They discuss PID tuning challenges, valve reliability, and an oil dump line piping detail that can vent oil straight out of the receiver.