In 1987 most of the world (190 countries) ratified the Montreal Protocol to reduce the use of ozone depleting refrigerants, not only in air-conditioning and refrigeration, but also in aerosol spray cans (like hair spray and spray paint). At that time, the most commonly used refrigerant was R-12 a chlorofluorocarbon (CFC). CFC's were the most aggressive [...]
We see a lot of pretty yucky ice machines in our business, and the reason is, it's not that easy to a clean an icemaker. There is gook lurking in every crack To clean an ice machine you have to take it apart. We take apart and clean the entire water distribution [...]
All buildings are different, so it makes sense to design a maintenance plan that is tailored to each building. For instance a restaurant might have 4 condensing units on the roof, but two of them are near the outlets of the kitchen ventilation system. Those condenser coils will need cleaning more often than two that [...]
Some of our larger customers, restaurant chains with a regional or national footprint, are starting to see the benefits of a comprehensive planned maintenance plan. They are specifying a comprehensive menu of services for the HVAC and refrigeration machines at their locations. For some of our customers we have a list of 40 or more [...]
Patrick and I went on a service call today to fix a few things at a Raleigh NC pizza restaurant that is getting ready to open in a location previously occupied by another restaurant. Because it's a new restaurant they have to bring everything up to code even though the old restaurant was able to [...]
We've been working on an interesting problem at a busy diner in Smithfield NC. For a long time the restaurant has been very humid inside. We are talking tropical, but with a dank smell inside. We quickly figured out that when the restaurant was designed, the engineers specified AC units that were much too powerful [...]
Hello, my name is Karim Nice. In August of 2013 I bought the company from its previous owner Patrick. Before acquiring Patrick's company I ran a successful eCommerce company which I sold in 2012. I'm a Mechanical Engineer by education, but I dabble in just about everything: programming, accounting, writing, heck, [...]
Last week we got a call from the owner of a restaurant in Garner, North Carolina. The walk in freezer wasn't cooling adequately - it was only pulling down to 20 degrees F. Chris went out to take a look and quickly diagnosed the issue as worn valves on the semi-hermetic compressor. Where a less [...]
When leasing a new space, the lease will often stipulate that any repairs to the heating and cooling system are the responsibility of the tenant. This may seem harmless at first, but if the building has a system that is already ten or 15 years old, you are likely going to be the one replacing [...]
If you are leasing your space, your lease likely requires that you contract with a company to provide planned maintenance on the heating and cooling system. Most leases require two or four visits a year. If you shop for the cheapest price, you are going to get the bare minimum of service. Maybe they will [...]
