And we should be live, how y'all doing tonight. I still no matter how many times I do these things. I still forget what I'm supposed to do when I come onto here, I got a push up a bunch of buttons and different things. Get everything to go.

Happy New Year to everybody - hopefully everybody had a nice Monday today got a couple things I want to talk about today and then a buncha guys in the chat already asked a few questions I'll go over and answer some of those questions and then we'll kind of Go from there, the main thing that I kind of want to start talking about this. The beginning of this stream is the the video that I uploaded about the Manitowoc ice machine nasty one. That was all dirty that everybody kind of blew my mind, how many views that got and it kind of went in a direction that I really didn't want it to go. I mean I was trying to.

Oh thanks a lot Mike. I really appreciate it went in a direction that uh I mean I I knew it was I I I put a thumbnail like that to kind of get the attention of how dirty that ice machine was, but what's interesting is, is that my channel is starting to Draw attention from people that aren't in the trade, which is very interesting, YouTube's algorithm is changing, or something like that and they're recommending it to people that have nothing to do with HVAC are, which I don't mind, because my channel essentially is not a do-it-yourself Channel. You know the general homeowner or a restaurant owner can't really watch my videos and say: okay, I want to fix the ice machine. You know I leave out a lot purposely for that reason, because I don't want people to to try to use it as a DIY channel or anything like that, but it's drawing the attention of people that aren't in the industry that think you know that is the Most absolute disgusting thing in the world that I should notify the Health Department and all that different stuff, and I mean for those of you that already work with ice machines.

You probably already know that ice machine that I had in that video really wasn't even that. Dirty Matt, thank you very much man. I really appreciate it, but um yeah that ice machine much worse as far as ice machines co over the years and a lot of people don't realize that that's stuff. That was in the ice machine that slime - and you know when you see calcium and different things in the ice machine.

I mean a lot of times that stuff, it's not a big of a deal as people think it is still disgusting. Don't get me wrong and you know, and I mean nobody wants to eat, that kind of stuff for or you know have a drink with it or anything like that, but it still kind of blew my mind how how that video kind of blew up. I will address the chat here in a little while I'm gon na kind of just go over these topics and stuff and then I'll start. Looking at the questions and everything you know right to start off, the the thing that I want to the thing that I want to address is ice machine cleaners, okay, I've said this before and I kind of don't feel like.

I can say it enough. I want to keep saying it: it's very important to understand what cleaners you need to use for ice machines and what clean you know, which one for which ice machine? Essentially, okay. So it's pretty safe to say that on a hoshizaki ice machine, it's pretty safe to say that's the only one that you can use the clear, pure phosphoric acid ice machine cleaners. Okay, now, if you use Hoshizaki x' actual cleaner, it's called scale away.

It's a total different mixture, but you never want to use the clear new Calgon, pure phosphoric acid, cleaner on pretty much any of the other brands of ice machines. It's pretty safe to say: okay, there's certain instances where you can, but just to be safe on any of the other brands. You want to make sure you're using some kind of a nickel safe ice machine, cleaner, okay and I've kind of addressed this before, but I'm just gon na reiterate it most ice machine fan manufacturers. But most you know restaurant ice machine manufacturers.

Besides Hoshizaki, they have a copper evaporator that they dip in a nickel plating, because the copper is not a great place for ice to form. It has a hard time coming off of there. It's it's really bad with calcium and different things, so they code it in a nickel coating and that nickel coating is very susceptible to damage because of the acids that are in the phosphoric acid, cleaner. Eventually, after so many cleanings, you will strip the nickel plating off the ice machine and destroy that evaporator.

Okay, that goes for especially the Manitowoc ice machines. You know and pretty much all the other brands for the most part. Okay, I'm I'm talking about the big boys, the Scotsman's, the I cymatics, the Hoshizaki is the man walks. Those are the ones that I'm kind of talking about right now.

You know there's a bunch of off-brands and different other ones too, but it's very important to understand what the cleaners are for. Okay, so that way, you guys don't damage an ice machine. Now I've said this before and I'll say it again that I've actually had the manufacturer of Manitowoc like tech support. Tell me okay, you know, I'm gon na tell you this one time to go ahead and use pure ice machine cleaner, okay, the the clear you know: new Calgon, phosphoric acid, cleaner.

They have told me to do that in the past when it's like a very, very messed up ice machine. Okay, but it's only like a one-time thing. You do not want to continually use and you want to make sure that you rinse that off really really well. I've said this before too, and I'm just gon na cover it that something new that Hoshizaki ice machines has actually started saying, and I noticed it was in their tech specs book recently, and I I don't know when it popped up, but I know in the past It was safe to use any ice machine clean around a hoshizaki, okay, didn't matter if it was nickel, safe or the the clear pure, concentrated ice machine.

Cleaner well hoshizaki has since put in their tech specs book that you can't use nickel safe ice machine cleaner on their ice machines. Now remember: a hoshizaki ice machine has a pure stainless steel, evaporator, okay, and what they're saying is is that when, when you flip the little wash valve on the or cleaning valve, I should say when you put the unit into a clean mode, what it does is It diverts water through the water, inlet tubes of the spray rails. Okay and that's not the water pump, circulating tubes, but that's the water, inlet, okay and the the water basically will drip right down behind the evaporator plate. And what Hoshizaki is saying is that the nickel safe ice machine, cleaner, the citric acid, oh yeah, I believe it's the citric acid.

That's in the nickel safe ice machine cleaner. They thought that maybe that was contributing to their evaporator separations, that they've been having over the last couple years. If you do any ice machine work, you'll know that the Hoshizaki ice machines have been notorious for the evaporator separating, and this has been like a new thing, and that was one of the things that they came up with, that they thought was causing the problems that People were using nickel, safe ice machine cleaner and it was getting in there and there in the book. I think it says that the the solder that they used to solder the the refrigerant lines to the evaporator plate they're saying, is that the citric acid was eating away the solder that was their theory.

Okay, it kind of sounds like the reach and a little bit with that one, but it's important to understand and stay up on that stuff. So as of this moment, right now, Hoshizaki says that you, if you have a nickel safe ice machine cleaner that has citric acid in it. They do not want you to use it on the Hoshizaki ice machines at this point in time. So you always want to stay up on that stuff guys because the ice machine manufacturers they change stuff up on you and it'll totally.

You know throw you off you. The last thing you want is this to be using nickel safe ice machine cleaner on a hoshizaki for two years straight and then the evaporator separates. And it's your fault, that's what you don't want. Okay, so you just always want to follow the manufacturer's instructions and I would even go out on a limb and say you may even want to consider if you're worried about it.

You may want to consider only using the manufacturers cleaners. Personally, I don't do that, but that's my preference and I'm the business owner, so I can make that decision. Okay, but you know like when I was doing hospital work. I don't do any hospital ice machines anymore, but fur for a good couple years.

I was doing a lot of ice machines in hospitals. I would only use the manufacturers cleaners because of the liability of being in a hospital and just all the the drama that they have. Thank you so very much, seven, one, six appliance guy. I really appreciate that.

So um, you know it's very important to understand, like I said and read the manufacturer's instructions. Okay, just stay up on it, guys, just because you know it now, 15 years from now the same thing you know, so you always want to make sure that um you're you're on top of that stuff and you're, you know keeping up with the Joneses. Essentially, okay, right now, I've said it before recently to right. Now is the time all the ice machine manufacturers are starting to release their training days.

Training dates, I should say their regional training dates, so you want to keep on top of that stuff. It usually starts at the beginning of the year and then it'll go for the next four months, where they're gon na do regional trainings on all the different ice machines that goes for hoshi, mani, scotsman ice somatic. Excuse me full it all of them, they're all doing it right now, so keep up on the training schedules go to the individual ice machine manufacturers websites. Also, it's always good at the beginning of the year to look up all your other manufacturers.

If you work on a lot of delfield refrigerators, if you work on Tru refrigerators, you know whatever you do go to the manufacturers. Websites go to the training tabs and look up when their training schedules are. You know true manufacturing they do a training class once or twice a year. They come around in in everybody's areas.

Okay, so you want to keep on top of that. Go, take a class most of the time. They're free you get dinner, don't get me wrong any and even in the ice machine classes or the refrigerator classes, you're not gon na learn. It's not gon na be four hours of you know solid learning a lot of times.

It's gon na be repetitive information that you've already heard, but you know what I usually pick up one or two new things, and it also gives me the opportunity to communicate with like, for instance, when I go with manna talk to their training classes. You know I don't usually learn a lot of new stuff same thing with Hoshizaki, but it's great to be able to speak to the trainers. The trainer's a lot of times are just tech support, guys and sometimes it's cool to put a face to the name. You know to go shake the guy's hand for my area for a manats walk, the guys name is Glen.

Dimond he's been the regional trainer forever and the tech support guy and everything. So it's really cool to get to talk to him and see him. Usually, they only get to see him once or twice a year. He might come to a training class for my RSES thing or something, but it's really cool to be able to talk to those guys and just let them know who you are.

You know that kind of stuff and then you get to meet up with your distributors and different stuff. So anyways you always want to pay attention to that. So everybody go to whatever you know: air conditioner, refrigerator ice machine manufacturers website and look for their training classes because usually they're all releasing them right now. So I think I just signed up for the Manus walk one in my area coming up in a couple in a month or two or something like that.

So it's important too, because those classes fill up pretty quick, so you guys want to get on the list for that stuff. So so we talked about the ice machine cleaners. You always want to make sure you know the right kind of ice machine cleaner. It's pretty safe to say I'll recap: if you're working on a hoshizaki ice machine, clean ice machine, you can use the clear phosphoric acid ice machine cleaners, okay or you can use the Hoshizaki scale away cleaner.

They do not recommend that you use nickel safe ice machine. Cleaner and if you're working on almost any other brand, it's pretty safe to say you need to use nickel safe ice machine cleaner, okay, so that's kind of it for the ice machine cleaners really important. In the last video that I did on the dirty Manitowoc ice machine I brought up, I showed you guys, a part number for that tube brush or that fitting brush that I use. Those brushes are awesome if you guys pick some of those up from Granger's, or I think I even found them on Amazon.

But I gave a part number in that video if you guys go back and watch it where it shows the fitting brush and it's about three foot long and it's a one inch diameter tube brush and you can push it right up the tubes on the Hoshizaki As the man it talks on all of those I've even used those brushes to clean, Hoshizaki spray rails. You just get it through the end and then you can scrub the inside of it. So get you some of those fitting brushes they're. Not that much! You know get your service manager, your boss, or whoever to order a bunch for the company.

Those things are great to keep in your van. You guys will really appreciate having those two brushes. If you don't already have them, you can also, if you don't know, I probably should show a picture of one I'll send out a picture after we get off this livestream hoshizaki actually makes a special brush for cleaning the evaporators on their machines. It's a really hard.

Bristle brush and it's meant to basically put in the top. You take the top off the ice machine and it's meant to put in the top and and go up and down the evaporator. What do you want to call them sections or whatever and scrub them so that way, you can scrub them down if you guys have ever done a lot of hoshii work, you probably know that you bust your knuckles on those things and you cut yourself really bad. Whenever you're working on the hoe she's like trying to clean them by hand, so one of those brushes from Hoshizaki would be great too, but don't get me wrong that brush that I'm recommending from Hoshizaki, I do not have the part number but again I'll try to Get that the brush that I'm recommending from Hoshizaki, that's not for cleaning tubes, that's just for cleaning the evaporator! You basically just put it in the top and move it up and down.

So that's a great thing to come up or to have to. I did cover in my last video and I'll just kind of reiterate. Usually you do not want to be using anything. That's scraping the evaporators or the surfaces of the ice machine.

So same thing goes with Hoshizaki with all of them. All manufacturers are pretty much gon na. Tell you that the only wants you to use a towel or a terry cloth. Okay, now you - and I both know that that's not always practical, especially when the restaurants don't maintain their equipment.

So, by the time you get to it, it's covered in calcium, well, a towel and calcium. They don't really do much together. Okay, the towel doesn't take calcium off so a lot of times. You got to use like a scotch brite pad, but the problem with the scotch brite pad is that or steel wool, or anything like that or a screwdriver to scrape it off.

The problem is: is that what you don't know is you're putting tiny microscopic grooves inside that surface and that's a place for bacteria and things to grow. So, that's why you want to be cautious about it, and it's always important to point that out to your your customers too. So that way they understand. You know that the lack of cleaning that they're doing is causing problems.

It's gon na decrease the life of this machine. It's gon na. You know all that good stuff. Okay, I don't need to preach that to you guys.

So obviously you saw the machine that I had was a pretty dirty one and there's pretty nasty inside. But you know, like I said: that's not the dirtiest ice machine in the world and I'll be honest with you that machine didn't scare me. I've seen machines that actually grossed me out that did not gross me out. I was just kind of like oh that's gross, but you know it wasn't like.

Oh my gosh. I've worked on some at some restaurants that, like just make you want to get sick or go, take a shower after you're done, because those are disgusting but anyways so ice machines just kind of covering that okay I'll give them a plug too. I'm not. I don't have any endorsements or anything like that with them, but I really have been enjoying the Viper cleaner from refrigeration technologies.

I have no affiliation with them: okay, but the the owner of refrigeration technologies, John Pasteurella. I had emailed him about a question and he sent me a case of the the Viper cleaner just to try out and I've been using it and it's actually really cool, so I haven't bought any bottles per se. He just sent me the case of it and I actually think it's uh it's working better than, for instance, like the new Calgon nickel, safest machine, cleaner. I find that it is you don't need as much also so a little plug for them, help them out and that's the viper nickel safe ice machine cleaner.

So, okay, i guess i can announce this right now to I do not have anything up yet, but it is official that I am launching a podcast coming up quite soon. Hopefully I'll have episodes up in the next couple weeks. The podcast is going to be called the absence of heat. It's gon na be a podcast covering refrigeration, air conditioning ice machines that kind of stuff kind of what we're doing in these videos, but more audio topics.

I really haven't figured out the exact format. Yet how long the episodes are gon na be that kind of stuff, but it will be coming soon so expect that and of course, I'll release all that information to you guys and you'll have a hopefully, if you guys are interested, you guys can go subscribe, but, Like I said, there's nothing out there for you to subscribe to yet so I'll. Let you guys know when it does come. Okay, I want to address a question.

Forgive me. I don't have your name written down in the very beginning before this livestream even started. Someone asked a question about site glasses when it comes to refrigeration and air conditioning systems, and I wanted to go ahead and cover that guys. I see all kinds of questions coming up inside the chat and I promise I'll get to those okay.

I just want to cover this topic, so sight, glasses. Okay, it's important to understand what a sight glass is. Okay, it's a window into the system. It's plain and simple.

Okay, it is, does not have one purpose for the system. Okay, you can use a sight glass to do all kinds of stuff, but basically, what is a sight glass tell me. A sight. Glass tells me that at that point, where it's installed in the system, either, if you're using it to check liquid to make sure you have like a clear sight glass to make sure you have a solid column of liquid.

It's just simply telling you that it's a solid column of liquid at that point, okay or the other purpose of a sight glass can be a moisture indicator a lot of times. They have a little indicator, that's built into the sight glass and it essentially tests the refrigerant and reacts to acids. It can react to moisture depending on what type of sight glass you're using okay. So a sight glass can also be used as a moisture indicator and or an acid indicator different things like that.

Okay, so why do they say that you can't clear a sight glass on a air-conditioning system and then why do they say that you can clear a sight glass on a refrigeration system? Okay, it's really important to understand something: first, okay, a refrigeration system that has a expansion valve that has a liquid line, receiver storage tank and is sized properly. Okay, that's that's very important that we know those those things right there. Okay, if we have a refrigeration system that does utilize an expansion valve that does have a receiver in it. Okay, a sight glass can be used to check the refrigerant charge in the system.

Okay, because we're we're operating off of the theory that we need to have a solid column of liquid going to the expansion valve right, because that's how an expansion valve works, expansion valves in vapour - they don't really mix too well. Okay, so coming into the liquid line of the expansion valve, we need to have 100 percent liquid a pure, solid column of liquid coming into there. So what we can typically do is we can install a sight glass, a liquid line, sight glass, usually as close to the expansion of as possible, but when I say that that's kind of a loose term, because most of the time you're gon na see a sight Glass on the roof at the condensing unit: okay and it's okay, but it's even better if it's at the expansion valve, but here's the problem, if you have a sight glass at the expansion valve and you're trying to charge on the roof. Well, how is that gon na work, you're gon na go up and down the stairs three times to you, know or multiple times to look? Oh, is it clear yet no, okay, keep adding gas okay back and forth.

That's gon na be a pain in the butt, but a good thing. You don't see this very much anymore. A great thing would be in excite glass right before the expansion valve and a sight glass on the roof. Then you could charge the system up on the roof, slowly, clearing the sight, glass and then you can go downstairs, verify that it's clear downstairs too, and then you would know that you have a solid column of liquid going to your expansion valve.

Now I haven't covered the accessories that we might add to a refrigeration system that would cause you to add more refrigerant and I'll cover that here in a little bit. Okay, but now, let's talk about an air conditioning system. So why do they say that you can't clear a sight glass on an air conditioning system? Okay, first off, if an air conditioning system utilizes an expansion valve, it's still looking for a solid column of going to that expansion valve. Ok! So there's nothing that says you cannot put a sight glass on an air conditioning system.

It can still serve a purpose. It tells you if you're, if you do not have a solid column of liquid, going to your expansion valve, it can tell you if you've got moisture in your system. It can tell you you know. Basically, it just tells you you look to see if it's clear or not, ok now, but you typically don't charge an air conditioning system unless it has a receiver, ok, but just a typical residential air conditioning system.

You typically don't want to charge it by clearing a sight glass, because a lot of times it's gon na it's gon na, take a lot more refrigerant than just what it takes to clear that sight. Glass. Ok, so then we would start looking into our vital signs and using the appropriate method. Ok of charging that system.

So on a refrigeration system, we will have a receiver on there and that receiver acts as a storage tank. Ok, so basically, when the expansion valve opens or closes its gon na require more or less refrigerant, and if it requires less refrigerant, then it'll back that refrigerant up into the receiver, so it has a storage place for it. Ok, so now I was gon na say something else too, but I lost my train of thought. They're gon na go ok.

So let's talk about a refrigeration system. Now that is clearing a sight. Glass is a way that we can check the refrigerant charge, but there can be some components that we can add to the system and I've covered them before, and one of them is called a head pressure, control valve or a head master. Ok, a head master requires more refrigerant when it's bypassing, essentially ok.

So the purpose - and I'm not gon na - go crazy into this right now, but the purpose of a head master or head pressure control valve on a refrigeration system is to flood the condenser simulate. Essentially, in a nutshell, a warmer day, ok, but it's also there to maintain a pressure drop across the expansion valve. But again I don't want to go too technical. Ok, so let's just assume the headmasters there to raise the head pressure.

That's that's! What we're gon na go as far as that today? Ok, there's a lot more to it, but I'm just not going to go crazy into it right now. So, but in order for a head master to flood the condenser properly, it requires more refrigerant than what the system would normally. So we have to add what we call the winter charge to the system. Okay, the winter charge is usually a couple pounds extra, depending on how big the system is, and if you have a site class, you can't just necessarily clear the site class.

You would have to add the extra gas for the winter charge. Okay and in order to do that, I've done a live stream on that I've done. Pot gave me no videos on that. You want to look up a spoilin document, spore'ln 90-30.

One, I believe, is the name of the document and it tells you how to calculate the flooded charge for a refrigeration system. Okay again, I should probably do another video about this or maybe a live stream. I'm not gon na go too crazy into the headmaster stuff. Actually, I'm just gon na stop with the headmaster right now, because I'm just gon na confuse everybody.

So it's important to understand that a sight glass still does serve a purpose on an air-conditioning system. Okay, but on a refrigeration system that doesn't have any extra accessories that it's just a pure condenser receiver expansion valve no headmaster, you would clear the sight glass and that would indicate that you have a full column of liquid going to your expansion valve. It's also important to understand again I'm kind of opening Pandora's box here. It's also important to understand that you don't want to just go clear: the sight glass when the box temp is at 80 degrees and it's a hundred and twenty degrees outside, because it's very likely that you're gon na overcharge that system.

Okay, so you want to you, want to work slowly, usually take twenty minutes or so, depending on how big your system is and slowly add the refrigerant charge. What you're gon na notice is, as the box comes down to temperature and satisfies, then the sight glass is gon na start to clear up a lot sooner. Essentially, okay, so again, I know I'm rambling and going in a million directions there, but sight glass does serve a purpose on an air conditioning system. Okay, it's just important to understand that it's not the end-all be-all.

As far as the refrigerant charge goes. Okay, you want to follow the manufacturer's instructions to charge that system properly, but the cool thing that a sight glass can do is the sight glass on it like a residential air conditioning system is an indicator of a gross under George if you find it flashing. So I mean, as far as PM's go I mean it couldn't hurt to have a sight glass on there. I mean you know it doesn't necessarily mean just because it's clear that the charge is correct, but if you're not putting refrigerant gauges on there and you just havin to do visual inspection on that system and you notice that the sight glass is flashing.

Well, hey! That's a that's: it's still serving a purpose and on a residential system, it can tell you if there's moisture in the system, so sight, glasses still do have a purpose on a residential system. Okay, important to understand that okay um - that's kind of what I have to cover here, so I'm gon na kind of go into the chat a little bit guys and see what you guys have to say. Let me see here did someone say turn up my mic volume? Did I see that sound volume is down? Can you hear me now HVAC our Knoxville they clarify. Can you guys hear someone said that the sound volume doesn't sound good? I hope you guys can hear - and I haven't talked for a half an hour and you guys can't hear okay, cool, okay, alright cool just wanted to make sure all right, so I'm gon na go ahead and go up into here and look at the chat.

I I just kind of scrolled through a couple questions here, as I was typing through some people asked about my new van yes, I did get a new van. I will do a video and everything I'm slowly setting it up. It's gon na. Take me some time.

So it's not gon na be anytime soon, I'm not in a rush to get into that van. So I've just been getting little things here and there and kind of trying to think about what I want to do with it. So we'll definitely have lots of videos showing my old set up, which my old set up was really cool, but there's a few things, I'm gon na change about my new set up. So, okay, let me go through here guys.

Let me see what I'm yeah see. I do see a lot of people saying that they can't hear very well. I'm sorry guys if you guys can't hear okay, alright, let's go ahead and go down yeah. So, just going through the chat and looking and seeing that yeah the ice machine training classes, they are oftentimes a sales pitch, but you usually do learn a few things in there.

So I still suggest that you check them out: okay, rookie refrigeration. You said you ordered bearings on a fall at ice machine. Those shouldn't be too bad. The full load ice machines are usually pretty easy to change out.

So alright keep going down here. Okay, just kind of read through here seeing what I miss and seeing if you guys have any questions, I'm sorry guys if the audio was really quiet. Hopefully it's fixed up. Now, okay, keep going down; okay, first time, livestream viewer, ry 666.

You said really enjoying the videos curious about my opinion on Johnson control medicine if you've ran into it before. Are you talking about the control system? I don't do any controls work or are you talking about working for JCI? I I don't do any controls work. So I honestly haven't worked much with it. If that's what you're asking and as far as I'm assuming that's what you're asking so okay yeah Alan, you said the Hoshizaki brushes are awesome.

I'm just working my way down through the questions here, guys in the chat and stuff. Okay, I see what you're saying are why six six six yeah? I I don't do much controls work. So I apologize. I don't have much Johnson control stuff there.

Okay, ah Paul now you asked a great question: why does the sanitizer foam up so bad? Yes, that is the true question. It's very important to understand and that's something I should have covered already guys like. I did in my video whenever you use whenever you clean an ice machine, and you are going to be done with it. You need to use a proper sanitizing liquid.

Okay, a new Calgon makes that I think it's called IMS. Sanitizer IMS two and it is important to understand it is gon na foam. Like a madman, usually I use a little bit less than what it says to use, but I can't really tell you guys to do that because you need to follow the manufacturer's instructions. So do your thing there, but yeah that stuff, you you deaf or one.

If you try to use sanitizer in an ice machine and you're still trying to save the ice below it, it's pretty much gon na be ruined, because that sanitizers just gon na foam over and fill up the whole ice. She ain't been with ice or with a foam. It just drives me nuts, so, okay, okay, comp GB, you said ever cleaned one with lime away. No, I haven't I'd, be very leery about using lime away because I don't know if it's food safe.

So you know you: you want to make sure that you're only cleaning ice machines with a food safe, cleaner. So I don't know whether or not lime away is or is not food safe. So I would not suggest using it unless you know for sure that its food, safe, okay, be cautious about that lime away. I know lime away, isn't nickel safe? I don't know, though you can look at the MSDS.

If you guys want to know it's a nice machine cleaners, just pull up the MSDS sheet and it's gon na tell you. It won't tell you the exact mixtures, but I highly doubt lime away as pure. I mean I guess it could be. I'm sure it's gon na have the same kind of stuff in it, but okay, hey tersh, how you doing man all right! I'm sorry guys! I'm just reading this comment right now where it says you guys were having a hard time here and I'm coming down here.

I thought this Brian: no, this isn't a podcast. This is a video thing, so I'll be doing a podcast where it's just audio we'll see. I don't know, I don't know if it's gon na be any good or not we'll see how it works. So, okay, okay, so Matt D.

If I need replacement to being for an ice machine, do I go through the manufacturer? And yes, I do. I will get the ice machine tubes from Hoshizaki or Manitowoc, whoever it is the reason why I'll do that is because they're two again, it's probably just a sales thing for me, but I just to be safe. I'd rather use things that are set up for food environments, okay, I'd hate to go, buy a tubing from Hoshizaki and I mean from Home Depot - and you know first off if you're working on a hoshizaki ice machine. If you don't already know, they're tubing's are met or they're tube is metric.

Okay, almost everything on a hoshizaki ice machine is metric, so but the tubing is is basically measured in millimeters as far as the diameter and different things, so it's typically not going to match up to like a three-quarter inch hose from Home Depot. You'll have to do some, some weird things with pipe clamps and different things that I'd rather not. Do I just like to stick with OEM stuff, but on the flip side too, I'm concerned about food-safe. Okay, I want to buy that tubing or whatever it is from the manufacturer, because I don't want any liability to find out that I don't know I don't know.

What's in you know the tube that you buy from Home Depot. I don't know if it's you know who knows what's on it, so you know you just just buy the stuff from the manufacturer, because then you know you're safe cover your ass. Basically, so, okay keep going down best cleaner for greased up condensers in the kitchen, Rickey refrigeration. Ask that you know that the the Viper aerosol cleaner, the little cans of Viper.

I don't know what the neat I think it says: Viper aerosol condenser, coil foaming, condenser coil cleaner. That stuff works pretty good. I like that. Not I guess I should.

I really shouldn't be telling you what brands I should be asking these manufacturers to hook me up with something instead it, but I mean I'm being honest with you guys. I I like the Viper stuff, it's it's good stuff, almost everything, refrigeration technologies is. I really appreciate the quality that they put into their chemicals, but I mean I have used other chemicals too, like the the new Calgon new Brite, I've used that I've used the new Calgon makes a new bright foaming spray. I've used that they all kind of work.

The same to me, the Viper stuff has been working really good. Lately, though, and I find that the residue that it leaves and different things aren't the same as like the new Calgon stuff - I don't know if that makes any sense or, if that's just me, but I've been appreciating the the refrigeration technology stuff a lot lately. So Robbie G, you said you like the new Calgon Blackhawk condenser coil cleaner. In a can.

I've used that, but the problem is the smell. The smell on that stuff is so toxic. I really it just kind of gets me almost smells like carburetor, cleaner or something when it comes out. The can.

Okay, okay, so Mike two nine five nine says: there's a big difference between a bubbling sightglass and a low flow rate, sightglass. Okay, if bubbles are in the liquid, this is an undercharge of refrigerant, causing vapor and liquid acts. Yes, okay, it's you know one of the things he kind of brings up a good point and it's very important to understand it when you're in a refrigeration or when you're working on a refrigeration system using a sight glass. It's also very easy to confuse an empty sight glass with a full sight.

Glass. That's a very hard thing to do. Usually you just got to be able to look and it's. I can't even explain to you what it is, but a completely full sight, glass versus a completely empty sight, glass.

They can look very similar, but there's little things inside of them. Usually, if you look in the top of the sight glass, you can see tiny, tiny air bubbles. You can usually see through the glass you can. If you get used to it, you can tell when there's actually liquid versus just nothing okay, so it you do want to be cautious about that.

Okay, keep going down here! Total text says liquid seal needed in the receiver. That is correct. I didn't want to go too crazy technical on the receiver systems or you know, headmaster stuff, but if you, if you understand how a receiver works, okay, basically a receiver at any point in time - is gon na have a liquid and a vapor mixture inside of it. Okay, because it's a storage tank okay, so when the refrigerant, even if it's liquid, coming in they're, still gon na be vapor at the top of the tank.

So what they'll do is they usually have a dip tube, not the same kind of a dip tube as an accumulator is gon na have, but it's kind of the same theory: okay, they're gon na have a dip tube that'll pull the receiver okay and it's always Important that the liquid level in the system or inside that receiver is always above the bottom of that dip, tube. Okay, what's interesting, I've never seen it before and I'm kind of going off on a tangent right now. But I've read some interesting stories about about how to diagnose a receiver that has a broken dip tube. I I thought that was really interesting and you know who has written he was very active on.

Facebook is jeremy smith. Jeremy smith is very active in the hvac school facebook group. I really don't know him, but I just conversed with him a little bit here and there it's very smart market guy he's talked quite a bit about finding a broken dip tube and the symptoms of it, which I thought was very interesting, because that does sound like A very interesting headache of a service call once you've seen it. You probably know what to look for, but yeah that'd be an interesting one to have a broken dip tube on a receiver.

Essentially, you'd never be able to clear the sight glass so or you keep adding refrigerant and you're like okay wait a minute. I know that this system didn't need 40 pounds of refrigerant. What's going on, you know, so I'd be an interesting one to come across, but I, like, I said I've never seen that before so okay gon na keep going down in here seeing what you guys are saying what I'm? Okay, what I'm! Okay, Mario Valley! You said Wayne and the charge is good okay, so Wayne and the charge is good if you know how much the charge of charge the system takes, but on a refrigeration system or a built up air conditioning system. Okay, a built up air conditioning system is one.

That's been designed by someone other than the manufacturer a lot of times. An engineer will come in and size a receiver, a condenser that kind of stuff. Okay, we don't oftentimes, know exactly how much refrigerant the systems gon na take. There is some formulas that you can use to calculate it, but a lot of times in the field.

It's not very easy for us to calculate a charge in the field. So that's where the use of a sight glass would really come in handy because we can basically add refrigerant or add you know how much we think it takes and then adjust the charge from there by simply clearing the sight glass. So, okay, keep going down here. Keep going down here seeing what I'm missing? Okay, okay, so the Indy Iceman you asked me: why does manats walk use a fan, cycle, control and others do not? It just depends on the manufacturer, okay, cuz.

I know that uh there's other people that do like. I know that I sematic use is a fan cycle control, Manitowoc uses them essentially by using a fan cycle control most of the time if it's a remote ice, they're gon na have a headmaster and a fan cycle control, so they're going to it essentially is gon Na make that ice machine be able to operate at much lower temperatures by using a fan cycle and a headmaster or a head pressure control valve. So keep going down here, Frank Evans, you're asking: how should you approach this interview? You have when the company has all one-star reviews. You know Frank, that's a really interesting thing, okay, so as an employer, I don't really see it this way, but as a normal person, I think that you need to do your due diligence and interview the company just as much as the interview, the company's gon na Interview at you, I think, that's a very important thing, because I think that you know it's gon na hurt you as a new technician coming in.

You don't want to bounce around at a million different places, because that doesn't look good on you. Okay, so let's say you go to a company you're, just gon na try it out and you work there for two weeks and then you put them on your resume and then you go to another company. You work there for two years and then a year later you go to another company and you keep on doing that that when, when a resume like that comes across my desk, I start thinking. Why is this guy bouncing around okay? So I think that you're asking a valid question: if the company has a bunch of bad reviews, then that's something you need to worry about.

Okay. Now, it's also important to understand that you know you need to wear these reviews at. Is it just on one review site out of how many you know if it has one star out of how many reviews is it out of five reviews, because just like when I'm looking at like Yelp or anything like that for like food or whatever, like you, Take that into context just because a place has five stars, but it only has 200 reviews versus a place that has four stars that has 6,000 reviews. So you want to look at that too, but you don't want to just look at reviews.

I mean you got to trust your gut and you need to go into that interview and sit down and don't be cocky but be polite and kind and ask them questions hey. You know. I I'm really curious. Why do you guys have so many bad reviews? I mean ask them cuz they're gon na ask you the same questions, they're gon na, say: hey how come you worked at five different places? Well, you asked them the same questions, but don't be hawky.

Do not be caulking, don't be condescending. Just in casual conversation. In a very polite way, ask them: okay, you know that that's a very interesting topic! You bring up. Okay, so I think it's very important for you to interview the company just as much as they're gon na interview you all right.

Let's keep going here bill Burnett! You set up in Canada yeah, that's why most manufacturers do that they put a fan cycle control and a headmaster, because they're they're trying to make it operate much better at lower temperatures. Essentially, okay: I've, given my opinions on on fan cycle controls, I'm not a huge fan of fan cycle controls because I, in my opinion, they're very rough on the system you can usually so if a system is operating only with a fan cycle control, it's very violent. You know, and it's just kind of hard on the system. I prefer, if you have a choice between one of the other.

I honestly prefer a head pressure control valve, but I do understand the need on an ice machine and the reason why they put a fan cycle control and a headmaster on an ice machine or head pressure control valve is, you know, to basically well to be able To make it operate at lower temps right, but at the same time, on ice machines, we typically use hot gas defrost okay, so we need that gas coming out the discharge of the compressor to be hot okay. So if, if we don't have a fan cycle control to drive up that head pressure, then that's gon na you know basically reduce the temperature of that discharged gas and that's gon na be a problem. So that is a very important thing to understand. Is you know? That's why we have a headmaster and a fan cycle control on an ice machine, for the most part is because they're using hot gas or some sort of cool vapor or something, and we need to maintain a certain temperature on that.

On top of that, we need to obviously still maintain a clear, solid column of liquid go into that expansion valve at all times. So, okay, keep on going down here, see what else I'm missing here. Oh my good friend, they are nice. You said: how often do you find out that ran for years when it's missing parts? Okay, I don't know the context of your question, but I am gon na point out something out.

It's I haven't released a video, yet I don't know if I'm gon na meet you know we'll see. I think I got a video that I'm working on about a duck detector. It's funny how I get like these waves of service calls. Lately I must have worked on five different duck detectors.

You know and it's like so then I make a video and then all of a sudden. I work on a bunch of ice machines, it's kind of funny how that works, but something that I'm noticing this is a problem out here in Southern California. I don't know if you guys are finding this across the u.s. or up in Canada or wherever you're at I'm.

Finding that duck detectors installed on air conditioning systems. It's not all of them, but I found quite a few enough to make me concerned that have never been installed correctly and when I say you know, I go out there to change a duck detector and then I go to test a function on the detector and Then I find out that it doesn't work and then well then you when you look into it, you realize well, it's never been wired correctly, and these are restaurants that only I have ever worked on. So they were basically from installation. The duck detectors hadn't been installed correctly.

So, for instance, let's say I've got. This was a restaurant. I went to recently where we have to duck detectors one in the supply and one in the return on one particular air conditioning unit and the complaint was they had? No air conditioning to the building or no heating. Actually, so I went out there and found that the the Lennox package unit was off on a smoke detector error message, so I reset that and went downstairs and found a duck detector.

That was tripped. So I went to go reset the duck detector and it wouldn't reset. So then I came back out. I bypassed it.

Temporarily came back out with a new detector and then I changed the other one too, because I wasn't just gon na change the supply detector without changing the returned, they're, both just the same age. So I changed him both well. When I finished on the one that was bad, I went to go wire in the other one and I found out that it was never wired correctly, the other duct detector and it would never signal the alarm company. And it's like.

I found that many times where there was another restaurant of this same particular chain where I found they have three rtu units on the roof and none of them had ever been wired correctly and the restaurant had been open for like six years. It's very interesting and whether that's concerning is, is that the? If I, if I understand things correctly in my area, the fire marshal goes out, there is supposed to go out there like once or twice a year and test the fire system. So how has he been testing the fire system if the duct detectors don't work, that's kind of scary, don't you think it's very interesting to see and that that thing the same thing goes for the ice machine that I just made a video on where the drain Was messed up that that ice machine was 5 years old and the drains were never piped right from the beginning, and it's like wow, it just blows my mind that that much incompetence is out there when it comes to construction. It also shows you how much they're cutting corners - and you know, in my opinion, what it is, is like, for instance, when I've when I've been part of construction.

I usually don't do much construction in my business, but I have done it'll here and there and when I do do construction. What I find is is that the in my instance, is not every time, but the general contractor is handling more work than he should be handling. For instance, he has his just general laborer guys that work for him installing the ice machines. Well, you need to have the HVAC guy install the ice machine.

You know point is that that drain line that was messed up? You know on the ice machine where I just did a video on you know. In my opinion, that was probably because the general contractor installed that you know and didn't have, or they had. You know some plumber that didn't know what he was doing, install it. Okay, they obviously didn't have a koala a competent person because they couldn't look at the picture on the back of the ice machine.

Same thing goes for the duck detectors like you know, I think, and I've even seen, like general contractors calling me to to start up refrigeration systems right and I'll go out there and they're setting their own air conditioners and they're having you know, and it's like. Why are you guys setting the air conditioner like the HVAC guys should be doing that stuff, because he knows what to look for you know when you're when that units coming down, you know being hoisted down from the crane and you're looking up at the bottom of The unit and you see that you know the heat exchangers, cracked, you know it's like we would find or broken or whatever like. We would see that stuff so like that frustrates me that that at least in the States or in California you know that we don't require. You know electricians to do the electricians jobs plumbers to do the plumbers job.

You know that kind of stuff HVAC guys to do their job. So it's interesting okay, gon na go up here and see what else I missed here. Andrew Hicks, you said what makes a headmaster dangerous, I'm assuming that's to Jonah. You asked me if I've tested the solder well solder, well, product line, I'm gon na be honest with you.

I have a bunch of their products that were sent to me and I really haven't been doing much brazing haven't done much yet. I have used their round rod, fifteen percent, it's very different and unique, and it works very well, but I have not tested any of their aluminum repair stuff, but I have heard nothing but good stuff about the solder weld stuff. I was sent an entire package of all their different products that they offer and it all looks really great. I just have not been able to use the aluminum repair stuff at this moment, yet so keep going back up.

I'm going up here trying to figure out. Okay, prime time, you said head masters are dangerous and can harm the compressor. I don't know if I quite agree with that. I can definitely say that.

Let me finish reading your comment here. So okay, I can definitely understand where you might be going with that. Prime time, if, if a head master is starting to fail or anything like that, then yes, it can be catastrophic to the system. Okay, if a head master gets stuck, it can be catastrophic to the system.

I'll agree with you on that. I don't know that they're bad for the system. I think that they're much better than a fan cycle control, but that's just my personal opinion. I'm not knocking you for what you said.

I mean that's your opinion, but I will say that head masters and I I was recently in a doing a spoiling class with a spoilin rep for our SES here, and I made a comment - and I I'm gon na pretty much say, and this kind of goes For expansion valves to that, for the most part, expansion valves don't fail the spoilin expansion valves. It's typically not the valve that fails. Okay same thing goes with a head pressure control valve in l, AC valve from spoiling it's typically, not the valve that fails. Okay.

What typically happens, in my opinion, on a head pressure control valve? Is people don't install things properly? They don't use proper refrigeration practices, there's stuff floating around in the system. It gets stuck in the head master and allows the head master not to shut, which causes an issue. Okay, that's my opinion. Same thing goes for expansion valves most of the time.

I can't you know unless the expansion of I was completely contaminated, but that's not really. The expansion valves problem the springs and the expansion valves - you know they usually don't fail. The seat in the expansion valve usually doesn't fail. Now what causes an expansion valve, in my opinion, to fail is like a power head that goes bad.

The power head is the element that opens in or as part of the the opening and closing of the valve. That's one of the components, but we're not doing an expansion valve thing right now, but the power heads can fail because people install them incorrectly. They they.