Transition from HVAC to Refrigeration

[Spidy]

Going from pretty much nothing but 22 for last 7 years to All these different refrigerents is tough for me.Having a hard time making the adjustment.The guy I have to "mentor me" While he is a good tech he relays more on his exp. than technical knowledge and exp does not translate well over the phone.So I need some help, tips, pointers, advice any help you guys can give me to help me in this transitional peroid.I want to enjoy learning this end of the trade.

[sonc]

Good luck to you. I hope you have a better transition than I did.
15 years in A/C and I got tired of the drive to work (60 miles each way) so I got a job with a local union refrigeration company. Jesus..what a wake-up call.

65-70 hours a week for six weeks, wife and kids were ready to divorce me... came home every night covered in shit. I went running back to my old employer.

It seems I had forgotten how strenuous and hectic low temp sevice could be. Give me a server room loaded to the tits or a penthouse mechanical room any day. But its just a personal preference.

[refer dude 2479]

Originally posted by sonc
Good luck to you. I hope you have a better transition than I did.
15 years in A/C and I got tired of the drive to work (60 miles each way) so I got a job with a local union refrigeration company. Jesus..what a wake-up call.

65-70 hours a week for six weeks, wife and kids were ready to divorce me... came home every night covered in shit. I went running back to my old employer.

It seems I had forgotten how strenuous and hectic low temp sevice could be. Give me a server room loaded to the tits or a penthouse mechanical room any day. But its just a personal preference.

25 years in refrigeration and I went the other way because of the hours and the physical stess. Can't say that it has all been good. Miss the refrigeration stuff. A/C is sort of boring and nothing is urgent.

As far as tips of the trade, probably the biggest two biggest tip I could give you is...

Get well aquainted with the temp/pressure charts for the refrigerants you are using and do not be afraid to use them when you take your gauge readings.

Get real familiar with the mechanical side of the refrigeration cycle. Know what each part in the system does inside and out. My limited experiance in A/C (3+ years) has shown me that most A/C guys have a hard time with the refrigeration cycle because almost everything they work on is package units or factory assemble systems like chillers and most trouble shooting is done in relation to service manual information rather than an understanding of the component subsystems.

Good luck. I think it is easier to go refrig to A/C than the other way around, but if you have determination you will find refrigeration a rewarding change.