• Digi-Cool's DRSA: A High-tech Tool for High-tech Systems

    March 22, 2005
    Refrigeration contractors are always looking for ways to help their service technicians save time while improving the quality of their service and their

    Refrigeration contractors are always looking for ways to help their service technicians save time while improving the quality of their service and their ability to diagnose system problems.

    This is especially true in an era in which refrigeration systems require more sophisticated procedures for proper servicing. With the emphasis on reclaiming refrigerant and energy efficiency, today’s field technician has a more complex job than ever before. The variety of refrigerants in use further complicates the work, with differing pressure/temperature characteristics and less familiar failure modes.

    To make life easier for service personnel, Digi-Cool Industries recently introduced an enhanced model of its Digital Refrigeration Service Analyzer (DRSA). The DRSA-1100 has features designed to make system installation, commissioning, and service simpler, clearer, and quicker than even before.

    It now performs superheat and subcooling calculations automatically for 22 refrigerants. Plus it tracks maximum and minimum pressures, while maintaining the same ease of use as the company’s original model BTD-1000. The analyzer shows the saturation, bubble, and dew points for 22 refrigerants stored within, eliminating the need for wallet cards. It’s upgradeable as new refrigerants come into use, with the capability of holding 50 more.

    “Digi-Cool’s first Digital Refrigeration System Analyzer was a giant leap in technology for our industry,” says Jim Boyles, senior field technical consultant, WaterFurnace International. “The latest version, the DRSA 1100, gives a service person an incredible amount of information with superheat, sub-cooling, min/max pressure readings, and a unique dynamic pressure bargraph. We can shorten diagnostic time and reduce costly callbacks with state of the art tools like this.”

    According to Digi-Cool, the DRSA-1100’s large pressure bar graphs show system pressure fluctuations that are typically hidden by standard manifold gauges.

    The unit’s large digital display with patented, dynamic offset bar graphs is designed to show the smallest faults, such as “hunting” thermostatic expansion valves, or the smallest amounts of liquid floodback. At ±0.5% FS accuracy, it provides the precision needed to ensure modern high-efficiency systems are performing at their full potential, and allows the user to quickly identify many system faults without any diagnostic guesswork.

    “When servicing high-end technology, the technician must have the right tools to do the job efficiently, and in the most cost-effective manner for the customer. Having the right tools and instrumentation promotes a good service technician to that of a great service technician,” says Walter Lehmann, who operates Frontier Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Ltd., Winnipeg, Manitoba. Lehmann, who is also president of Winnipeg-based Ice Kube Systems, has been a refrigeration technician and refrigeration system designer for more than 25 years, and has 15 refrigeration technicians under his direction.

    “The DRSA-1100 has proven to be an effective asset in supporting the technician in his ability to quickly assess service problems,” Lehmann adds. “Services that would normally require the combined efforts of refrigerant gauges, pressure temperature charts, conversion of pressure to temperature and a pocket or digital thermometer, are now easily performed with one instrument.”

    Digi-Cool says the DRSA-1100 is built tough for typical field abuse. It withstands impacts, typical oils, acids, and is water resistant. It’s also easy to install and fits most available service manifolds.

    For animated demonstrations, visit www.digi-cool.com or call toll-free 866/511-COOL.