With the release of r600a refrigeration products, our Academy team has been hard at work trying to learn the best and most productive methods when conducting sealed system training.  We are excited to announce that we have added Lokring training to our courses moving forward.    This is not to replace our current training methods, we are just adding it to the course training to ensure every student gets exposed to each method of repairing sealed system issues.  We push our instructors to learn the newest methods of refrigerator training.

During our three-week basic appliance repair course, we now teach three different methods for repairing 134a sealed system issues.  This will also be added to our one-week basic refrigeration course.

BRAZING

This is the most traditional method available.  It has been in use for decades and it is still a way to handle a sealed system repair.  Brazing joins two metals by heating and melting a filler that bonds to the two pieces of metal and joins them. The filler must have a melting temperature below that of the metal pieces. Flux is used during the brazing. It is a liquid that promotes wetting, which lets the filler flow over the metal tubing to be joined.

During any sealed system exercise, students can use the brazing method.  We provide the proper tools used in the field for the students to practice with.

SOFT SOLDERING

This is a method that has also been around for a few decades as well and has been in use at Fred’s Appliance Service for the last decade. Soft soldering is a low-temperature analog to brazing.  It allows the joining of copper to copper and steel to copper using temp below 850 F.  Doing this at a much lower temperature eliminates scaling inside the fittings.  Scaling can lead to restrictions in the system which will cause a return trip for the technician.

Soft solder equipment is less expensive and less weight.  This applies to the type of torch needed but there is also a specific silver solder and flux needed that is different than brazing.  See below for a list of tools we recommend:

Sta-Brite Silver Solder

Stay Clean Soldering Flux

Torch Head

Propane Cylinder for Torch

That’s it.  Don’t take our word for it.  Try it for yourself!  If you need training, we can help you get the process down.

LOKRING

The newest method that we have added to our sealed system training.  With lokring, there is no need for a torch. Check out the following video from Lokring to see it in action.

If you are interested in purchasing a starter kit for appliance repair, we have it on our tool site.

Moving forward with the newest refrigerant r600a, lokring may be the only option to repair these types of units.  As this new type of refrigerant hits the market, we plan on addressing the best and most efficient method to repairing these new appliances in the field.

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