One of the last things any food processing or primary processing organisation can afford is a breakdown in its heating, ventilation, air conditioning and refrigeration system.
So much depends on the system in terms of maintaining product freshness and processing integrity, that those with failing or faulty systems can present major spoilage expenses and risks to product purity.
So it was with some trepidation that Victorian refrigeration and air conditioning repairer, Simpson’s Refrigeration, faced the task of repairing the failing air-conditioning system of one of Australia’s biggest processors of tomatoes.
Because of the airborne acid resulting from tomato processing, the air-conditioning system was corroding and exposing the system to the possibility of leaking potentially dangerous and harmful refrigerants.
Having replaced the evaporator and tried to patch and weld a troublesome leak, the system was still causing the company and technician grief until the Simpson Refrigeration director, Bill Simpson, discovered Super Seal sealant, which is being introduced to Australian by GO Distribution.
These internationally proven sealants are formulated to permanently repair leaks up to 300 microns in evaporators, condensers and pipelines — pinprick size holes that can be extraordinarily hard to find and difficult to access to fix (especially when HVAC/R equipment is located in walls or under floors).
Super Seal attacks the problem from the inside out, in a leak healing process that can be compared with how blood clots to stop the bleeding of a wound in a human body.
The sealant is injected into the HVAC/R system to circulate with the refrigerant and oil that is the lifeblood of an HVAC/R system.
At the point where the refrigerant leaks through the tiny punctures in the system, it begins to lower the ambient air temperature down to the dew point, when micro droplets of moisture are deposited around the leak area. The escaping refrigerant containing Super Seal reacts with this moisture to form a permanent low tensile crystalline structure which seals the hole from the inside out.
“It’s worked perfectly and now, 18 months later the system is still operating and the sealant has stopped the leaks,” said Simpson, whose company has been operating since 1978 and is based in Kyabram, in North Eastern Victoria near Shepparton.
Before discovering Super Seal, Simpson used to continually patch and weld leaking holes, a process that had no guarantee of success and which ultimately resulted in some businesses totally replacing their failing systems.
Super Seal has given businesses another option and increased the life of HVAC/R equipment, a fact demonstrated further by its use in helping to repair Kyabram’s local dairy farmer’s milk vat.
“Since the drought, it has become very difficult for farmers to operate and the high costs associated with maintenance can potentially put you out of business,” said Simpson whose business has also been affected by the drought.
A new milk vat can cost more than $60,000. It also takes a lot of time to pull apart a vat and then reassemble a repaired vat whilst also losing money, time and business because the cows’ milk cannot be cooled. Repairs to a vat can cost up to $20,000.
Super Seal saved one of Simpson’s client’s milk vats which was also leaking refrigerant, and he was faced with the expensive possibility of replacement; however the vat is now in good working order and has stopped leaking refrigerant, giving the farmer extended use of his system.
GO Distribution director, Gary Oborne, said preventing leaks has helped many businesses save money on constant repair and maintenance costs, either providing a permanent solution or keeping important production going and allowing owners to consider whether a new unit may be required at some point down the track.
“Whether it’s your air-conditioning system, refrigerator, milk vat or whatever HVAC/R system you are using, if your system needs to be replaced, then it becomes very expensive and time-consuming. Bob Simpson’s examples are continuing the list of success stories which are giving HVAC/R equipment a new and longer life,” said Oborne.