News

ECAC Are Now the REAL Alternatives National Lead for Ireland

ECAC are proud to announce that we have been appointed the National Lead for REAL Alternatives for Ireland. REAL Alternatives 4 LIFE has built on the successful REAL Skills Europe & REAL Zero containment approaches. (Refrigerants, Emissions And Leakage – Zero). It was prepared by a consortium of Partners from across Europe, co-funded by the EU, included training and professional institutes as well as employer representative bodies. Share On

Remember to upload your cert to the EPA before Brexit

It is important that you upload your personal City & Guilds F Gas cert to the EPA Before December 31st (Brexit Day) Unless you do this your cert will be invalid https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/RACHP Valid applications in respect of the activity to which the certificate or training attestation relate must be made by completing an online application form 5 . Please ensure you select the correct form for the certificate you currently hold.  The application must be accompanied by a valid UK certificate or training attestation. Incomplete applications or applications containing false or misleading information will be invalid. If you have mislaid your UK certificate, please contact your course provider or the UK certifying body as a matter of urgency as you will not be able to apply for a replacement Irish certificate without submitting your UK certificate.  If the EPA determines an application has been made in accordance with its procedures in advance of 11.00pm on 31 October 2019, then the EPA shall issue the certificate or training attestation applied for and will maintain a register of all EPA certificate holders.  This certificate or training attestation will allow you to work in the EU, including Ireland.  There will be no fee for making this application. Share On

Live Online Courses

In response to Covid 19 we are developing a range of Live online short courses delivered via Zoom. Unlike many other training companies we believe that to gain the most from training it is important that our candidates have access to a live Tutor and have the opportunity to ask questions in real time. Share On

We’re ready to go again!

We are restarting after the lock-down. Share On

Useful Corona virus links for the refrigeration & HVAC industries

Below are some links which you may find useful when working with Refrigeration & HVAC systems during this unusual time. Share On

Symptoms of non condensables (Air/Nitrogen) in system

High head pressures High Pressure trips High compressor head temperature Share On

Refrigerant overcharge symptoms

Head Pressures may be excessively high. There may also be excessive amounts of liquid stored in the condenser The condenser fan motor if on a control may run excessively or faster than Share On

Refrigerant under charge symptoms

Compressor run time excessive, Compressor thermal overload trip, Mechanical damage to compressor due to oil breakdown caused by excessive heat. Share On

Strength testing with OFN

The strength test procedure should comply with the recommendations listed in the European standard EN 378. The test pressure used should be between 1.1 and 1.43 times the allowable pressure depending on the PED category for that part of the system. The system may need to be divided into high and low sides for pressure testing purposes. This is required to ensure that the manufacturers test pressure applied to the low side, eg evaporator etc is not exceeded (particularly important on shell and tube evaporators using water). Share On

ECAC & Covid 19

We would like to assure all of our customers of our ongoing technical support during the current Covid 19 crisis. Should you require our support or have any queries please phone Therese on 086-0660652 or email therese@ecac.ie and we will get back to you. This is a unique situation and if we can be of any help to anyone, even if you are not a customer of ours, please do not hesitate to contact us. We will during this time continue to update our technical blog and would welcome any suggestions on subjects to include News & Technical blog Please follow all HSE advice at https://www2.hse.ie/coronavirus/ Share On

Fgas certification and Brexit

Following our query to the EPA regarding F gas certification and Brexit we can confirm the following. During the transition period all UK F Gas certificates will remain valid. Share On

Annealing Copper

Working Copper tubing, bending, flaring, expanding etc. can be difficult if the copper is hard and brittle. It can lead to fracturing of the copper. By annealing the copper you can soften it to make it more workable and easier to bend. The process involves heating the copper to change its structure and allowing it to cool quickly. Share On

Vacuuming procedure

Checking your equipment On your gauge manifold inspect all seals, valves and connections and replace/repair as required Remove all of the old oil from your Vacuum pump, flush through with fresh oil and then recharge the pump with vac pump oil If necessary you can run the pump with the valve closed to warm the pump and oil up, drain and flush with fresh oil before again filling. To check the operation of the vacuum pump fit a calibrated vacuum gauge to the inlet and achieve the lowest pressure possible. Isolate the pump and watch for any rise in pressure. This may indicate a faulty pump or connection. Share On

The purpose of Evacuating a system

Vacuuming the system removes all traces of air, moisture and nitrogen that may be present in a system. Air and Nitrogen are non-condensable gasses which can cause high head pressures, high discharge temperatures, inefficient operation, high pressure trips and system failure. Share On

How to use a vacuum pressure temperature table

By using a vacuum pressure temperature table it is possible to determine the correct vacuum level you need to achieve to remove moisture and confirm that there is no moisture left in the system. Share On

Refrigerant Service Ban, January 2020

A service ban is now in place on the use of virgin refrigerants with a GWP over 2,500 . R404A and R507A along with R434A and R422D are affected. It is important to recognise that the ban is on the use of these refrigerants, not the purchase. This means that even if you are stocking virgin R404A for example, you cannot use it after 31st of December 2019. Share On