The Refrigeration Mentor Podcast

Trevor Matthews
  • 5.0 (34)
  • Education
  • Updated Weekly

This podcast is all about training, education and mentorship for commercial refrigeration and HVAC professionals. My goal to help you develop your knowledge and skills, to master the art of refrigeration. I will have expert guests from around the world joining us. We will have different conversations on technical topic's like system troubleshooting, supermarket refrigeration and CO2 refrigeration. Featuring technicians and engineers to manufacturers and many other industry expert join us to share their knowledge and wisdom. I will have conversations about mental health, mindset, and personal and professional development. My goal is to help you become 1% better than yesterday. Let's get a conversation going!

  1. 5d ago

    Episode 412. Live Group Troubleshooting: Working Through Issues Fellow Techs (Community Meetup Replay)

    Learn more about Refrigeration Mentor Customized Technical Training Programs at www.refrigerationmentor.com/courses Join the Refrigeration Mentor Hub here This episode is a replay of a recent Refrigeration Mentor Community Meetup where we helped fellow techs with some technical CO2 refrigeration troubleshooting. The live group discussed a problematic CO2 store with high superheat, recurring low-temp oil issues, phase-loss/current-imbalance alarm and others. You'll hear solutions, tips and advice from the fellow techs on the call, including Mikaela Law, Patrick Gregory, Andrew Freeburg, Billy Carlson, Noah Walker, and others. Interested in joining the next meetup? Click here and join our FREE Refrigeration Mentor Hub. In this episode, we cover: (01:39) High Superheat and Injection (03:20) Liquid Line Drop and Flashing (05:14) Pulse Valve Orifice Fix (08:10) Oil Logging (14:41) Pressure Differential and Port Sizing (19:34) HP Valve Failure (23:46) Ice Cream Frost Airflow Hack (26:44) Designing a Custom Divider Prototype (28:39) Selling Value to Customers (32:54) VFD Phase Loss Troubleshooting (35:37) Drive vs Compressor Diagnosis (38:46) Bypass Tests and Amp Imbalance (40:08) Using Bitzer Software Helpful Links & Resources: Episode 378. Field Stories: Compressor Failure, Case Freeze-Up Troubleshooting, and Electrical Safety Episode 360. Get Curious on Service Calls (For Faster Troubleshooting) Episode 382. Why Techs Get Stumped on Supermarket Racks (How To Fix It)

  2. Jul 13

    Episode 411. Fast-Tracking as a New Supermarket Refrigeration Tech with Jacob Decker

    Learn more about Refrigeration Mentor Customized Technical Training Programs at www.refrigerationmentor.com/courses Join the Refrigeration Mentor Hub here In this conversation, I sit down with Supermarket Refrigeration Technician Jacob Decker to discuss how newer technicians can land opportunities and gain experience faster. Jacob shares how he moved from residential work and tech school into commercial refrigeration and a full time career with Walmart through connections, overcoming fears, learning form mistakes, and how he benefited from mentorship and structured training. We also cover common challenges for new techs, plus practical habits to build that will fast track the learning curve and open up so many opportunities for building your career in the industry.  In this episode, we discuss: (01:19) Breaking Into Refrigeration (02:44) First Commercial Job Lessons (05:42) Biggest Surprises and Challenges Entering Refrigeration (07:20) Learning from Mistakes (12:39) Mentorship and Generational Shifts in the Trades (16:10) Common Pitfalls for New Refrigeration Techs  (18:32) Building ConfideEpisode 186: How To Attract Young People To The Refrigeration Trade (20:40) Checklists (25:08) Future Refrigeration Tech and CO2 (26:47) Work-Life Balance in Refrigeration (28:35) Building Better Work Habits (34:42) Mental Health in the Trades Helpful Links & Resources: Episode 85. Generation Z with love2hvac Episode 186: How To Attract Young People To The Refrigeration Trade With Rusty Walker Episode 190. Turning Mistakes Into Lessons and Accelerating Your Refrigeration Career with Andrew Freeburg

  3. Jul 9

    Episode 410. Oil Tips for Copeland Compressors

    Learn more about Refrigeration Mentor Customized Technical Training Programs at www.refrigerationmentor.com/courses Join the Refrigeration Mentor Hub here In this episode, I'll share a couple quick and practical oil tips for technicians working on racks with Copeland compressors - often times preventing unnecessarily draining and replacing good oil. These cover properly identifying oil issues, important checks, tips for removing oil from the compressor without wasting it. These tips will help techs save time, reduce mess and avoid charging customers for unnecessary oil.  In this episode, we discuss: (00:49) Checking the Oil Pump Screen (01:20) Three Ways to Save Oil (02:57) Faster Oil Fixes (06:13) How to Save Time, Money and Mess on Service Calls Helpful Links & Resources: Episode 330. Oil Issues in Refrigeration Systems Episode 359. Oil Management with Andrew Freeburg Episode 253. CO2 Experts: Designing an Oil Management System with Nabil Cook

  4. Jul 2

    Episode 409. How New Technology & Training Are Transforming the Trades (World Refrigeration Day Panel)

    Learn more about Refrigeration Mentor Customized Technical Training Programs at www.refrigerationmentor.com/courses Join the Refrigeration Mentor Hub here In this special episode, we're marking World Refrigeration Day (June 26) with a panel discussion on how technology and continuous training are transforming the skilled trades, particularly in attracting and retaining new technicians. This panel features Amrit Robbins, CEO of Axiom Cloud,  Kyle Eastwood, Refrigeration Specialist at Axiom Cloud, and  Joe Stough, VP of Strategy and Technology at ARI. We cover how the industry can better support technicians by combining training, mentorship and technology, as well as leveraging AI to learn, reduce diagnostic time, cut callbacks, and even reduce overnight and weekend work.  In this episode, we discuss: (04:19) Why Techs Matter More Now Than Ever (05:34) Being Better Prepared for Service Calls (12:38) Training, Mentorship and AI in Refrigeration (17:50) Proactive Maintenance (19:40) CO2 Refrigeration Systems  (21:33) Breaking the CO2 Stigma (24:40) Advice for CO2 Calls (25:36) Technician Shortage Reality (26:59) Two-Part Refrigeration Industry Fix (27:54) Making Trades Attractive (33:29) Validating Technician Training (42:05) Proving ROI on Training Helpful Links & Resources: Episode 288. The Payoff of Investing Time & Money in Training with Jesse Stewart Episode 374. Growing the Refrigeration Industry Globally with World Refrigeration Day Founder, Steve Gill Episode 408. Retaining and Mentoring New Technicians (World Refrigeration Day Panel) Axiom Cloud ARI Amrit Robbins on LinkedIn Joe Stough on LinkedIn

  5. Jun 29

    Episode 408. Retaining and Mentoring New Technicians (World Refrigeration Day Panel)

    Learn more about Refrigeration Mentor Customized Technical Training Programs at www.refrigerationmentor.com/courses Join the Refrigeration Mentor Hub here In this special episode, we're marking World Refrigeration Day (June 26) with a panel discussion on retaining skilled refrigeration tradespeople and the importance of mentoring the next generation. Panelists Aidan Lucey, Erik Holland, Andrew Freeburg, Patrick Gregory, and Noah Walker discuss what kept them in the trade early on, as well as what great mentorship looks like, the challenges apprentices face today, and rapidly increasing technology and information quality across the refrigeration industry.  In this conversaton, we discuss: (00:44) Why Mentorship Matters In the Trades (05:50) What Kept People in the Trade (12:33) Defining Great Mentorship (19:36) Challenges for Apprentices Today (25:13) Training Under Pressure (25:58) Technical Complexity and AI in the Trades (26:58) Building Safe Learning Culture (30:30) Mentorship Structures That Work (33:39) Career Advice for Apprentices (39:06) World Refrigeration Day Reflections (40:01) Mentor Lessons You Can't Google (45:57) Recruiting the Next Generation of Refrigeration Professionals Helpful Links & Resources: World Refrigeration Day Episode 374. Growing the Refrigeration Industry Globally with World Refrigeration Day Founder, Steve Gill Episode 186: How To Attract Young People To The Refrigeration Trade With Rusty Walker Aidan Lucey on LinkedIn Erik Holland on LinkedIn Andrew Freeburg on LinkedIn Partick Gregory on LinkedIn

  6. Jun 27

    Episode 407. Can You Solve This Service Call? Test Your Knowledge

    Learn more about Refrigeration Mentor Customized Technical Training Programs at www.refrigerationmentor.com/courses Join the Refrigeration Mentor Hub here In this episode, we're introducing a new segment called "Can You Solve This Service Call?" using real life examples to test your knowledge as a technician walking into a call. In this example, we've got a compressor running continuously, some key readings, however it's determined the compressor itself isn't the issue. We'll run through critical checks and processes for this common situation, all in an effort to outline things to look for and help techs identify root cause issues faster and more confidently.  In this episode, we cover: (01:34) Example Service Call (04:25) Sequence of Checks (05:25) Key Check: Filter Drier (09:30) Think Restriction First (10:06) Service Call Checklists  (12:09) Building Customer Trust Helpful Links & Resources: DOWNLOAD: Free System and Compressor Troubleshooting Guide Episode 360. Get Curious on Service Calls (For Faster Troubleshooting) Episode 181: Ways To Be More Efficient As A Technician And How To Reduce Your Troubleshooting Time with Jim Marsen

  7. Jun 22

    Episode 406. Tech Journey: Tim Homan - From Vegas Racks to CO2 Cascades

    Learn more about Refrigeration Mentor Customized Technical Training Programs at www.refrigerationmentor.com/courses Join the Refrigeration Mentor Hub here In this conversation, we sit down with longtime refrigeration technician Tim Homan to discuss his path from casino in-house work in Las Vegas to "hardcore" supermarket rack and CO2 service. We love sharing the journeys of fellow techs to motivate and inspire those across the industry. Here, Tim talks about honing strong electrical/refrigeration fundamentals, reading manuals and investing heavily in training and tools as crucial to his diverse industry successes. We also dig into some Tim's real life service call stories, as well as managing workload stress, relationship-building and thoughts about the future of refrigeration.   In this episode, we cover: (01:00) Tim Homan's Trade Journey (02:12) Emphasis on Training (03:44) CO2 Refrigeration and Glycol Work (05:52) Booster vs Cascade Systems (08:35) Liquid Line Fixes (12:12) Following Mnaufacturer Specs (17:57) Realities of Refrigeration Maintenance Checks (25:24) Reading Schematics Faster (27:59) Skills Refrigeration Techs Need Now (29:12) Refrigerant Law and Codes (29:32) Evacuation and Hose Purging (30:37) Future of CO2 Tech (32:42) Propane and Micro Systems (34:44) Investing in Tools (37:33) CO2 Gauges and Safety (39:14) E3 Controllers and Programming (40:44) Adiabatic Towers (43:08) CO2 Refrigeration Evolution and Design (46:01) Advice for Refrigeration Technicians Helpful Links & Resources: CO2 Unfiltered Episode 302. Journey Into Refrigeration with Connor Strickland Episode 185: Refrigeration is a Journey: Ashley Fuller's Refrigeration Roadmap Episode 145 - From Small Business to Refrigeration Giant: Adam Knutz's Journey

  8. Jun 18

    Episode 405. 5 Things To Check Before Needlessly Replacing a Compressor

    Learn more about Refrigeration Mentor Customized Technical Training Programs at www.refrigerationmentor.com/courses Join the Refrigeration Mentor Hub here In this episode, I'm outlining five things refrigeration techs need to check before replacing a compressor to avoid an unnecessessary change out. Between 30-40% of swapped compressors are found to have no real issue, and these checks will help technicians uncover root-cause issues and potentially avoid costly and time-consuming work that might not be needed. This episode details the five checks: oil level and oil management, compressor superheat, electrical health, operating conditions, and controller/sensor accuracy. We also cover key readings and how to better understand failure modes and prevent repeat failures. In this episode, we discuss: (00:48) How to Avoid Replacing Good Compressors (03:16) Check 1: Oil Management (04:27) Check 2: Compressor Superheat (06:13) Check 3: Electrical Health (07:14) Check 4: Operating Conditions (08:19) Check 5: Controllers and Sensors (09:56) Inspecting a Failed Compressor (12:14) Documentation and Preventing Repeated Failures Helpful Links & Resources: FREE GUIDE: System and Compressor Troubleshooting Guide Episode 115: Understanding Compressors: What You Need To Know Episode 329. The Ins & Outs of Compressors Episode 388. Step-By-Step Compressor Change Out (Service Call Recap) with Andrew Freeburg

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About

This podcast is all about training, education and mentorship for commercial refrigeration and HVAC professionals. My goal to help you develop your knowledge and skills, to master the art of refrigeration. I will have expert guests from around the world joining us. We will have different conversations on technical topic's like system troubleshooting, supermarket refrigeration and CO2 refrigeration. Featuring technicians and engineers to manufacturers and many other industry expert join us to share their knowledge and wisdom. I will have conversations about mental health, mindset, and personal and professional development. My goal is to help you become 1% better than yesterday. Let's get a conversation going!

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