 Chillgard Monitor keeps the chill inside At home, the only way you can detect a refrigerant leak in your freezer or refrigerator is when it's too late: food begins to spoil, people swelter with no air conditioning, and ice begins to melt beneath your feet on your skating rink. In an industry like food processing, an ever-growing leak in a large refrigeration system can silently, secretly wreak havoc until much of the food is spoiled and lost.  Thankfully,
now MSA's Chillgard® Refrigerant Monitor (a permanently installed instrument
which specifically detects refrigerant compounds) finds such leaks long
before industrial refrigeration units break down. In 1997, for example, at North Carolina State University in Raleigh, a Chillgard unit alerted technicians to a 1 ppm (one-part-per-million) refrigerant leak. Although the university had previously used other brands as well as MSA, they've used only the Chillgard monitor since that money-saving detection, according to Mike Moore, the "top-selling Chillgard salesman in the world." But why is it important to find such a miniscule leak? Aside from preventing harmful refrigerants from escaping into our atmosphere and protecting people from their potentially toxic effects, such detection can mean incredible monetary savings. Faced with ever-rising refrigerant prices, the South Carolina Department of Corrections found out just how costly an undetected leak could be, in fact, about six years ago, said Moore. "One of the facility's chiller units was protected by a competitive monitor. Unfortunately, that competitor's instrument did not detect a small leak, and the facility lost $12,000 worth of refrigerant." Moore added, "MSA's Chillgard RT is not the cheapest product, but it's the best!" What makes the Chillgard line the best is its superior technology and construction. While competitors' monitors use an electrochemical or non-dispersive infrared technology, MSA's Chillgard unit employs photoacoustic infrared. That is much better because, as Paul Schmitt, MSA's southeast territory manager, said, "The non-dispersive infrared units have inherent zero drift, so you have to readjust them often. And, with each adjustment, you have to introduce fresh air into the instrument. If the air is already contaminated, your readings will obviously be off." "The Chillgard photoacoustic infrared instruments have a much, much more solid zero reading, resulting in much less, if any, zero drift. Also, because of their special containment structure, things like turbulence, humidity, and other usually disruptive conditions cannot affect the instruments' readings as they could with the competitors' models." The entire line of Chillgard models, including its top-selling Chillgard RT model, fills 80% to 90% of the market for refrigerant detectors. Moore, who sells 50 to 60 units per year with no more than two call-backs per year, attributes this success not only to MSA's accurate, reliable, sensitive products, but also to exceptional service from MSA. "When we do get a call for service, MSA has the most knowledgeable and reliable service department. Both Jim Martin (MSA's service manager for Chillgard units) and Dick Johnson (the technician who works exclusively on Chillgard units) are great with customers, really care about them, and give explicit instructions. This really helps reduce cost, because shutdown is expensive!" If you would like more information on how MSA's Chillgard refrigerant detectors can help your organization save money, call 1-800-MSA-INST or log onto our website at www.MSAnet.com.
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