Getting the most from your refrigeration, in the long run, means buying the right equipment and installing and managing it properly. Vertical receivers are a great case in point.

Vertical receivers provide improved refrigerant-level resolution when compared with equivalent horizontal receivers. Utilizing vertical receivers equipped with solid-state liquid-level sensors, along with an Energy Management System (EMS) to monitor and send alarms, will effectively reduce refrigerant losses. This approach has proven effective in catching leaks—often without the need to add refrigerant.

Energy management systems can also graph refrigerant levels, which a skilled contractor can analyze to determine when the system began leaking refrigerant and use to ascertain the approximate size of the leak—or, in other cases, confirm that a leak has been repaired.

Many customers get a false sense of security by installing a leak detection system. Historically, leak detection systems have been expensive and unreliable and require annual maintenance.  Lastly, leak detection systems typically only monitor select areas of the store, leaving most of the facility unmonitored. 

A properly managed vertical receiver and sensor will more than pay for itself many times over during the life of the equipment. Most racks are manufactured with horizontal receivers to keep costs down and provide a smaller overall footprint. This is done by building around the receiver, often as a support for the compressors, to reduce manufacturing cost. The downside to this design, in our opinion, is the long-term cost associated with refrigerant leaks over the life of the equipment. Based on the industry average, it’s an annual loss rate of 24%!

Given the costly refrigerant loss caused by a horizontal receiver, it just makes sense to “go vertical.”

Have questions about vertical receivers? Call Accutherm Refrigeration, and we’ll walk you through the answers. You can reach us at (800) 692-1228 or [email protected].