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Solving Work Life Imbalance w/ Craig M

Craig M (AC Service Tech) returns to the podcast to talk about solving work-life imbalance, especially for HVAC/R technicians who have children and families of their own.

Our actions tend to be driven by our priorities, which vary at different stages of our lives. Someone's work-life balance could also vary depending on different parts of the year. When we let the right people into our lives and are surrounded by supportive communities, we can reconfigure our personal and career trajectories to keep them in line with our priorities. To create a healthy work-life balance, we must be open to investing in others and letting others invest in us.

“Balance” implies a constant state of evenness, but for people who work many hours, own a business, or have a family, their time may not be perfectly balanced at all times. That sort of variety presents a challenge, but it also presents opportunities for us to invite wise counsel and maintain communication to make sure we're on the same page as the important people in our lives.

We are imperfect, and in many cases, we make mistakes when we do things we shouldn't do or fail to do things we should do. When we make those mistakes or bad things happen, we can think about practical measures we can immediately implement in our lives to make them more fulfilling in terms of our long-term vision.

Craig and Bryan also discuss:

Providing for one's family
Seeking counsel and wisdom from others
How lifestyles and priorities shift as children grow up
Intentionality and short-term vs. long-term thinking
Making the “right” decision
Letting people struggle but supporting them
Emotional maturity
Authenticity
Bringing positivity to communication and relationships

Learn more about Craig's books and other educational resources at https://www.acservicetech.com/.

Learn more about the HVACR Training Symposium or buy a virtual ticket today at https://hvacrschool.com/symposium.

If you have an iPhone, subscribe to the podcast HERE, and if you have an Android phone, subscribe HERE.

Check out our handy calculators HERE.

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Our latest Podcast

HVAC School – For Techs, By Techs

Real training for HVAC ( Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning and Refrigeration) Technicians. Including recorded tech training, interviews, diagnostics and general conversations about the trade.

Matthew Taylor delivers an expert-level presentation on EPRs, building on his previous work on parallel rack systems. While his earlier content focused on the similarities between air conditioning and refrigeration, this session explores what makes commercial refrigeration unique—particularly the critical role of EPRs in maintaining optimal operating conditions across multiple evaporators running at different temperatures. This presentation was shared at the 6th Annual HVACR Training Symposium.

The discussion begins with a fundamental review of the refrigeration cycle in a typical supermarket setting, where 30 to 80 evaporators may share a common suction line. Matthew explains why EPRs are essential: when multiple cases need to operate at different temperatures (ranging from -13°F for frozen foods to 24°F for fresh products) but all connect to the same compressor rack, EPRs become the solution that makes this possible. Without them, cases would cycle on and off constantly, creating efficiency nightmares, oil management problems, and potential food safety issues.

Matthew walks through the mechanical principles of various EPR types, from the high-efficiency Sporlan SORIT valve with its pilot-operated design to the Parker A8 valve that can be installed directly in the store. He also addresses the industry’s shift toward electronic EPRs, particularly the CDS modules that offer temperature-based control rather than just pressure regulation. Throughout the presentation, Matthew emphasizes practical considerations: how EPRs affect compressor staging, oil system pressure, defrost cycles, and ultimately, the core product temperatures that determine food safety. The session includes real-world troubleshooting insights and addresses common misconceptions about setting superheat on systems with EPRs.

This technical presentation provides HVAC professionals with the knowledge needed to understand, diagnose, and service EPR-equipped refrigeration systems confidently. Matthew’s approach demystifies a component that many technicians find intimidating, breaking it down into understandable principles while highlighting the critical role EPRs play in modern commercial refrigeration efficiency and reliability.

Topics Covered

Basic Refrigeration Cycle in Supermarket Applications – Understanding parallel rack systems with 30-80 evaporators sharing common suction and liquid lines
Oil Management Systems – Oil separators, oil reservoirs, oil regulators, and the critical pressure differential required for proper oil flow
Compressor Staging and Capacity Control – How parallel rack compressors operate as multi-stage units to match system load efficiently
Saturated Suction Temperature (SST) – Why racks are designated by temperature (e.g., “13-degree rack” or “-13 degree rack”) and how this relates to the coldest evaporator requirement
Temperature Difference (TD) Engineering – The relationship between evaporator temperature and case leaving air temperature, typically 10 degrees in traditional systems
EPR Fundamentals – Why EPRs are necessary to maintain different evaporator pressures on cases operating at various temperatures while connected to a single rack
Mechanical EPR Types – Comparison of Sporlan SORIT valves (pilot-operated, low pressure drop) versus Parker A8 valves (self-contained, higher pressure drop)
Electronic EPR Systems – Modern CDS modules and other electronic controls offering pressure control, temperature control, or hybrid approaches
System Stability and Load Management – How proper EPR settings prevent compressor hunting, reduce energy consumption, and protect oil management systems
Subcooling Requirements – Why liquid receivers eliminate natural subcooling and how mechanical subcoolers restore it before expansion devices
Core Product Temperature – The critical relationship between runtime, EPR settings, and food safety in refrigerated cases
Dual-Temperature Applications – Converting medium-temp cases to low-temp operation (like holiday turkey displays) using EPR pilot solenoids
Superheat Setting Procedures – Why EPRs must be overridden to 50-100% open position when setting TXV superheat
High Glide Refrigerants – Special considerations for setting EPRs with refrigerants that have significant difference between dew point and bubble point temperatures
Troubleshooting Philosophy – Understanding EPRs and TXVs as independent systems that don’t directly affect each other due to non-critically charged liquid receiver systems
Pressure Drop Considerations – How EPR pressure losses (0.5-2 psi depending on type) affect compressor suction setpoints and energy efficiency
Electronic Control Integration – Various controller brands and approaches to managing electronic EPRs, from pressure transducers to temperature sensors and PID algorithms

Have a question that you want us to answer on the podcast? Submit your questions at https://www.speakpipe.com/hvacschool.

Purchase your tickets or learn more about the 7th Annual HVACR Training Symposium at https://hvacrschool.com/symposium.

Subscribe to our podcast on your iPhone or Android.

Subscribe to our YouTube channel.

Check out our handy calculators here or on the HVAC School Mobile App for Apple and Android.

Search Episodes

EPRs and Rack Refrigeration w/ Matthew Taylor

01/22/2026

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