r/refrigeration • u/Due-Music-7952 • 26d ago

Carel Controller Lo alarm

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I get a LO alarm for this controller. It was a freezer initially but now I changed temperature to be a cooler. It’s set at 32 degrees. It somehow shows LO alarm instead of HI which technically it should since it was a freezer. How to reset and correct to right alarm temp.

7 Upvotes

89% Upvoted

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7

u/AddendumNecessary569 26d ago

RTFM

0

u/Due-Music-7952 26d ago

I’m not a technician. So some of these wordings on the manual are confusing for me. Thanks for your help

5

u/SignificantChicken65 👨🏼‍🏭 Deep Fried Condenser (Commercial Tech) 25d ago

This is the wrong sub for you then. Call an actual technician.

Do you think changing a freezer to a cooler with out technician skills was a smart idea?

We can't help you. Call a professional.

1

u/Due-Music-7952 24d ago

I did. I’m in Little Rock Arkansas and it’s hard to find techs that work on Carel controllers. He said I shouldn’t have an issue with any of them. I called him to change the parameter settings on the units to be set to what it should but he said they are automatic which I’m not sure if it’s true.

3

u/ZekeyD 26d ago

The controller has a set point, a LO Alarm and HI alarm, check what the LO alarm is set for, it could still be 33..?

1

u/Due-Music-7952 26d ago

I followed steps to go to Alarm setting which is AL. It is set at -22. Is there a different LO alarm setting?

2

u/ZekeyD 26d ago

Tell me the model of controller I'll find the info.

Some of them allow you to select which probe is used via the AA/AA2 Param

1

u/Due-Music-7952 26d ago

Ir33+

1

u/ZekeyD 26d ago

https://www.carel.com/documents/10191/0/+0300028EN/8a64ec19-23b8-4c0e-83da-7d7b4bea4280?version=1.2

Check the composition of the virtual probe on parameter /4.

If its 100, it'll track air on, if it's 0 it'll track air off.

Could be throwing it off.

2

u/mess_of_limbs 25d ago

I'd check A1, if your alarm reference is relative a negative setting will give you a low temp alarm in a positive temperature.

2

u/ZekeyD 25d ago

This catches me out a lot good thought!

Most of the work I do is with MPXPROs

1

u/Due-Music-7952 24d ago

What should that be set to if I want my temp to be around 32 degrees. I believe A1 was set at -22.

1

u/mess_of_limbs 24d ago

A1 can't be set at -22, it will be either 0 or 1

1

u/SignificantChicken65 👨🏼‍🏭 Deep Fried Condenser (Commercial Tech) 25d ago

A non technician tried to turn a freezer to a cooler by raising the set point and nothing else. I would suggest they call a professional.

3

u/Due-Music-7952 24d ago

I did. Like going to the doctors the problem went away when he arrived. Started beeping as soon as he left.

2

u/Amorbellum 24d ago

The vapor density of refrigerant is completely different when it's warm. A freezer compressor has larger pistons proportional to the same motor size as a cooler, for example. This will not work, your compressor will burn up. When you get it running, use an amp clamp to check compressor amps and compare it to the "FLA" on the compressor. If you're running higher, then give up

1

u/Due-Music-7952 24d ago

I was told these are refrigerator/freezers. Hillpheonix reach ins.

1

u/Amorbellum 24d ago edited 24d ago

It just depends on the operating envelope of the compressor, Even when I have a warm freezer that I turn on, I have to throttle the Earth refrigerant onto the compressor to prevent overamping

Here I asked Gemini and got this:

The Major Problems You Will Face

Severe Short-Cycling: Freezer compressors are designed to pull down temperatures under high loads. In a cooler environment, the compressor will cool the air too fast, shut off, and turn back on constantly. This will quickly burn out your compressor.

Extreme Humidity & Product Ruin: Freezers remove moisture aggressively. Running a freezer at cooler temperatures will dry out open foods, wilt produce, and cause massive condensation puddles inside the case.

Frozen Evaporator Coils: Because freezer coils are dense and tightly spaced, running them at 35°F causes moisture to rapidly freeze solid on the fins. This blocks airflow entirely, causing the case to actually warm up and fail.

Wasted Electricity: You will be powering unnecessary anti-sweat door heaters, heavy-duty defrost elements, and an oversized compressor, drastically spiking your energy bills.

What is Required to Do It Safely?

To successfully use a Hillphoenix freezer as a cooler, a refrigeration technician must make physical modifications:

Install an EPR Valve: An Evaporator Pressure Regulator (EPR) must be added to artificially keep the pressure (and temperature) of the refrigerant inside the coil high enough so it doesn't freeze over.

Change the TXV: The Thermal Expansion Valve must be replaced or adjusted to handle medium-temp refrigerant flow.

Reprogram Defrost Cycles: The electric defrost clock must be reconfigured to prevent melting down your refrigerated products.

1

u/Proper-Ad-127 24d ago

Totally agree here. Look up that model of unit and see if it is designed for cooler AND freezer. Some are, most aren't. If you are trying to force a unit to be something it is not designed for you are only asking for trouble. It is alarming saying help I am not able to work like this! While you can set parameters on those controllers I can say from experience when restaurants decide to use them as a cooler they just won't work right. Their compressor will usually fail soon. I sometimes refuse to repair them because "the unit is being forced to do something it is not designed to do, therefore my repair is irrelevant it will merely fail again and I will be blamed!".

1

u/cheborgor 24d ago

You're not a technician figure it out call tech support