As far as HVAC and servicing commercial foodservice equipment are concerned, Richard Dick is a wealth of knowledge and someone who also maintains a healthy sense of humor.
He has spent more than 30 years in the field and got into HVAC right after high school before moving to foodservice equipment. Dick has been with Refrigeration Heroes based in Greer, S.C., for more than a year. He began as a service tech and now serves as a service manager overseeing a team of 12 service technicians. Dick also will do an occasional commercial refrigeration installation.
Q: How has refrigeration equipment evolved for the better since you first began servicing it?
A: Energy management systems represent a significant development. These systems give operators greater insight into their equipment and how it’s running. This can help with planned maintenance programs, which can lower operators’ repair costs.
Q: Although you’re in a service manager role, you still go into the field for a variety of reasons, including installs. What’s the key to properly installing commercial refrigeration equipment?
A: The key is you want to have the job properly organized before the installation. When you go into an installation, you want to have the right team members as well as the equipment and parts in place. This will allow you to orchestrate everything effectively and to be as efficient as you can. You want the service techs to be involved in the installation, too. They get better in their roles by knowing how the new equipment is being installed. I’ve always believed that.
Q: Describe how you might correct a problem when a tech calls in from the field.
A: I’ve trained all the techs and I need them to have the answers to my questions in place. When repairing a piece of equipment, the techs know what questions I’m going to ask them. Examples include: How old is the equipment? What is the voltage for the equipment? What is the model number? These questions give me an idea of what they are working on, and it means they can’t just call and say it’s broken. I don’t know everything, but I’ll tell them what I know and I know enough to be dangerous. I’ve been around long enough and updated myself through new stuff like Freon and computer boards. I know what they’re trying to do.
Q: Is there a common mistake operators should try to avoid making to ensure their refrigeration equipment remains up and running?
A: They really need to make sure they have planned maintenance at least every six months as the equipment gets older. They forget about the ice machine until it stops making ice. You can’t forget about it.
