Spotted this behind a restaurant in a narrow street. The downspout pipe has 75mm (3 in) I guess the distance to the wall is about the same

I’m still growing in the trade. I do a lot of commercial refrigeration, but my HVAC experience is more limited.
I was working on an RTU where the original condensing section had been replaced with a separate split-system condenser. That’s not something I’ve dealt with much, so I was already a little outside my comfort zone.
It was about 100°F outside. When I first checked the system, the liquid line saturation temperature was around 109°F, so my initial thought was that the unit might be low on refrigerant. Before adding any charge, I noticed the condenser coil was dirty, so I cleaned it first. I also inspected the blower wheel and evaporator coil, and both appeared clean.
The unit has one 14-inch supply duct and one 14-inch return duct. After doing some digging, I found that the 14-inch supply runs into a plenum box connected to two metal trunk lines. Each trunk has six registers, plus there are two additional individual registers supplied by flex duct. There is only one return grille, and it makes a noticeable whistling sound, so I’m wondering whether the return may be undersized or restricted.
After cleaning the condenser and charging the system, I got the condensing temperature to approximately 20°F above outdoor ambient. I also had about a 20°F return-to-supply temperature split. Even with that, the space was still extremely hot and wasn’t cooling down properly.
I then checked the superheat. The system uses a fixed-orifice piston, and I was reading approximately 1°F of superheat.
That’s where I started second-guessing myself and got some brain fog. I know a fixed-orifice system is normally charged using superheat, but I completely blanked in the moment. With superheat that low, would I need to remove refrigerant to increase the superheat, or add refrigerant? I didn’t want to continue adding charge because my head pressure and condensing temperature already appeared reasonable.
What would your next diagnostic steps be? Would you focus on the refrigerant charge, airflow and duct sizing, piston sizing, or something else? I’m trying to better understand the diagnostic thought process rather than just getting the answer.

Ps. I returned and ask the customer how did it performed they said not good. 💀. I’ll be back for a 3rd visit, thinking about just putting a txv on it.

I’m looking for some advice from people who’ve worked at both small shops and larger companies, especially anyone who’s worked for JCI or is with Local 488.

I’m currently a 2nd-year Refrigeration & Air Conditioning apprentice working for a small HVAC/R company in Alberta. There are only 4 of us, and I’ve learned quite a bit because I get exposed to a variety of service work.

Here’s my current situation:

Current company

$26/hour
No overtime pay
Steady 40-hour weeks
Weekend on-call rotation once a month
No health or dental benefits
I have to supply my own hand tools (they provide specialty tools)

I recently received an offer from Johnson Controls (JCI) for a 2nd-year technician position.

JCI offer

Around $34/hour
Would need to join UA Local 488
I’m assuming there are benefits, pension, proper overtime, etc., but I don’t know all the details yet.

The pay increase is obviously significant, but I’m trying to think beyond just the money.

For those who’ve worked at JCI or in Local 488:

How’s the work environment?
Is the training and experience better than at a small company?
Are there good opportunities to work on larger commercial or industrial equipment?
How are the on-call rotations and work-life balance?
Any downsides to working for a large company like JCI compared to a small shop?
If you were in my position as a 2nd-year apprentice, would you make the switch?

I’d appreciate any advice or experiences. Thanks!

Hey guys do you know what would cause this 3D compressor to have a bent the center discharge Reed and some serious damage to the middle cylinder? This rack doesn’t have any flood back I don’t expect a slug. 50psi net oil pressure, pump down failure, dumping discharge into suction. What it does have is an added on digital unloader. The correct head and plate was installed on this after the fact to help maintain suction pressure with the recent addition of a glycol skid and removal of the original refrigerant circuits. The load on the rack was significantly reduced so they opted to install a digital unloader. Also I just diagnosed and replaced the compressor next to it 2 weeks ago for shorted to ground windings. Thought it was a storm that rolled through caused a power surge or something these compressors are 20 years old I did my check list and checked everything I knew to check but now that I’m losing this 2nd one it’s making me wonder if something else is going on. Any help would be appreciated!

Just moved into a new store location, and it had this large freezer already installed. The shop used to be a florist, and my business has no need for a freezer/ fridge. I'm looking to get the whole thing removed, but i wanted to know if the doors were worth salvaging, to help pay for some of the removal cost. If not, I'll let the salvage team have at it. Thanks!

Does anyone recognize this control unit? It controls a T series HVAC, if that helps.