Hinton Refrigeration Company had the task of two convenience store installs and wanted to make sure they were high quality jobs.
Founded in Oklahoma City in 1952 by Argus Hinton, the company was well known for providing quality grocery store refrigeration installation and service in the area.
For over 60 years, the company has grown to become industry experts in refrigeration, commercial HVAC, and residential installation and service while upholding the high quality, integrity and customer service that Mr. Hinton originally instilled in the company.
Hinton Refrigeration took a different approach to each install.
For the first convenience store Hinton used 5 technicians and five days to weld in the piping using the typical brazing method.
With brazing, the technicians had to constantly bring torches up and down ladders to install the piping on top of the walk-in coolers. They also had to deal with the tight spaces afforded to the convenience store set up.
Additional people were needed to keep the valves cool during brazing and to watch out for the cooler’s white panelling so they didn’t burn it while brazing.
Once the brazing was done, they would check for leaks and usually found 4-5 pin holes per weld. Around 80 fittings were used.
For the second convenience store, Hinton used ZoomLock flame-free refrigerant fittings to install the piping using two technicians over two days, cutting the man-hours by 44%.
The company was able to train apprentices on the appropriate use of ZoomLock in 15 minutes versus the two-week training needed on proper and safe brazing techniques.
They also found that by using ZoomLock, there were no pin hole leaks. The install was quick and fluid. By installing ZoomLock, Hinton Refrigeration was able to save in labour costs and add to their bottom line.