Winter Maintenance Guide | Sanwood Technology Helps You Properly Maintain Your Equipment

Winter is here, and with temperatures continuing to drop, sophisticated environmental simulation testing equipment also requires special winter care. Low temperatures, humidity, and large temperature differences are seasonal factors that can affect the normal operation and testing accuracy of the equipment. To ensure your equipment maintains reliable and accurate performance throughout the winter, Sanwood Technology offers a special winter operation and maintenance guide.

I.Operational Challenges 

The normal operation of the environmental test chamber is closely related to the surrounding environmental conditions. Low winter temperatures may bring the following challenges:

Refrigerant Migration in Compressors: Low temperatures increase the viscosity of lubricating oil, which may cause refrigerant migration during shutdown, diluting the lubricating oil and affecting compressor start-up lubrication.

Cooling Water System Freezing: Cooling water in the pipes of water-cooled equipment may freeze, leading to pipe, heat exchanger, or water pump rupture.

Sensor Accuracy Drift: Some temperature and humidity sensors may experience measurement deviations due to low temperatures.

II. Countermeasures

Maintain Workshop Temperature 

Install the environmental test chamber in a heated indoor environment whenever possible, maintaining the ambient temperature between +15℃ and +30℃ (please refer to the equipment manual for specific requirements). 

Monitor the Refrigeration System

For water-cooled systems, if not used in winter, be sure to thoroughly drain any accumulated water from the cooling water pipes, pumps, heat exchangers, and cooling tower. If operation in low-temperature environments is required, use antifreeze of an appropriate concentration.

Check Condensing Pressure

Regularly check the condensing pressure reading on the equipment control system to ensure it is within the normal range (usually set by the manufacturer, such as around 14-18 Bar). If the pressure is too low, immediately check if the condensing pressure regulating valve is functioning correctly.

Avoid Frequent Start-Stops

In extremely cold weather, avoid frequent start-stop cycles at low temperatures to reduce the impact on the compressor.

III. Regular Inspection and Cleaning

Regularly clean the humidifier: Due to the high workload of the humidifier in winter, increase the frequency of cleaning and descaling.

Configure a Voltage Stabilizer: Equip the test chamber with a power-matched AC voltage stabilizer to ensure stable input voltage.

Standardized Operating Procedures:  Before starting the low-temperature test, allow the equipment to run unloaded for a period of time to allow the entire system (especially the compressor lubricating oil) to reach a good initial state.

IV. Conclusion 

Precise environmental simulation testing equipment (such as Constant Temperature  Humidity Test Chambers, Rapid-Rate Temperature Change Chambers, and Thermal Shock Test Chambers) is crucial for scientific research and quality control. Proper winter maintenance not only affects the accuracy of test data but also the long-term stable operation of the equipment. Let's work together to ensure proper winter equipment maintenance and safeguard your research work!

For any equipment maintenance questions, please feel free to contact our technical service team. We will provide you with professional and timely technical support.