Polycold- Service-Rebuilds-Exchanges

Refrigerant Charges

Schoonover provides replacement refrigerant charges for all models, from the P-75 to the PFC 1102HC. The refrigerant charges are a mixture of gases that enable the unit to cool from room temperature to cryogenic temperatures. In addition to full charges, Top Off Charges are also available if the charge is mostly intact in the unit but the lighter gases have been released. Refrigerant Charges ship Fed Ex on a worldwide basis. Please note: some countries do not allow non-Kyoto compliant gases into their countries (such as the EU). In those cases, your Polycold would need to be rebuilt to handle the compliant gases. Therefore, contact us for more information.

Rebuilds/Service

Schoonover can provide service and rebuilds of your Polycold units in our California facility. Incoming units are quoted for all consumable parts replacement. Rebuilding includes new foam in the stack and helium leak checking the copper coils. Once the unit is leak checked, the compressor is tested and replaced if necessary. The unit is then outfitted with a new refrigerant charge and fully tested before being boxed up for return. Warranty is 12 months for the parts/work replaced. Our factory is equipped with the same foaming and heat load test equipment as originally used at the manufacturing facility to ensure your unit returns as close to "new" as possible.   To set up service, contact us for an RMA (Return Material Authorization) number to note on the shipping documents. Once you have received this number, we will send you shipping instructions.

Rebuilt Polycolds

Do you need additional water vapor cryopumps for your chamber systems? As an alternative to the high cost of new capital, why not consider a rebuilt chiller? We can provide you a fully rebuilt unit with a new compressor covered by a 12 month warranty. In addition, (we) provide a unit that has the Kyoto compliant "green gas" charges. Pricing for the rebuilt unit is approximately 60% the cost of new. Since all rebuilt units have a new compressor, fresh consumables and a new charge, the unit should be ready to run for an extended period of time. Therefore, long-term cost of ownership is comparable to a new unit.

Refrigerant Lines & Spare Parts

Needed accessories for installation include refrigeration lines between the Polycold and the cryo-coil. Just specify the length and if you want Parker or Cajon Fittings.  Also, indicate if the connections need to be 3" off-set or even. Spare parts are also available. 

Cryocoil

We design and fabricate cryo-coil designs for all models. Our engineers can take your chamber data and design a coil that fits into that space. This custom coil design provides maximum efficiency for pumping water vapor. Also available is installation of the cryocoil. To get started, provide pictures of the areas in your vacuum chamber system where a cry-coil could be located.

Upgrades

At some point in the near future, refrigerant for Polycold units ending in 0 (ex. PFC 1100HC) may not be available due to R-22 no longer being manufactured. These environmental regulations will result in older units needing to be rebuilt in order to meet new Kyoto compliant "green" refrigerant gas requirements. Our shop can handle this upgrade with the cost being approximately 30% of new. This upgrade will make existing units compliant with the new refrigerant regulations and allow tehm to run to specification with the new refrigerants. 

For more information, check out this article about the market for R-22 after 12/31/2019 and our Blog Post on the elimination of R-22 Refrigerant