Training Courses

Training Courses

Airedale offers a range of refrigeration and air conditioning training courses both theoretical and practical to meet the needs of air conditioning professionals, delivering industry recognised qualifications.

Course Training

Course_trainer_Duncan_Hitchcox

Airedale air conditioning and refrigeration courses are delivered by Duncan Hitchcox, who has a broad range of engineering, refrigeration, installation and servicing experience. This allows us to offer a broad range of subjects, each of which are covered in intricate detail, providing in-depth knowledge and raising industry standards of service engineers.

Duncan began his career at Airedale in June 1986 as an apprentice panel wirer working his way across Airedale’s production processes.

In the early 1990’s Duncan moved into R&D as a test engineer gaining a HNC in Electrical & Electronic Engineering, he then joined Airedale’s Controls department and learnt how to programme various control systems including Trend, Cylon, Landis & Staefa and Carel. He has worked in the Controls department for over 20 years; developing controller strategies for many of Airedale’s product ranges.

Over the years he has gained great experience of introducing new technologies, supporting engineers and customers and is now looking forward to sharing that knowledge and experience with the next generation of refrigeration and air conditioning engineers.

Courses

Module 1: Basic Refrigeration & Air Conditioning

Module 1: Basic Refrigeration & Air Conditioning

Ideal for:

Those new to the industry with little or no previous knowledge of air conditioning & refrigeration (AC-R) systems.

Duration:

2 days - 09.00-15.30

2022 Dates:

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Location:

The course takes place at our Leeds Road facility, LS19 6JY.

Content:

  • Air conditioning equipment and human comfort
  • Basics of heat transfer relating to AC-R
  • Temperature and humidity – measurement and perception
  • Basic introduction to heat gains and losses in buildings
  • Comfort and precision air conditioning systems, their uses and the various types
  • Properties of air and water vapour
  • Chilled water in air conditioning
  • Introduction to the various types of ventilation systems
  • AC-R fundamentals including the vapour compression cycle, how it works and the critical components
  • Other key components
  • Modern refrigerants
  • Analysis of an AC-R circuit using gauges and thermometers
  • Pressure enthalpy charts, how to plot the refrigeration cycle and what it means
  • Introduction to psychrometrics and its use in determining the properties and condition of the air

Course objective:

This two-day course aims to provide a solid introduction to the principles of air conditioning and refrigeration. The course will provide a basic understanding of the types of air conditioning systems, applications and operating principles including both refrigeration and chilled water systems as well as basic ventilation needs and equipment. A key element of this course is to provide a thorough understanding of the fundamentals of the vapour compression refrigeration system, how it works, the key components and the characteristics of refrigerants. The tuition will also introduce the student to the pressure/enthalpy chart and psychrometrics. Whilst an understanding of basic engineering principles would be an advantage, no previous knowledge of AC-R is required. On completion students are awarded a certificate of achievement from Airedale.

Study method:

Students will spend time in both the classroom and the workshops taking measurements on live systems to enhance understanding.

Price: £530 +VAT

Including tuition, materials, lunch and refreshments.

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Module 2: Air conditioning, Installation, Commissioning & Maintenance

Module 2: Air conditioning, Installation, Commissioning & Maintenance

Ideal for engineers entering the installation and commissioning sectors, as well as engineers wishing to build on their existing knowledge of AC-R systems gained in Module 1.

Duration:

3 days - 09.00-15.30

2022 dates:

Check back for updates
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Location:

The course takes place at our Leeds Road facility, LS19 6JY.

Content:

Installation of AC systems
  • Health and safety requirements
  • Regulations affecting installation
  • Site requirements
  • Pipework and duct sizing and design for refrigeration and chilled water
  • Pipe installation
  • Methods of jointing and fitting including brazing pipework
  • Practical installation and system testing

System commissioning

  • Controls
  • Commissioning a refrigeration-based system
  • Commissioning a water-based system
  • Measuring and balancing air flows in ducts and free-flow units
  • Refrigeration and chilled water systems
  • Measuring and balancing water systems
  • Correct system operation

Maintenance

  • Understanding of controls operation
  • General fault-finding on refrigeration-based systems including cause and effect
  • Correct recording of information

Course objective:

During the three days of this course, students will learn the requirements for safe installation, pressure testing, charging and leak testing of refrigeration systems using fluorinated gases. The course will cover both installation and commissioning with the final section considering the maintenance requirements for refrigeration and water-based systems, including scheduling, record-keeping and legislation. Some prior understanding of the basics of AC-R is assumed. On completion students are awarded an Airedale certificate of achievement. Please note: this course is aimed at providing an understanding of the correct requirements for working on these systems but does not qualify the student to handle refrigerants. Under EU legislation operators must hold suitable F-Gas accreditation in order to carry out refrigerant charging, recovery, purchase and handling.

Study method:

This course includes some classroom theory with much of the learning from practical group assignments in the workshop.

Price: £760 +VAT

Including tuition, materials, lunch and refreshments. Go to course calendar
BESA Academy Accredited F Gas Category 1 Initial Assessment/ 5 Year Assessment

BESA Academy Accredited F Gas Category 1 Initial Assessment

Ideal for:

Engineers carrying out leak testing, refrigerant recovery, installation or service and maintenance on systems containing over 3kg of refrigerant. This training is a requirement if working within the UK.

2022 Dates:

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Location:

The course takes place at our Leeds Road facility, LS19 6JY.

Content:

  • Current legislation and environmental concerns
  • Causes and effects of ozone depletion and global warming
  • Key commissioning techniques leading to a more efficient energy cycle
  • Pipework and brazing skills
  • Pressure enthalpy diagrams and the vapour compression cycle
  • Pressure and leak testing and evacuation
  • Changing, reclaiming and recycling refrigerants
  • Purchasing refrigerants
  • Installation, service and maintenance of the refrigeration system

Course objective:

This course is aimed at providing an understanding of how to work with and handle fluoro-carbon refrigerants as required by the UK F-Gas regulations. This includes legislation, ozone depletion and global warming caused by release of harmful substances. The key practical assessments involve pipe jointing, pressure testing, evacuation, system charging and refrigerant recovery with a final written examination. Some prior knowledge of refrigeration and experience in pipework and brazing would be advantageous. Successful completion of the course provides students with mandatory F-Gas certification for a period of five years as outlined by the UK Fluorinated Greenhouse Gases Regulations 2021, after which a short refresher is required to update holders on changes to the regulations. This allows successful candidates to work on equipment of any size and type containing fluorinated refrigerants. Note: Changes to F-Gas regulations introduced January 2015 will not affect accreditation gained before that date.

Study method:

This course combines classroom and practical work with a theory test and a number of practical assessments covering the handling and use of refrigerants in addition to basic pipework and brazing skills.

Price: £760 +VAT

Including tuition, materials, lunch and refreshments.
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Reassessment 5 Year

2022 Dates:

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Price: £380 +VAT

BESA Academy Accredited Pipework and Brazing Initial Assessment / Re-assessment (BRA04-05)

BESA Academy Accredited Pipework and Brazing / Re-assessment (BRA04-05) 2022

2022 Dates:

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Ideal for:

AC-R engineers with no prior knowledge of pipework & brazing skills.

Duration:

2 days - 09.00-15.30 A one-day course is also available for those with brazing experience.

Location:

The course takes place at our Leeds Road site in Rawdon, LS19 6JY.

2022 Dates:

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Content and objectives:

This is a one-day course for experienced brazers or two days for beginners. It provides a thorough understanding of the health and safety requirements of working with hazardous gases and knowledge of the components within an oxy/acetylene rig. This mainly practical course will develop the necessary skills to braze copper/copper joints and silver soldering of dissimilar metals such as copper to brass or steel, specifically:
  • Working with different copper line diameters and brazing material alloys to produce quality leak-proof joints in commercial and industrial applications.
  • Current information and legislation on using new refrigerants and jointing methods.
  • The brazing assessment provides accreditation and skills card and is often a requirement when carrying out hot works. The training and final assessment test is in line with the requirements laid down by the British Refrigeration Association and qualifies engineers to carry out installation and assembly work associated with pipework and brazing.

Study method:

This course combines classroom and practical work with a theory test and a number of practical assessments.

Price: £506 +VAT

Includes tuition, materials, lunch & refreshments.
BESA Academy Accredited Safe Isolation of Electricity & Refrigeration Controls SI01/RC01

BESA Academy Accredited Safe Isolation of Electricity & Refrigeration Controls SI01/RC01

Ideal for:

Engineers working in the AC-R industry who do not possess a formal electrical qualification required to attain a skillcard.

Duration:

3 days - 09.00-15.30

Location:

The course takes place at our Leeds Road facility, LS19 6JY.

Dates:

Please contact us for course dates.

Content and objectives:

Aimed at those with little or no understanding of electrics, instruction aims to provide an understanding of electrical principles and safe isolation of equipment, basic health and safety needs and electrical regulations, in addition to the components and systems used within a refrigeration system for control, operation and safety. This includes:
  • Basic electrical theory including electrical units and their measurement
  • Practical wiring skills associated with control and power wiring
  • Power supplies use and application
  • Instrumentation types and use
  • Safe methods of fault-finding on electrical control systems
  • Single and three phase motors, their operation and methods
  • Control devices and how and where they are used
  • The need to achieve maximum energy efficiency
  • Types of equipment considered include fuses and protective equipment, types of controls, sensors and detectors and single and three phase motors.
This course uses written and practical assessments to determine a candidate’s understanding of electrical supply systems, controls and protective equipment, earthing and safety checks, cable termination and installation. On successful completion of all assessments and a final multiple choice test a certificate of accreditation is issued and a skills card for essential electrics and basic refrigeration electrics.

This course is aimed at providing a level of competence for safe site work but does not include final connection to the distribution network and is not Part P approved.

Study method:

The course consists of both classroom and practical work with a number of theory and practical assessments involving safe-working on live and isolated equipment. This includes understanding the need for correct earth bonding, fault-finding, measurement of voltage, current, etc and assessing motor winding resistances and faults.

Price: £760 + VAT

Includes tuition, materials, lunch & refreshments.

Reassessment 5 Year

2022 Dates:

Check back for updates
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Price: £380 +VAT

Air Conditioning & Refrigeration Technology Course 10 Days

AC&R Technology Course 10 Days

Ideal for:

Engineers new to the industry or from facilities backgrounds, new recruits and apprentices.

Duration:

10 days - 09.00-15.30

Location:

The course takes place at our Leeds Road facility, LS19 6JY.

Dates:

Please contact us for course dates.

Content and objectives:

  • An in-depth introduction to air conditioning and refrigeration equipment
  • Installation & Commissioning of refrigeration and chilled water-based systems, including air balancing
  • The necessary training to achieve BESA accreditation in Refrigerant Handling (F-Gas) and Safe Isolation of Electricity, legal requirements for anyone who is to work on air conditioning and refrigeration equipment
  • Pipework & Brazing: working with different copper line diameters and brazing material alloys

Study method:

The course consists of both classroom and practical work with a number of theory and practical assessments involving safe-working on live and isolated equipment.

Price: £2275 + VAT

Includes tuition, materials, lunch & refreshments.

Tailored Training and Continuing Professional Development (CPD)

Airedale offer a selection of tailored air conditioning training courses, using our expertise to help you on your professional journey.

Subject to demand, Airedale will tailor courses to specific needs. Individual sections can be taken from any of our courses to provide training on specific topics. Some of our training involves practical work, and these courses are generally held at Airedale’s training centre in Leeds. Other courses can be provided at your premises. A selection of potential subjects are listed below, but feel free to contact us to discuss your needs:

F-Gas CPD

A short course (approx. 30mins – 1 hour) providing a full introduction to F-Gases and the legislation and issues surrounding them. Gain an understanding of flammable refrigerants and the future of F-Gas. Topics covered include:

  • What is GWP?
  • Where are HFCs used?
  • Phasedown Issues
  • Refrigerant shortages
  • Refrigerant alternatives
  • What is flammability?
  • Leak detection
  • Changes to EN378
  • What Does the Future Hold?

Psychrometrics

A half-day course aimed at providing a full understanding of the elements that are used to make up a psychrometric chart and how to use the chart to determine the various factors involved in air treatment. This covers all aspects from simple sensible heat through to humidification, de-humidification, mixed air conditions, and so on. The course is very much hands-on with attendees completing practical examples throughout the session.

Component identification and their uses

Another half-day course giving an understanding of the key components in a system, what they look like and what purpose they perform.

Basic electrics

A short course, half to one day, aimed at providing a basic understanding of electrical safety and the operation of various types of components found with HVAC systems.

Understanding sound

This course can be delivered in one of two formats:

A one-day session covering the main principles of sound and sound measurement, or –

Three one-day sessions to provide a more in-depth understanding of sound generation, measurement and correction.

Controls

This training will provide a thorough understanding of the types of controls available and where they are used. This includes all of the controls used by Airedale from stand-alone systems through to full BMS controls.

Airflow in ducted systems

A one-day session aimed at providing an understanding of basic duct design and air movement and distribution within ducts and air handling units, with practical demonstrations of various methods of measurement. The topics to be covered include:

  • Good practice in ductwork design
  • How the design affects air movement
  • Resistances and pressure loss
  • Static, velocity and dynamic pressure measurement
  • Measuring instruments
  • How and where to take various pressure measurements to determine system or component pressures
  • Possible causes of air loss due to design

CIBSE CPD training

Airedale is also CIBSE accredited to deliver CPD to contractors, building service and consulting engineers interested in deepening their knowledge of HVAC technologies and data centre applications. CPD subjects available include data centre cooling and aisle containment, low global warming potential (GWP) refrigerants, free-cooling chiller technology and energy efficiency design, measurement and optimisation. Please contact us for more information.
Courses can be tailored to your specific needs but usually last for around one hour. CPD sessions can be held at Airedale’s Leeds Headquarters or your own venue.

For more information, or to book, please contact training@airedale.com

Interested in a course? Book online or contact us for more information.

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COURSE CALENDAR

Plan your training with our air conditioning & refrigeration course calendar. Covering internal courses & external events.
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TRAINING SCHOOL

Air conditioning & refrigeration courses are run at our state-of-the-art training centre in Leeds, UK, providing delegates with the perfect environment to learn, develop and grow their air conditioning and refrigeration skills.

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TECHNICAL FAQ

Airedale provides a technical support helpline operated by fully trained, highly experienced air conditioning and refrigeration engineers who are dedicated to answering customer queries for the lifetime of your equipment.