Frequently Asked Questions

Technical
Customer Service
Accounting

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Technical

How do you measure the offset of a door?

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 hinge offset Latch offset
fig.1
measuring a hinge offset measuring a latch offset
The offset of a door is the distance between the door jamb and the outside surface of the door. Figure one shows the offset from a top view of the door and jamb assembly. The other drawings show the offset of common kinds of hardware. If the door surface is even with the door jamb, the door has no offset and we say the door is "Flush".

How do you reverse a hinge

Back 		A

buttstrap

 

 

 

 

fig.1

fig.2
Figure one shows a left hand cam-lift hinge assembly. Remove the strap ( the part that mounts on the door) from the butt ( the part that mounts on the frame) and remove the pin assembly (figure 2).
B
fig.3
Pop out the cap and re-insert the pin assembly on the opposite side of the blade (figure 3).
fig.4
Now turn the blade 180 degrees (figure4).
C
fig.5
Re-insert the blade into the butt and replace the cap (figure 5). Your hinge is now ready to be mounted on a right hand door.

The same principle applies to an edgemount cam-lift hinges used on reach-in equipment. On an edgemount hinge the part that mounts to the frame of the cabinet is called the cabinet wing. The part that mounts to the door is called the door wing. To reverse edgemount hinges turn the cam (plastic piece mounted in the cabinet wing) 180 degrees.

All of the hinges we sell are reversible unless indicated otherwise in the catalog.

 

 

How do I determine if the door is left hand or right hand?

Back 		When facing the unit from the outside, if the hinges are mounted on the right,it is considered right-hand hinged.

How do you calculate watts per Foot?

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This is an important calculation when engineering the warmer wires that go around walk-in doors to keep them from developing condesation and then freezing shut.

Let's assume we have a 24' length of 4 ohms per foot wire that we're going to connect to 115V current...

1. Calculate the total resistance =

  • Ohms/ft x number of feet.=
  • 24 X 4 = 96

2. Calculate the total wattage =

  • voltage squared / total resistance =
  • (115 x 115) / 96 =
  • 137.76

3. Calculate Watts per Foot =

  • total wattage / number of feet =
  • 137.76 / 24 =
  • 5.74

  • Generally we engineer our warmer wires to operate between 6 and 9 watts per foot.

    Because the watts per foot is very sensitive to the wire length we do not recommend reducing the length of warmer wires in the field. It the wire gets too short, the watts per foot will get hot enough to burn the wire.


Why do you get one quarter of the watts when you connect a 230V heater to 115V?

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Folks think that if you reduce the voltage in half, the total wattage is reduced in half as well. As we'll see, those folks are wrong!

Let's take a heater thats rated at 1000W on 230V and calculate it's wattage when it's connected to 115V...

1. Calculate the total resistance =

  • Voltage squared / rated wattage =
  • (230 x 230) / 1000 =
  • 52.90

2. Calculate the wattage when connected to 115V =

  • Voltage squared / total resistance =
  • (115 x 115) / 52.90 =
  • 250

You can connect heaters rated at 230V to 155V service all day long if your content with 1/4 of the rated wattage.

However, you should not connect a heater rated at 115V heater to 230V (unless wired in series as pairs), since they will likely burn out. After all, they'll be operating at wattages 4 times greater than what they were designed.

What's the difference between connecting heaters in series and in parallel?

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in series
In Series

When connected in series, two heaters of equal wattage, connected to the voltage at which they are rated, will generate 1/2 the wattage of one of the heaters. For example, two 1000 watt , 230 volt heaters connected in series to 230 volt output 500 watts total.

Also, two heaters of equal wattage, rated at 115 volt and then connected in series to 230 volt service, will generate twice the wattage of one of the heaters. For example, two 500 watt , 115 volt heaters connected in series to 230 volt output 1000 watts. Remember DO NOT connect 115 volt heaters to 230 volt unless they are connected in series. We recommend that when connecting heaters in series, you always use heaters rated with the same voltage and wattage. The calculations for figuring circuit outputs with unequal resistances can be mind bending.




in parallel
In Parallel

When you connect two heaters in parallel, it has the effect of summing the wattages. For example, two heaters each rated at 230 volts and 1000 watts when connected in parallel to 230 volts will generate 2000 watts total. If the same heaters are connected in parallel to 115 volts, then the output will be cut to 1/4 or 500 watts.

What's the difference beween a defrost termination and a defrost limit switch?

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Many people in the refrigeration trade think these two switches are the same but in fact they behave in exactly the opposite way.

  • A defrost termintion closes on temperature rise to energize the solenoid on the time clock which terminates the defrost cycle.

  • A defrost limit switch opens on temperature rise and acts as a safety swich to turn off the defrost heater if the coil is getting too warm.

 

 

Customer Service

What are your terms?

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Of course we still accept cash at our will call counters. Customers in the commercial refrigeration trade and regular end user customers can have open accounts established. Call (800) 421-0271 and ask for Clair or Pam if you're interested in opening an account. We also accept MasterCard, Visa and Discover. You can even use your American Express card if the parts you're buying are not for resale. We'll prepay the freight and add the charges to your invoice. We have to charge sales tax where applicable.

How long does in take for me to receive my order?

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If we have the parts in stock we ship them on the same day your order is received. About 95% of the orders we receive for the 5,000 or so different items in our inventory are shipped on the same day. If we're out of stock or need to order for you a special part that we don't usually carry, the lead time is understandably somewhat longer. The customer service representative that supervises your order can give you particular details. Orders are shipped via UPS Ground unless you prefer a different carrier or level of service.

What's your policy on backorders?

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We will backorder parts and make partial shipments unless you ask us otherwise. You can either tell the customer service representative when you place each order or establish general instructions for all of your orders if you prefer.

What's the deal on re-stocking charges?

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If you get the wrong parts because we somehow goofed (it happens), there's never a restocking charge. If it's not our fault, well, it depends. We try to keep restocking charges and outbound freight charges to a minimum. A lot depends on the policies our suppliers. When you call you get a Return Authorization the customer service representative that takes your call can explain in detail how your account will be credited when we receive the mistaken items.

Do you really stock a jillion different magnetic door gaskets?

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We stock hundreds of different door gaskets for all of the major equipment manufacturers. We also stock several of the most common commercial gasket profiles is straight lengths and can mold them to your custom specifications. Our customers just think we stock a jillion (well, maybe several hundred) different gaskets because of our ability to custom mold the popular extrusions. click to return to questions

Who can I call if I have a customer service question or problem?

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Anyone in customer service can help. We give our customer service people the authority to do whatever it takes to treat our customers fairly. If you have have a special problem or are in any way unhappy with the service you are receiving call and ask for one of these guys:Jon Jilg Los Angeles (800) 421-0271 Bob Goldstein St. Louis Branch Manager (800) 423-9337 Between them they have almost 30 years of experience in handling all kinds of special requests and concerns.

Accounting

Why no credit application?

Back 		New customers are often amazed to learn that Case Parts has no credit application and will generally open a Net 30 day account over the phone. We trust our trade customers to honor their obligations much in the same way our customers trust us to provide them with prompt professional service. It's our philosophy that mutual trust is basis of all successful business relationships and we see our "no hassle" credit policy as the first way we demonstrate our commitment to our customers.
When do you send statements?

Back 		Unless requested, we only send statements to customers whose accounts are more than 14 days overdue. Because we have thousands of customers across the nation and mail statements twice a month, sending statements to everyone would be increase our overhead and interfere with our ability to keep our prices at rock bottom. We prefer customers to pay from the invoice.
How do finance charges work?

Back 		Our computer calculates a finance charge of 3/4 of 1 percent on a customer's overdue balance and adds it to their account as a separate entry. Finance charges are assessed twice each month, immediately prior to the mailing of statements - generally the 5th and 20th of each month.
Who do I call if I have a or question with my account?

Back 		If you have a question about a particular invoice, you should call the office with which you placed your order. If you have a question about your account, your balance, your status, or if your would like to receive a monthly statement call our Los Angeles office.