Yellow Jacket

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ManTooth™ Wireless Digital Gauges earn high marks from HVAC techs throughout the world

As the YELLOW JACKET ManTooth Wireless Digital Gauge by Ritchie Engineering nears its third anniversary, more and more HVAC techs are singing its praises.

“My ManTooth is hands down the best set of pressure-temperature gauges on the market. They are compact and fit in my tool bag no problem,” said David Jimenez, who works with Star City Air in Lincoln, Nebraska. “There couldn’t be a more convenient PT gauge, temp clamps, and micron gauge that fits with all your tools in the same bag with out using up a hand or carrying them around your neck and hooking up a temp clamp to a multimeter or long wires off the manifold!”

Introduced in October 2014, Ritchie Engineering, based in Bloomington, Minnesota, anticipated the demand for smart data and developed the ManTooth™ Wireless Digital P/T Gauge. In fact, less than a year after its introduction, the ManTooth earned a Gold award for excellence in the electronics category for its The YELLOW JACKET Mantooth™ wireless P/T gauges in the 12th annual Dealer Design Awards Program sponsored by Air Conditioning Heating & Refrigeration (ACHR) News.

Today, the ManTooth line includes six separate wireless products:

• 67001 ManTooth Single Wireless Pressure/Temperature Gauge
• 67002 ManTooth Dual Tethered Wireless Pressure/Temperature Gauge
• 67003 ManTooth Dual Pressure Wireless Pressure/Temperature Gauge Set
• 67020 Single ManTooth-V Wireless Vacuum Gauge
• 67021 Single ManTooth-PTV Wireless Pressure, Temperature, Vacuum Gauge
• 67023 Dual ManTooth-PTV Wireless Pressure, Temperature, Vacuum Gauge

These innovative wireless gauges utilize a technician’s smartphone to obtain accurate and fast temperature and pressure readings.

“Developing wireless HVAC gauges is not a new endeavor for the Yellow Jacket brand. We’ve have more than three years of experience with the ManTooth line and we continue to redefine their reliability and expand the usefulness of these wireless HVAC tools,” said Gary Lampasona, Vice President of Domestic Sales and Marketing for Ritchie Engineering, the manufacturer of YELLOW JACKET brand HVACR tools and equipment. “The ManTooth product line is a reflection of the deep listening that we do – to understand exactly what will help technicians and contractors operate more efficiently and accurately.”

“ManTooth wireless gauges are my favorite YELLOW JACKET tool,” added Raymond Denneny with One Hour Heating and Air Conditioning located in Wilmington, Delaware. “Wireless connectivity, automatically calculated superheat and subcool. I can move into homes and change air flow, etc. and see the affects. Love them.”

The YELLOW JACKET ManTooth digital gauge line uses Bluetooth® technology, which allows HVAC/R service technicians to take fast and accurate readings, while giving them more flexibility when performing tasks. The ManTooth app is available for free. It can be downloaded through the Apple App Store (iOS) or Google Play (Android). Once the app is installed, your iPhone (4S and newer), iPad or Android device acts as an interface, displaying the system’s actual maximum and minimum pressure measurements, temperatures, and superheat and subcooling in an easy-to-read color format.

Once the app is downloaded to a tablet or smart device, a technician can access over 100 NIST refrigerants to match the refrigerant corresponding to the unit being serviced. If an incorrect refrigerant is inadvertently selected, it can easily be changed later in the readings screen.

“The ManTooth allows data from each service to be stored on a historical basis; it can also be emailed to a specific address for future analysis and use,” Lampasona said. “That’s huge. This creates an easy-to-access history for each HVACR unit serviced, which can save contractors and technicians time in diagnosing and maintaining and HVAC/R system.”

ManTooth wireless units allow HVAC/R technicians to test a system without losing refrigerant at a range (unobstructed) of up to 400 feet. The gauges minimize refrigerant loss during system analysis by over 50 times less refrigerant loss compared to standard manifolds because of its extremely low internal volume pressure sensor.

ManTooth gauges come with a rechargeable lithium polymer battery that lasts for up to 10 hours and both are capable of reading pressures up to 700 PSIA (48.3 bar). The current elevation can be entered at the start of a session for effortless PSIA compensation.

With built-in Schrader ports, HVACR technicians can easily adjust refrigerant charge. The Schrader core fitting on the ManTooth PT Module allows for recovering refrigerant, adding charge, or removing charge without the need to disconnect from the system.

“I have a lot of YELLOW JACKET tools, but the ManTooth is the one I like the best,” said Michael Fasone, Sr., who works with Franklin Heating and Refrigeration in Columbus, Ohio. “I like the convenience it offers. I can have it hooked up to the RTU and be downstairs adjusting valves or whatnot and being able to watch the pressures.”

In terms of temperature, technicians can capture readings from various measurement points, including: liquid line and suction line temperatures, condenser, saturation, and evaporator saturation. The values for superheating and subcooling are displayed, too.

The thermistor pipe clamp probe that comes with ManTooth gauges is capable of clamping to and measuring the temperature of pipes ranging in size from ¼-inch to 1-⅜ inches. The probe is capable of measuring with an accuracy of 0.2°C from 0°C to 70°C with a full range of -40°C to 130°C. For best long term stability of your thermistor pipe clamp probe avoid storing it at temperatures exceeding 75°C (167°F). Each ManTooth PT Module is equipped with two temperature probe jacks for use with ManTooth Thermistor Clamps.

“In the years and months leading up to the launch of the ManTooth, our engineers realized that we need to make it as easy as possible to collect critical pressure and temperature data for this new product to succeed in the marketplace,” said Lampasona.

Through the app’s service history mode, technicians can browse data from previous service sessions and build a history for each unit serviced over a period of years. Data collected with ManTooth gauges can be downloaded into an Excel spreadsheet for further analysis. This access to past work history can help alert contractors to patterns between multiple HVACR units located at one site, or patterns between various brands and models of HVACR units at multiple locations.

With smart data just a screen-tap away, HVACR service contractors can do a better job of forecasting servicing needs for their customers, while at the same time, providing a higher level of service. Smart data is just the first step in a digital revolution that will transform the HVACR servicing industry over the years to come.

“We’ve designed ManTooth gauges and the ManTooth mobile app with simplicity in mind,” said Lampasona. “In keeping with the legendary YELLOW JACKET brand, they’re tough and durable so they can hold up to the demanding, day-to-day work of servicing HVAC systems. That’s what it’s all about.”

“My favorite YELLOW JACKET tool is the ManTooth,” said Christopher Morley with Morley Associates in Branford, Connecticut. “It is easy to use, full featured, and is extremely durable. In fact, we left one accidentally on a condensing unit for over a month. Over the course of the month we had torrential rain on two occasions. The Mantooth has showed no ill affects to this exposure.”

For more information about YELLOW JACKET ManTooth Wireless Digital Gauges, visit www.yellowjacket.com.