Monitor refrigeration cycles and help refurbish refrigerators and freezers
To give a second life to household appliances, ENVIe-Franche-Comté is testing and checking the operation of household fridges and freezers using the JRI-MySirius cold chain monitoring solution.
When a professional temperature monitoring system is used to renovate household thermostatic equipment in a spirit of solidarity and the circular economy. ??
ENVIe Franche-Comté is part of the DéFI consortium, a player in the social economy that promotes the integration of people in difficulty through work. The company aims to reduce waste by repairing out-of-use household appliances, combat social exclusion and improve household purchasing power by offering guaranteed equipment at lower cost. It has a workshop in Valentigney (département 25) where the JRI-MySirius monitoring system is deployed to renovate fridges and freezers, and four sales outlets.
Connected sensors to measure the temperature inside refrigerators
In the refrigeration sector of the ENVIe Franche-Comté workshop, eight people on integration programmes are being trained to repair household fridges and freezers, under the tutelage of two experts.
The process of reconditioning thermostatic equipment begins with a 4-5 day observation period to monitor refrigeration cycles. This is where the work of the hundred or so Nano SPY T1 mini temperature recorders begins. Placed directly in the enclosure, the connected sensor records temperature data and transmits it via high-speed radio frequency communication to one of the two Wifi Links covering the 1,500 m² workshop.
“The Nano SPY temperature recorders communicate their measurements automatically, so we don’t have to move the equipment around the workshop when it’s being repaired. That saves us time and energy!
Rémi – Technician trainer ENVIe Franche-Comté
Identify faults by analysing data from the JRI-MySirius temperature monitoring application
Previously equipped with a wired solution that caused icing on the measuring instrument, the teams also had to use a USB key to retrieve the measurements. Post-analysis was proving tedious.
With the JRI-MySirius Cloud platform, measurements are automatically uploaded. They can be supervised and analysed during recording, helping technicians to identify appliance faults as early as possible.
Once repairs have been carried out, the fridge or freezer is again put under observation to check that it is working properly. On the JRI-MySirius application, real-time access to the measurements taken during the defrost cycle means you can see that the temperature curve is correct. This is an invaluable aid that saves time when checking appliances that are potentially ready for resale.
To ensure traceability, the PDF reports containing the temperature curves and all the data are archived. This quality approach also enables us to provide a guarantee in the event of a new breakdown.
Refurbished, compliant fridges and freezers are then sold alongside new, downgraded appliances in ENVIe shops in the Montbéliard area. Of the 3,177 household appliances collected in 2021, 2,223 were refurbished and resold with a guarantee, giving a reuse rate of almost 70%.
Equipment that cannot be repaired is sorted for spare parts and depollution.
“Sensitive to the merits of our economic, social and environmental concept, JRI has been able to support us with an offer adapted to our constraints and which effectively meets our needs in terms of measurement and monitoring for thermostatic equipment”.
Myriam Bretey – Activity Manager ENVIe Franche-Comté
