Modern refrigeration has many applications, such as preserving medicine, blood, and the most important application, the preservation of food. Most foods kept at room temperature spoil rapidly. This is due to the rapid growth of bacteria. Refrigeration preserves food by keeping it cold, which greatly slows down the growth of bacteria. In days past, blocks of ice were used in iceboxes to refrigerate food and other items. These iceboxes were small and not very practical. Today, mechanical refrigeration systems make transportation, storage, and use of refrigerated goods easy and practical.

The installation, operation, adjustment, and repair of refrigeration equipment are the primary responsibility of the refrigeration technician. To perform these duties required of a refrigeration technician, you need to understand the principles and theory of refrigeration and recognize system components and understand the way they work within the system.

This course also covers methods of installing, maintaining, and repairing refrigeration equipment and maintaining, servicing, and repairing domestic refrigerators and freezers.