2018

John Pastorello the HVAC chemist comes on the podcast and discusses acid inhibitors, oil enhancers, dyes and leak sealants with his knowledge and some things to consider.

Many technicians use hard or soft copper without thinking about which application is best for which. We talk about where to use each as well as some hanging and strapping strategies

If you remember my recent article on the company that went to my friend's house for a PM and did nothing but leave a system quote. Well, it got worse… My friend Josh left them a D-rated review on a popular review site, and the owner of the company responded with… an apology? A bottle […]

I once had an old commercial blower assembly on a 20-ton package unit, and the bearings and pulleys were seriously shot. I was 19 or 20, and as much as I tried, I just couldn't get the rusted hunk of metal apart. I tried penetrating oil, pullers, pry bars… I knew better than to beat […]

Kevin Mayer with NAVAC comes on and talks all about flaring best practices step by step. From cutting, to reaming to torque wrenches we cover flares start to finish

Testo 760 Category IV Multimeter I was standing at a booth at the HVAC Excellence Educators conference, and an instructor walks up, grabs a meter, and asks me, “What's the difference between a category 3 and a category 4 meter?” Well, I really wasn't sure, but I knew that the category 4 meter is rated […]

We all have some weird tools we keep in our tool bags. A baster may look suspicious, but it comes in really handy for removing water from a float switch. This one is extra handy because it comes with a nice tapered bottle brush inside it that works great to clean out the outlet port […]

Let's take a walk through the startup and commissioning procedure of a conventional or “single” refrigeration condensing unit. We’re going to start with a unit that is fully piped in and has been pressurized for leak and strength testing. For brevity, we are going to assume a basic familiarity with industry standards, company and customer […]

We talk about chilled water air handlers, their valve configurations and some key things to look out for