2019

Condensate Drainage in a High Efficiency Gas Furnace

This article was written by HVAC/furnace technician Benoît Mongeau. Thank you, Ben. High efficiency (or 90%, or condensing) furnaces use a set of two heat exchangers to retrieve more heat from the combustion products than their mid-efficiency counterparts. Because of this, they generate flue gases much colder than those of a mid-efficiency or […]

Controlling Humidity For All Climates

Bryan covers some of the facts about humidity and how to keep it under control in all climates

Duct Smoke Detectors/Alarms and the Code

Whenever there is a conversation where “code” is involved, it's important to mention that codes can vary depending on the AHJ or authority having jurisdiction. It's becoming more common for governments to lean heavily on the ICC (International Code Council). In the case of HVAC/R, that is the IMC (International Mechanical Code), and in the […]

Short #44 – Myth – Time as a Tech Equals Pay

In this episode we talk about the myth that time at a job equals or deserves pay increases

Chiller and Cooling Tower Cleaning w/ Goodway

Mark from Goodway talks about chiller and cooling tower cleaning best practices and techniques

VRV Operation

This tech tip is written by experienced tech and VRF / VRV specialist Ryan Findley. Thanks, Ryan! (Note: Ryan refers to VRV rather than VRF because he specializes in Daikin, and these articles are written from a Daikin VRV perspective. Ryan has also written an article about VRV basics and some VRV installation tips.) This […]

Remote Ice Machines – The Basics

Remote Ice Machines Why would someone want to take an already complicated machine and make it even more complicated? The answer: human arrogance and engineer's hubris. (Just kidding.) Fortunately, thousands of these ice machines have been installed and serviced. Let's take a little overview of a few of the critical differences and things to consider […]

Short #43 – Is IAQ a Joke?

In this episode we address the myth that IAQ is a joke and how to think about IAQ correctly

But My Old Unit Worked Fine?!

How an A/C System got to be Oversized (Maybe) But My Old Unit Worked Fine?! Most of us have heard this at some point. This complaint typically comes from a particularly unhappy customer after the installation of a brand new A/C system. Throughout this article, we’re going to explore the possible root causes of this […]