Brazing, Vacuum & Refrigerant Handling

Two days prior to this article being published, I sent one out about the popular fallacy that nitrogen “absorbs” moisture. That tech tip went out at 7 PM eastern time like usual, and I was sitting on the couch watching something on the Food Network (as usual). At 7:10 PM, I get a call on […]

Recovering refrigerant sounds like an easy task at first, especially with digital recovery machines and large hoses at our disposal. Unfortunately, we all know that filling the tanks is more complicated than it seems.  If you want to recover refrigerant and store it in a tank safely, you’re going to have to do some math. […]

    Everyone in the HVAC/R trade uses some type of torch to braze or solder alloys together. So, what is the proper way to handle an oxyacetylene torch? It turns out that there’s more than one right answer. Depending on which torch rig you use, the manufacturer’s manuals for operation may vary.  Everyone (hopefully) knows […]

  To start, I'm going to cut straight to the part that most of you want to know. This information is based on calculations I have done personally based on typical Mastercool DOT tanks, but feel free to come to your own conclusions based on your own calculations. I prefer to stay on the safe […]

First, I want to give credit where credit is due. This post is made possible by the fantastic demonstration video by Neil Comparetto that I embedded below. Before you get bored and stop reading, I want to get the conclusion out in the air. Ice can form in a vacuum, but I still advise pulling a […]

Dissimilar metals, like aluminum, copper, brass, and steel, are some of the main metals one may experience in their trade, and few people are comfortable working with dissimilar metals. They don’t trust their brazed joint, or they are afraid of melting away material. To put some of the nerves of those in the field at […]

This article was written by longtime contributor and RSES CM Jeremy Smith. Thanks, Jeremy! Nitrogen doesn’t absorb moisture like many techs think that it does, and I think that we, as technicians, need to reevaluate the reasons for the “triple evacuation” process. OK. Hold on, now. Put down the pitchforks and torches, and give me […]

This article was written by Jim Bergmann with MeasureQuick. Anyone who has ever picked up a vacuum pump has asked or been asked this question. To be truthful, it is like asking, “How many licks will it take to get to the center of a Tootsie Roll Tootsie Pop?” In the words of the wise […]