Tech Tips

When you first start your HVAC career, it’s pretty common to be afraid of failing or doing substandard work. The job market is competitive, and many new techs may worry that they’ll be inadequate and easy to replace. So, the fear of failure is common and understandable. Embarking on an HVAC career journey can be […]

I've always liked old books. Think about an old printing press somewhere in Chicago or Boston or Scranton, Pennsylvania. Imagine workers with their hands covered in ink up to their elbows, setting type while giant machines of iron, steel, and brass stamp out a book page by page. Then those pages go on to be […]

Why is it called single-phase 240 when there are two opposing phases (or legs)? I wondered why we called two 120v opposing legs “single-phase 240” for years. Then someone pointed out to me that a typical “single-phase” pole transformer only has one power leg entering and two coming out. That freaked me out. How can […]

We had a class with our refrigeration techs, and the topic of leaking and bypassing service “angle” valves and ball valves came up. One of the techs pointed out that most valves recommend loosening the top nut on ball valves and the packing nut on angle valves before turning the stem for maximum longevity of […]

As we have mentioned in several previous articles (such as this one HERE), many blended refrigerants have glide, which simply means they boil and condense over a range of temperatures instead of just one temperature. As an example, consider refrigerant R407c. It is a zeotropic blend, which means it has enough glide to make a […]

  Every contractor is different. I get that. We don't all need to do everything the same way or include the same services with repairs, but there are some “best practices” that can save you a lot of heartache before, during, and after you make a big repair. Catch it During Diagnosis Let's say you […]

DISCLAIMER: HVAC School is NOT an official OSHA safety training resource! Although we provide safety tips in good faith, our website is not a substitute for safety training from an authorized OSHA training source.   When most people think about respiratory devices, their minds probably jump to soldiers wearing gas masks in warfare, hazardous waste […]

I got this question via email (edited slightly for length): Some things I've done because I've been taught to do them yet I don't know why I do them. One of those things is putting a jumper between w1/e and w2. Sometimes, in the case of a Goodman for example, I've been taught to combine […]

Many of us understand that we need to get involved in local trades education to prepare students for fieldwork and get more people to consider careers in the trade. One of the ways contractors can support educators is by getting involved with local trade schools and industry organizations. We can do that by attending meetings […]