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Combustion Testing Doesn’t Stop in the Summer
The HVAC Technician’s Guide to Ensuring Comfort: Lessons from a Real-World Experience
My Dad Changed HVAC & Me
3 Bad Reasons To Work Overtime
Mounting the TXV Bulb
Setting and Adjusting Superheat on a TXV System
Kitchen Exhaust and Makeup Air
Equipment Changes, Ducts are Forever
Brazing in TXVs: Best Practices
Nylog, Oil? Where does it go? – Short #238
Growing your HVAC Business the Smart Way w/ Copeland
Oversized Evap Coils? – Short #237
ERVs – What You Need To Know w/ Dr. Bailes
Multiple Surge Protectors – Short #236
The Cornerstones of Inverter Equipment Commissioning
Roman SpeakPipe VRF – Short #235
10 Things I’ve Learned In the Last 10 Years
R290 as a Drop In? – Short #234
#hvac
Tech Tips:
This tech tip was written by Casey Contreras. Casey is a field coach and instructor for the National Comfort Institute (NCI). Thanks, Casey! As HVAC technicians, our careers often focus on either cooling or heating. Because of this split view, we typically ignore gas-fired appliances during the cooling season. There are dangers lurking in any […]
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This tech tip was written by Luke Peterson, the president of The Maintenance Department in Louisville, KY. Luke was a speaker at the 5th Annual HVAC Training Symposium in 2024 and has been on HVAC business panels at the symposium in 2023 and 2024. Thanks, Luke! As an HVAC technician, your primary goal is not […]
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With Father's Day passing recently, I have been reflecting on my relationship with my Dad and how he has helped shape my journey through HVAC. It is more common than not to find people in residential HVAC to be a second or even third-generation tradesperson. Deciding to get into trade is easy when you grow […]
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It’s easy to see yourself as a hero during the summer months. Desperate families in sweltering houses sing your praises after you quickly swap out that capacitor or install that new unit and the first blast of cold air comes out of the vents. Most companies make or break in the summer months, using the […]
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This is a quick tip from the “Expansion Valves – What Does and Doesn't Matter?” livestream on our YouTube channel featuring Joe Shearer, Matthew Taylor, and Corey Cruz. Thermostatic expansion valves (also known as TXVs or TEVs) don’t have little brains that tell them when to open or close to maintain a specific superheat. They […]
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This is a quick tip from the “Expansion Valves – What Does and Doesn't Matter?” livestream on our YouTube channel featuring Joe Shearer, Matthew Taylor, and Corey Cruz. As metering devices, TXVs can adjust the size of their orifice to maintain a constant superheat. Some TXVs are set to maintain a specific superheat from the […]
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This is a quick tech tip derived from a short podcast episode in response to a question by one of our viewers, Gunther. You can listen to that episode HERE. If you would like to submit a question for the podcast, you can submit a voice recording on Speakpipe at https://www.speakpipe.com/hvacschool. Restaurants are commercial facilities […]
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I’m installing the HVAC system for a house that is being completely gutted. It has vaulted ceilings throughout, and a small attic area was designated for mechanicals. The duct system can’t go in the attic because there basically isn’t one. The engineer intended the equipment to go in the attic mechanical space, and then the […]
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This is a quick tip from the “Expansion Valves – What Does and Doesn't Matter?” livestream on our YouTube channel featuring Joe Shearer, Matthew Taylor, and Corey Cruz. It’s time to talk about brazing again! Even though rehashing “flow nitrogen” and “use a wet rag” gets a little old, bad TXVs and callbacks also get […]
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Videos:
Podcasts:
In this short podcast, Bryan answers a listener-submitted question about Nylog, oil, and where you put them when you’re making flares. Nylog is a thickened refrigerant oil (which is either POE for Nylog Blue or mineral oil for Nylog Red), and it’s miscible with the refrigerant and moves with it through the circuit. You […]
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In this episode of the HVAC School podcast, Bryan and Jim discuss strategies for growing an HVAC business, focusing on the importance of maintenance contracts, consistent service, and effective branding. Drawing from Jim’s 15 years of experience running a successful HVAC company in California, they explore how maintenance contracts not only provide consistent revenue […]
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In this short podcast episode, Bryan answers a listener-submitted question about oversized evaporator coils, particularly when they’re half a ton or a full ton larger than the condenser. The expanded performance data contains the information that’ll tell you whether the coil is right for the system. However, when it comes to the specific issue […]
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In this episode of the HVAC School podcast, host Bryan sits down with building science expert Allison Bailes to dive deep into the world of Energy Recovery Ventilators (ERVs). The conversation explores the critical role of ventilation in modern homes, highlighting how ERVs have become an essential component of maintaining indoor air quality and […]
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In this short podcast episode, Bryan answers a listener-submitted question asking whether you can use another surge protector at the disconnect panel with an ICM 493 already in place. Using multiple surge protectors in the configuration described does NOT count as daisy-chaining. Surge protectors with MOVs (metal oxide varistors) shunt current from high voltage […]
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In this podcast episode, HVAC professionals Chris Hughes and Adam Mufich discuss the intricate challenges technicians face when commissioning modern inverter-based heating and cooling systems. Unlike traditional single-stage or two-stage HVAC equipment, inverter systems introduce a new level of complexity that can leave even experienced technicians feeling uncertain about proper installation and startup procedures. […]
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In this short podcast episode, Roman Baugh takes over the HVAC School podcast to answer a listener-submitted question about VRF (or VRV) system evacuation. Evacuation is a critical step of making repairs on VRF systems, which are very diverse and versatile but require a high level of understanding. VRF systems have multiple indoor units […]
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This podcast episode is of Bryan’s session from the HVAC School Symposium, “10 Things I’ve Learned in the Last 10 Years.” Delivered as HVAC School approaches its 10-year milestone and Kalos hits 20 years, Bryan blends technical know-how with personal stories, revealing how his “expertise” is a product of constant learning—often from the very […]
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In this short podcast episode, Bryan answers a listener-submitted question about using R-290 as a drop-in refrigerant for R-22 systems. It is NOT safe to use R-290 as a drop-in, but there are some similar properties between the two and some interesting thought experiments within this topic. R-290 is propane, a hydrocarbon that belongs […]
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