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5 Takeaways from Manual T
The MAD Room
Troubleshooting Water Leaks
The One Duct Leak You Didn’t Expect
HVAC Moneyball: Could It Work?
One Way to Picture Superheat and Subcool
Six Tips to Help You Write an Article for HVAC School
Where Should the Float Switch Go?
Soft Lockout vs. Hard Lockout
From Plumber to HVAC Owner w/ Manly Arnanson
EER in the Field – Short #231
Heat Pumps / Comfort and Electrification w/ Copeland
Efficiency and Production on Larger Projects
Q&A – Circuit Board Troubleshooting – Short #230
Are you using AI to Troubleshoot w/ Refrigeration Mentor
The New Sensi Equipment Interface – Short #229
The Buyout Epidemic – Manifesto
Standing Pilot – Short #228
#hvac
Tech Tips:
“Did you do a Manual J?” “Did you run a Manual S on that?” “What does Manual D say?” If you’ve asked any design-related questions on the internet in the last several years, you’re probably familiar with these questions. But how does one “do” a Manual T? I bought Manual T last year and gave […]
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This tech tip features a diagnostic flowchart by Genry Garcia. Thanks, Genry! The name of this document, “The MAD Room,” was chosen as a nod to the MAD-AIR study completed by John Tooley and Neil Moyer, presented in 1989. The teachings from that document played an instrumental role in creating the following diagnostic workflow. Disclaimer […]
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There is not much worse than having a service call where you can’t figure out where the water is coming from or where it came from before you got there. I have spent many hours scratching my sweaty head in attics while I stared into the riser of a drain line, waiting for water to […]
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Sometimes, you just get lucky. Sometimes, you get sent out to install a unit in a closet! Although these types of installs have their challenges, at least for me, they have appeared easier on the surface. There is no return ductwork, as the unit sits on a platform. We are rarely disconnecting ducts in the […]
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This tech tip was submitted by Tim De Stasio. He originally published it on his website, which you can visit HERE. Thanks, Tim! Winning takes strategy and the right information. The HVAC business is no different. But what information should we collect, even pay for, to get better and win? What if these widely accepted […]
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It took me years to build a picture in my head of what superheat and subcool mean. They were these strange words that dropped out of nowhere when I entered the HVAC world, and in the midst of grappling with so many other things, I could tell they were very important. Over time, I have, […]
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This tech tip was written by David Richardson, the Vice President of Training for NCI. David has been on several podcasts and has spoken at the HVACR Training Symposium multiple times. Thanks, David! Your ideas and experiences are the ingredients for great articles. Unfortunately, they are easy to forget if you don’t capture them in […]
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If you have worked at more than one company in your HVAC career, chances are you’ve found there is more than one place to put a float switch. Every company seems to have its own “secret sauce” for running drain lines and placing float switches. Is your company a “no float switch” company? Although a […]
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If a furnace runs for years and years while tripping the limit switch but satisfies the thermostat, will it ever be noticed? The answer is most likely “no,” but it will depend on whether the furnace utilizes soft or hard lockouts when the limit switch trips. So, what is a soft lockout vs. a hard […]
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Videos:
Podcasts:
In this episode, Bryan speaks with Manly, an HVAC professional from Manitoba, Canada, about his journey from working in his family's plumbing business to running his own HVAC company. Manly shares his experiences working in extreme cold weather conditions, where temperatures can drop to -30°C (-22°F), and discusses the unique challenges and emergency response […]
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In this short podcast episode, Bryan talks about EER (Energy Efficiency Ratio) and SEER (Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio) and how to calculate EER in the field. EER and SEER are ratings that we often see on equipment (as are SEER2 and EER2) based on a ratio of an output to an input. Whereas coefficient […]
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In this informative episode, Josh Souders from Copeland joins Bryan to dive deep into heat pump technology, discussing everything from basic operations to advanced features in cold climate applications. The conversation begins with a fundamental explanation of how heat pumps work, describing them as essentially air conditioners with a reversing valve that allows them […]
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In this podcast episode, Bryan, Jacob, and JD provide an in-depth look at a significant HVAC project that tested their team's ability to adapt, learn, and improve. The discussion centers on a large-scale apartment building project that presented numerous challenges in project management, team dynamics, and installation processes. What began as a chaotic and […]
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In this short Q&A podcast episode, Bryan answers a listener-submitted question about circuit board troubleshooting: is there a quick way to learn how to check circuit boards, and if so, where are those resources? A circuit board is a bunch of components put together on a printed circuit board (PCB). There isn't a lot […]
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In this episode of the HVAC School Podcast, Trevor Matthews and Bryan dive deep into the transformative potential of artificial intelligence (AI) in the refrigeration and HVAC industries. They explore how AI is not a new concept in their field, discussing how manufacturers like Copeland, Sporlan, and Danfoss have long incorporated AI-driven tools and […]
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In this short episode of the HVAC School podcast, Bryan and Tom Lorenz from Copeland talk about the new Sensi equipment interface. This product has been in field trials for months and will be launching in February. It will also be featured at the 2025 AHR Expo in Orlando. You can learn more about […]
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In this episode of the HVAC School Podcast, Bryan shares his perspective on the growing trend of private equity buyouts and investments in the trades, particularly in home services businesses. He addresses the “buyout epidemic” with a balanced view, acknowledging the significant financial opportunities these deals present while expressing concerns about their long-term impact […]
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In this short podcast episode, Bryan talks about the standing pilot gas systems and the ignition strategy in gas-fired appliances. Standing pilots are very simple devices that are common in fuel logs, water heaters, and some pool heaters. These devices have a thermocouple or thermopile; in a thermocouple, two dissimilar metals are connected at […]
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