Videos

The goal of the refrigeration circuit is to move heat around; it absorbs heat from a space and rejects it somewhere else via the refrigerant. We maximize the amount of heat absorbed by allowing the refrigerant to undergo phase changes (liquid and vapor). Many technicians add or remove refrigerant whenever the system does not work […]

The first tool is a hand boiler. The hand boiler has a bottom bulb with ether alcohol. When you hold the bulb, the liquid rises to the top and may bubble. That occurs because your hand transfers heat to the ether alcohol, and the molecules begin moving more rapidly, creating more pressure in the closed […]

Recovering It is a good idea to recover for a bit before turning the recovery machine on. On the machine, you will see the input and tank pressures start to equalize. Some units, like the Fieldpiece MR45, can be throttled. When the machine starts, the tank pressure will rise a bit and pull the refrigerant […]

In this class, Bryan teaches the Kalos techs about low-voltage electrical diagnosis in the HVAC field. Low-voltage electrical operations confuse quite a few technicians, so Bryan covers basic circuits and clears up some misconceptions about the terminology we use. Circuit boards seem to trip up a lot of techs. Unfortunately, every circuit board has a […]

Thomas, Brad, and Eric unpack their toolbags and explain the tools they use on their market refrigeration jobs. Market refrigeration is a complicated branch of HVAC/R that requires several tools for a wide range of functions. Perhaps the most diverse tool group is the wrenches. In market refrigeration, the Kalos techs use service wrenches, crescent […]

In today's live stream, Bryan and Jesse discuss money in the HVAC business world. Jesse is the VP of Mechanical Operations at Kalos, and he guides and supports the Kalos team with a growth-oriented mindset. Kalos was founded in 2005 by tradesmen. The money and administrative sides of business did not come naturally to the […]

Bryan explains how to read schematics/diagrams on HVAC equipment and walks through an example. He takes a Rheem air conditioner and compares the physical unit to its point-by-point diagram and ladder schematic. Point-to-point diagrams illustrate how each component is wired in a piece of equipment; these tend to keep the same orientation as the physical […]

In this live stream, Bryan walks through electrical diagrams and teaches his apprentices how to use schematics for circuit tracing. Ladder schematics are the most common type of diagram you will see; those and connection diagrams are what we mostly use in circuit tracing. There are five main types of diagrams: ladder (schematic), point-to-point (connection), […]

Toasters are electrical conversion devices that transform electricity into heat. However, toasters are excellent training tools because they also contain contactors, levers, and terminals that are easy to observe in action. Toasters also have a bimetal device on the inside. Bimetal devices are composed of two metals, and the device begins to warp when it […]