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You will find 512 posts in the category Tech Tips on this blog.
Jump to 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, K, L, M, N, O, P, R, S, T, U, V, W, Y
2 (1)
3 (6)
- 3 Bad Techs That Don’t Know It
- 3 Phase Motors – The Basics
- 3 Phase Voltage Imbalance
- 3 Things I Would Do Different in Business
- 3 wire and 4 wire Condensing Fan Motor Connection
- 32° Saturation (Evap Temperature)
4 (3)
- 4 – 20ma Control Basics
- 4 Silly Mistakes of The New HVAC Tech
- 4 Ways to Tell if You are becoming “That Boss”
5 (7)
- 5 Capacitor Facts You Should Know
- 5 Money Mistakes to Avoid in Service Business
- 5 Simple Service Valve Tips
- 5 Terror Inducing HVAC/R Stories & Facts
- 5 Things to Consider When Maintaining a Commercial Package Unit
- 5% vs. 15% Silver Solder (Brazing Rod)
- 500 BTUs per Person Per Hour?
6 (1)
7 (1)
8 (1)
A (34)
- A Case For Wireless Refrigerant Probes
- A Christmas Meltdown
- A Common Sense Look at Temperature Conversions
- A Critical Technician Trait in Decline
- A Future We Can All Hope For
- A job well done….. Almost
- A Liquid Line Solenoid and What it Does
- A REALLY loud compressor
- A Simple Piping Practice
- A Steam Heating Primer
- A Tale of Two Latents
- Accumulator & Burnout Considerations
- ACFM, SCFM & Baseball dents
- Adiabatic Cooling, Blower Settings and Why You Care
- Adjustable Drive Pulley (Sheaves)
- Aftermarket Motor Selection & Considerations
- AHR NATE Class + Test
- Ain’t No Fooling With Free Cooling (Tales of the Economizer)
- Air Barrier vs. Vapor Barrier vs. Insulation
- Air Changes Confusion
- Air Filter Static Pressure Drop
- Air Flow and Ice – A Thought Experiment
- Air is Squishy – Measuring Airflow w/ Bill Spohn
- Air Velocity Quick Tips
- An Electric Heat Mistake
- An Evaporator Coil With No Fins?
- An even EASIER way to check capacitors
- An Old Timers Trick to Get Unstuck
- Are The Multi Taps on a Blower Run or Common?
- Are You a “Tom Brady” Tech?
- Attic Equipment Codes
- Averaging Sensors and How They Work
- Avoiding and Eliminating Callbacks
- Axial, Radial and Digital Scrolls
B (15)
- Balanced Port TXV
- Ball Bearing vs. Sleeve Bearing Motors
- Basic Refrigeration Startup & Commissioning
- Be Careful When Jumping Out a Blower
- Bending EMT
- Bernoulli’s Principle
- Better Temperature Measurements
- Beware of “Ghost” Voltage
- Blowers, Props and How They Behave (or Misbehave)
- Boiler Basics Part 1 – Types and Components
- Boiler Basics Part 2 – Components
- Boiler Basics Part 3 – Steam
- Boiler Basics Part 4 – Piping
- Building Automation Basics for the HVAC Tech w/ Phil Zito (Podcast)
- But My Old Unit Worked Fine?!
C (45)
- C stands for “Common Mistake”
- Calculating Target Delta T w / Manufactures Data
- Can A Motor Run Backwards by Swapping Run & Start?
- Can Pulling a Vacuum too Fast Freeze Water / Moisture?
- Can You Discharge a Capacitor Using a Volt Meter?
- Capacitor Testing and Replacement Procedure
- Capacitors – Series and Parallel
- Careful With Cleaners
- Careful With That 40VA Transformer
- Cased Coil Misalignment
- Change O-rings not Hoses
- Changing Liquid Filter/Drier Cores Tip
- Changing Refrigerants and Why it Matters to You
- Charging Systems with Accumulators
- Checking Disconnects
- Checking Evaporators on Furnaces
- Checking the Charge on a Heat Pump in the Winter
- Checking the Charge Without Gauges (Our Process)
- Choosing the Right Vacuum Pump Oil
- Cleaning Condenser Coils Still Matters
- Clocking a Gas Meter (It’s not that hard)
- CO2 Booster Systems (Codenamed CO2 is Interesting and Weird)
- Coil SHR, Ventilation, and Bypass Factor – Advanced Psychrometrics Part 2
- Combustion Air
- Combustion and Confined Spaces
- Commercial Contactor Considerations
- Commercial Refrigeration Compressor Operation
- Common Concrete Anchor Fails
- Comparing Manual J to Reality
- Compressor Mass Flow – Some Thought Experiments
- Compressor Performance Analysis
- Compressors and Pumps
- Condensate Drain Codes & Best Practices
- Condensate Drainage in a High Efficiency Gas Furnace
- Condensate Pump Drains
- Condensate Switch Controversy
- Condensation – It Isn’t Where Hot Meets Cold
- Condenser Coil Cleaning Step by Step
- Conditioned Makeup Air
- Connecting Transformers in Parallel
- Control Voltage Overamp – The Less Usual Cause
- Cooling Capacity Isn’t Always What it Seems
- Crankcase Heaters
- Crankcase Heaters and Single Pole Contactors
- Cycle Rate Settings – A Quick Review
D (36)
- Dalton’s Law of Partial Pressures
- Defrost Termination & Fail Safe
- Defrost Time & Temperature
- Dehumidifier Facts & Troubleshooting
- Density of Air & Water Part 2
- Design Temperature Difference for Chillers
- Determining the air-side charge of an expansion tank
- Diagnosing and Finding a Refrigerant Restriction
- Diagnosing ECM & X13 Motors
- Dielectric Grease: What It Is, and How To Use It
- Diffuser Placement is Important
- Do You Need to Be Recovering Into a Vacuum?
- Do You REALLY Want Feedback?
- Do You Replace the Contactor and Capacitor With a New Compressor
- Does a Furnace Decrease Humidity?
- Does a Motor Draw More or Less at lower Voltage?
- Does Air or Nitrogen Absorb Water?
- Does Nitrogen Pressure Change with Temperature – Practical Application of Gas Laws
- Does Refrigerant Get Old or Wear Out?
- Does Set Point Lead to Freezing?
- Does the Voltage or the Amperage Kill You?
- Don’t forget the Panel
- Don’t Forget the Suction Filter / Drier
- Don’t Get Depressed (Unless You’re a Core)
- Don’t Install Your Micron Gauge at the Pump
- Don’t Squeeze Radiant Barrier
- Don’t Use Barometric Pressure For Calibration
- Don’t use Tank Caps on Systems
- Don’t Forget the Service Wrench
- Double Lugging, A Common Mistake
- Drain Cleaning Protocol
- Drains and Double traps
- Drip Loops and Straws
- Duct Leakage Can Be Costly
- Duct Smoke Detectors / Alarms and the Code
- Ductless Cleaning and Maintenance Start to Finish
E (11)
- ECM, VFD and Inverter – What’s the Difference?
- EcoBee Thermostats and Dehumidification
- EER & COP vs. SEER & HSPF
- Electric Heat & Blower Interlock
- Electronic Leak Detection
- Electronic Leak Detection DOES WORK
- Entropy in Refrigeration and Air Conditioning
- EPR valves 101
- Equipment Grounding
- Ever Hear of Copper Plating Inside the Compressor?
- Exposed Duct High Temperature Limit
F (13)
- False Alarms: The Legacy of Phosgene Gas
- Famous Last Words (Before a Callback)
- Fan (Blower) Efficacy
- Fan Blade Shroud Depth
- Fan On or Fan Auto
- Fancy Refrigerant Words
- Finishing Trade School? Some Things you Need to Know
- Fire Damper Tips
- Flame Sensing – The Basics
- Flash Gas
- Flex Ducts – Best Practices
- Four P’s of IAQ
- Furnace Air Temperature Rise
G (10)
- Gas Law Conceps for HVAC/R
- Get (and Give) More From Remote Training
- Get an EEV Open (Like Magic)
- Getting Involved In HVAC/R Education
- Getting the right part: The often overlooked part numbers you should care about
- Giving Static for Failing to Take Static
- Giving Thanks for the Hard Stuff
- Glide at Static Pressure
- Gluing Tubing Insulation
- Grounding and Bonding Myths
H (37)
- Heat Doesn’t Rise
- Heat Exchanger Crack Diagnosis
- Heat Pump Defrost Boards and W2
- Heat Pump Defrost Sensor vs. Thermostat
- High Capacity Amperage Measurement
- History and Basics of Refrigeration
- Hit Your Spots
- Hot Pull Down and What it Means
- Hot Weather Preparedness / An Open Letter (Surviving a Heat Wave)
- How “Hot” Does That Get?
- How (and Why) to Flow Nitrogen While Brazing
- How I Failed to Re-diagnose: And the Lesson I Learned
- How Long Should I Evacuate a System?
- How Moisture Moves
- How much PRESSURE is that Recovery Tank Designed For?
- How to Clean a Mitsubishi Mini-Split Blower Wheel
- How to Compare Heat Sources For Cost Effectiveness
- How to Determine the Friction Rate for Residential Duct Design
- How to Diagnose a TXV Failure
- How to Evacuate an Air Conditioning System (Fast and Deep Vacuum)
- How to Keep From Getting Bored at Work
- How to Make Better Decisions
- How to Recover Refrigerant Quickly and Properly
- How to Reduce Indoor Humidity
- How to Send Heat to Outer Space – What Ancients Knew That You Don’t
- How to Set a Charge by Superheat
- How to Use a Manufacturer Fan Table: And Why They are Important
- How to use an Adjustable (Crescent) Wrench, Pipe Wrench and Tongue & Groove (Channel Locks) Wrenches
- How to Use the Progress Ratchet
- HP, Motor HP, BHP, Motor Watts
- Humidifier Facts
- HVAC Contractors Guide to COVID-19 (SARS-CoV-2, Coronavirus)
- HVAC Fire Safety Systems in Restaurants
- HVAC/R Brazing Indicators
- HVAC/R Refrigerant Cycle Basics
- Hydronics GPM Calculation and more…
- Hyperion Troubleshooting
I (23)
- I Really Want to Learn More!
- Ice Machine and Scale (Limescale)
- Ice Machines – Cuber, Flaker & Nugget Basics
- Ideal Gas Rulebreakers
- Ideas Have Consequences
- Impacts of Compression on Temperature
- Impacts of Decreasing Evaporator Air Flow
- Inches of Water Column
- Incorporating Electrical Quality Into Diagnosis
- Indirect Soldering Technique
- Infrared Thermometers.. Can Cause Confusion
- Infrared vs. Heated Diode Leak Detectors
- Introduction to Pool Heat Pumps
- Introduction to SORIT Valves
- Introduction to VAV Systems
- Introverts Can Sell
- Is a Smaller Suction Line OK? – Suction Line Sizing
- Is It OK To Top Off With R410a?
- Is it too cold to set the charge?
- Is Liquid Incompressible?
- Isolation Diagnosis
- It has a flat for a reason
- It’s a Wonderful Life (Compression Refrigeration Edition)
K (2)
L (15)
- Laws of Energy and Matter
- Leak Detection on Large Systems
- Leak Detector Maintenance and Care
- Leaking (Bypassing) Valves
- Lifting Techniques Part 1 – Basics
- Lifting Techniques Part 2 – Pulleys
- Lifting Techniques Part 3 – Complex Block & Tackle
- Lifting Techniques Part 4 – Using Unistrut
- Lifting Techniques Part 5 – Really HEAVY Stuff
- Like a Bull in China Shop – An Oversizing Story
- Liquid Line Solenoid Valves: Long Line Applications
- Locating a Low Voltage Short in Residential A/C Systems
- Low Airflow – Beyond the Obvious
- Low Airflow / Beyond the Basics
- Low Ambient, Condenser Flooding and Headmaster Valves Podcast Companion
M (15)
- Maintenance During Major Repairs
- Making a Flare – Quick Tips
- Market Refrigeration TXV Adjustment
- MeasureQuick Launch Is HERE
- Micron Gauges Gone Wild
- Milivolt Systems w/ Modern Thermostats
- Mistakes in Measuring Ohms
- Modulation Motors
- Motor Overheating
- Motor Service Factor
- Motor Speed – The Basics
- Motor Types
- Multi Tap Primary Transformers
- Multi-Position Service Valves
- Multimeter Categories
N (6)
- Negative Superheat? Time to Check Your Tools
- No, It’s NOT a Ground!
- No, Recharging R22 Isn’t “Illegal” in the US
- Nomenclature and How to Use It
- Non-Bleed TXV & Trapped Nitrogen
- Non-noncondensables
O (12)
- Ohm my
- Ohms / Continuity Basics
- Oil and Refrigerant
- Oil Management and Diagnosis
- Oil Nozzles
- Oil Pressure Controls
- Old Books
- Open and Closed Case
- Other Great Sources
- Oxidizers and What It Has to Do With COVID-19
- Oxyacetylene Torches: Tips and Operation
- Oxygen Safety Tip – No Oil and Grease
P (16)
- Parallel Circuit Resistance
- Piston Design and Bypass
- Piston vs. TXV Metering Devices
- Pitch on Line Penetrations
- Pool Heat Pumps, The Basics
- Pool Heater Water Flow Issues
- Potential for Good and Evil (The Hard Start & Potential Relay)
- Powered Attic Ventilation
- Pre-Cleaning Copper
- Pressure / Enthalpy Diagram Example
- Pressure Difference and Pump Flow
- Proper Liquid Line Drier Location
- Properly Deburring (Reaming)
- Properly Diagnosing a Gas Furnace Pressure Switch
- Pull The Top
- Purge Your Hoses
R (22)
- R22 Retrofit Tips
- Reach-In Temperature Controls
- Receiver Basics
- Recovery Tank Capacity
- Refrigerant Basics
- Refrigerant Charging Basics For Air Conditioning & Heat Pump Systems
- Refrigerant Oil Basics
- Refrigerant Recovery Practices
- Refrigerants, Flammable & Toxic
- Refrigeration Equipment Diagnosis Method
- Refrigeration Gas Defrost
- Refrigeration Pump-down Cycle
- Refrigeration Without Refrigerant
- Relative Humidity in the Supply Air Stream
- Relative Humidity of Air Below Freezing
- Remote Ice Machines- The Basics
- Remove “Weep” Plugs on Motors
- Removing a Blower Motor
- Removing Water From a Float Switch
- Replacing a Piston w/ TXV and Evacuation
- RH, DB and WB
- Room Sensible Heat & CFM – Advanced Psychrometrics Part 1
S (41)
- Salamander Broiler Cleaning
- Saturation and the Pressure-Temperature Relationship
- Scroll Compressor Pump Down, Megohm Test & Fusite Terminals
- Sealing Boxes / Boots / Cans
- Sensible Heat in Air and Water
- Sensible Heat Ratio (SHR)
- Sensors, Measurements, and Physics
- Setting & Checking a Charge in the Rain
- Shielded Control Cable & Communicating Controls
- Short Circuits
- Short Cycling
- Sight Glass / Moisture Indicator
- Simple Pump Selection Exercise
- Simple Pump Selection Part 2
- Size and Orientation of Return Grilles and Supply Registers
- Skills in the Toolbag
- Solenoid Facts
- Some Belt Tensioning Thoughts
- Some Furnace Questions
- Some Important Terms to Know
- Some Range Hood IAQ Thoughts
- Something to Watch For When Replacing a Thermostat
- Something You May Want to Consider on Every Call
- Sometimes Experience Can Hold You Back
- Splicing Wires – Bad, Good, Better, Best
- Stacking Evaporator Coil Stages
- Start Capacitor & Inrush Facts and Myths – Part #1
- Start Capacitor & Inrush, Facts & Myths – Part 4
- Start Capacitor and Inrush Facts & Myths – Part #2
- Start Capacitor and Inrush Facts & Myths – Part #3
- Start Flowing Nitrogen Sooner
- Static Pressure – Why Measure It?
- Static Pressure and Combustion Test Ports and Plugs
- Static Pressure, Manometers and Magnehelics
- Storming the Gates to Trade Education
- Strip Control Wires Properly
- Subcool and Liquid Line Length
- Subcooling vs. Liquid Line Temperature
- Sweeping with Nitrogen
- Switch Terms
- Switch voltage
T (61)
- TD of Refrigeration Evaporators
- Tech Question – Why Do ECM Motors Trip a GFCI?
- Technician Head Trash
- Techs are Under Pressure
- Testing a Thermocouple
- Testing Electric Heat – A Cautionary Tale
- Testing Run Capacitors the Smart (and Easy) Way
- Testing the Leak Rate on Your Micron Gauge Itself
- Testing, Recovery and Charging a Sealed System
- TH, TR and TH/TR Gas Valve Terminals
- That Rusty Coil / Galvanic Corrosion
- The “5 Pillars” of Residential A/C Refrigerant Circuit Diagnosis
- The “Approach” Method of Charging and Condenser Efficiency
- The “Other” Pressure Switch
- The 10 Commandments of the HVAC/R Technician
- The Basic Residential Maintenance for a Heat Pump / Electric Systems
- The Case for Checking the Charge Without Using Gauges
- The Case For Pulling The Blower Housing
- The Dangers of the “Diesel Effect” (Compressor Explosion)
- The Diagnosis Game (and Why Van Sleeping Bothers Me)
- The Difference Between Variable Speed and X13 Motors
- The Ductless Dehumidification Conundrum
- The Extension Cord Puzzle
- The Friction Rate Chart (and What it Means)
- The Good Old Heat Anticipator
- The Hands On Learner Vs. The Visual Problem Solver
- The HVAC/R Diagnosis Pyramid of Skill
- The Impact of Adding or Removing Water From Air
- The Learning Mindset – It Isn’t Obvious Until It Is
- The Learning Mindset – Trial & Error
- The Misunderstood Lockout Relay
- THE MOST IMPORTANT skill a tech can have
- The Secrets to Happy HVAC Customers
- The Slow Death of the Honest Technician
- The Sneaky Effects of Radiant Heat Transfer
- The Surefire Way to Get a Blower Wheel Off
- The Ten Duct Commandments (Plus a Few More)
- The Troubeshooting Mindset
- The Two OTHER EPA violations
- The Unexpected Result of Series Circuits
- The What and Why of SEER2
- The Why Behind the Lies
- Thermal Expansion & Dissimilar Metals
- Think Before You Drill
- This is Not a Soft Start
- Thoughtful Termination (Of Wires)
- Top 10 HVAC Tech Tips
- Trades and the Skills Gap – A Manifesto
- Trap and Vent – A Drain Debacle
- Triple Evacuation and Nitrogen FACTS
- Troubleshooting Advanced Systems
- Troubleshooting for HVAC/R – Data Analysis
- Troubleshooting For HVAC/R – Gathering Data
- Troubleshooting for HVAC/R – Repairs, Reevaluation and Wrap up
- Troubleshooting For HVAC/R, The Don’t List
- Try and Stay Warm
- Tubing and Piping Support
- Tunnel Vision and How to Avoid It
- Two Less Common TXV Issues to Watch For
- TXV Bulb Placement
- TXV Power Element of Surprise
U (11)
- Unapologetically a Technician
- Uncommon start and run
- Underlying Problems That Get Missed
- Understand Dew Point and Absolute Moisture, The Right Side of the Psych Chart
- Understand Heat Pumps
- Understanding Heat Transfer
- Understanding Relays With the 90-340
- Use Your Senses First
- Using Heat & Nitrogen In Vacuum
- Using Power Factor to Check Capacitors Under Load
- UV Lights
V (7)
- Vacuum Pump Oil
- Ventilation, Filtration, and Humidity Control: The Holy Trinity of IAQ
- Venting for High efficiency Gas Furnaces – Part 1 Materials
- Venting for High efficiency Gas Furnaces – Part 2 Assembly
- VRV / VRF Installation Tips
- VRV Basics
- VRV Operation
W (58)
- W1, W2 & E
- Walk-In Cooler Defrost
- Watch it Hercules
- Watts so confusing?
- Weighing Refrigerant In and Out
- Wet Bulb and Enthalpy – The Left Side of the Chart
- What ‘s the scoop on PM10 and PM2.5 Particles?
- What 2018 Holds for Techs
- What are Dry and Wet Contacts?
- What Causes Dirty Sock Syndrome?
- What Causes Voltage Drop and How to Deal With It
- What Does “Air Free CO” (Carbon Monoxide) Mean?
- What does “RES” mean on a contactor or relay?
- What does “Saturated State” mean for Techs?
- What if you Only Have One Large Hose?
- What is “Cascade” Refrigeration?
- What is a DIN Rail?
- What is a GFI?
- What is a HSO (non-bleed) TXV / TEV?
- What is a Micron?
- What is a Suction Accumulator
- What is a Thermocouple?
- What is an ERV?
- What is Compressor Volumetric Efficiency?
- What is Enthalpy?
- What is Fenestration and Why Do I Care?
- What is Flux?
- What is Net Refrigeration Effect (NRE)?
- What Is Temperature Glide?
- What is the “Mid Point” of a refrigerant blend
- What is the Difference Between ACH & ACH50?
- What Makes an Autotransformer Different?
- What Should My Subcooling Be?
- What Should My Superheat Be?
- What to Check Before Condemning the TXV
- What Willis Understood
- What You Know About Start Winding Inrush Might Be Wrong
- What You Need to Know About MicroChannel
- What’s So Wrong With “Beer Can Cold”?
- Which valve do I open first?
- Why (and When) Do We Need Defrost?
- Why A/C Systems Freeze
- Why and how to adjust a TXV / TEV
- Why Compression Ratio Matters
- Why Discharge Line Temperature is a Useful Reading
- Why HEPA is a Great IAQ Option
- Why is 240V called “Single Phase”?
- Why is 3/8″ Liquid Line So Common? Liquid Line Sizing
- Why is the Breaker Tripping?
- Why Many Techs Confuse Overload, Short & Ground Fault
- Why Measuring Static First Isn’t Always Productive
- Why Selecting Equipment is Important (and Hard)
- Why the 20° Rule is Driving The Internet Crazy
- Why You Need a Torque Wrench (or Two…)
- Wide, Narrow, Wide Diagnosis
- Wiring and Setting of Humidistat / Dehumidistat in Humid Climates
- Work Vehicle Entropy
- Workers of The World UNITE!
