Tech Tips

See the photo above? This is a unit we (my company) serviced for a commercial customer. It doesn’t matter if we aligned the belt, dialed in the charge, cleaned the condenser (using THIS thorough process), and got the drain pan clean. We look like dummies because the panel fell off. Also, as you may notice, […]

Do you remember the first time you used a ratchet? Neither do I, but I DO remember the context in which I first used one. In order to understand my story with ratchets, I need to introduce you to my grandpa, Don, the man who I have always called “Papa.” My grandpa has done so […]

I was sitting in a session at the HVAC Excellence educators conference (which was excellent, by the way), and my phone buzzed. So, like a typical punk kid, I looked down at it to see that my friend Josh had sent me a Facebook message asking if we served the east side of Orlando because […]

This article was written by RSES CM and excellent market refrigeration tech Jeremy Smith. Thanks, Jeremy! I frequently see techs online struggling with charging or troubleshooting refrigeration equipment and using subcooling as a diagnostic or charging method. Please don’t do this unless you understand it fully. Many times, trying to charge a refrigeration system to […]

Modulation motors are not often seen in residential equipment, but we see them a lot in commercial and industrial applications on many different types of equipment. I see them primarily on larger burners to control the fuel firing rate, but they also control water flow through heating coils, the water level on cooling towers, and […]

This question was submitted on the site in response to the recent GFCI tip. It’s a good question with several possible answers. What do you think? Hey Bryan, I have had a few instances where we are firing off a furnace in a new build with a temporary power pole outside with gfci outlets installed […]

When you work on a heat pump system and want to test defrost, you can follow many different test procedures to test the board and sensors. Most involve “forcing” a defrost by shorting out pins on the board or advancing the time of the defrost initiation and installing a factory-provided pin jumper. Lots of pins […]

Have you ever wondered why your old refrigerator never needs service or gauges installed and can run for 30 years that way, maybe only needing an occasional cleaning of the condenser? For crying out loud, utilities are buying these old energy hogs through some programs because they never seem to die. Why do they last […]

This article was written by technician and HVAC School community star Kenneth Casebier. Thanks, Kenneth! When looking at replacing a single-phase A/C motor with an aftermarket motor from your van, there are a few things you should know and pay attention to. First, the factory OEM motor will always be the best option, especially when […]