BACK

The Future of App-Based Diagnosis w/ Jim Bergmann (Podcast)

By Jim Bergmann Bryan Orr

Make & share a podcast clip

Keep the exact passage and a link to the full episode. Choose up to three minutes, with enough context to be fair to the speaker.

Start End

Preview uses this episode’s audio. Browser audio export, when supported, takes the length of the selected clip. Nothing plays until you choose Preview.

Jim Bergmann gives us a year-end review of all that is happening at MeasureQuick and his predictions for the future of app-based diagnosis. He also covers what’s been going on with Redfish, BluFlame, BluVac, Supco, Testo, and Fieldpiece.

Diagnostic tools only work if the buyers understand how to use them. When apps can assist the tool buyers and users with diagnosis, the tool manufacturers can focus more on improving the technology; they can leave the software and education to mobile applications. Implementing gas appliance diagnostic education has been a challenge for Jim and other app developers. However, they are attempting to take app-based gas appliance diagnosis to the next level. The goal of diagnostic apps is to educate technicians about tools and readings and to make diagnoses more comprehensive.

From the start, one of MeasureQuick’s major focuses has been accessibility and ease of use. A diagnostic app that gives technicians a seamless way to take readings, store data, and learn about their measurements should be easy to use, so Jim has put a lot of work into making a user-friendly app. So, the next step for MeasureQuick in terms of accessibility will likely be to allow users to share data for remote viewing.

MeasureQuick has incorporated education on the basic refrigerant circuit, electrical components, gas appliances, and vacuum within the app. Soon, Jim would like MeasureQuick to expand into the refrigeration and geothermal sides of the HVAC/R world; he’d also like to implement project notes.

Jim and Bryan also discuss:

Monetizing diagnostic apps
Tying tools into diagnostic software
Wireless range and BlueTooth considerations
Working with programmers
How much might I invest in an app-based diagnosis app?
Third-party quality control
Future-proofing
Project or process-based functions
Integration
Electronic accessibility and pricing

Learn more about Refrigeration Technologies HERE.

If you have an iPhone, subscribe to the podcast HERE, and if you have an Android phone, subscribe HERE.

Work through this with the trade.

Highlight a short passage, or bring a question about a specific moment into HVAC No Bull Forum.

Discuss this reference → Related forum discussions

Comments

Normal Subcooling, Hidden Restriction – Short #305

Airflow Serenity w/ Alex Meaney

Less Compressor, More Suction Pressure – Short #304

Mastering Your Meter Advanced Functionality with Louise Kellar (UEi Test Instruments)

Premature Coil Failure in Ductless Mini-Splits & VRF Equipment – Short #303

Advanced Refrigerant Recovery: Best Practices for Diverse Systems and Environments

The A2L & Refrigerant Transition – Short #302

Invented For Techs, by Techs: Inside Refrigeration Technologies’ “The Lab”

The Ethics of IAQ – Testing vs. Remediation Conflicts – Short #301

Is 400 CFM per Ton Always Right? w/ Ty

Author:

Jim Bergmann

Company: measureQuick

Position: President

Bryan Orr

Company: Kalos Services

Position: Co-Founder and President

Check out our most recent video

How to Evacuate an AC system, Full Vacuum Procedure

Our latest Podcast

HVAC School – For Techs, By Techs

Real training for HVAC ( Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning and Refrigeration) Technicians. Including recorded tech training, interviews, diagnostics and general conversations about the trade.

A liquid-line restriction should cause high subcooling, right? Not always. In this short episode of the HVAC School podcast, we look at why normal subcooling does not rule out a restriction and why one familiar diagnostic pattern cannot tell the whole story.

Subcooling describes the refrigerant’s temperature margin below saturation at a particular location. It does not directly measure how much refrigerant is stored in the condenser or prove that the metering device is receiving adequate liquid. A thermostatic expansion valve may compensate for a moderate restriction by opening farther, while a receiver can provide another place for liquid to collect. Incorrect charge, poor airflow, and other faults can also exist alongside a restriction.

The practical lesson is to follow the liquid all the way to the metering device. Pressure losses through tubing, filter-driers, valves, and vertical rises can affect liquid delivery even when the reading at the outdoor unit looks normal. Temperature differences across a filter-drier can be useful clues, but a pressure drop may be difficult to detect with temperature clamps while the refrigerant remains subcooled liquid. The episode also discusses flash-gas clues, sight glasses, and the importance of inspecting the actual refrigerant path before settling on a diagnosis.

The key takeaway is that normal subcooling at one measurement point does not clear the entire liquid line. Follow the refrigerant path and consider the equipment, valve response, receiver, and other operating evidence together.

Topics Covered