BACK
Why Discharge Line Temperature is a Useful Reading
Heat Pump Defrost Troubleshooting Tips
Michael Faraday: Patron Saint of HVAC Technicians
Blower Fan Watt Draw Considerations for ECMs
Tool Selection: Electrical Meters
Tool Selection: Combustion Analyzers
Tool Selection: Manometers for the Right Job
Condenser Fan Blade Placement
Tool Selection: Analog vs. Digital vs. Probes
Learning Hydronics, Boilers and Steam w/ Ray Wohlfarth
How Duct Tape Got Its Name (and Why It Shouldnโt Be on Ducts) – Short #264
The Art of De-Escalation
Legionnairesโ Disease: The Cooling Tower Killer – Halloween Short #263
Group Training – What We Have Learned
How Air Conditioning Saved the Movies – Short #262
Just Do it! w/ Chad Simpson
Analyst vs. PM vs. Operations – Short #261
The Hidden Cost of Killing Radiant Load – Short #260
Understanding Dual Fuel
Why Home Performance and HVAC are One
The Quality Installation Conundrum
The Devil is in the Data
Women’s Panel
30 Minutes or Less and You Only Have…
#hvac
Tech Tips:
For this tech tip on discharge line temperature, Iโd like to give special thanks to Roman Baugh for the section about compressor superheat. Itโs not something we talk about very often outside of chiller and commercial refrigeration applications, but it definitely has value in the HVAC world as well. Thanks, Roman! Since I started in […]
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Weโve entered that season of service calls for โsmoking heat pumps,โ and I figured now is as good a time as any to share a few quick tips for troubleshooting defrost. Of course, the โsmoking heat pumpโ calls can be solved over the phone with a quick explanation of normal defrost conditionsโas can the service […]
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Who was Michael Faradayโbesides the guy we named the capacitor after? Well, actually, we named the measure of capacitance after him (the farad), but letโs not get all caught up in semantics. Faraday was a scientist who lived from 1791 to 1867. He was an experimental scientist who had little to no formal education but […]
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I’d like to give special thanks to Steve Rogers from TEC for helping write this tech tip about ECM blower fan watt draw and sharing some helpful visuals. Thanks, Steve! ACCA Standard 310 introduced a grading protocol for HVAC systems. While HVAC practitioners wonโt be the ones carrying out the tasks laid out in Standard […]
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I’d like to give a special thanks to Tony Gonzalez from Fieldpiece for providing technical guidance about the SC680’s power measurement capabilities, as well as VAC and AAC measurements on ECMs. You can learn more about the SC680 and other electrical meters on Fieldpiece’s website. Weโve talked through specifications, applications, and features for a few […]
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While gauge manifolds and manometers may only have one main function, some tools take several different measurements and will have more expansive specs. The combustion analyzer is one such exampleโcombustion has so many elements, and we need something that can analyze the concentrations of several different substances as well as temperature. As such, a combustion […]
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Last week, we briefly looked at the spec sheet of a gauge manifold. All things considered, it was quite short; we only had to worry about the refrigerant types, pressure ranges, and hose diameters. However, manometersโ spec sheets are quite a bit longer than gauge manifoldsโ because they have resolution and accuracy specs, among other […]
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In a previous article, I talked about wiring permanent split capacitor (PSC) condenser fan motors. While researching the topic, I realized that there isnโt as much information available on condenser motors as there is on their counterpartโthe indoor blower motor. I had never really given it much thought, as I assumed that the condenser motor […]
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The original tools of the trade were all analog: electrical meters, gauges, and even manometers (Magnehelic, anyone?). However, digital tools have also become a staple of the skilled tradesโwhere would most of us be without digital multimeters? And then probes also joined the fray with the rapid improvements to smartphone technology over the last 15โ20 […]
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Videos:
Podcasts:
๏ปฟ In this episode of the HVAC School podcast, Bryan sits down with Ray Wohlfarth, a seasoned HVAC contractor and prolific author who has dedicated over 30 years to mastering the art and science of boiler systems. What began as a competitive disadvantageโcompetitors claiming he knew nothing about boilersโbecame Ray’s driving passion. Through daily reading, […]
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๏ปฟ In this short podcast episode, Bryan explains how duct tape got its name and why it shouldn’t actually be used on ducts. Duct tape is a versatile home DIY-fix tool, but despite its name, it wasn’t initially made to seal ducts at all. In 1943, we were in the thick of World War II, […]
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๏ปฟ๏ปฟ In this comprehensive discussion, Bryan and Bert tackle one of the most critical yet underdeveloped skills in the trades: conflict resolution and de-escalation. They argue that poor conflict management is one of the primary reasons technicians lose jobs, damage team dynamics, and limit their career advancement. The conversation explores both customer-facing conflicts and internal […]
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๏ปฟ๏ปฟ๏ปฟ In this spooky Halloween short podcast episode, Bryan tells the story of the cooling tower killer: Legionnaires’ disease. In the summer of 1976, the nation celebrated its bicentennial anniversary. The American Legion was holding its 58th annual convention at the Bellevue Stratford Hotel in Philadelphia, PA. In the days following the convention, doctors in […]
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๏ปฟ๏ปฟ In this episode of the HVAC School podcast, Bryan Orr sits down with Bert and Leanna to discuss Kalos’s first official cohort apprenticeship program, dubbed the “Launch Program.” What started as Bryan’s persistent ideaโone that the team initially resisted as too expensive and logistically challengingโevolved into a transformative three-month training experience that brought 15 […]
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๏ปฟ๏ปฟ In this short podcast episode, Bryan explores an interesting story in the history of HVAC: how air conditioning saved the movies. In the summer of 1925 in NYC, a new film was set to appear on the big screen… but the theater was stuffy with no fan that could cool down the sheer mass […]
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๏ปฟ๏ปฟ In this candid conversation recorded live at the NCI Summit in Austin, Bryan Orr sits down with Chad Simpson, owner of Simpson Solutions, for an unexpectedly revealing discussion about the reality of building a successful HVAC business. What makes this episode particularly compelling is Simpson’s refreshing honesty about his struggles, failures, and the gradual […]
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๏ปฟ๏ปฟ In this short business-oriented podcast, Bryan breaks down the differences between three commonly confused positions/roles: analyst vs. PM (project management) vs. operations. When you own or work in a small business, you might wear a lot of hats: estimating, writing proposals, troubleshooting, being a customer or coworker’s therapist, etc. This work can be organized, […]
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๏ปฟ๏ปฟ In this short podcast, Bryan talks about the hidden cost of killing radiant load, especially when it comes to installing radiant barriers in attics. We sometimes get service calls about ducts sweating when they never used to sweat. If there are no problems with the system (i.e., the refrigerant charge, static pressure, airflow, supply […]
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Events:
NOTE: If you cannot view the recording, the video may still be processing. The maximum wait time is 24 hours. We apologize for the delay and appreciate your patience.
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NOTE: If you cannot view the recording, the video may still be processing. The maximum wait time is 24 hours. We apologize for the delay and appreciate your patience.
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NOTE: If you cannot view the recording, the video may still be processing. The maximum wait time is 24 hours. We apologize for the delay and appreciate your patience.
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NOTE: If you cannot view the recording, the video may still be processing. The maximum wait time is 24 hours. We apologize for the delay and appreciate your patience.
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NOTE: If you cannot view the recording, the video may still be processing. The maximum wait time is 24 hours. We apologize for the delay and appreciate your patience.
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NOTE: If you cannot view the recording, the video may still be processing. The maximum wait time is 24 hours. We apologize for the delay and appreciate your patience.
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