HVAC School - For Techs, By Techs

In this short podcast, we take a quick look at Bryan’s take on practical safety improvements. He also discusses the safety year in review at Kalos.

Kalos had a great year in terms of safety. As the m…

Tim Fregeau from Goodway joins us to talk about descaling large equipment. He also discusses best practices and why they matter to you.

Scale refers to mineral deposits that build up in any water sou…

In this short podcast episode, Bryan talks a bit about brazing temperature. He also covers how to heat your copper to the proper temperature. You can use torches with oxyacetylene or air-acetylene ti…

In this live episode, we talk about heat pumps, why Bryan likes them, why other people don’t, charging and diagnosing them, and defrost.

Even though heat pumps work best in warmer climates, they can …

In this crossover episode (rantcast), Bryan talks with Gary from HVAC Know It All. They vent about some of the phrases that techs throw around that are often false.

Technicians often throw around the…

In this short podcast, Bryan discusses the differences between air, nitrogen, and oxygen. He also explains why we should only use nitrogen for purging, flowing, and pressurization.

You DON'T want to …

In this LIVE episode, we talk about diagnosing inverter-driven systems. We also discuss some of the issues and solutions for over-voltage.

Inverter-driven systems, also called variable frequency driv…

Jim Bergmann is back on the podcast. This time, he talks about common faults with high-efficiency 90+ condensing gas furnaces and their installation.

Like A/C units, 90+ furnaces often suffer from cl…

Bryan explains the core differences between followers and leaders. There is nothing wrong with being a follower, but if you are ready to move into leadership roles, here are his tips.

Leaders primari…

Some great live guests join the podcast to discuss the advantages, disadvantages, and challenges of ductless and VRF equipment.

We started off working on ductless equipment with Mitsubishi, especiall…

Jamie is back on the podcast. This time, he talks about the merits and pitfalls of floating head pressure and why you might care.

There is a relationship between floating head and floating suction, t…

In this short podcast episode, Bryan talks about circuit breaker facts. He also explains why they trip, what they do, and some different types and considerations.

Circuit breakers break the circuit d…

In this episode from the archives, Dan Holohan joins us on the podcast and talks about his vast experience in the lost art of steam learned from long-dead men.

Steam heating is a "lost art" nowadays;…

In this honest—maybe overly honest—live podcast, we talk about the dark side of white shirt techs. We also discuss ways the industry can make money while doing the fundamentals well.

The term "white …

In this podcast episode, Bert joins Bryan to talk about what he has learned to help prevent the dreaded callback on the job.

Callbacks are bad news for customer service, time, and profit. However, th…

This short podcast is for the newbies out there. For HVAC trade newbies, Bryan recommends applying 7 tips to help you win.

When you start off in the trades, you'll want to check your mindset. Success…

Jim Bergmann returns to the podcast to talk about the power quality meter. He also discusses what it is good for and how to use one.

A power quality meter accounts for the power factor in its measure…

In this short podcast, Bryan talks through (once again) what REALLY causes capacitors to fail and what we can do about it.

High temperatures and overvoltage (NOT undervoltage) are what cause capacito…

Eric Mele, Eric Kaiser, and John Oaks come on the podcast to talk about commercial PM best practices and what matters most.

Drain cleaning is a critical part of the standard commercial PM. You must a…

In this live podcast from CASTBOX, we discuss the skills gap and how we are going to get more people into and trained in the HVAC/R trade.

Instead of gaining skills early in life and then looking for…