HVAC School - For Techs, By Techs

In this short podcast, Bryan discusses the ever-controversial topic of indoor temperature in the summer.

The old "20-degree rule" has come up many times, and it's time to put it to rest. Not to be co…

Nathan Orr is back. In this podcast, we discuss suction pressure in market refrigeration and how rack techs think about it differently than HVAC.

On parallel rack systems, suction temperature helps t…

In this short podcast episode, Bryan explains why low static pressure may be bad. He also discusses the other indicators of airflow.

When you look at fan charts, you'll notice that there will be an a…

Nathan and Bryan have a rollicking conversation about Nathan's transition from residential HVAC to market refrigeration. Nathan also covers what he has learned along the way. Hopefully, his experienc…

In this short podcast episode, Bryan covers pricing for HVAC/R parts and services; he explains how to come up with a fair price.

To be able to price fairly, we need to understand what value and sacri…

We talk with chemical and cleaning expert Ray Field on Legionnaires' disease. We discuss what it is, its history, and what we can do to prevent it proactively.

Cooling towers host all kinds of microo…

In this short podcast episode, Bryan covers ductless or mini-split cleaning. He collaborated with SpeedClean to map out this procedure and write a guide, which you can read HERE.

Cleaning is ultimate…

Andrew Greaves comes on the podcast to give us a sneak peek into the life of a tool manufacturer. Andrew has worked in the field for a long time and has recently begun working for NAVAC. He currently…

In this short podcast episode, Bryan covers the bypass factor in airflow and psychrometrics. He also explains why it matters to techs.

The bypass factor is a ratio: you take the difference between th…

Colleen Keyworth from Women in HVAC/R comes on the podcast to talk about the importance of getting women excited about our trade.

While many women take up administrative roles in HVAC/R companies, ve…

In this short podcast episode, Bryan explains the ins and outs of vacuum pump maintenance, a critical component of evacuation.

The most basic part of vacuum pump maintenance is changing out your vacu…

David Holt from NCI comes on the podcast to talk about airflow testing and its importance as a customer service tool for the HVAC trade.

Charging and airflow are closely linked. Even though the charg…

In this short podcast episode, Bryan covers the basics of sunk costs. He explains what they are and what they mean for you and HVAC businesses.

Sunk costs are costs to decisions that have been made i…

Steve Rogers from the Energy Conservatory comes on the podcast to talk about residential air balancing and flow hood accuracy.

Residential air balancing is important because it contributes to comfort…

In this short podcast episode, Bryan covers the unique practices of brazing steel. He also explains how it differs from brazing copper.

Brazing steel appears to be a rather uncommon practice in the H…

John Pastorello from Refrigeration Technologies is back on the podcast to talk about leak detection procedures from start to finish.

Big Blu was what started the Refrigeration Technologies empire. Jo…

In this short podcast, Bryan dives into enthalpy. He explains what it is and how we see it at work in the HVAC/R systems we service daily.

Enthalpy is a fancy word for the total heat energy within a …

Jim Devlin from Weil-McLain joins us to talk about high-efficiency and cast-iron boilers. He also explains how to use them together in a "hybrid" configuration to serve your customers.

Cast-iron boil…

Do you need different gauges for each refrigerant? In today's short podcast, we discuss the answer to this common HVAC question.

When we first started using R-410A, many people warned us that we'd ha…

In this two-part interview, Moe Hirsch goes deep and wide on buffer tanks and strategies for "parking" BTUs in hydronic systems.

Systems with a high domestic hot water load can also benefit from a bu…