HVAC School - For Techs, By Techs

Bryan talks about the differences between mineral oil (MO) and POE oil, the advantages and disadvantages of using them, and when to use them.

Mineral oil (MO) is what we've used for a long time. We l…

Eric Mele returns to the podcast to discuss quality cleaning and maintenance procedures for small refrigeration systems. These small refrigeration systems include reach-in refrigerators and open-air …

Bryan talks about the top refrigerant leak detectors, the best refrigerant leak detection practices, and some good leak detection tips.

Leak detectors require some flow through them. Otherwise, they …

How does a vacuum pump work? When should you change the oil? What does that oil do anyway? Kevan Mayer of NAVAC comes on the podcast to answer these questions and more in this episode.

Vacuum pumps h…

In today's short podcast episode, Bryan covers some tips about HVAC/R service valves and caps for new technicians. While service valves may seem simple, there are some things you should know about th…

Jamie Kitchen returns to the podcast and talks all about hard shut off TXVs/TEVs. He discusses bleed and non-bleed valves and why the TXV type matters to your compressor.

When it comes to TXVs, ther…

In today's podcast, we cover why both compressor and evaporator superheat matter. We also address some common confusion related to each.

Evaporator and compressor superheat are two different readings…

In today's podcast, Jim Bergmann joins us to talk about evacuation. He discusses pulling a vacuum, conductance speed, microns, core removal, decay rate, and all that other nerdy vacuum stuff. Jim has…

In today's short podcast episode, Jim Bergmann and Bryan answer the age-old question: Can you really freeze water in a vacuum by pulling down too fast? Is that a problem? What should you do about it?

In this episode, we talk with two techs recently out of trade school. We get their perspective on their trade education and how it compares to the field. Jeremy and Blake have been kind enough to sha…

Bryan talks about MicroChannel coils, what issues could happen with them, and what the best practice is to clean them.

MicroChannel coils are kind of like car radiators; they have a small, honeycomb-…

In this episode, Eric Mele dives into the world of pumps, controls, cooling towers, and everything else related to the water side of a water source heating and cooling system. Many of these systems a…

In this short podcast episode, Bryan covers how to measure air velocity directly at a return or supply and what those readings tell you.

Since many techs like to focus on CFM and static pressure read…

In today's podcast episode, Eric Mele walks us through the components of water source heat pumps, how they work, and what to look for. Water source heat pumps use water to transfer heat to and from t…

In this short podcast episode, Bryan Orr discusses the best practice methods for testing run capacitors in the field.

We understand the capacitor to be a voltage storage device. We can benefit from c…

In this episode, Bryan Orr talks about how the seasons affect our HVAC work and how to manage stress during the busy season.

If you work in the trade, you will notice that we have busy and slow seaso…

In today's short podcast episode, Bryan discusses the voltage drop measurement tool, also commonly known as the voltmeter. You can also find this voltage drop tool on multimeters. You use them to che…

In today's podcast episode, we have a conversation about the pros and cons of commercial vs. residential HVAC with Andrew Greaves. (You may know him as AK HVAC on Youtube. Check out his channel HERE …

In this short podcast, Bryan covers three things that the condenser does. He also explains where those things happen and what those they mean in terms of system operation.

The evaporator coil does tw…

Many techs have said, "That's the first thing you should have learned in school." In today's short podcast, Bryan talks about the four rules that have his vote for the first things to learn in school…