HVAC work is never just “HVAC” work. One minute you're brazing copper, and the next you're troubleshooting a blown fuse in a disconnect or running a new whip to a condenser. Because our trade is so varied, you never know what you're going to find when you open a service panel or crawl into an […]

Some quick basics: An ohmmeter is used to measure the resistance to electrical flow between two points. The ohmmeter is most commonly used to check continuity. Continuity is not a “measurement” as much as it is a yes/no statement. To say there is continuity is to say that there is a good electrical path between […]

How many times have you looked at the bottom right-hand side of an evaporator coil and seen all sorts of rust, even on a fairly new coil? You may have noticed that many evaporator coils and even some condenser coils will start to corrode where the galvanized steel endplates touch the copper U-bends of the […]

John Pastorello from Refrigeration Technologies joins us to talk about testing oil and refrigerant for contamination. He also explains what each test is good for. John developed the Checkmate testing kit when he recognized a need to test reclaimed and recycled R-12 for acid and moisture. The Checkmate method removed a small amount of refrigerant […]

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. John developed Big Blu to create a bubble leak detector with a higher sensitivity to leaks than any other bubble test solution on the market. Big […]

John Pastorello, the HVAC chemist, comes on the podcast and discusses refrigerant additives such as acid inhibitors, oil enhancers, dyes, and leak sealants with his knowledge and some things to consider. Acid neutralizers are refrigerant additives. Oil works best in a slightly acidic environment, and these additives can change the pH of the system. If […]