Have you ever noticed that a blower motor rated for 120V draws about twice the amperage of the same horsepower motor rated at 240V? That is because motors are rated in watts or horsepower, and according to Watt's law, Watts = Volts x Amps. To keep the wattage output the same at 120V, it draws […]

Over the past several years that we’ve been discussing electrification as an industry, we’ve heard concerns about the electrical grid struggling with peak cooling demands.  Within the past couple of months, the concept of integrating battery storage directly into HVAC equipment has emerged as a vital solution for load management. This concept turns a typical […]

Windows might seem like the builder's problem, but they play a big role in what we do every day. Poorly designed windows can spike heat gain in summer or loss in winter, messing with load calculations and forcing HVAC systems to work overtime. That leads to uneven comfort, higher bills, and more service calls. Getting […]

 In this short podcast episode from AHR Expo 2026, Bryan sits down with John Pastorello for a discussion about the latter's lifetime of HVAC/R. John was a chemist and an HVAC technician before founding Refrigeration Technologies in 1987, and he received the HVAC Tactical Lifetime Achievement Award in 2026. Prior to entering the trade, […]

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 […]