Some techs and contractors swear that flex ducts are an evil invention and should never be used in ANY circumstance. I agree with what duct design legend Jack Rise said on the podcast a few years ago when I asked him about flex ducts: “There's a lot of problems with flex duct, there really is, and […]

There is a lot of misunderstanding about the HSO (hard shut-off) or “non-bleed” TXV (thermostat expansion valve) and what makes it shut off, why it exists, and how it “magically” opens. Once you understand the forces inside the valve, it is quite simple, obvious, and sadly devoid of any magic. The Three Forces  The TXV […]

WARNING: This article contains spoilers for Die Hard (1988). If you’ve never seen the film and want to avoid spoilers, I suggest skipping this one or watching the movie first before you read this Christmas tech tip.  Here’s a fun thing to do at Christmas dinner: start the debate as to whether Die Hard is […]

 Don Gillis and Dr. Chuck Allgood from Chemours join the show to discuss their new easy as “1,2,3” branding around the A2L refrigerants R454A, R454B, and R454C. They explain that A2Ls are not actually flammable like hydrocarbons; they are just mildly combustible with much lower burning velocity and energy than propane or butane. The […]

In this podcast episode, Bryan and Nathan discuss balancing evaporators in a multi-coil circuit. They specifically focus on using the TXV to do so. When we say “balancing evaporators” in a multi-coil circuit, we're referring to the temperature of the air leaving the system; we are worried about the air keeping the product cool in […]

In this live podcast episode, we have a fun conversation talking with Nathan Orr and Kevin Compass about grocery refrigeration. The most common types of calls are those where the machine is “not making temp.” Usually, the cases can't maintain temperature due to frozen evaporator coils or backed-up drains. On low-temperature/freezer applications, we must rely […]