Tech Tips

This tech tip was written by Don Gillis with Chemours. Thanks, Don! The shift to R-410A from R-22 brought some pretty big changes to the industry, including the shift to polyolester (POE) oil. We had been using mineral oil for CFC refrigerants like R-12 and HCFCs like R-22, so we had to update some of […]

Source: Refrigerant Slider in the Ref Tools App We've been pretty spoiled in residential and light commercial HVAC in the USA because we haven't needed to deal with glide much. In HVAC/R, glide is the window of difference between the boiling points in blended refrigerants; when you have a refrigerant blend made up of different […]

A few weeks ago, I spent several days redoing a duct system and replacing a furnace for a friend. I had static pressure readings from before the system was replaced, and with the new furnace that I had picked out, I had created a static pressure budget and felt confident I could significantly lower the […]

A few weeks ago, I was hired to consult on a multi-family new construction project.  The building was already framed, and the ducts were roughed in.  The owner of the building was concerned with the quality of the ductwork.  He noticed that the HVAC company was not following the mechanical engineer's plans. This was my […]

Recovery is the removal of refrigerant from a system. From there, you can either store it and send it in for recycling or reintroduce it back into the same system. Here are some top tips: Make sure your tank is empty and evacuated to 300 microns if you plan to return the refrigerant to the […]

Callbacks are horrible. They kill the trade from every possible angle. They destroy customer satisfaction and reduce technician morale by causing long hours, resulting in unprofitability for companies and less earning opportunity for everyone. Possibly worse of all, callbacks tell customers that you are no better than their cousin the maintenance man, or worse, the […]

Have you ever woken up early on a Saturday morning and thought to yourself, “I really wish I knew how to size transfer grilles and jumper ducts properly?” I know I have. Although come to think of it, I believe it was a Friday morning.  Properly sizing transfer grilles is something I have been wanting […]

This article was written by Don Gillis, the technical training manager at Chemours. Thanks, Don! Refrigerant compressors are essential components of air conditioning and refrigeration systems, as we all know. They work by compressing refrigerant vapor, which then flows through the system and changes state as pressure and temperature conditions rise and fall. Unfortunately, these […]

It's always good to reaffirm some of the basics of energy, work, and matter, as these five rules are some of the most basic and important. The First Law of Thermodynamics States that energy cannot be created or destroyed. It can only change forms or be transferred from one object to another. If you'd like […]