Tech Tips

I like processes. I especially like them in the HVAC profession because they give me confidence that I did the job correctly and save me time. When I’m following a process, I spend less time thinking about what I’m doing because my body and mind are trained by repetition. I particularly like processes that back-check […]

It can be useful to think of a multimeter as a “voltage drop” tool. Bryan covers the concept here in an excellent class that I highly recommend. This concept was a big help to me as I began to truly learn how to use a multimeter.  A meter reads the voltage differential between two points. […]

When replacing a furnace or air handler for a customer, there is nothing worse than starting up the equipment and having it sound like the latest SpaceX rocket taking off. You insert your static pressure probes into the duct, and your stomach drops as you read the numbers.  You realize the new high-end system you’ve […]

Thermal balance point is a concept that is going to start mattering a lot more in years to come as more and more homeowners become interested in electrification. In almost all cases, the heat load for a house is larger than the cooling load; this is true even where I live in Dallas, Texas. Why […]

This tech tip is based on a recent podcast with Eugene Silberstein from ESCO Group. Even though we cover a lot of similar ground, this tech tip is unique and comes with several links that could help anyone who wants to start or improve an internal training program. If you haven't yet listened to “How […]

Bryan recently released a podcast on rules of thumb and how they can really get us in a pickle with sizing ductwork. With that in mind, I thought this might be a good time to do a walkthrough of Manual D from start to finish on a project I just finished up. My good friend […]

I once heard someone say, and have since repeated many times that BTU's ride on the back of Cubic Feet of Air or CFM. As I've learned more I've come to the conclusion that the weight or mass of the air passing over the evaporator coil is far more important to understand both in terms […]

Maintenance is not the sexiest part of our trade, and that’s ok. There really aren’t that many parts of our trade that are sexy, to be honest. Maybe maintenance is just the lowest on the totem pole. It can be easy to get into a routine of plowing through one after another, trying to check […]

So, here's the thing. When I was a kid, I got to go skiing in the Rockies a few times. Sounds great, right? Well, yeah, the skiing was fantastic, but the dry air at those higher elevations? the dryness and the lack of oxygen combined felt like breathing vapor beef jerky. Cut to me getting […]