It Has a Flat For a Reason

By January 4, 2020

It Has a Flat For a Reason

When tightening down a blower wheel or a fan blade on a motor shaft, ONLY tighten it on the flat of the shaft.

If you have more than one screw but only one flat surface on the shaft, only tighten the one set screw.

Also…

Refrain from over-tightening set screws; they need to bite into the shaft, but you don't need to mangle the poor thing. Setting it on the curve and over-tightening can make it hard or impossible to remove the blade or wheel later. I've seen this several times in high-wall ductless systems: an overtightened or improperly set wheel can make it impossible to remove later. A little grease on the shaft and a carefully tightened screw can make it a lot easier for the next time.

Simple, but important.

—Bryan

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Dominick Guarino from NCI joins the podcast to talk about the High-Performance HVAC Summit, an upcoming event hosted by NCI from April 17–20. The National Comfort Institute (NCI) is a training organization that helps technicians learn crucial skills and succeed through high-performance contracting.

High-performance contracting is based on the mindset of “don’t just promise performance; prove it.” To maximize technicians’ potential, NCI teaches technicians how to test equipment properly and monetize their skills. Techs can then use their knowledge to teach the homeowner about the system and solve problems with sales; they can earn money while being solutions-oriented.

NCI’s High-Performance HVAC Summit is a training event geared toward HVAC business owners and contractors. It started as a membership conference for education and networking, and it has since expanded to include like-minded HVAC professionals from all walks of life. Workshops are led by a mix of contractors and NCI staff, and there are breakout sessions and other various session types.

This year’s High-Performance Summit theme will be “It All Starts With Service.” The four focal points of the workshops will be lead generation through service and maintenance, CO safety, the lead handoff from service to sales, and maintenance agreements. One more session will focus on hands-on testing, called “Low-Performance Town” this year, and there will be a panel about the future of high-performance HVAC.

Dominick and Bryan also discuss:

Dominick and NCI’s history in the industry
High-performance maintenance
Consumers who do their research
The HVACR Training Symposium
High-Performance Summit Awards Banquet
NCI’s collaboration with other industry leaders and organizations

Visit https://www.gotosummit.com/ to learn more about the High-Performance Summit. If you decide to register for the summit, type HVACSCHOOL in the coupon code section for a $100 discount.

Learn more about the 4th Annual HVACR Training Symposium or buy a virtual ticket today at https://hvacrschool.com/symposium.

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3 responses to “It Has a Flat For a Reason”

Gabe willard says:
2023.03.27 at 23:27
Thanks I will remember that Mex one I do.
Reply
John says:
2023.03.27 at 19:58
Pulling the blower on an AC call after I had an 11 degree split temp had me find an underside of evaporator coil completely blanketed. Would be great if you did a podcast or mention on Evaporator coil cleaning and checking basics.
Reply
Chris says:
2023.03.27 at 06:01
What is the purpose of the canvas wheel? Is it a dust cover; or is it intended to prevent oil from accumulating on the fan blade?
Reply

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