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Bill Spohn / TruTech Symposium and AHR Recap

By Bryan Orr Bill Spohn

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Join us for a candid conversation with Bill Spohn from TruTech Tools at AHR Expo 2025! Bill shares exciting news about his planned retirement and transition plan for TruTech Tools, plus gives his insights on this year’s 6th Annual HVAC/R Training Symposium where TruTech Tools was the title sponsor. We discuss the unique community atmosphere of both the Symposium and AHR Expo, exploring what makes these events special for the HVAC industry.

In this livestream, we dive into:

Bill’s announcement about transitioning TruTech Tools leadership to his son over the next 3 years
A detailed recap of HVAC School Symposium and what made it successful
Thoughts on building authentic industry communities and fostering connections
Leadership insights and maintaining vision while giving team members agency
Perspectives on AHR Expo 2025 and why it matters for HVAC professionals

Don’t forget to use offer code GETSCHOOLED for a great discount at trutechtools.com!

Have a question that you want us to answer on the podcast? Submit your questions at https://www.speakpipe.com/hvacschool.

Purchase your tickets or learn more about the 6th Annual HVACR Training Symposium at https://www.hvacrschool.com/symposium.

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#AHR #HVAC/R Training Symposium #trutech

Author:

Bryan Orr

Company: Kalos Services

Position: Co-Founder and President

Bill Spohn

Company: TruTech Tools, LTD

Position: President & CEO

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In this episode of the HVAC School Podcast, Bryan welcomes back Bill Spohn to talk about carbon monoxide and a troubling trend in the alarms being sold online. They start with the basics: the difference between a standard UL 2034 alarm and a true low-level CO monitor. UL 2034 alarms were designed to avoid nuisance calls, so they can stay silent through long exposures at relatively low concentrations. Low-level monitors are far more sensitive and can warn you that something is brewing before it becomes a life-threatening emergency.

Bill explains why that gap matters, walking through how carbon monoxide displaces oxygen on hemoglobin, why it lingers in the body, and why children, older adults, and people with heart or lung conditions are especially vulnerable. Bryan adds the troubleshooting angle: a UL 2034 alarm is the safety net that keeps people from dying, but low-level monitoring helps you find and fix a problem early, much like catching a refrigerant leak before the system is flat.

The conversation then turns to the main story. Bill bought a pair of inexpensive alarms advertised as both low-level and UL 2034 compliant, which is a contradiction, since the two cannot be the same device. They arrived with no instructions, no model number, and no visible certification control number, and they closely resembled a product tied to a Consumer Product Safety Commission warning covering roughly 375,000 units and 91 reported failures to alarm. Bill traces the marketing back to what appears to be a single factory selling under many brand names, backed by a virtual office address, a fake firefighter endorsement, and a flood of promotional emails.

Bryan and Bill close with lessons for technicians, consumers, and manufacturers alike. Be skeptical when price and performance seem too good to be true, verify who is behind a brand, and remember that claiming to meet a standard is not the same as being independently certified. They also urge established manufacturers to be humble, test claims thoroughly, and make sure published specifications reflect how their sensors actually perform.

Topics Covered

Low-level CO monitors versus UL 2034 alarms, and why they are not interchangeable
How the 1990s Chicago nuisance-alarm events led to the UL 2034 standard
Why standards built around healthy adult males leave gaps for vulnerable people
How carbon monoxide binds to hemoglobin and why it accumulates in the body
Why “CO leak” is the wrong phrase: carbon monoxide is created, not transported
Online alarms claiming to be both low-level and UL 2034 compliant
The Consumer Product Safety Commission alert and the 91 reported failures to alarm
Red flags: no instructions, no model number, no certification mark, a virtual-office address, and a fake endorser
What the alarm test button actually checks (the circuit and horn, not CO response)
The challenge of validating alarms without accessible CO test kits
How to vet unfamiliar brands, including using AI to research price, company history, and website age
Sensor signal smoothing and why muted low-end readings can mislead users
A call for manufacturers to test in the field and for honest specification claims
Why price alone should never drive the purchase of life-safety devices

This episode contains embedded sponsor messages from Refrigeration Technologies, Carrier, White-Rodgers by Copeland, Santa Fe Dehumidifiers, and TruTech Tools.

Resources

Purchase your tickets or learn more about the 8th Annual HVACR Training Symposium at https://hvacrschool.com/symposium.

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