Imagine, if you will, a 20-year-old kid. He has no formal training in the HVAC/R field, only ride along “training” and book learning as he reads along with his journeyman father with whom he's riding. One stormy summer evening, a service call comes in for an ice cream freezer down. After calling and talking to […]

Can a single-phase motor run backward when start and run are swapped? The answer is (generally) yes. Is the motor designed to run backward by simply swapping run and start? The answer is (generally) no, with a few notable exceptions. Before we jump in, this article has two purposes. #1 – it helps you understand […]

Brake horsepower (BHP), motor nameplate HP, and the actual electrical power (watts) a motor will consume are different but related concepts. They can get confusing. So, we will tackle them one at a time. Let us start with simple definitions of work, power, and horsepower. Work = distance in feet x force in pounds, both […]