The HVAC industry uses all sorts of fancy words to classify refrigerant. As such, there are all sorts of complicated refrigerant acronyms: HFC, HCFC, CFC. Let's also not forget the mythical zeotropic, azeotropic, and near-azeotropic descriptors. Let's simplify those. (Though if you want to go back to the basics first, check out this article on […]

Modulation motors are not often seen in residential equipment, but we see them a lot in commercial and industrial applications on many different types of equipment. I see them primarily on larger burners to control the fuel firing rate, but they also control water flow through heating coils, the water level on cooling towers, and […]

I'm a big dummy when it comes to my own air conditioning maintenance. I talk about the importance of changing air filters to customers and techs, but I never stay up on replacing my own. Yesterday, I walked into my mechanical room, and my 2-ton air handler sounded like a vacuum cleaner about to implode. […]