Technicians have to make flare fittings in the field every day. Most of the time, the application is for mini-split/ductless installs. However, you may encounter certain situations where flared fittings are more practical than a braze joint. Regardless of the reason, flared connections are notorious in our trade for being popular leak areas. Either the flare […]

Marley was dead, to begin with. There is no doubt whatever about that. That's the way Charles Dickens begins his “A Christmas Carol,” one of the most well-known pieces of literature in the modern world. A short story that can be read aloud in a few hours has to start memorably, and this one certainly […]

  Flowing nitrogen while brazing and pressurizing with nitrogen are great practices. Putting nitrogen in with the refrigerant? Not so much. Nitrogen is a “non-condensable” gas because it cannot be condensed (under normal conditions). However, nitrogen is just one of the non-condensables. First, let's talk about what a non-condensable gas is. Any gas that does […]