Educators love lockout relays, and we also love pretending you will still see them out in the field all the time. Sometimes, I have to look myself in the mirror in the morning and sadly repeat, “Lockout relays are dead.” I have to say it several times before the reality sinks in. Before I get […]

I watched an instructional video the other day where the guy kept palming his gauge manifold and CRANKING down on the valves when he closed them. I've seen techs use channel locks—and even vise grips—to tighten down their gauges “just in case” when they have a hard time finding a leak or a vacuum that […]

How does a typical single phase motor know how fast to run? Typical induction motors are dependent of the electrical cycle rate of the entering power (measured in hertz) for their speed. Our power in the US makes one complete rotation from positive electrical peak to positive peak 60 times per second or 60hz (50hz […]