Heat is a byproduct of mechanical energy that presents itself as a temperature increase. French physicist James Prescott Joule aimed to equate heat to mechanical energy. Early experiments used paddle-like structures to stir water within a container and raise its temperature. The paddles would move and agitate the water whenever a mass on a pulley […]

“Service factor” is an interesting motor rating that you will see on many motor data tags. It simply means how much additional “work” a motor can do or how much “load” it may be placed under for short periods of time without failure or overload. For example, the FLA or full load amps of the […]

Air-to-water pool heat pumps are seeing more and more popularity in the climates that can support them over the more traditional gas and electric pool heaters we usually see. While they definitely contain some familiar operating principles to an air-to-air heat pump, there are some striking differences in how the heat is transferred and how […]