Here's the first question: Does it really matter if the speed taps on a motor are run or common? Well, yes… sort of. In some cases, it helps to identify if you're dealing with an open winding or an open thermal overload. The thermal overload breaks common, but you will still read a path between […]

First, let's get something straight: BRAZING is when you use a filler rod that isn't the same material as the base metal but melts ABOVE 840°F. Soldering is the same but at temperatures BELOW 840°F. With HVAC rods melting at around 1200°F, it confuses me why we usually call it “silver solder” but also often call it […]

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 […]