There is a lot of misunderstanding about the HSO (hard shut-off) or “non-bleed” TXV (thermostat expansion valve) and what makes it shut off, why it exists, and how it “magically” opens. Once you understand the forces inside the valve, it is quite simple, obvious, and sadly devoid of any magic. The Three Forces  The TXV […]

First off, I want to thank Ulises Palacios for taking these photos. He is in the habit of cutting open the compressors he replaces to see why they failed (when possible). I think that's pretty boss. So, why would the compressor have copper plating on the inside? They certainly aren't manufactured that way. The short […]

I've been reading a book called Cool: How Air Conditioning Changed Everything, and it got me interested once again in the history of air conditioning and refrigeration. Like many things, the people who are credited with “inventing” are the ones dogged enough to make an idea commercially successful, not the idealists forever tucked away in the […]