As HVAC/R techs, we don't generally do a lot of soldering—unless you are in a shop that has embraced Stay Brite® 8 from Harris. Several aluminum repair products on the market also use an indirect soldering type technique, so this is a general and generic overview of some best practices. As always, follow the manufacturer's […]

Sometimes, we can focus on the more complicated aspects of a system and parts installation—like evacuation and flowing nitrogen—and forget the simple and critical common-sense steps to keep contaminants out of the system. One of these is pre-cleaning the tubing and connection before cutting or unsweating. For example: If you are replacing a coil, use […]

On an energized, intact circuit, you will read voltage across an OPEN switch when testing with a voltmeter. However, you probably won't read significant voltage across a CLOSED switch. Both sides of a closed switch are electrically identical (or at least very close). Therefore, there should be no movement of electrons between the leads of […]