BACK
Three Steps to Deliver a Trades Education Talk
HVAC Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present, and Future
Upgrading Time & Temperature Defrost with Demand Defrost for Heat Pumps
Coil Temp Sensors: Thermostats vs. Thermistors
Cabinet Leaks in Air Handlers & Fan Coils
Planning and Installing Condensate Drain Lines
Tandem Compressors and Their Efficiency Benefits
Why the Breaker Size May Be Lower than the MCA (and Why That’s NOT Necessarily a Code Violation)
Set Inverter Technology Up for Success in Humid Climates
Combustion Analysis w/ Tony G.
Residential vs. Commercial HVAC Sales
When Ammonia Ruled the World – Short #270
Humidity, Airflow, and Refrigeration
The Finned-Tube Coil – Short #269
Are Two Are Better Than One: Understanding Tandem Compressors
The Tech That Tried to Beat the Compressor – Short #268
VRF, Ductless and Humidity Control w/ Roman
The History of the Thermostat – Short #267
#hvac
Tech Tips:
This article detailing the three steps to deliver a trades education talk was written by David Richardson from NCI. David is an excellent educator with lots of public speaking experience under his belt, and he has shared some great tips to help people share their valuable trade knowledge. If you have any questions for him […]
Read more
There have been many adaptations of A Christmas Carol over the years, but it all started with a novella written by Charles Dickens in the 1840s. It was early in the Victorian Era, fresh off the heels of the Industrial Revolution. The British were reflecting on past Christmas traditions, like caroling, and exploring new ones […]
Read more
Since heat pumps work by extracting heat from the outdoors to bring it inside, the outdoor coil will almost surely freeze up. To mitigate the freezing, heat pumps enter a defrost cycle in which they run in cooling mode to send hot, high-pressure refrigerant back through the outdoor coil and melt the ice. While the […]
Read more
‘Tis heating season once again. It’s getting colder outside, and the heat pumps are starting to frost up outdoors. The defrost cycle helps get rid of the frost, and there are a few different ways we can do that; the methods themselves may differ between systems (time & temperature vs. demand defrost), as may the […]
Read more
When we think of air leakage, a few common scenarios probably come to mind: disconnected ducts at connections, poorly sealed connections, and air leakage around vents are ones we’ve mentioned quite a bit in tech tips and videos over the years. However, there are a few that we haven’t really talked about, particularly for fan […]
Read more
The condensate drain is the source of many a service call in Florida. A lot of the time, the problem is just a clogged drain; bacterial zoogloea (drain snot) loves humidity, and the all-aluminum coils don’t do us any favors. Other times, there are some clear drain design or installation flaws that present hazards to […]
Read more
This tech tip about tandem compressors was inspired by the recent HVAC School podcast episode with the Copeland team. You can listen to that podcast episode HERE. One compressor is great, but how about two in the same circuit? Or three? We see multiple compressors in rack refrigeration circuits, but the concept isn’t as common […]
Read more
This HVAC system we recently installed has been causing quite a bit of trouble for us with inspectors. If you look at the label, you will see that the breaker size is 25 amps, and the minimum circuit ampacity (MCA or wire size) is 29 amps. The MOCP (maximum overcurrent protection, max fuse, or max […]
Read more
This tech tip about humidity control, particularly as it relates to VRF systems and others that use inverter technology, is a companion piece to a podcast episode with Roman Baugh. You can listen to that podcast episode HERE. Those of you who work in humid climates and install or repair ductless systems are probably well […]
Read more
Videos:
Podcasts:
In this comprehensive training session from the symposium, Tony Gonzalez, Training Director at Fieldpiece, delivers an engaging and practical guide to combustion analysis for HVAC technicians. With 25 years of experience at Fieldpiece—from warehouse worker to training director—Tony brings both technical expertise and real-world application to this 50-minute interactive session focused on the company's […]
Read more
In this candid conversation, Nathan and Bryan dive deep into the often-misunderstood world of sales in the construction and HVAC trades. Nathan, who has transitioned from fieldwork to spending roughly 60% of his time in sales, offers a unique perspective on why sales professionals are necessary despite the skepticism they face from tradespeople. The […]
Read more
In this short podcast episode, Bryan takes us on a history journey back to when ammonia ruled the world. In the mid-1800s, before R-12, many inventors and scientists experimented with vapor-compression refrigeration systems to make ice. They used a variety of refrigerants in their patents, including ether, ethyl ether, carbon dioxide, sulfur dioxide, methyl […]
Read more
In this episode of the HVAC School podcast, Bryan and Nathan dive deep into the challenges of humidity control in grocery stores and other refrigerated environments. While the conversation takes several entertaining detours (including discussions about morning radio shows, Indian weddings with elephants, and imaginary lava-heated homes), the core content provides valuable insights for […]
Read more
In this short podcast episode, Bryan explores the history of the finned-tube coil, which is what we use for heat exchange in air-source air conditioners and heat pumps. Air-source HVAC systems have copper tubes threaded through thin metal fins. This design was optimized to ensure the greatest possible surface area for heat exchange to […]
Read more
In this comprehensive episode of the HVAC School podcast, host Bryan Orr sits down with three experts from Copeland to demystify tandem and trio compressor systems. Joining him are Gina Kahle (Multiples Engineering Manager with 12+ years at Copeland), Tyler Daniels (Product Management team member), and James Stevenson (Technical Sales veteran with 28 years […]
Read more
In this short podcast episode, Bryan tells the story of the technology that tried to beat the compressor… and still may someday. We associate cooling with refrigerant… and all the things that come with it, including compressor noise, oil, recovery machines and tanks, leaks, superheat, and regulations. However, there is a means of providing […]
Read more
In this comprehensive episode, Bryan and Roman dive deep into one of the most challenging topics in modern HVAC: making VRF (Variable Refrigerant Flow) and ductless systems perform effectively in humid climates like Florida. The conversation tackles a common misconception that inverter-driven equipment automatically handles humidity well simply because it can “turn down.” Roman […]
Read more
In this short podcast, Bryan gives another history lesson and goes over the history of the thermostat. Before 1883, automatic temperature control simply did not exist; we shoveled fuel into the furnace and opened windows. If a room got too hot in a commercial building, the janitor would go downstairs to choke the draft […]
Read more
