BACK
How Attic Designs Need to Account for Heat and Moisture
Thermal Balance Point vs. Economic Balance Point
A Field Guide to Conductors for HVAC Techs
3 Bad Techs Who Don’t Know It
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
Outdoor Air & Ventilation Strategies with John Semmelhack, Ty Branaman & Tim De Stasio
Selecting a Replacement Motor – Short #296
Nailing a Job Interview w/ Refrigeration Mentor
Digital Tools and AI – “So Happy Together” – Short #295
HVAC Summer Service Calls: Rushing, Mental Fog & How to Stay on Your Game
The House Always Wins! A Class On Building Science Basics – Short #294
Compressor Failures, What and Why w/ Ty
Multi Position Valves and More – Short #293
Triple Point In Water and CO2 w/ Andrew G. and Matthew T.
#hvac
Tech Tips:
This tech tip was heavily inspired by one aspect of Rick Simsโs 2021 HVACR Training Symposium session titled โConductsation.โ The entire presentation is worth a watch, but the advice in โConductsationโ and this tech tip are tailored to hot, humid climates. The contents of this tech tip may NOT work for colder climates. Dr. Allison […]
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The thermal balance point is the point at which a heat pump can move heat into the home at the same rate the home loses its heat. Above this point, the heat pump will not need any additional help to heat the home. But below it, the heat pump will need auxiliary heat with it […]
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HVAC work is never just “HVAC” work. One minute you’re brazing copper, and the next you’re troubleshooting a blown fuse in a disconnect or running a new whip to a condenser. Because our trade is so varied, you never know what you’re going to find when you open a service panel or crawl into an […]
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First, let’s state the obvious and clear the air a bit. The photo above is SUPER CHEESY!ย But this story is about three bad techs who don’t know it, so a photo of three models clearly posing in clean clothes makes as good a proxy for a bad tech as anything else. First off, I’m not […]
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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 […]
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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 […]
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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 […]
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โTis heating season once again. Itโs 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 […]
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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 weโve mentioned quite a bit in tech tips and videos over the years. However, there are a few that we havenโt really talked about, particularly for fan […]
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Videos:
Podcasts:
๏ปฟ๏ปฟ In this live-stream episode, Bryan is joined by Tim DeStasio, John Semmelhack, and Ty Branaman for a deep dive into residential ventilation โ the often-overlooked โVโ in HVAC. The group opens with quick life updates before launching into a wide-ranging conversation covering the three core ventilation strategies (circulation, extraction, and dilution), how tight home […]
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๏ปฟ๏ปฟ In this short podcast episode, Bryan covers the points to consider when selecting a replacement motor, particularly blower motors and condensing fan motors in residential and light commercial applications. Horsepower and amperage both matter for matching, but they are not the only items to consider. We also have to consider phase (three-phase vs. single-phase), […]
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๏ปฟ๏ปฟ In this episode, Bryan welcomes back Trevor Matthews from Refrigeration Mentor for a conversation focused entirely on nailing a job interview in the HVAC and refrigeration trades โ whether itโs a technicianโs very first shot at breaking into the industry or an experienced tech looking to move to a new company or specialty. Trevor […]
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๏ปฟ๏ปฟ This short podcast episode is Tyler Nelson’s Bry-X presentation from the 7th Annual HVACR Training Symposium: Digital Tools and AI – “So Happy Together.” Tyler is the Business Development Manager and Global Trainer at Sauermann Americas. Artificial intelligence (AI) is measured data, not an authority, and it will not replace techs. It may enhance […]
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๏ปฟ๏ปฟ In this episode, Bryan leads a live team meeting focused on getting technicians mentally and practically ready for the summer rush. He opens by asking the group to name what makes the season different, and the answers pile up quickly: higher call volumes, hotter attics, more irritable customers, and a nagging pressure to move […]
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๏ปฟ๏ปฟ๏ปฟ In this short episode from the Bry-X stage of the 7th Annual HVACR Training Symposium, Tessa Murry gives a class on building science basics: The House Always Wins! Tessa is a building scientist who works with TEC. Tessa’s class is about how the house puts HVAC contractors in difficult situations. When people have indoor […]
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๏ปฟ๏ปฟ In this episode, Bryan sits down with compressor teardown specialist Ty Branaman for a deep dive into what really kills refrigeration and AC compressors. After some lighthearted banter, the conversation quickly turns technical: Ty has spent years cutting apart failed compressors on video, and he explains why that practice matters so much. As he […]
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๏ปฟ๏ปฟ In this short podcast episode, Bryan talks about multi-position service valves and more valve types. Many typical residential systems have brass service valves with a hex cap and Schrader ports; access happens solely through the Schrader ports (where the cores are). Schraders are restrictive and prone to leaking, and they don’t have the ability […]
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๏ปฟ In this episode, Bryan is joined by Matthew Taylor, a supermarket refrigeration specialist whose expertise centers on COโ rack systems, and Andrew Greaves, Director of User Experience at NAVAC Tools, for the third installment of their series on triple-point evacuation. The conversation expands beyond water to bring COโ into the picture, exploring where the […]
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