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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
Why Airplanes Fog Up Before Takeoff
Why the Sauna Feels Hotter When You Throw Water on the Rocks
Silicon Carbide vs. Silicon Nitride Hot Surface Ignitors (HSIs)
The Many Uses of Thermal Imaging Cameras in HVAC
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.
Washing Commercial Coils and Water Challenges – Short #292
Does AI Belong in Trades Education w/ Ty
Q&A System Oversizing – Short #291
Filters – MERV 13, Myths & More
From High Performance Medicine to High Performance HVAC – Short #290
Training The Next Generation of HVACR Technicians w/ Lenny Diaddario (Copeland)
#hvac
Tech Tips:
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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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 donโt do us any favors. Other times, there are some clear drain design or installation flaws that present hazards to […]
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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 isnโt as common […]
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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 […]
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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 […]
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Every once in a while, especially on humid days, youโll sit on an airplane waiting for takeoff and see fog pouring from the ceiling vents like a low-budget concert. Someone always panics and asks if somethingโs on fire. Itโs not smokeโitโs condensation. Youโre looking at thermodynamics and psychrometrics in action. So, why does it happen, […]
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I admit it, I’m a sauna guy now. The ones at the gym are pretty gross, so I got a small one at home because I guess Iโve missed sitting in attics or something. If youโve ever sat in a traditional sauna, you know the drill: the heatโs already intense, and then you or someone […]
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The ignitor of a furnace (or a gas pool heater or other gas-fired appliance) is the heat source, and it can come in one of four varieties: standing pilot, direct spark (DS), intermittent spark (ISI), and hot surface (HSI). We have a tech tip explaining each of these ignitor types in detail, but weโre going […]
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When most of us think about tools of the trade, a few main ones come to mind: manifold, multimeter, vacuum pumps, recovery machinesโฆ the list goes on. One that may NOT come up nearly as often as it probably should is the thermal imaging camera. A few symposiums ago, Bill Spohn and Eric โElkโ Kaiser […]
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Videos:
Podcasts:
๏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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๏ปฟ In this short podcast episode, Bryan talks about considerations for washing commercial coils and water challenges techs might face.ย Despite being the topic of debate within the last several years, cleaning coils matters and will affect performance. When washing coils, we use Refrigeration Technologies Viper cleaners (especially Venom Packs) when we actually need cleaners. No […]
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๏ปฟ๏ปฟ Bryan opens this conversation with Ty Branaman, Head of Training at the GRIT Foundation, by digging into a question that anchors everything else in the episode: what is trades education actually for? Tyโs answer is unambiguous โ itโs about people, not information. He describes his own struggle with traditional, reading-heavy instruction and explains how […]
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๏ปฟ๏ปฟ๏ปฟ In this short Q&A podcast episode, Bryan answers a question from Evan, a licensed mold assessment consultant, about system oversizing: What can be doneย to control humidity and keep occupants comfortableย when an HVAC system is oversized? The extent of the problem will depend on how badly the equipment is oversized, whether it has any turn-down […]
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๏ปฟ๏ปฟ In this episode of the HVAC School Podcast, Bryan sits down with Kelsey Hei and Andy Fox from 3M Filtrete to pull back the curtain on what really goes into a quality air filter. Most homeowners โ and even some contractors โ think of air filters as simple screens that catch dust, but as […]
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๏ปฟ๏ปฟ In this short podcast from the 7th HVACR Training Symposium’s Bry-X stage, Ken Davis shares his experience as an HVAC contractor who has brought vital experience from high-performance medicine to High-Performance HVAC. Ken’s experience comes from developing high-reliability organizations (HROs). An HRO has a low fail rate in an industry where high fail rates […]
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๏ปฟ๏ปฟ In this episode of the HVAC School Podcast, host Bryan sits down with Lenny from Copeland to explore how one of the most respected names in HVAC and refrigeration is actively investing in the next generation of technicians. Lenny leads Copelandโs aftermarket demand creation efforts, which includes everything from working with wholesale networks and […]
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