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High-Pressure vs. Low-Pressure Shell Scrolls: A Deeper Dive
Should the Float Switch Break R or Y?
Don’t Drive Drowsy
Flex Ducts: Peeling Back the Layers
Solving Delta T
Don’t Fall for Unsafe Practices: Heights in HVAC
Non-Invasive Testing: A Smarter Approach to System Diagnostics
Solving Superheat
Living in a World of Acids (and why HVAC coils are secretly crying for help)
Is Starting an HVAC Business Smart?
What to Do in a Nuke Disaster – W/ Bill Nowicki
Making Stuff Real – Short #254
Is HVAC School Worth It?
Split-Phase vs. 3-Phase – Short #253
IAQ for the HVAC Technician w/ Brynn Cooksey
Bi-metal & Magnetic Switches – Short #252
Fan Law 2 for Techs w/ Adam Mufich
Understanding Voltage Drop – Short #251
#hvac
Tech Tips:
I want to share something that came up in a recent discussion with Roman Baugh about VRF systems, and it made me realize I might have had a blind spot regarding scroll compressor designs. We were talking specifics, and he brought up high-pressure shell compressors. My immediate thought was, “Hold on, aren't scrolls low-pressure shell […]
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There are three things we never discuss at the dinner table: religion, politics, and which wire to break with your float switch. A float switch fills with water whenever there is a drain backup, and it breaks power to one of the low-voltage wires. We clearly want the HVAC system to stop producing more condensate, […]
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Being in an industry that requires a lot of travel—local or regional—can be a great thing for people who enjoy driving. It also comes with several more risks and opportunities for roadway accidents than someone who just has a round-trip commute to a single location every day. We’re all aware of the issues of texting behind […]
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A few times in the past, we’ve heard the phrase “the house is the biggest duct” because of the way air moves through it. Well, we can take it a step further and see that there are similarities that go just beyond air movement. A building has several layers to keep things like moisture, heat, and […]
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Delta T is the difference in temperature between two points of the same medium. It is commonly used by scientists and engineers to analyze the amount of heat transfer in a system. In general HVAC terms, it is the measurable change in temperature between an air input and air output. However, it could also be […]
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DISCLAIMER: HVAC School is NOT an official OSHA safety training resource! Although we provide safety tips in good faith, neither this tech tip about the hazards of working at heights nor any other training on our website is a substitute for safety training from an authorized OSHA training source. Many things may deter people from […]
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This tech tip about non-invasive testing comes from a post in the HVAC School Facebook group by Ed Janowiak. Ed is the Manager of HVAC Design Education at ACCA, a longtime friend of HVAC School, and an educator who does a lot of great work for the industry. Thanks, Ed! This past Thursday, I taught […]
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In this article, we’ll discuss solving superheat using this diagnostic sheet to help us better understand how it is calculated and from where it is derived. I want to thank Ty Branaman for helping me develop these sheets that will hopefully aid in a better understanding of some of the basic HVAC measurements that both […]
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Imagine a small IT room packed with servers, monitors, and humans. CO₂ levels easily spike to over 3000 PPM since the room lacks fresh air ventilation. Two overworked mini-split units churn away, cooling the space and unknowingly creating the perfect acidic environment. Fast forward a few months, and those shiny coils now resemble something pulled […]
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Videos:
Podcasts:
In this insightful episode of the HVAC School podcast, Bryan Orr sits down with successful small business owner Matt Bruner to discuss how to build and maintain a thriving HVAC business without the typical stress and overwhelming challenges that many entrepreneurs face. Matt, who has been running his own HVAC company for about two […]
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In this fascinating episode, Bryan welcomes back longtime friend and nuclear industry veteran Bill Nowicki to discuss a recently released document from DHS and NUSTL that provides new recommendations for HVAC operations during nuclear events. Bill brings over 40 years of nuclear experience, starting as a 19-year-old Navy nuclear operator (after being deemed “not […]
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In this short podcast episode about a bigger-picture topic, Bryan talks about making stuff real. He talks about how to make ideas, businesses, podcasts, and other large projects come to life based on his experiences with HVAC School, Kalos, and several other current and past projects. Understanding yourself and the thing you want to […]
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In this comprehensive discussion, Bryan sits down with Brad Cooper, an experienced HVAC instructor from Arkansas, and JD Kelly, a trade school graduate, to tackle one of the most pressing questions in the HVAC industry: Is trade school worth it? Rather than offering a simple yes or no answer, the trio dives deep into […]
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In this short podcast episode, Bryan breaks down the differences between split-phase and 3-phase power in HVAC systems. Split-phase is a form of single-phase power, and it's common in residential HVAC. Three-phase power is more common in commercial and industrial applications. Single-phase power uses only one of the three phases of power produced by the […]
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In this episode from the 6th Annual HVACR Training Symposium, Brynn Cooksey, a home performance contractor from Michigan and technical training business owner, reveals how indoor air quality (IAQ) testing transformed his contracting business from a commodity service into a profitable specialty. Cooksey shares his proven methodology for turning IAQ into an “instant profit […]
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In this short podcast episode, Bryan covers some basics on bi-metal and magnetic switches. Bi-metal switches are made of two dissimilar metals that are bonded together and are often integrated into motors. When the temperature changes, the metals bend. In an overload circuit, they're designed to bend and open the circuit in an overheat […]
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In this educational session, Adam from National Comfort Institute (NCI) delivers a comprehensive deep dive into Fan Law 2 and its practical applications for residential HVAC systems at the 6th Annual HVACR Training Symposium. Adam begins by establishing the fundamental concepts of CFM (cubic feet per minute) and static pressure, explaining how these measurements […]
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In this short podcast episode, Bryan drops some knowledge to help with understanding voltage drop, a few different causes of it, and NEC recommendations. Voltage is electrical potential or “pressure,” and voltage drop is the reduction in electrical potential energy. We often think of it happening across conductors (which add resistance), but it also […]
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