#static pressure

Tech Tips:

Total External Static Pressure (TESP): A Basic Review

Probably the most popular measurement method for indirect airflow readings is total external static pressure (TESP). A dual-port manometer or two Bluetooth single-port manometers are essential to the HVAC technician toolbag. Here’s a quick review of TESP, why it’s important, and how to make the measurements. TESP is a pressure reading of the “balloon” pressure […]

How to Use a Manufacturer Fan Table and Why They are Important

Many installers and service technicians know how to read and use a manufacturer fan table, but this is a quick review with a few extra tips for newer techs. It’s also a good reminder to senior technicians about how this easy-to-use practice can also be easily abused. At installation, properly setting up airflow is imperative to the […]

The “5 Pillars” of Residential A/C Refrigerant Circuit Diagnosis

Suction pressure, head pressure, subcooling, superheat, delta T. Taking all five of these calculations into account on every service call is critical. Even if you must do further diagnostic tests to pinpoint the problem, these five factors are the groundwork before more effective diagnostics can be done. I would also add static pressure as an […]

Some Important Terms to Know

In my recent classes with my employees at Kalos, we've been going over finding target pressures and temperatures for an air conditioning system. The goal has been to get techs to have “target” readings in mind before they start connecting tools. This step is an important part of being able to “check a system without […]

Air is Squishy – Measuring Airflow w/ Bill Spohn

Measuring airflow is easy. Measuring airflow accurately is quite a bit more difficult. In many cases, when we as technicians measure airflow, we are trying to get to the almighty CFM (cubic feet per minute) volume measurement. You can take CFM readings fairly easily with a hood, like the Testo 420, but even a hood […]

Static Pressure and Combustion Test Ports and Plugs

My good friend and contributor to HVAC School, Neil Comparetto, made this video showing how he creates access ports for static pressure and gas combustion analysis. As techs, we find ourselves in the tough position of needing to drill access holes to take measurements, but the drilling and sealing of the holes can sometimes create […]

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In this short Q&A podcast episode, Bryan answers a listener-submitted question about superheat, including what it is and how we measure it.

Superheat is the number of degrees a refrigerant is above its saturation point. The saturation point is where you will have a liquid-vapor mix, so superheat only exists when a substance is a vapor. Saturated refrigerant should only exist in the evaporator and condenser, during which it is being boiled or condensed.

We usually measure superheat at the evaporator coil outlet and compressor inlet. The superheat at the evaporator outlet is usually around 5-14 degrees Fahrenheit, and it’s often between 10 and 20 degrees at the compressor inlet (compressor superheat). However, many systems try to get lower superheat values, and some manufacturers may require higher superheat values at the compressor inlet to prevent liquid refrigerant from getting into the compressor. Accumulators can help keep liquid refrigerant out of the system as well. We may also measure superheat coming out of the compressor on the discharge line (discharge superheat); this superheat may exceed 100 degrees Fahrenheit. Discharge superheat can let you know if the compressor is overheating the oil and causing breakdown or carbonization.

We use superheat to set the charge for fixed-orifice metering devices (as opposed to subcooling for TXVs), as superheat is a measure of how well we’re feeding our evaporator coil. When the system is off, the superheat will be 0. A system will equalize, and the refrigerant will be at saturation when that happens.

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