#static

Tech Tips:

Source: Refrigerant Slider in the Ref Tools App We've been pretty spoiled in residential and light commercial HVAC in the USA because we haven't needed to deal with glide much. In HVAC/R, glide is the window of difference between the boiling points in blended refrigerants; when you have a refrigerant blend made up of different […]

Air Filter Static Pressure Drop

I'm a big dummy when it comes to my own air conditioning maintenance. I talk about the importance of changing air filters to customers and techs, but I never stay up on replacing my own. Yesterday, I walked into my mechanical room, and my 2-ton air handler sounded like a vacuum cleaner about to implode. […]

Static Pressure, Manometers, and Magnehelics

When you start talking airflow, it can get pretty in-depth pretty quickly. There is a big gap between what is useful for the average tech to apply every day and the whole story, so let's start with the simplest part to understand, static pressure. Static pressure is simply the force exerted in all directions within […]

How to Determine the Friction Rate for Residential Duct Design

This article is written by one of the smartest guys I know online, Neil Comparetto. Thanks, Neil! Recently, I posted a question in the HVAC School Group on Facebook that went like this: “When designing a residential duct system, what friction rate do you use?” As of writing this, only one answer was correct according […]

Reading CFM and Duct Velocity with a Testo 510i, the Smart Probe app and a Pitot Tube

Reading CFM and Duct Velocity In this video, we cover the basics of using the Testo 510i with a pitot tube to do a duct traverse and easily calculate Velocity in FPM and volume in CFM on a small 8″ duct. Using this method is handy because you can use the reliable, accurate and inexpensive […]

Check out our most recent video

How to Evacuate an AC system, Full Vacuum Procedure

Our latest Podcast

HVAC School – For Techs, By Techs

Real training for HVAC ( Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning and Refrigeration) Technicians. Including recorded tech training, interviews, diagnostics and general conversations about the trade.

In this podcast, Bryan Orr and Bert discuss various aspects of pool heaters, focusing on issues that make them different from typical HVAC systems. They cover the basics of pool heaters – the main types (heat pumps and gas heaters) and how they operate similarly or differently from things HVAC techs work on regularly.

The bulk of the 45-minute podcast looks at common service and troubleshooting situations with pool heaters, which are usually installed by pool contractors initially and not HVAC contractors. Bryan and Bert talk through typical causes of common error codes and problems like units frequently going out on high pressure. They cover water flow issues and the role of pressure versus flow switches, the sizing and limitations of heat pumps, low ambient operation challenges, freeze protection, and proper refrigerant charging. There is also a good amount of discussion on gas pool heaters – frequent component failures due to heat and corrosion issues, piping considerations due to their large BTU capacity, and combustion troubleshooting basics.

Throughout the casual discussion, both hosts interject humor and personal stories related to their dealings with pool heater equipment, clients, and installations over the years. The overall message is that while heat pumps and gas pool heaters have some specialized considerations, much of the core knowledge needed to service them comes from foundational HVAC systems understanding combined with an awareness of the unique aspects covered in detail during this episode.

Topics Covered: