#tools

I'd like to give a special thanks to Tony Gonzalez from Fieldpiece for providing technical guidance about the SC680's power measurement capabilities, as well as VAC and AAC measurements on ECMs. We’ve talked through specifications, applications, and features for a few tools, but none of them have been quite as hardcore as electrical meters. Like […]

While gauge manifolds and manometers may only have one main function, some tools take several different measurements and will have more expansive specs. The combustion analyzer is one such example—combustion has so many elements, and we need something that can analyze the concentrations of several different substances as well as temperature.  As such, a combustion […]

Last week, we briefly looked at the spec sheet of a gauge manifold. All things considered, it was quite short; we only had to worry about the refrigerant types, pressure ranges, and hose diameters. However, manometers’ spec sheets are quite a bit longer than gauge manifolds’ because they have resolution and accuracy specs, among other […]

The original tools of the trade were all analog: electrical meters, gauges, and even manometers (Magnehelic, anyone?). However, digital tools have also become a staple of the skilled trades—where would most of us be without digital multimeters? And then probes also joined the fray with the rapid improvements to smartphone technology over the last 15–20 […]

Troubleshooting and commissioning are entirely data-dependent processes. How can you know that a system is undercharged unless you measure the superheat and subcooling? How can you know how much static pressure a blower motor has to overcome? In both cases, we use tools to help us determine the next steps. However, using the right tools […]

As a small business owner in the 21st century, I have recently been exposed to the overwhelming amount of new technologies and processes that I could use within my business. In the last few years, there has been a surge of software and connected tools that are entering the marketplace. All of them promise to […]

I was fresh out of school, working as an apprentice at my first real HVAC job, and I was listening in on a shop conversation between a few techs. They were talking about finding so many overcharged systems. One of the techs turns to me and says, “I had a unit yesterday that was so […]

The old adage goes: “When all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail.”  For some techs I know, even having a hammer can be challenging. I was pretty new in business, and my first real “employee” hire in the HVAC part of Kalos was my brother, Nathan. Many of you know him, […]

You may not know this, but the HVAC School podcast began before the website. When I started the podcast, I never intended to create a website, but there was more demand for quick tech tips than the podcast could hold. So, we started hvacrschool.com. In the same way, I never set out to create a […]

 In this podcast, Bryan chats with Tony Gonzalez of Fieldpiece about their latest innovations for service tools, including the redesigned VCRT, as well as the training resources they offer. They start off discussing Fieldpiece's philosophy of developing solutions for technicians' real pain points, not just making products. Understanding workflows and obstacles lets them design better tools. […]

If you have an iPhone, subscribe to the podcast HERE, and if you have an Android phone, subscribe HERE. In this episode of the podcast, we talk to Bill Spohn from TruTech Tools about how TruTech Tools got its start and some of the ways that techs and engineers approach problems differently. Bill Spohn is a […]

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NOTE: If you cannot view the recording, the video may still be processing. The maximum wait time is 24 hours. We apologize for the delay and appreciate your patience.