Bert earned a trip to Las Vegas with Bryan to attend an HVAC excellence conference. As with all trade events, Bert was really looking forward to networking with some important people in the industry.

On the first service call, Alex and Bert come across a system where power comes in on one leg and backfeeds to the other side; there is no potential difference between the two points on the contactor, but each contactor has 120v of potential between the contactor and ground. It turns out that a snake got into the disconnect and got electrocuted. Checking to ground first is important for your safety, as your body is ground and could be shocked if you’re working on a live system.

Alex works on the disconnect while Bert watches. Alex makes sure that no snakes can get into the disconnect and cause the same issue again.

On the next call for a frozen unit, the system is a pound undercharged and has a filthy blower wheel, which is a significant airflow restriction in the blower housing. Soil buildup on the blower wheel changes the texture and curvature of the fan blades, making it harder for the refrigerant to maintain enough pressure in the evaporator to prevent freezing.

And with all the calls finished, Bert is off to Vegas. He does some shameless plugs for HVAC School, goes to the casino with Bryan and friends, and has a good time at the conference.