HVAC School - For Techs, By Techs

By Bryan Orr

Education Business Careers

What's HVAC School - For Techs, By Techs about?

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

4.9

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Locked Compressors and Hard...

10.03.2023

In this short podcast episode, Bryan talks about locked compressors and hard starts. He explains what actually happens when a compressor locks and covers when and how to use hard starts appropriately. Locked compressors are compressors that trip on overload ...

HVAC School - For Techs, By Techs episodes:

10.03.2023 Locked Compressors and Hard Starts - Short #175 In this short podcast episode, Bryan talks about locked compressors and hard starts. He explains what actually happens when a compressor locks and covers when and how to use hard starts appropriately. Locked compressors are compressors that trip on overload ...
09.28.2023 Residential Exhaust Codes and Best Practices Licensed mechanical engineer Tony Amadio joins the podcast to talk about residential exhaust codes and best practices. He also put together a presentation about the topic, which you can view at https://hvacrschool.com/exhaust. When choosing duct materials for residential exhaust, you ...
09.14.2023 Wiring Refrigerated Cases w/ Nathan & Phil Phil Barr and Nathan Orr join the podcast to talk about wiring refrigerated cases in commercial spaces, including convenience stores and supermarkets. Cases may be medium-temp (or high-temp, in some cases) or low-temp. Medium-temp cases can typically defrost on their ...
09.07.2023 Things to Keep out of the System - Class This podcast is a class taught by Bryan: Things to Keep Out of the System. He covers some installation best practices along the way to keep contaminants and non-condensable gases out of the system. We want to keep air, water, ...
09.05.2023 ACH (Air Changes Per Hour) - Short #174 In this short podcast, Bryan talks about air changes per hour, also known as ACH, and what it means in HVAC design and indoor air quality (IAQ) discussions. ACH tells us how frequently the entire volume of air in a ...
08.31.2023 Oil Return and Refrigerant Charge in VRV w/ Roman Baugh Roman Baugh joins the podcast to talk about oil return and the refrigerant charge in VRV systems. VRV systems—also known as variable refrigerant volume (or variable refrigerant flow/VRF) systems—have one outdoor unit, one or multiple compressors, and multiple indoor units. ...
08.29.2023 Magical Air Cleaning Oxides? - Short #173 In this short podcast, Bryan talks about oxidation and all the buzz behind “magical air-cleaning oxides” and other similar IAQ products. Oxidation is the loss of electrons, and reduction is the gain of electrons; oxygen commonly loses electrons. Rusting is ...
08.22.2023 Can Filters Capture Viruses? - Short #172 In this short podcast, Bryan talks about filtration and IAQ, especially as they relate to virus control. He also answers the age-old question: “Can filters capture viruses?” While it may seem like particle size matters when it comes to filter ...
08.17.2023 Heat Pumps + Inverters w/ Joey H Joey Henderson returns to the podcast to talk about heat pumps and inverters. The reversing valve, defrost cycles, and auxiliary heat can cause confusion for people who have primarily worked with furnaces or straight-cool A/C systems. Heat pumps use defrost ...
08.10.2023 Get Air Where it Needs to Go W/ Joey H. Joey Henderson joins the podcast to talk about airflow and how we can get air where it needs to go. Duct design is one of the subjects that fuel Joey's passion for HVAC. In many cases, people focus too heavily ...
08.03.2023 Business Round Table - Tersh, Peterson, Holt This podcast episode contains some of the questions and topics from the Business Round Table at the 4th Annual HVACR Training Symposium. Panelists include Tersh Blissett, Luke Peterson, and Andy Holt. One of the most critical parts of HVAC business ...
08.01.2023 Cap Tubes and Flow Facts - Short #171 In this short podcast, Bryan goes over some information about cap tubes (capillary tubes) and flow facts. Cap tubes are metering devices; they're long tubes with small diameters, and their flow rates are dictated by the tubing diameter size and ...
07.27.2023 Filter Driers and System Cleanup w/ Copeland Jim Fultz and Jim Hagl from Copeland join the podcast to talk about filter driers and system cleanup. Filter driers come in many types and sizes; they typically go on the liquid line (bi-flow filter driers are used on heat ...
07.25.2023 So... What Do You Do? - Unconformed - Short #170 In this short episode, Bryan goes over the fourth chapter of his new book, Unconformed. The chapter is called "So... What Do You Do?" Parents always want to be proud of their children, but it seems as though children are ...
07.20.2023 Pipefitting Best Practices This podcast is based on a Kalos meeting about pipefitting best practices, particularly in commercial refrigeration applications. It begins with a few words about quality workmanship by the Kalos founder and CEO, Robert Orr. Pipefitting consists of repairs and joining ...
07.18.2023 Filter Driers and System Protection - Short #169 In this short episode, Bryan talks about filter driers and their important role in HVAC/R system protection, especially in accordance with Copeland's (formerly Emerson's) AE24-1105 R5. We can really start keeping our systems contaminant-free by handling tubing properly, purging and ...
07.13.2023 Alex Meaney - HVAC Design Backwards, Forwards, and In Between This podcast episode is one of Alex Meaney's HVACR Training Symposium presentations: HVAC Design Backwards, Forwards, and In Between. Load calculation factors in all three means of heat transfer: conduction, convection, and radiation. It doesn't directly tell you the tonnage; ...
07.06.2023 Santa Fe Panel with Andy Ask and Ken Gehring This podcast is the Santa Fe Panel from the 4th Annual HVACR Training Symposium. The panel focused on dehumidification, was moderated by Nikki Krueger, and featured Andy Ask and Ken Gehring. "Matchmaking" a residence to the climate requires us to ...
07.04.2023 Where to Place the Micron Gauge - Short #168 In this short podcast, Bryan talks about where to place the micron gauge during evacuation and how to think about micron gauge positioning. Evacuation (deep vacuum) doesn't remove solid contaminants, and vaporizing liquid water is a time-consuming process; its main ...
06.29.2023 From Resi Tech to Industry Leading Refrigeration Trainer w/ Brett Wetzel Brett Wetzel joins the podcast to talk about his journey from resi tech to industry-leading refrigeration trainer. Brett is best known for his educational content, but he is also the manager of technical troubleshooting and training at CoolSys. The skills ...
06.27.2023 Oil Talk - Short #167 In this short podcast episode, Bryan gets into some oil talk, covering some common refrigerant oil terms and types. Esterification is the process by which organic acid and alcohol come together to form polyolester (POE) oil and water. Hydrolysis refers ...
06.20.2023 Megging a Scroll - Short #166 In this short podcast episode, Bryan talks about using a megohmmeter on a scroll compressor (or "megging" a scroll). Scroll compressors are among the most common compressor types nowadays, and they come with their unique needs and best practices. You ...
06.15.2023 Being an HVAC Creative Matt Bruner joins the podcast to talk about what it's really like being an HVAC creative. Matt is a young HVAC business owner who has recently written several HVAC School tech tips and pursued creative interests in the trade. Being ...
06.13.2023 EER, SEER and TXVs - Short #165 In this short podcast episode, Bryan talks about TXVs and their impacts on energy efficiency ratings (EER and SEER). EER (Energy Efficiency Ratio) is calculated based on fixed conditions (an outdoor temperature of 95 degrees Fahrenheit and an inside temperature ...
06.08.2023 High Performance Maintenance w/ Jim Ball Jim Ball from NCI joins the podcast to talk about high-performance maintenance contracts and agreements. A high-performance maintenance agreement requires you to take system measurements and present solutions to maximize performance accordingly and exceed customers' expectations, not just make assumptions ...
06.06.2023 Steve Coscia - HVAC Soft Skill Training Resources This episode of the HVAC School podcast Steve Coscia's symposium presentation: HVAC Soft Skill Training Resources. Likability is a superpower in any job that requires you to interface with customers or students. Every word and mannerism your customer or student ...
06.01.2023 I Installed an A2L and Lived to Tell About It! Roman Baugh returns to the podcast to talk about the time he installed an A2L system and lived to tell the tale. Roman used most of his same R-410A tools to install the first A2L-based ductless mini-split in Florida. Flare ...
05.30.2023 Motor Speed - Short #164 In this short podcast episode, Bryan talks about motor speed and other basic electrical topics as they relate to motors in HVAC equipment. In a typical single-phase PSC-type (induction-driven) motor, the speed is primarily determined by the electrical cycle rate, ...
05.25.2023 Growing in Productivity and Confidence as a Tech w/ Refrigeration Mentor Trevor Matthews returns to the podcast to talk about growing in productivity and confidence as a tech to avoid feeling stuck in your career. They talk about personal development within your organization and in communities or training courses beyond your ...
05.18.2023 The Art of Unteaching w/ MeanHVAC This podcast episode is Alex Meaney's 2023 HVACR Training Symposium session: "The Art of Unteaching." We may have flawed understandings of HVAC concepts, including the understanding that "heat rises." Our world is constantly shaped by the things we see and ...
05.16.2023 Floating vs. Fixed Suction and Head - Short #163 In this short podcast episode, Bryan talks about compression ratio and efficiency, particularly how floating or fixed suction and head pressure affect those things. Compression ratio (absolute head pressure divided by absolute suction pressure) closely correlates to efficiency in all ...
05.11.2023 Humidity Utopia w/ Nikki & Bryan This podcast episode is Nikki Krueger (Santa Fe Dehumidifiers) and Bryan's 2023 HVACR Training Symposium session about how we can optimize dehumidification and efficiency to create an HVAC design and humidity utopia. While we attempt to achieve comfort and high ...
05.09.2023 What the Flux? - Short #162 This is the episode for you if you've ever asked, "What the flux?" In this short podcast, Bryan explains the basics of flux in soldering and brazing, as well as magnetism. Flux means "flow." In HVAC, "flux" may have two ...
05.04.2023 The Impacts of Duct Leakage w/ Steve Rogers Steve Rogers from The Energy Conservatory (TEC) returns to the podcast to discuss the impacts of duct leakage on occupant comfort and HVAC system performance. Duct leakage has more significant negative effects in heat pump systems than in furnace systems, ...
05.02.2023 Launch of the Sensi Touch 2 Thermostat Tom Lorenz from Sensi joins the podcast to talk about the launch of the Sensi Touch 2 thermostat. The Sensi Touch 2 smart thermostat is compatible with room sensors, which makes it an efficient and effective thermostat. Smart thermostats are ...
04.27.2023 Why and How to Create an Internal Training Program W/ Eugene S. Eugene Silberstein from ESCO Group returns to the podcast to discuss why and how to create an internal training program for your HVAC/R company. HVAC/R has so many niches, and information and practices are always evolving, so lifelong learning is ...
04.25.2023 When Subcooling is Meaningless - Short #161 In this short podcast, Bryan talks about the times when subcooling is meaningless. It is important to understand subcooling fully before using it as a charging or diagnostic method, particularly in refrigeration systems. When we need to charge TXV systems ...
04.20.2023 Solving Work Life Imbalance w/ Craig M Craig M (AC Service Tech) returns to the podcast to talk about solving work-life imbalance, especially for HVAC/R technicians who have children and families of their own. Our actions tend to be driven by our priorities, which vary at different ...
04.18.2023 ROT Can Cause Duct Issues - Short #160 In this short podcast, Bryan explains how rules of thumb (ROT) can cause duct issues. He talks about the role of friction rate in duct design as well as its intent and limitations. Friction rate is a value located on ...
04.13.2023 Heart of a Teacher w/ Craig M. Craig Migliaccio (AC Service Tech) returns to the podcast to talk about what it means to have the heart of a teacher. Craig discovered his passion for teaching while instructing apprentices on the job, and he went into institutionalized teaching ...
04.11.2023 Saturation can be CONFUSING - Short #159 In this short podcast episode, Bryan explains why saturation can be CONFUSING and clears up some common misconceptions. Saturation applies to dehumidification and refrigerant inside the system. Generally, saturation is the state at which a substance can no longer hold ...
03.30.2023 Working on Ventilation in Humid Climates w/ HAVEN Kevin Hart from HAVEN returns to the podcast to talk about ventilation in humid climates and some best practices for working on systems that focus on the V in HVAC. HAVEN focuses on IAQ management with the use of software ...
03.23.2023 HVAC Performance Summit w/ Dominick G. Dominick Guarino from NCI joins the podcast to talk about the High-Performance HVAC Summit, an upcoming event hosted by NCI from April 17–20. The National Comfort Institute (NCI) is a training organization that helps technicians learn crucial skills and succeed ...
03.14.2023 Training, Combustion and More w/ Tony G. In this podcast from AHR 2023, Tony Gonzalez from Fieldpiece joins Bryan to talk about training, combustion, and more. Fieldpiece has a new combustion analyzer that reduces the cost of tool ownership and maximizes the tool's uptime, namely by using ...
03.09.2023 The Future of Refrigerants is Here With Opteon XL41 In this podcast from AHR 2023, Brandon Marshall from Chemours and Chris Forth from JCI talk about the future of refrigerants and Opteon XL41 (R-454B). Refrigerant regulations are changing to pave the way for lower-GWP refrigerants, but M1 is also ...
03.07.2023 MeasureQuick is EXPLODING with Jim & Joe In this podcast from AHR 2023, Jim Bergmann and Joe Medosch talk about measureQuick and the ways it's EXPLODING with growth and new features. They also talk about heat pumps, electrification, and other hot topics in the industry. Jim Bergmann ...
03.02.2023 Infiltration Skeletons Behind Closed Doors w/ Genry Genry Garcia returns to the podcast to talk about pressures in the building envelope, namely the infiltration skeletons behind closed doors. When doing load calculations (Manual J), we need to know how much of the heat load, especially the latent ...
02.28.2023 Understanding Leak Detectors With Inficon In this episode recorded live at AHR Expo 2023, Nick from INFICON joins Bryan to talk about leak detectors and how we can improve our understanding of them. Some leak detectors, including the INFICON Stratus, measure concentrations in PPM (parts ...
02.23.2023 Making Cold Climate Heat Pumps Work w/ Copeland and White Rodgers In this episode recorded live at AHR Expo 2023, Dustin and Jim from Copeland/White-Rodgers join Bryan to talk about the use of heat pumps in cold climates. They talk about the history of heat pump innovation and talk about changes ...
02.21.2023 RTU Retrofits Facts and Considerations with JCI In this episode recorded live at AHR Expo 2023, Matthew Schlegel, the Commercial Product Manager of Ducted Systems from JCI (Johnson Controls) joins Bryan to talk about rooftop unit (RTU) retrofit facts and considerations. When doing an RTU retrofit, you ...

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