HVAC School - For Techs, By Techs

In this episode, Bryan talks to Business and Sales Trainer Bob Gee about HVAC business practices.

Bob has watched sales and leadership evolve a lot over the years. Today, success in sales depends on your abilities to build relationships with the customers. You're no longer "selling" things; you are "helping people buy" things. Instead of pushing products to people, it's best to "ask your way into a sale" and prioritize a customer's wants and needs. There is also a stark difference between management and leadership. A leader is people-oriented and customer-oriented; they care about the human element of business, not just crunching numbers.

When it comes to building a company culture, the company leaders have to be the ones to create the team. You have to get the right people on board and delegate them in a way that maximizes those people's potential. Business leaders also need to examine their own purpose. Why are they running the business? Do they want to commit to the business, or did they just decide to work independently to have more control over their own schedule? Motives mean a lot, and the managers' attitudes trickle down.

Firing people and having people leave are unfortunate but inevitable parts of running your own business. People tend to leave people; they don't necessarily leave the business because of the money or the type of work. Employees have to be on board with the managers' ideas of what the company is doing and where it should go. If they are not on board, they will quit or may have to be let go after their work quality slips over time.

Follow Bob Gee HERE.

As always, if you have an iPhone, subscribe HERE, and if you have an Android phone, subscribe HERE.

Check out our handy calculators HERE.

In this episode, Bryan talks to YouTube star Stephen Rardon about combustion analysis.

In Florida, we mostly have A/C units and heat pumps. High-efficiency furnaces are not in our wheelhouse, but furnaces are more like A/C units than you would imagine. Stephen Rardon makes some excellent comparisons between the two.

For example, you can get an idea of how an A/C system is running without checking superheat and subcooling. With a gas furnace, you can get an idea of how it's running without checking combustion. Of course, these are both general, and you lose out on knowing the specific parameters. In a sense, oxygen (O2) and carbon dioxide (CO2) in a high-efficiency furnace can be compared to superheat and subcool on an A/C system.

Going even further, we could say that a furnace's stack temperature is equivalent to airflow. Stack temperature indicates if the system is moving enough air to pull the heat off the heat exchanger. If the furnace can't adequately heat the air, then we have to look at how it's moving air in the first place.

Meter clocking is a bit controversial. There is an attitude that clocking meters doesn't matter, especially among old-school techs and ones who don't have a lot of experience clocking meters. However, it is a vital step for accurate combustion analysis. Knowing how many BTUs the system is dumping is a useful measurement, especially for diagnosis. You could compare it to a delta H reading on an A/C system; the number likely won't affect the outcome, but it helps you learn more about the system.

Bryan and Stephen also discuss:

• Stephen's HVAC YouTube journey
• Gas furnaces
• Underrated readings
• Fancy diagnostic tools

Follow Stephen HERE.

As always, if you have an iPhone, subscribe HERE, and if you have an Android phone, subscribe HERE.

For 6% off of tools go to HVACRschool.com/trutech offer code = getschooled

Big thanks to Carrier & Carrier Enterprise for their generous support of HVAC School.

In this unedited episode of HVAC School, Bryan and Nathan talk about some basic rules for circuit board diagnosis.

So, circuit boards are boards with circuits in them. They come in two types. The traditional printed variety contains switches, relays, and resistors. The other type contains silicon chips and uses logic and processing inside the boards. You may notice these in some high-end commercial systems (EMS), but we rarely see them in residential HVAC.

The diagnostic challenges come in when technicians are unfamiliar with what's on the circuit board. It helps to break it down and look at one thing at a time. Yes, there are lots of wires and relays. You may not know what it does. Take your time and get to know where everything goes and what the components are doing. Techs often misdiagnose boards because they simply don't understand how it works, and many of them don't make the effort to understand it.

It may help to look at the overall purpose of the board. For example, a defrost control simply initiates and terminates defrost. It controls the condenser fan, reversing valve, and heat strips, all of which have a function in the defrost process.

If you have a short on the board (no-load path), you will see arcing somewhere. You would most likely see melting on the board if that were the case.

If you have a board that has failed open, the switches are closed, and there is an input. However, the board doesn't travel through the time delay to bring on the contactor.

Bryan and Nathan also cover:

• Isolation diagnosis
• Best practices
• Pulse-width modulation (PWM)
• "Ghost voltages"
• Jumper wires vs. meters for diagnosis
• Blown fuses

As always, if you have an iPhone, subscribe HERE, and if you have an Android phone, subscribe HERE.

Benoit Mongeau comes on the podcast to talk about high-efficiency gas furnace basics and maintenance practices.

When maintaining a high-efficiency gas furnace, you typically don't have to worry about cleanliness in the same way you'd worry about an oil furnace. However, condensate drains need regular cleaning. You'll want to look for cracked heat exchangers and pay attention to your manifold gas pressure.

We also have to check the temperature rise, also sometimes called delta T. Bypass humidifiers will often affect your temperature split, so that's something you need to account for in cold, dry climates; hot air will go from the supply plenum to the return. (However, corrosion typically isn't a concern for bypass humidifiers.)

Water is a product of combustion, so drainage is very important to gas furnaces. Manufacturers tend to recommend that most high-efficiency furnaces be built slightly pitched to aid condensate removal. Since the combustion air contains moisture, the condensate ends up being quite acidic; that condensate is really a mix of condensed combustion products.

Combustion analysis is also an important part of maintenance. If your gas burns incompletely, the furnace will end up making deadly carbon monoxide, which is the main value we measure in combustion analysis. Typically, the carbon monoxide levels should stay below 100 PPM. You can do your combustion analysis anywhere in the flue pipe as long as you're past the inducer motor. (Note: the exhaust pipe should never be above the air intake.)

A liquid petroleum (LP or propane) furnace differs from a gas furnace because it has different pressure needs. You may also have to add a restriction to the burners.

Benoit and Bryan also discuss:

• Air intake drains
• "Condensing" gas furnaces
• Inducer motor types
• High vs mid-efficiency furnaces
• Excess air
• Low-fire vs. high-fire gas pressure and potential effects on combustion

If you have an iPhone, subscribe to the podcast HERE, and if you have an Android phone, subscribe HERE.

In this episode of HVAC School, Bryan talks with Ulises Palacios about some cool technology.

Ulises has become a technology expert through his many years of working with new tools. He has recently been involved in testing new technologies, and he has worked with Jim Bergmann.

Cutting open a compressor is one of the most useful diagnostic tools you can use on a failed compressor. It is also an excellent way to learn more about your equipment. They help quite often with burnouts and mechanical failures. Although winding damage is an electrical issue, other mechanical failures cause winding damage and arcs.

Copper plating is relatively common in compressors. However, it makes compressor failure even more likely, as copper can be easily corroded by acid. Copper in the bearing surfaces can corrode due to moisture, manufacturer additives, and industrial byproducts in the condensing unit. Additionally, POE oil mixes with moisture to make acid. Older mineral oil (MO) does not react with moisture to the same degree.

The iManifold is an expensive but convenient and helpful piece of technology. It takes the information required for the five pillars of HVAC diagnosis. It saves you time on the job site and gives you all of the readings you need. You input the tonnage, SEER rating, and refrigerant to help with diagnosis. The iManifold also syncs up to an app on your phone.

Thermal imaging is not just cool. Like the iManifold, thermal imaging can also be a helpful tool for diagnosis. It can be useful for duct inspections and locating restrictions. It also doesn't have the same accuracy concerns as infrared thermometers because it compares temperatures in an area.

As always, if you have an iPhone, subscribe HERE, and if you have an Android phone, subscribe HERE.

Check out our handy calculators HERE.

In this episode of HVAC School, Bryan covers the basics of heat pumps.

Heat pumps are common technologies in Florida. They reverse the sequence of the typical refrigerant circuit: the indoor coil can become the condenser, and the outdoor coil can become the evaporator. Heat pumps can achieve that transition via a reversing valve, which changes the directions of the suction and discharge lines. They also have two metering devices.

Reversing valves contain a solenoid (typically 24v) that rediverts the suction and discharge lines via shifting the slider with a pressure differential. Pilot tubes shift gas from one side of the slider to the other, which shifts it and triggers heat mode or cooling mode. Reversing valves are typically energized in cool mode (except for Ruud/Rheem reversing valves; they energize in heat mode).

Defrosting is rarely necessary for us in Florida, but it can be a scary occurrence when we do need it. The outdoor coil can freeze over entirely when it gets cold enough due to Florida's high humidity. Hot gas goes through the coils during defrosting, and it may make alarming noises. Many Floridian heat pumps also use auxiliary heat strips to provide heat while the system defrosts. Many defrosts rely on set times and sensors to determine when to initiate and terminate defrost. (That is true of heat pumps AND most refrigeration systems.) Thermistors are common sensing technologies used in defrost.

Join Bryan on this informative monologue about:

• Reversing valves
• Aux heat
• W and W2
• Heat Pumps
• Defrost
• Checking refrigerant charge in heat mode
• Heat mode expansion valves
• Common heat pump considerations

For a more detailed written explanation of heat pump reversing valves with pictures, check out this article.

As always, if you have an iPhone, subscribe HERE, and if you have an Android phone, subscribe HERE.

In this episode, Bryan and Nathan have a banter-filled conversation about electrical components that confuse techs. If you are looking for a serious educational episode, we suggest you look elsewhere.

Low-voltage circuits may confuse the new technician because the "common" terminology is far too common in the circuit. (See how confusing it sounds in everyday use? We don't have to say "common this," "common that," but we do.)

Single-phase power can also be confounding for technicians. One phase of line voltage comes in, and it gets split when it enters the circuit. That is why we also call single-phase power "split-phase" power.

Another perhaps surprising area of confusion is normally open (NO) and normally closed (NC) switches. Water metaphors could potentially contribute to the confusion, as shutting off the faucet seems analogous to "closing" a circuit, but it actually has the same effect as "opening" a switch. As instructors, we need to clarify that "open" and "closed" are different from doors, faucets, etc. "Open" means that there is no path, and "closed" means that there is a path. "Normally" merely indicates the state of the switches when nothing is happening.

Sometimes, transformers can be difficult to understand. A transformer is an inductive load that alters voltage and "steps it down" to a secondary voltage. Loads are what "do something" in a circuit, like a light bulb or motor. Inductive loads are magnetic (motors and transformers), and resistive loads create heat (light bulbs and toasters). Inductive and resistive loads are perfect subjects for PG-13+ metaphors, as Nathan demonstrates.

Join Nathan and Bryan on a vulgar learning adventure of bad metaphors as they discuss:

• Relays
• Sequencers
• Inductive loads
• Resistive loads
• Blower/heat interlock
• Transformers
• Contactors

As always, if you have an iPhone, subscribe HERE, and if you have an Android phone, subscribe HERE.

This podcast is a high voltage A/C electrical class that Bryan gave to some of the Kalos apprentices.

The high voltage journey begins with basic electrical theory. Basically, a difference in charge is needed for electrons to move and generate power.

Motors, which are inductive loads, are the greatest users of power that we will encounter in the field. Inductive loads generate magnetism and utilize alternating current (AC) power. AC power is generated by a rotating magnetic field, and the direction of the current alternates. Comparatively, resistive loads generate light and heat, and direct current (DC) moves in one direction. Theoretically, we can use Ohm's law in the field to determine the voltage, amps, or resistance (ohms) without a meter, so long as we know two of the three values. However, we may not get an accurate measurement of ohms due to reactance on inductive loads.

The windings you will encounter in the field include common, start, and run. (Remember: the same side that feeds start feeds run.) In a PSC motor, the start winding stays in the circuit the entire time. When you ohm the windings, you will notice that common has the lowest resistance, run has moderate resistance, and start has high resistance. (Common to run + common to start = run to start). Universally, capacitors contain a brown, black, white, and brown-and-white wire. You can wire a capacitor in two different ways; one uses three wires, and the other uses four. The three-wire method caps off the brown-and-white wire, leaving it unused.

Join Bryan and the apprentices in their high voltage class as they cover:

• Basic Electrical Theory
• Potential Difference
• Basic Capacitance
• Motor Lead identification
• Different motor type
• Motor Direction
• Proper Wiring
• MOCP and MCA

As always, if you have an iPhone, subscribe HERE, and if you have an Android phone, subscribe HERE.

In this episode, Bryan talks to Justin Skinner about the standard gas furnace sequence of operation.

Regardless of the furnace type, it all begins with a heat call on W...

Then, the furnace checks the safeties to make sure ignition is possible and safe. If all systems are a go, the inducer motor comes on and clears a path for the exhaust. The furnace then proves that the path for the flue is clear, and a pressure switch closes upon sensing a pressure differential. The miracle of ignition comes next. There are a few different types of ignition, including hot-surface, intermittent spark, and standing pilot. Once the furnace opens the burner, it has to prove the flame.

Proving flame is somewhat similar to proving the flue path. A flame sensing rod creates a potential, and it determines if a flame is present by picking up microamps of current to ground. We're merely scratching the surface here, but the bottom line is that the furnace does a lot of checking and proving throughout the startup procedure.

Above all else, remember to check the fault code if the sequence of operation fails to complete. The absolute WORST thing you can do is restart the furnace, take the door off, or turn the furnace off. You lose a major troubleshooting clue.

Join Bryan and Justin as they talk about these furnace sequence topics:

• Low Voltage Wiring
• Boilers
• Forced and Natural Draft
• Flame rectification
• Cleaning Flame Sensors
• Gas Pool Heat
• Silicon Nitride and Silicon Carbide
• Hot Surface and Intermittent Pilot

As always, if you have an iPhone, subscribe HERE, and if you have an Android phone, subscribe HERE. Check out our handy calculators HERE.

Central Florida techs know the Southern winter all too well. Let's face it. It doesn't get super cold here regularly, but when it does, EVERYONE FREAKS. We get an abundance of service calls for unpleasant but not truly problematic conditions when people use their heaters.

When people first turn on their heat, they can get a nasty surprise: a horrible dirty-sock smell and sometimes a shrieking smoke alarm. These are normal, albeit unpleasant, and do not require a service call. Another unpleasant or alarming occurrence is when a heat pump unit goes into defrost mode. Defrost mode shifts the unit into cooling mode, which may make some cold air come out of the vents. On top of that, customers may hear an awful noise and feel concerned when they see steam coming out of their unit!

Pool heaters are a completely different animal in a Southern Winter, and they are often made quite poorly. You may come across gas pool heaters, propane pool heaters, heat pump pool heaters, and even solar ones. Each type has its own set of maintenance needs and varying degrees of effectiveness. When working with them, the goal is to set establish realistic expectations and explain best practices to the customer to minimize those frustrating service calls.

In this episode, we talk about:

• Burning off heat strips
• Heat pump defrost mode
• Gas pool heater
• Heat pump pool heaters
• The thermodynamic principles of heat pump heating
• Defining BTUs
• Liquid petroleum (propane) vs. natural gas

And much more...

This podcast is in an unedited "meeting format" and is not usually the type of thing you will get on HVAC school, but I still think it may benefit junior techs and office staff.

As always, if you have an iPhone, subscribe HERE, and if you have an Android phone, subscribe HERE.

Check out our handy calculators HERE.