It was a warm August day, myself and my co-worker were digging into some PM work.  We found one of the Carrier RTUs without power and the breaker tripped.  

"This one time, at band camp," is a famous line you may remember from the movie American Pie.  Although the narrative, as it pertains to this article goes as such, "this one time, in residential". 

To obtain reliable performance with solenoid valves on refrigeration or air conditioning systems demands careful consideration of application requirements during the selection process.

Air balancing is an important step in HVAC commissioning. Every forced air system should be balanced upon initial startup, and some engineers or city officials may demand it before final approval.

It’s that time of year again when the clocks fall back and so does the temperature outside. There are a number of items that should be inspected when the building is being changed over from cooling to heating. The main heating and cooling components such as chillers/cooling towers and heating…

How does one become successful in the heating, ventilation, air conditioning and refrigeration trade?  Well, the same way one is successful within a game.  No matter what the game is, sports, board games, poker, etc. there are rules that need to be followed, there is education that needs to take…

As I read posts and comments within social media HVAC groups regarding indoor air quality or IAQ it is clear that most technicians are focused on clean, healthy homes for their customers and their own families.  The main discussion revolves around filtration systems, temperature, humidity and air purification.  There is…

During my career I have come across many pulleys, shafts, blower wheels and bearings that have come loose due to improper set screw tightening, sadly a lot of this equipment was brand new or close to new.  On some larger equipment or equipment that may be susceptible to excessive vibration,…

Not too long ago, I was under the impression that all internal leak sealant products were equally destructive to air conditioning or refrigeration systems.  About a year and a half ago, there was a heated debate regarding such products on My HVAC Hub powered by HVAC Know It All on Facebook. …

Tip: Preparing Wires For Twist On Connectors  By: Gary McCreadie Have you ever come across twist on connectors that have fallen off or when you twist them on, some wiring breaks off inside and leaves the connector useless?  The following video demonstrates a sure fire way to ensure the wires stay intact.  Some techs…

It’s Sunday night, the snow is falling gently at a steady pace in my small town just north of Toronto.  Something in the air has triggered my mind to re-conjure up images of HVAC and trade related tattoos, actually that’s complete bullshit, I purposely sat down to write this article.  It really is snowing though….

A few months back in My HVAC Hub powered by HVAC Know It All, my private discussion group on Facebook, I asked a question for fun.  “If you won the lottery, would you continue to work in the industry?”  Perhaps not the exact wording, but something pretty close.  I received…

I am very excited to post this blog, Steve is the first official guest blogger at hvacknowitall.com.  Apprentices pay attention, thanks Steve!  If you are interested in contributing in any way shoot me an email gary@hvacknowitall.com.  Happy HVACing!   The Do's & Don’ts of an HVAC apprentice By Steve Wiggins The night before his first…

As I sat and pondered the use of profanity that is used daily in the trades, I was also coincidentally listening to the Howard Stern show.  My new Ford Transit 150 comes with a free trial of Sirius Satellite Radio.  I used to listen to Howard fifteen years ago when…

Back in fifteenth century Japan, the Ninja were known as mercenaries or spies responsible for sabotage, assassination, espionage and many other devious actions.  Being the complete opposite of the honourable Samurai, who would battle face to face with their opponent, the Ninja would carry out their mission in the shadows…