Refrigerant Recovery I often see new techs asking how to recover – or even experienced techs asking how to recover faster, so let’s take a look at both.  If looking to connect with a strong culture of HVAC technicians, check out the subscription based HVAC Know It All app.   This all originated from…

Refrigerant Pump Down Explained By: Gary McCreadie   Pumping down a refrigerant circuit is a great way to avoid liquid migration back to the compressor on the off-cycle.  Refrigerant will naturally equalize and move to the section of the system with the lowest ambient temperature.  If that section happens to be anywhere on…

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…

Rick Ruscigno CMHE Lincoln Technical Institute rruscigno@lincoltech.edu   We have all heard this expression, but what is its origin and how does it apply to the professional and personal areas of our lives? This idiom is sourced from The Bible, Matthew chapter 5, in which Jesus addresses his followers in the well known “Sermon…

This tip is brought to you by Theo Mac... Here's a tip for anyone who encounters issues with induced draft blower motors over heating due to coming in contact with the panel and burning out prematurely. This is the only fix, look at the piece of the door I held in my hand, you'll…

Tip: Check Your Crankcase Heaters By: Gary McCreadie It would be real hard for me to count the amount of times I have come across a tripped breaker or blown fuse due to a failed crankcase heater.  It makes sense though, a lot manufactures don't provide an auxillary contact or thermostat to cut its…

Tip: Checking Run Capacitors Under Load By Gary McCreadie Checking run capacitors under load is an alternative method to shutting down power to a system and checking in the traditional manner by using the uF (microfarad) setting on your meter.  I would always recommend checking capacitors with the power off, from a…

Rick Ruscigno CMHE Lincoln Technical Institute rruscigno@lincolntech.edu   The Hot & Cold of It Vol. 3 Why Pursue A Career In Skilled Trades?    College or Trade School? How many young folks have been told: “To get ahead in life you must have a degree”? As you reflect on that statement while standing in line at a coffee shop, have you ever…

Tip: No Oil Return, It Maybe Your Accumulator... By Gary McCreadie Having oil return problems?  It might be an issue with a plugged screen on your suction line accumulator.  If you are not aware, suction line accumulators are installed in series with the suction line to protect the compressor from liquid returning and…

Rick Ruscigno CMHE Lincoln Technical Institute mr.rickruscigno@gmail.com The Hot & Cold of It Vol. 2   HEAT In the refrigeration and air conditioning world we don't add cold, we remove heat! From childhood we are taught that heat equals hot, but the terms “hot” and “cold” are strictly for the purpose of describing comfort. Heat is…

Tip: Check Switches and Contactors for Continuity By Gary McCreadie A few years ago I had a re-occurring issue with a certain rooftop unit, each time I would cycle the power from the local disconnect, two of the three fuses would blow.  None of the loads within the unit were responsible for this…

Flir One Pro  By Gary McCreadie The Flir One Pro is a slick pocket sized thermal camera to be used with your mobile device, Android or iOS.  It comes complete with a carrying case and charger.  The device takes approximately one hour to completely charge and will give you approximately one hour…

HVACing Like A Boss By Gary McCreadie And Joshua Thompson As the HVAC Know It All wall of fame continues to grow,  I wanted seek out an “HVAC Boss” worthy of  prominence down the long and narrow hallway, where I continue to hang virtual plaques of HVAC greatness.  I canvassed my Facebook…

Tip: Nitrogen Tank and Gauge Precautions By Gary McCreadie This is a short tip but a very important one.  Nitrogen cylinders contain approximately 2200-2400 PSI of pressure, that kind of force can do some serious damage to a person or property.  Before attaching your nitrogen regulator to any cylinder, inspect the threads of…

Why Flame Rod Failures Happen and How to Prevent Them By:  Eric Shidell, HVAC Service Mentor A lot of HVAC service technicians learn early on that cleaning a flame sensor is a standard maintenance practice and that neglecting this basic task can lead to nuisance burner shutdowns and no heat calls.  Let’s look…

Azeotrope vs. Zeotrope By Gary McCreadie   After reading this article, check out a short podcast on this subject.   Do you understand your refrigerant? Do you listen to it, communicate with it... wipe it's tears when it's sad? Yah probably not, but it is important to understand some terminology, so you can understand your refrigerant's deepest,…

Don't Be Scared It's Only HVAC By Gary McCreadie   Thinking back to my early years in the HVAC trade, I realized that I made a fabulous amount of mistakes.  The cost of “Smoke Put-er Back In-ers,” were out of my price range as a struggling apprentice, so on many occasions I had…

It's A Man's World No More By Gary McCreadie When I think back to my years in pre-apprenticeship training until now, I can honestly admit that I can count the amount of females I have come across in the field on one hand.  Over the years though, I have noticed a small increase…

Carbon Tracking Explained By Gary McCreadie I was a second or third year apprentice working for a very knowledgeable boss and business owner.  At the time, he just happened to be the dispatcher, which was bitter sweet.  The bitter part, well, he was one hard ass dude that didn’t think twice about…

Tip: The King Valve Location By Gary McCreadie There is a common mistake that I hear from HVAC and refrigeration technicians.  “Hey man, can you front seat the compressor King valve.”  It grinds my gears a little, only because the King valve has one distinct address on a system.  The receiver outlet…