With the end of the heating season there’s a tendency to forget the dangers of carbon monoxide (CO). As you transition to the cooling season, be sure to keep your awareness for CO high even though it’s likely to be the last thing on your mind. Let’s look at five...
If you’ve been in the HVAC industry for any length of time, you’re familiar with complaints involving dust and dirty equipment. As a result, most technicians target the air filter first when they receive such calls. As you investigate these problems, keep in mind how...
When testing and diagnosing the operation and performance of an HVAC system, the timing and measurement are critical. Ideally, the system should be calling for full heating or cooling, and fan speed so it can reach a stable operating condition. Let’s take a closer...
When it comes to ethics, I love to tell this story. I once called a plumbing service company to investigate a leak in our shower above the kitchen. They quoted me $195.00 for the work. Two hours later I had five holes in my kitchen ceiling, a messy bathroom, and no...
The connections between a furnace and duct system are rarely considered as a cause of cracked heat exchangers. Commonly repeated mistakes with return and supply duct connections significantly impact airflow and the length of time before you’re back for repairs. Let’s...
Doesn’t it seem like you are constantly being invited to attend webinars on every topic under the sun? They range from product announcements to how to do something, why you should do something, and more. Is it to the point where you just skim past those invitations or...
Many HVAC professionals assume the leading cause of carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning is a cracked heat exchanger. This assumption leads to inaccurate test methods that pass on from technician to technician. They try to assure customer safety, but unknowingly rely on...
The election is over. We are now in Week Four of the Donald Trump presidency. We have already seen a whirlwind of controversy as Trump drives hard to make good on his campaign promises. Whether you support or are against our 45th president, how will he impact the HVAC...
Flex ducts could be in imminent danger. A few months ago, I wrote about a recent proposal to severely limit the use of flexible (flex) ducts. Due to poor installation methods, the International Association of Plumbing and Mechanical Officials (IAPMO) is proposing to...
Carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning is one of those scary issues that most HVAC professionals hope to never encounter. As with many frightening things we want to avoid, this doesn’t make those issues go away. The threat is very real even though contractors often turn...
