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  • Did You Actually Test Every Heat Strip - Short #311

    Did You Actually Test Every Heat Strip - Short #311
    10 Nov 2026

    In this short podcast episode, Bryan talks about electric heat and whether your service or maintenance procedure actually allows you to test every heat strip. In our climate, we use electric heat as auxiliary heat (as opposed to a furnace in a dual-fuel setup). There is also some information about maintenance procedures, blower interlocks and relays, and math to determine amperage.

    If you put the thermostat in heat and the blower runs, you only prove that the heat pump is heating; it doesn't tell you which electrical circuit is heating, or whether the auxiliary heat is producing heat at all. You can't assume that the last tech left you the correct kit with everything wired up and that it has been wired properly with the correct wire size.

    Electric heaters in heat pumps usually turn on with a W call from the thermostat or the defrost board. Sometimes, there is a high-voltage interlock with a relay that runs the blower with the electric heat but not the other way around. Older heat strips may also have heat sequencers, which follow a specific sequence and stage on or off over time.

    We test heat strips by forcing a call for heat, waiting as long as needed, measuring the amperage to make sure it matches the heat kit, making sure the blower comes on, and verifying that the call for heat ends as it's supposed to. Temperature rise may also be a useful measurement. If a similar procedure is part of your fall maintenance, let the customer know that there may be an odor, and you may clean dirty heat strips with compressed air or an electrical contact cleaner.

    The key takeaway is to make sure the amperage is correct and that the circuit's wiring and relays can safely carry the current. Don't assume that everything is correct when you work on a unit for the first time.

    This episode contains embedded sponsor messages from Refrigeration Technologies, Carrier, Copeland, and Santa Fe Dehumidifiers.

    Resources

    • An Electric Heat Mistake (Tech Tip)
    • Electric Heat & Blower Interlock (Tech Tip)
    • Electric Heat Troubleshooting, Service, and Math Class (Video)
    • Basics of Testing Electric Heat Kits w/ Bert (Video)
    • Inside a Sequencer (Video)
    • Sequencer Facts - They Aren't All the Same (Video)
    • Relays, Sequencers, Transformers, and Bad Metaphors (Podcast)
    • HVAC School calculators
    • Submit a podcast question
    • Learn about the GRIT Foundation

    Purchase your tickets or learn more about the 8th Annual HVACR Training Symposium at https://hvacrschool.com/symposium.
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    15 dk.
  • Uncovering the Root Causes of Commercial Refrigeration Failures

    Uncovering the Root Causes of Commercial Refrigeration Failures
    5 Nov 2026
    In this live stream, co-branded with Kalos, Bryan Orr sits down with Kalos refrigeration team members Christian Maitland and Alex Orr to talk about the realities of working on market refrigeration systems. The conversation starts with the rapid arrival of new equipment in grocery stores, especially transcritical CO2 racks, and why even well-trained techs are running into problems nobody has seen before. Because these are engineered, built-up systems rather than mass-produced units, the first real stress test often happens in the field, during installation and startup. The group digs into where those problems actually come from. Some are classic installation errors, like skipping nitrogen purges while brazing, leaving burrs in pipe, or forgetting that ACR copper plugs sit on the inside of the pipe. Others trace back to the manufacturer: sensors landed on the wrong terminals, swapped sensors that left a condenser fan unable to run, controllers that overheat and reset, and programming that was tested in a different climate than the one the equipment ends up in. With multiple manufacturers supplying the rack, controller, and condenser, nobody owns the interface between the pieces, so startup techs end up tuning parameters store by store. Bryan, Christian, and Alex also walk through the root cause process they rely on, which is essentially the scientific method: observe the complaint, form a hypothesis, test it, and then keep digging until you know why it happened and can confirm the fix on the next job. They discuss store dew point and airflow as the most common causes of iced-up and sweating cases, a humbling misdiagnosis involving a transducer and a redundant controller, and the pain of 19-week lead times and wrong parts arriving seven times in a row. The episode closes with practical advice for techs. Walk into every store and use your senses, check behind your install team, pull your vacuums, and document conversations with customers when expectations don't match the equipment specs. Christian encourages techs to share what they learn with peers, Alex reminds listeners that solving ridiculous problems is the job and a chance to be the hero, and Chad's late addition is a reminder that equipment should be designed for worst-case conditions rather than a design day. Topics Covered Transcritical CO2 coming to the U.S. market, and why it behaves differently above roughly 86°FChallenges of high ambient temperature and humidity in Florida, including limits of adiabatic coolingControllers that overheat and reset, and how quickly a CO2 system can lose its charge when that happensSafety and mindset for techs moving from traditional DX to high-pressure CO2 systemsWhy built-up systems get their first real field test at installation and startupClean piping practices: nitrogen purging, burrs, carbon buildup, and tiny orifices in ejectors and microchannel coilsThe pipe plug in the EPR story and other lessons from early grocery workManufacturer errors caught at startup, including miswired harnesses and swapped sensorsInterconnected controls from different manufacturers and the need for site-specific programmingSetting customer expectations on case placement, shelving, and spec limits, and documenting those conversationsStore dew point, dehumidifiers, and ceiling fans disrupting open-case air curtainsUsing building science tools like smoke pens and vane anemometers on refrigeration casesThe root cause process: observe, hypothesize, test, find the real cause, and verify the fixA transducer misdiagnosis and why to rule out everything before ordering long-lead-time partsParts lead times, wrong parts, and the hidden labor cost of learning new equipment alongside manufacturersCommissioning during live-store case swaps, and the gap in manufacturer training for new equipmentWhat techs look for on a first walkthrough, plus startup checks like line sizing, case assembly, and pulling vacuumsGaps in tools, such as digital gauges built for transcritical systemsClosing takeaways: share knowledge with peers, own the problem, and design equipment for worst-case conditions This episode contains embedded sponsor messages from Refrigeration Technologies, Carrier, Copeland, Santa Fe Dehumidifiers, and TruTech Tools. Resources Matthew Taylor's Rack Refrigeration Series (YouTube playlist) Intro to CO2 w/ Don Gillis (podcast) CO2 Refrigeration Rack Overview (video)Ramping Your Team Up for CO2 (tech tip) How Do You Ramp Up Your Team to Effectively Service and Support CO2 Applications? (podcast)HVAC School calculatorsSubmit a podcast questionLearn about the GRIT Foundation Purchase your tickets or learn more about the 8th Annual HVACR Training Symposium at https://hvacrschool.com/symposium.
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    1 sa. ve 1 dk.
  • Why and How to Test Heat Pump Defrost - Short #310

    Why and How to Test Heat Pump Defrost - Short #310
    3 Nov 2026

    In this short podcast episode, Bryan covers why and how to test heat pump defrost during maintenance. Heat pumps need defrost because the outdoor coil absorbs heat in heating mode. Moisture collects and freezes on the coil during this process, and the rate at which it happens depends on the temperature and the amount of moisture in the outdoor air. Frost interferes with heat transfer and airflow and must be defrosted; the reversing valve shifts and auxiliary heat turns on.

    Before testing, identify the equipment brand and model, defrost control, and the defrost type (time & temperature or demand defrost); you may have a thermostat (open/close switch) or thermistor, and those have different operating and testing considerations. Some controls also allow you to accelerate timing.

    Forcing defrost according to the manufacturer's literature will let you discover whether the command sequence works, but it may not tell you whether the sensors are working. Common visual checks can also help you resolve defrost issues dealing with sensors, base pan heaters, and poor airflow.

    The key takeaway is to pay close attention to the defrost sequence, conditions, defrost logic, sensor type, and your own spidey senses when testing or diagnosing defrost.

    This episode contains embedded sponsor messages from Refrigeration Technologies, Carrier, NAVAC, Filtrete, and the 2027 AHR Expo.

    Resources

    • Learn Everything About Heat Pump Defrost (video)
    • HVAC Defrost Troubleshooting | Timers, Sensors, and Boards (video)
    • Heat Pump Defrost Cycle & Heat Strip Wiring Safety | HVAC Heating Season Preparation (video)
    • How to Test Heat Pump Defrost and How Defrost Works (video)
    • Upgrading Time & Temperature Defrost with Demand Defrost for Heat Pumps (tech tip)
    • Heat Pump Defrost Troubleshooting Tips (tech tip)
    • Coil Temp Sensors: Thermostats vs. Thermistors (tech tip)
    • HVAC School calculators
    • Submit a podcast question
    • Learn about the GRIT Foundation

    Purchase your tickets or learn more about the 8th Annual HVACR Training Symposium at https://hvacrschool.com/symposium.
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    12 dk.
  • Building a Business That Lasts: Why Culture Beats Strategy in HVACR w/ Tony Gonzalez

    Building a Business That Lasts: Why Culture Beats Strategy in HVACR w/ Tony Gonzalez
    29 Oct 2026
    In this live stream episode, Bryan sits down with Tony Gonzalez, who has spent more than 25 years at Fieldpiece and now leads the company's training department. Tony started out packing boxes in the warehouse straight out of high school, and the two longtime industry veterans use his experience to dig into why culture matters so much when you are building a business that lasts. As Bryan puts it, culture may be talked about in HVACR, but it is true everywhere. Tony walks through TURTL, the five core values that anchor Fieldpiece's culture: Tribe, Upfront homework, Right stuff, Trust, and Lean. The missing "E" is intentional, since it reminds everyone to leave their ego at the door. He explains why values can't be purely aspirational, and how Fieldpiece keeps them alive through recognition, one-on-ones, and development reviews. Bryan shares how the same ideas show up at Kalos, including the phrase "professional pride, personal humility." The conversation then turns to leadership, which both guests agree is where culture is won or lost. They discuss why your culture is defined by the worst behavior you tolerate, why people stay at a company, and why curiosity should come before judgment. Tony describes the "bank account" of care that makes hard conversations productive, along with the Radical Candor idea of avoiding ruinous empathy. Bryan adds that clarity is kindness and that small problems should be dealt with before they become mountains. They close by looking at team building, using Bryan's flight crew analogy and the "right people on the bus" idea from Good to Great. Every role matters, leaders shouldn't only hire people like themselves, and snap judgments can make you overlook great talent. Bryan wraps up with a few of his leadership commitments, and Tony's final advice is to start documenting what matters to your organization, live it consistently, and give yourself grace on the leadership journey. Topics Covered: Tony's 25-year career at Fieldpiece, from warehouse to head of trainingThe TURTL core values and why "Turtle" has no EKeeping core values visible through quarterly recognition, one-on-ones, and development reviewsLeaders as culture carriers, and how culture shows up when things go wrongDefining culture as a social operating system and the worst behavior you tolerateProfessional pride and personal humility, and leaders who celebrate their team's successWhy people stay: growth, recognition, fair compensation, and connection to the missionCuriosity before judgment, root cause thinking, and celebrating failureMaking "deposits" of care so difficult conversations go wellRadical Candor, ruinous empathy, and clarity is kindnessHandling bad news and building a safe environment for people to speak upBuilding a flight crew: hiring for attitude, valuing different strengths, and avoiding the horns effectThe weakest link in the chain and treating every role as equally importantBook recommendations: Good to Great, The Power of Company Culture by Chris Dyer, and Delivering Happiness by Tony HsiehBryan's leadership commitments: truth over comfort, open doors with no gatekeeping, and people over plans Key takeaway: leaders must live the culture, give yourself grace, and define your North Star. This episode contains embedded sponsor messages from Refrigeration Technologies, Carrier, Copeland, Santa Fe Dehumidifiers, and TruTech Tools. Resources Good to Great by Jim Collins (book)The Power of Company Culture by Chris Dyer (book)Delivering Happiness by Tony Hsieh (book)HVAC School calculatorsSubmit a podcast questionLearn about the GRIT Foundation Purchase your tickets or learn more about the 8th Annual HVACR Training Symposium at https://hvacrschool.com/symposium.
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    1 sa. ve 5 dk.
  • Tight Enough to Fail - Short #309

    Tight Enough to Fail - Short #309
    27 Oct 2026

    In this short podcast episode, Bryan discusses electrical connections and whether tighter is better (or if a connection is tight enough to fail).

    Torque is a turning effect; force is applied at a distance from the screw's center, and that force creates pressure at the connection. A quarter-turn doesn't tell us how much force we have applied. You may notice a tight screw with other signs of a poor connection, like discoloration; tightening the connection may not help.

    At a connection, we want very little resistance to current flow, and we get increased resistance and heat where we don't want it when connections are poor; according to Watt's law, when the resistance stays the same, doubling the current creates four times the heating power. However, temperature alone doesn't tell you the cause; thermal imaging is useful evidence, but we need operating conditions and current measurements, too.

    The key takeaway is that tightening the connection as much as possible may do more harm than good; having a torque screwdriver and using it can help. When making new connections, use the torque screwdriver to torque to the proper specs right out of the gate. We must also consider wire sizing, wire placement, exposed conductors, and unacceptable double lugging. We must also be mindful of ferrules, including proper selection and crimping. Make all adjustments safely (without voltage), and if you do not have the manufacturer's data immediately available, look it up. Eventually, you will get an idea of what "good" looks like.

    Remember: tighter doesn't necessarily mean better.

    This episode contains embedded sponsor messages from Refrigeration Technologies, Carrier, NAVAC, Filtrete, and the 2027 AHR Expo.

    Resources

    • Tightening Electrical Threaded Terminal Connections (tech tip)
    • HVAC School calculators
    • Submit a podcast question
    • Learn about the GRIT Foundation

    Purchase your tickets or learn more about the 8th Annual HVACR Training Symposium at https://hvacrschool.com/symposium.
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    11 dk.
  • Glycol Skids for Market Refrigeration w/ Max Johnson

    Glycol Skids for Market Refrigeration w/ Max Johnson
    22 Oct 2026

    Glycol secondary loop systems are showing up in more and more grocery stores, and in this episode of the HVAC School Podcast, Bryan Orr sits down with Max, one of the company's lead startup techs and its in-house subject matter expert on glycol skids. Max explains what these systems are, why clients are choosing them for retrofits, and what it takes to commission one without taking a live store down. The big picture: a traditional DX rack chills a water and propylene glycol mix in a heat exchanger, and that glycol is pumped around the store to cool the medium-temperature cases.

    The conversation starts with the "why." Reduced refrigerant charge inside the building, keeping flammable or higher-GWP refrigerants out of the sales floor, regulatory pressure, and zero-emissions initiatives all push clients this way. Max is upfront that efficiency isn't one of the reasons at this scale, since the extra heat exchange step, lower suction temperatures, and pump energy all cost something. He also covers the trade-off in reliability: case-level controls are simple, but a fault in one of the skid's main valves can take out every case at once, so techs have to move fast.

    From there, Max walks through the skid itself, from the brazed plate heat exchanger, VFD-controlled pumps, and air separator to the expansion tank, strainers, suction guide, controller, and EEV drivers. He then covers flow control with balance valves, defrost strategy, and the importance of proper vents and drains in the piping. The two get into the details of startup and commissioning, and some key takeaways include pressure testing instead of pulling a vacuum, filling and purging air, and verifying that the refrigerant-side valves are wired and driven correctly so a swapped valve doesn't flood the rack.

    The back half of the episode is practical field advice. Max shares how to recognize air in the loop, why store humidity and dew point matter so much for case performance, which specialty tools and fittings he carries, and how to handle glycol mixing and top-offs.

    Topics Covered

    • What a glycol secondary loop system is, and how it differs from direct expansion
    • Why retrofits are happening: refrigerant charge reduction, safety, EPA regulation, and zero-emissions goals
    • Efficiency penalties at small scale, and why efficiency isn't the driver
    • How glycol behaves in the coil: no latent exchange, a temperature gradient, and frost patterns
    • Reliability trade-offs: simple case controls versus centralized, mission-critical valves
    • Staging a retrofit so the store stays open, including pre-piping, pre-testing, and pipe cleaning
    • Brazing versus soft solder, and whether nitrogen flow matters with glycol
    • Skid components: heat exchanger, VFD pumps, air separator, feeder tank, expansion tank, strainers, and suction guide
    • Controller inputs, EEV drivers, and emergency mobile chiller connections
    • Balance valves (automatic versus manual) and defrost methods, including off-time and electric
    • Fluid distribution: pitching pipe for air and drainage, plus vents and drains
    • Propylene versus ethylene glycol, the 35% mix, freeze point, and why more glycol hurts heat transfer
    • CO2 as a secondary fluid for low-temperature applications
    • Commissioning steps: electrical checks, pressure testing, filling, purging, and testing valve operation
    • Proving performance: flow, glycol concentration, temperature, and superheat on the rack side
    • Troubleshooting air in the system and pressure changes as glycol chills
    • Store humidity, dew point targets, and case performance
    • Heat reclaim using glycol loops
    • Tools: PT ports, manometers, female-to-female hoses, refractometer, and transfer pumps
    • Service tips: distilled water, matching glycol brands, and glycol safety

    This episode contains embedded sponsor messages from Refrigeration Technologies, Carrier, NAVAC, and Filtrete.

    Resources

    • HVAC School calculators
    • Submit a podcast question
    • Learn about the GRIT Foundation

    Purchase your tickets or learn more about the 8th Annual HVACR Training Symposium at https://hvacrschool.com/symposium.
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    1 sa. ve 2 dk.
  • Your Thermostat Is Reading the Wall - Short #308

    Your Thermostat Is Reading the Wall - Short #308
    20 Oct 2026

    In this short podcast episode, Bryan talks about why your thermostat is reading the wall, not the actual air temperature.

    A thermostat is an instrument designed to read temperature (and sometimes humidity); it displays those readings based on sensors and makes decisions. Most of these sensors are thermistors, which are resistors that change resistance with changes in temperature. Thermistors have low mass and respond to radiant, convective, and conductive heat.

    Air coming through the wall (convective heat), the temperature of the things around the thermostat (radiant heat), AND the wall temperature (conductive heat) can influence your thermostat's reading. We may see a service call where the thermostat reads above the air temperature and runs the air conditioning unit even when the air temperature is already below the set point. Our first move as technicians should be to ask customers when they noticed the problem; the timing can give us some clues about what is going on. Looking behind the thermostat is one of the first things we should do, as air can move through the hole where wires come through, especially if there is air leakage elsewhere. If there is a temperature difference and an airflow path, that could be the source of the issue.

    Use a reliable temperature probe near the thermostat, off the wall and away from the thermostat casing and electronics, to get a reliable temperature measurement to compare to the thermostat. If the probe and thermostat disagree after several minutes, we should investigate deeper for a warm wall. Infrared thermometers and thermal imagers can help you identify warm surfaces. Keep in mind that thermostats may have sensors in different locations, offsets, and programmed corrections as well.

    If you find an open wire penetration, use non-flammable insulation and/or an appropriate putty to close it. Be careful not to block the sensing vents, too. Let everything settle and repeat the comparison. Some other solutions include changing the location of the thermostat or remote sensor.

    This episode contains embedded sponsor messages from Refrigeration Technologies, Carrier, Copeland, and Santa Fe Dehumidifiers.

    Resources

    • HVAC School calculators
    • Submit a podcast question
    • Learn about the GRIT Foundation

    Purchase your tickets or learn more about the 8th Annual HVACR Training Symposium at https://hvacrschool.com/symposium.
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    16 dk.
  • Next-Gen Filtration - Pressure Drop, MERV 16, and Bypass Prevention w/ Chris Howells

    Next-Gen Filtration - Pressure Drop, MERV 16, and Bypass Prevention w/ Chris Howells
    15 Oct 2026

    In this episode of the HVAC School Podcast, Bryan sits down with Chris Howells, senior training manager at AprilAire, to talk about what really makes a filtration system perform. Chris has nearly thirty years in the industry, including fifteen as a technician, and brings a field-first perspective on why filtration is more than just "a filter." Bryan also admits up front that his own contracting company is looking to put more high-efficiency filters into the field, so this conversation doubles as a practical learning session.

    The discussion starts with a common misconception: that a "thicker" filter is simply a filter with thicker media. Chris explains that what matters is surface area, face velocity, and pressure drop, not the width of the cabinet. They cover why using the full face of the filter is one of the easiest wins, how a poorly designed return can load just one section of the media, and why a high MERV rating does not automatically mean high resistance. Cabinet design, media construction, and overall system design all play a role, and modern ECM blowers make low static pressure more important than ever.

    From there, the conversation turns to bypass air and measurement. Chris describes how AprilAire's cabinets use top and bottom rails and a self-seal media overhang to force air through the filter, backed by a 10-year clean coil guarantee. He and Bryan stress using the right tools, including a dual-port manometer and a proper static pressure probe, and checking pre-filter and post-filter pressure drop against manufacturer performance data at around 500 feet per minute. Chris also debunks the idea that deeper media is always more restrictive, pointing out that a typical retail one-inch pleated filter can raise pressure drop dramatically compared with a basic fiberglass filter.

    The final stretch is about communication and growth. Chris and Bryan share simple, natural questions technicians can use to start air quality conversations without sounding like a sales pitch, and they encourage listeners to stay curious and keep asking "why." Chris closes with resources for learning more, including AprilAirPartners.com and the AprilAire Academy, and mentions that the Santa Fe and UltraAire product lines are now part of the AprilAire family.

    Topics Covered

    • Why "thicker" filters are really about surface area, face velocity, and pressure drop
    • Using the full face of the filter and avoiding uneven loading
    • How filters affect blower performance, system capacity, and equipment protection
    • Why filtration is a high-value upgrade compared with bulbs and modules
    • AprilAire's new high-efficiency product line and its three-layer media design
    • Reducing bypass air with rail design, self-sealing media, and the 10-year clean coil guarantee
    • Measuring static pressure correctly and using manufacturer pressure drop charts
    • Sizing media cabinets by CFM and face velocity instead of what fits under the air handler
    • Common myths about MERV ratings and restriction
    • Conversation starters that help technicians talk about indoor air quality
    • How to learn more through AprilAirePartners.com, the AprilAire Academy, and local distributors

    This episode contains embedded sponsor messages from Refrigeration Technologies, Carrier, Copeland, Santa Fe Dehumidifiers, and TruTech Tools.

    Resources

    • AprilAire Partners
    • HVAC School calculators
    • Submit a podcast question
    • Learn about the GRIT Foundation

    Purchase your tickets or learn more about the 8th Annual HVACR Training Symposium at https://hvacrschool.com/symposium.
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    48 dk.