Sunday, January 31, 2016


I just got home a few days ago from the 2016 AHR Expo. That is the place to be if you want to see what is happening in HVACR. There were 2000 exhibitors and 60,000 visitors. It really was impossible to see all the displays in one day. Companies and people involved in all aspects of HVACR were there.  I was particularly impressed by how well run and organized the show was. With that many people, I expected long lines for everything. The only lines were in the morning before the show opened. Even then, once the show opened people got in the show quickly. I arrived over an hour early the first day, expecting a long line at registration. Instead, it took me about 5 minutes. There were multiple free shuttle busses taking people to all the local hotels. The longest wait to get on a bus was less than 30 minutes. If you missed this year’s show make sure to plan to attend next year in Las Vegas. I guarantee you will not be disappointed.  

Thursday, January 14, 2016

Fundamentals of HVACR, 3rd edition is HERE!


The third edition of Fundamentals of HVACR is here! There are four new units in all. They include Motor Controls, Motor Application and Troubleshooting, Electrical Troubleshooting, and a unit on Mini-split, Multi-split, and Variable Refrigerant Flow Systems. The electrical section now boasts twelve chapters! The addition of the unit on Mini-split, Multi-split, and Variable Refrigerant Flow Systems has detailed coverage of the function, application, and installation for this critical and growing segment of the HVACR industry. Lots of updated art throughout with 2900 figures and 1540 pages. 

Sunday, January 10, 2016

Don't Lose Your Students in Techno-Speak

Many students find the large number of technical terms used in HVAC/R confusing. To the uninitiated, HVACR has its own language of technical jargon that can become a barrier to learning. Confusion over terminology can lead to not clearly understanding crucial concepts. This problem is compounded by the use of acronyms and abbreviations that are frequently used when discussing common topics. For example, one major valve manufacturer uses the acronym TEV to represent “thermostatic expansion valve,” while another uses the acronym TXV for the same thing. Instructors should try to keep techno-speak to a minimum. Instead try using, common, easily understood language whenever possible. Making a relatively simple concept seem highly technical by using an overabundance of jargon does not help students. There are plenty of truly difficult things as it is, we don’t need to make simple things complex.

Of course, students must still learn the HVACR language. Having a solid grasp of the terminology is necessary to make use of essential technical literature produced by equipment manufacturers. To encourage students to learn the language, use the complete word or phrase before introducing an acronym. It helps to explain concepts plainly, and then introduce the technical terminology that is used to refer to the concept. The students are more likely to remember the terminology if it is logically connected to something they understand. For example, I have found that students just starting to learn the operation of the refrigeration cycle often can recite the order of components, but they have not made the connection between the component names and what they do. It is much easier to remember “TEV” if you know that “TEV” is an acronym for “thermostatic expansion valve” and you know that the refrigerant expands as it goes through the thermostatic expansion valve. Most of the unique terminology in HVACR describes something and understanding what it is describing helps students retain it. I am not a proponent of giving students a long list of terms to memorize – I believe they should learn the terms as the topics come up so they can learn them in context. For example, to really understand what a transcritical system is, you need to understand a bit about the critical point and preferably refrigerant pressure-enthalpy diagrams. Then it is easy to point out that the high side of a transcritical system is above the critical point while the low side is below it. So the system operates across the critical point – thus; transcritical. Understanding where the term comes from is really important to remembering it and using it correctly.