What Quality is Your Parachute

Imagine that you are about to embark on a skydiving adventure. When choosing your parachute, where are you going to look? Are you going to be shopping at “Surplus Universe”, online from “DIY Parachutes”, or looking for a deal on Craig’s list? Not me! I want to choose my parachute at a place where everyone there has actually used a parachute and knows how they work. The reason is obvious: my life depends on that choice.

What about a NASCAR race? Would you want the cheapest car available? Probably not, because you could not compete with the folks driving real professional grade cars. No matter how good your driving skills are, you won’t even qualify if you are driving a Yugo.

You should take the same attitude when choosing your tools for any trade, especially HVACR. For a trades person, your tools are your lifeline. Poor tools limit your ability to work and can be dangerous. For example, when using a volt meter, your hands are holding the leads through which the electricity is flowing. The only thing keeping you from being shocked is the insulation quality of the leads. You do not want to be using a meter that has not been tested by an independent agency for safety. For HVACR work, the meter should have a safety category rating of at least III  and that rating should be verified by an independent agency. Further, a meter designed expressly for HVAC will offer features not found on the bargain meter, such as capacitance or microamp testing. The “Yugo” meter won’t allow you to check the flame rod circuit, hampering your ability to do your job.

Yes, the professional grade HVACR specific meter will cost more – but your life depends upon the quality of that meter. I prefer to purchase tools from wholesalers that specialize in HVACR because the people there know more about the products that they sell. Many of the employees at an AC Wholesaler have actually used those tools. AC Wholesalers also tend to carry better quality products than the discount stores. Further, HVACR wholesalers generally don’t stock anything that is dangerous to use. If you want people to take you seriously, don’t show up with a bunch of tools from “Surplus Universe.”

Thank the Tool's Inventor

I love reading about the history of people who have made contributions to our industry. You might even say they have made major contributions to society. Think about a world without air conditioning, and then thank Willis Carrier. But contributions to society can be less grand than being known as the father of modern air conditioning. What about creating a tool which is used word wide every day? I would say that deserves recognition as well. It certainly does deserve my gratitude when I use the tool. We often use and take for granted tools and devices that someone before us created to make their life easier. They end up making life easier for a lot of us. They have made my word a better place.  Have you ever tried doing a job and NOT had the right tool? It is pretty frustrating. So when you use a tool that makes your life a bit easier and helps you accomplish more than you could without it, think about and thank its creator. I read a great article by Dan Holohan in the December 2014 issue of Plumbing & Mechanical magazine in which he traces the history of a very common tool, the Stillson wrench. If you are like me, you may be asking yourself – “What is a Stillson wrench?” I guarantee you have used one, only you might not know the correct name. You may call it a pipe wrench (as I often have.) Now think about how many pieces of pipe you have turned with a Stillson (pipe) wrench. How else would you have done that? It was invented by Daniel Chapman Stillson and patented by him on October 31, 1865. Next time you use one thank Mr. Stillson by calling it by its proper name, the Stillson wrench. He truly did make the world a better place.

If you want to know the back story on this incredibly useful tool, pick up a copy of the December issue of Plumbing & Mechanical magazine or visit their web site pmmag,com and read about the tool’s inventor.    

Tools for Success

HVACR mechanics rely on their tools for survival. It is not possible to install, service, or troubleshoot HVACR systems without tools. Having the correct tools for the job and knowing how to use them can be the difference between success and failure. Teaching tool use is more critical now than ever before. I have noticed an increasing number of students who are quite intelligent, do well in class, show genuine interest in our field, but struggle to perform fairly basic operations with hand tools. One student confessed to me after he graduated that he had never held a wrench until he took Air Conditioning. What he didn’t know was that it was fairly obvious. The good news is that his innate intelligence and strong work ethic allowed him to overcome this and go on to be successful. He took a job as a helper for one of the best refrigeration mechanics in town, who also happens to be a patient man. You see, the mechanic had cancer, and his ability to perform the physical part of the job was declining. The student became the hands and arms for a gifted mechanic, and in the course of a summer the student became proficient at using tools. He has stayed with that company for five years. He loves his job and the people he works with. If you have bright eyed, eager students from the “virtual generation” show them how to hold a wrench, give them lots of shop work to practice their tool use, and be patient with them. They could end up working with the best mechanic in town.

Teaching the Virtual Generation

Do you have students from the “virtual generation”? These are young people who are very bright, have great hand-eye coordination, but have never used a wrench because an increasing amount of their existence is online. They talk with their friends, do research, play games, and generally “live” online for a large part of their time. Studies have suggested that this actually improves their mental agility and problem solving skills, both valuable assets for service technicians. Unfortunately, their exposure and experience with real life tools and mechanics is limited to non-existent. HVAC/R mechanics rely on their tools for survival. It is not possible to install, service, or troubleshoot HVAC/R systems without tools. Having the correct tools for the job and knowing how to use them can be the difference between success and failure. That is why Fundamentals of HVAC/R devotes an entire section of the book to tools. The units in the Tools and Equipment section are:

Unit 9 Hand and Power Tools
Unit 10 Screws, Rivets, Staples, and Other Fasteners
Unit 11 Electrical Measuring and Testing Meters
Unit 12 Refrigerant System Servicing and Testing Equipment
Unit 13 Heating system Servicing and Testing Equipment
Unit 14 Calibration of Meters and Instruments

These units provide an overview of the tools used by technicians who perform HVAC/R work. The units are filled with high quality, full color photographs of the tools and equipment. These units not only show the tools, but also provide illustrations and descriptions showing how the tools are used. This is particularly important for more unusual tools. For example, the use of a duct stretcher is shown in Unit 9. Yes, there really is a tool called a duct stretcher!

One student confessed to me after he graduated that he had never held a wrench until he took my Air Conditioning class. What he didn’t know was that it was fairly obvious. The good news is that his innate intelligence and strong work ethic allowed him to overcome this and go on to be successful. We gave him lots of shop projects requiring tool use. We monitored, corrected, demonstrated, and advised as he progressed towards tool competence.

Before he graduated he took a job as a helper for one of the best refrigeration mechanics in town, who also happens to be a patient man. You see, the mechanic had cancer, and his ability to perform the physical part of the job was declining. The student became the hands and arms for a gifted mechanic. In the course of a summer became proficient at using tools. He has now been with that company for two years and loves his job and the people he works with. If you have bright eyed, eager students from the “virtual generation” show them how to hold a wrench, give them lots of shop work to practice their tool use, and be patient with them. They could end up working with the best mechanic in town.