Bluetooth Tools for HVAC

At the recent HVAC Excellence Instructor’s Conference there were many digital tools featuring Bluetooth connectivity on display. These tools allow you to use phone and tablet apps which take readings from the device as input. This can be as simple as just displaying a reading, or more helpful such as using the reading to perform a calculation. Most also allow the user to use their phone or tablet to send the information to someone else. Technicians can send real time readings to a service manager for consultations or document results to verify system operation. Most of the devices were measuring pressure and temperature. Of course, the Stride i-manifold was there. It was actually introduced last year. This year they have company. Fieldpiece has had wireless gauges longer than anyone else, but they used a proprietary signal. This year Fieldpiece was showing a set of digital gauges with Bluetooth and a Bluetooth wireless bridge to allow their older Fieldpiece wireless gauges to connect to Bluetooth.

 Yellow Jacket, Appion, and Sporlan all had pressure and temperature measurement tools which featured Bluetooth connectivity and apps designed to work with the tools. To be sure these are not manifolds, but pressure and temperature measurement tools. Appion had a trio of pressure gauges and a Vacuum gauge. Their gauges each have a digital display as well as sending Bluetooth information to your phone. They are “short” gauges with a short stem, allowing connection without filling a set of hoses with refrigerant. The Yellow Jacket Mantooth device is also a “short” gauge, but it has no display. Like the i-manifold, it relies on your phone or tablet for a display. The Mantooth consists of a digital pressure gauge with a tethered temperature clamp. Sporlan was showing off a set of digital pressure and temperature devices with Bluetooth connectivity. They also rely on the connected device for a display. 

All Bluetooth devices were not gauges - Fluke and UEI were showing Bluetooth enabled digital multi-meters and clamp amp meters. 

All these devices were showing apps designed to work with the device and extend its usefulness. Most can be freely downloaded. The i-manifold app is a killer app that is useful even if you don’t have an i-manifold. The Stride folks are hoping you will get tired of typing in the pressures and temperatures and pick up an i-manifold. One final consideration – If your gauges, multi-meter, thermometers, and vacuum gauge are all connecting to your phone while you work, you are going to need some extra juice to keep operating. You will need an extra battery pack or two for your phone, most phones won’t operate all day long without a recharge.  

Ghost Voltages

I know everyone who has used a digital meter has taken some measurements that don't always make sense. I believe we just learn to ignore them, recognizing the "real readings" from the junk. But when students see the odd readings, they become confused. Here is a great article by Fluke explaining what causes strange voltage readings when there really is no voltage.

GHOST READINGS

Why Meters Are Important

I am sometimes asked “Why should I buy …” (you fill in the expensive meter). Although I can usually come up with a good reason for any particular meter, the overall reason stays about the same: to make your job easier. Having the right tool makes all the difference. After you have beaten up a few fan blades and spent unproductive and frustrating time trying to bang blowers off of motor shafts, you realize that the money spent for a good hub puller is an investment in your time and sanity. The inexpensive socket sets from discount stores are common examples of tools that are not suited for heavy work. The handles are short, the ratchets strip, and the sockets crack. Yes, I have been there and done that. Having a quality tool that is rated for the job allows you to do jobs that just can’t be done with lesser tools. Meters and instruments are no different. You really can’t measure a vacuum without a vacuum gauge, and if you don’t measure it, you don’t know when or if you have a good vacuum. We deal in airflow, yet many technicians do not have any instruments for measuring airflow. Would you hire an electrician who did not own a volt meter? Good instruments allow us to do our job correctly, and more easily. They save time too. Rather than guessing what is going on, we can measure and know. I am not suggesting that just spending thousands of dollars on meters will make you a good technician, you still have to know how to use them. However, not having the instruments limits your ability to do your job. When considering a new meter or instrument, think about any potential time savings and what your time is worth. For example, if a leak detector does a better job at locating leaks, wouldn’t it be worth more to you than a less effective leak detector? There is another aspect of having good instrumentation – professionalism. Customers notice when you take measurements. When checking a low airflow complaint, I remember a customer remarking “the other guy just held his hand over the vent.” Having a tool and taking a measurement increased the customer’s confidence in me. It also allowed me to provide numbers showing the improvement in airflow. In a market that is increasingly customer service driven, using meters and instrumentation can help differentiate you from the pack.