Digital Data Recording and Reporting

A relatively new class of communicating digital tools makes it possible to share your readings electronically. They not only take accurate pressure and temperature readings, they can share those in an email with your supervisor, company, customer or energy utility. And many of these can take more than just refrigerant pressure and temperature readings. The Stride I-Manifold, Testo Smart Probes, Fieldpiece System Analyzer, Sporlan Smart Tools, Yellow Jacket Mantooth, and Appion ION gauges can all send data to your electronic devices, which then use free applications to create and send the reports. Some can collect information from a variety of instruments and report on them as well. For example, you can also get ambient temperature, indoor wet bulb, and indoor airflow. I am sure I probably missed a few.  The point is, tools are available now that can do more than collect data; they can help you organize it and report your results.

The reporting capability allows you to document what you have done. For example, you can produce before and after reports showing the system performance when you arrived and the system performance after you have made adjustments. You can also send reports to your supervisors if you need help. Some utilities have rebate programs which require that the contractor use a particular reporting setup. The idea is that the utility can verify that the system really is performing as designed by the manufacturer.

This is both exciting and a little bit intimidating. Until now, if you went on a call and checked the system performance, you were generally the only person that would see all the measurements and make the judgement. If you have checked more than a handful of systems, you know that checking system performance really is a judgement based on a lot of variables. And, you only have control of a few of those variables. It is not as simple as matching a couple of pressures and temperatures.

There is the outdoor temperature, the indoor temperature, the indoor wet bulb, the airflow across each coil; any one of which can make your system perform in a way you don’t expect. That is before issues such as plugged expansion valves, restricted filter driers, underperforming compressors, or installation errors. All of these things must be verified before adjusting the charge. It would be nice if we could just state a couple of pressures and/or temperatures and leave it at that, but that is not reality. Even manufacturer performance charts and tables assume a lot of this information. If just one value is off from the assumption, the manufacturer’s chart will not work.

So, if you ever needed any incentive to up your game when checking systems, having to send reports to supervisors, utilities, and customers should do the trick. Beer-can cold is just not good enough in an environment that expects documentation and verification. That is unless you plan to strap a can of Coors to the suction line and send in a photo of the color change. Here are a few links to check out these new-age tools.

Appion - http://www.appioninc.com/products/ptgauges.html
Fieldpiece - http://www.fieldpiece.com/products/detail/sman460-wireless-4-port-digital-manifold-with-micron-gauge/system-analyzers/
I-Manifold - http://imanifold.com/
Sporlan - https://sporlanonline.com/smart/
Testo - http://www.testo.us/smartprobes/index.jsp
Yellow Jacket - http://yellowjacket.com/product/mantooth-dual-pressure-wireless-digital-pt-gauge/

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.”

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.  

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.    

Do You Own a Backup Wrench?

I am often talking about new technology and recent trends in HVACR on this blog. Today I would like to discuss a rather old piece of technology – the backup wrench. If you work in mechanical trades and you don’t own a backup wrench, then you are my intended audience! A backup wrench is not used to reverse anything, and it does not have left handed threads. Backup wrenches are often specified by manufacturers when installing mechanical fittings, yet most techs do not have any wrenches in their tool box named a backup wrench. I have sometimes reminded students to use a backup wrench only to be told that they only have some open end wrenches and a couple of adjustable jaw wrenches – no backup wrenches. By now you hopefully have figured out I am pulling your leg. “Backup” does not describe a particular wrench, but how the wrench is used. The wrench is backing up the fixed part, keeping it from turning. When tightening a nut or fitting onto a valve or coil, you are often instructed to use a backup wrench. Many units have stickers on them stating: “use a backup wrench.” The backup wrench holds the fixed part in place, keeping it from twisting when the nut is tightened. Otherwise, it is quite possible to turn the fixed part once the nut is tight. This twists the copper tubing connected to the valve or coil connection, causing leaks and restrictions. Unfortunately, this is a common occurrence in school. Students try to “fix” a leaky flare with a 12” wrench and a hefty turn. Repairing the damage can be pretty tricky, and it is definitely time consuming. If you look carefully, most male flare connections have flats on them – that is where the backup wrench goes. One wrench goes on the fixed part and another goes on the part that is turning. That way you can control exactly what gets turned. So the next time you go to tighten a flare on a valve or coil, make sure to use a backup wrench. If you don’t have a backup wrench, send me $50 and I will send you one with instructions for using it.

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.

The Hand-O-Mometer

Most technician’s favorite instrument is the hand-o-mometer. They use it to measure air temperature, suction line temperature, liquid line temperature, air velocity, and airflow. A few even use their hand-o-mometer to measure voltage, although that is not recommended as it can fry the microprocessor. Yes, we grab the suction line to see if it is cold, we grab the liquid line to see if it is warm, we hold our hand over air outlets to see if we have good airflow. At times it seems like we are trying to heal the system by laying on of hands. I must admit, I do it too. I feel compelled to touch the unit. We are like Thomas – unless we put our hands on the suction line and in the air-stream, we will not believe. The problem is that hand-o-mometers take decades to calibrate. In truth, even the most experienced hand-o-mometer is just not very accurate at any of these readings. We can say that the fan is blowing, the unit is cooling, or the unit is heating using our hand-o-mometer. However, we can’t say for certain that a system is performing the way it should just because the suction line is cold and the air leaving the registers feels good. In the era of high energy costs and increased awareness of system efficiency, this is simply not good enough. Employers and customers are demanding accurate measurements – not just rough approximations.

The idea is to use accurate measuring instruments to take system operational data and compare the data with a standard provided by the equipment manufacturer or system designer. Then if the data does not fall within specified parameters, we analyze the cause, make adjustments, and take new measurements. I believe this takes three things: accurate instruments to take the measurements, a good understanding of how the system works, and the patience to perform service work correctly. In the end, you will save time doing things once the right way, instead of several "close enough" attempts. Brian Baker has suggested a phrase to me that sums this all up

“Diagnostic analysis is the rule, so use proper tools”

So my suggestion is that we start using accurate instruments to perform diagnostic analysis and use our hands for more important things, like holding a cold beverage at the end of the day or hugging our wife and kids.

New Age Digital Tools

I am a big fan of tools that make my work easier. Tools that improve your efficiency not only make your life easier, they make sense economically. The most expensive part of a service call is the service tech. Your time is more valuable that most of the parts you put on. I don’t mean what you receive in your paycheck, but what you cost the company. You cost more than the parts. Saving your time saves the company’s money. I know one contractor that understands this. He does not want techs trying to work with worn out or inappropriate tools. He understands that the time they spend trying to work with the wrong tool costs him money. So his company supplies all the tools for his techs and even replaces them when they are worn or lost. Today’s technicians can benefit from a wide array of technology driven new-age HVAC/R tools. Digital everything! Now technicians can use digital tools to measure pressure, temperature, superheat, subcooling, vacuum, relative humidity, dew point, wet bulb temperature, weight, air pressure, barometric pressure,  air speed, CO, CO2,  and combustion efficiency just to name a few. I did not even include all the electrical measurements available with today’s multi-meters. Indeed, there are many tools available that measure several system characteristics. I must admit that when I look through a catalog of a company that carries several lines of these tools I feel like a kid again looking through the toy section of Sears Christmas catalogue checking off every shiny toy. I want this, I want this, …It would be easy to spend $10,000 on inexpensive digital tools. But since that exceeds the weekly take home pay of your typical service tech, we have to make some choices. The parameters I use in deciding are

1. Does it do something that I need to do often?
2. Is it really superior and faster than what I do now, or is it just digital?
3. Can it do something that I can’t do now?

So by all means, arm yourself with an armada of new-age digital tools, but take time to assess what the new tool will do for you before you invest your paycheck. Otherwise, you could end up with a large collection of expensive digital toys.

If you would like to learn more about HVAC/R, check out Fundamentals of HVAC/R.

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.