Courage

On this Memorial Day weekend we set aside time to remember the men and women who have given their lives for their country. The bravery and courage of our fallen heroes will be mentioned in speeches, songs, and gatherings all across the country. In a culture steeped in action movies with larger than life characters portrayed by the likes of John Wayne and Sylvester Stallone, it is easy to imagine that the men and women serving in our armed forces are fearless; caring nothing for their personal safety as they conquer the forces of evil in the world. However, courage is not the absence of fear. Courage is fully understanding the peril about you and proceeding anyway to perform your duty. The brave men and women who gave their lives were not cinematic action figures, immune to pain, suffering, or terror. They felt fatigue, pain, anguish, and fear the same as any of us do. Despite all these very human feelings, they found the courage to perform their duty. I hope on this Memorial Day we will also find time to pray for the brave men and women serving around the globe. Every day, fully aware of the peril, they overcome their fatigue, pain, anguish, and fear to perform their duty. That is courage far beyond Rambo. 

Simple Troubleshooting

One of the problems with knowing a lot about possible complex issues is that we tend to look for complex solutions to simple problems. After learning how to measure superheat and adjust expansion valves, we send to see every problem as a problem with the TEV. This is similar to buying a car that you swore you never saw on the road before, and then by next week you notice every other car seems to look like yours. Our brains have a kind of data pre-fetch routine that tries to speed up our recognition of our surroundings that leads us to jump to conclusions. It is just how we are wired. Recognizing this, we need a system to prevent us from confusing ourselves by making incorrect assumptions based on very limited input. This is one of the reasons that systematic troubleshooting saves time in the long run. Having a system helps us avoid the temptation to solve the problem by guessing. Although there are many ways to approach a problem, I try to remember to check easy things first. If you are going to run down a list of things to check first, at least make sure the list includes simple things that don’t take long to check and should normally be checked anyway. For example, it is never wrong to check the air filter. You really should always do this anyway, and trying to check the system operation with a dirty air filter just wastes time. Dirty air filters reduce the airflow, causing a host of other problems such as low superheat, floodback to the compressor, furnaces cycling on the limit, burned heat strips, and generally poor heating and cooling performance. Similarly, it never hurts to take a look at the condenser coil to make sure it is clean. Dirty condenser coils can lead to units tripping on high pressure switches and compressor internal overloads opening. Always check to see that the thermostat is actually set to bring the unit on. Don’t assume that the thermostat is set correctly. Customers often don’t know how to set their thermostats, especially with the newer electronic thermostats. If the thermostat uses batteries, a fresh set of batteries will often cure a thermostat that is acting erratically. While you are at the thermostat, set the fan switch to on. If the fan comes on, you know that you have power to the indoor unit and also control voltage. With digital thermostats that have batteries, seeing a display on the thermostat does not necessarily mean you have control voltage because the display can operate from the batteries alone. If a unit will not operate, you need to check power to the unit first, and then check control voltage. The problem will often become apparent during these initial checks. Even if the problem is not discovered during these preliminary observations, you have eliminated many common problems in a relatively short period of time.

YO MOMMA

Nobody loves you like your momma. Regardless of your shortcomings, failings, or mistakes – your momma loves you. Perhaps that is why “yo momma” put downs are so successful at stirring people up. We all know that our momma is the one person in this world that loves us unconditionally. Attacking our momma is worse than attacking us. I am an expert on mommas because I have one and I am married to another.  Mommas are the toughest people on earth. Only a momma can endure nine months of physical hardship leading up to birth. A weaker being would not make it. The reward for enduring months of physically exhausting body changes is birth: the most physically excruciating event a human can experience. How do I know this? I was with my wife both times when she gave birth to our two beautiful children. She endured 24 hours of labor – the first 12 hours with no drugs – just backrubs. The final 12 hours with intravenous narcotics to “take the edge off.” I am pretty sure I could not have done that. Like I said – mommas are tough. Nobody is more interested in your well being than your momma. I know my own mother kept me from harm more than once when I was too stupid to recognize the life hazards before me. I specifically remember her sternly warning me to keep out of the old television set in the basement – telling me that you could receive a fatal electrical shock even if the set was unplugged. I thought, but did not dare say: “That is stupid. You can’t possible get shocked if it is not plugged in.” Neither I nor momma knew anything about capacitors, but she had read that experimenting inside the TV was dangerous, so she kept me away. Years later I learned that CRT screens had large capacitors capable of holding thousands of volts – enough to deliver a fatal shock! Momma was right! Momma knows things you don’t even if she can’t explain them. Your momma is more interested in your success than you are. At a recent high school honors night it was revealed that my son was tenth in a class of approximately 300. He thought that was pretty good. His momma wanted to know why he was so far down the list. She knows that he is extremely talented and has been coasting a bit. His sister just graduated from Vanderbilt with a degree in Biomedical Engineering and has accepted a job making more than I did after 20 years of teaching. I noticed that the proudest people with the broadest grins were not the graduates, but the mommas, witnessing the fruits of many years of labor. So let me tell you what I know about your momma – Yo Momma is AWESOME!       

Free Online HVACR Resources

Often, free advice is not worth what you pay for it. However, the HVACR Industry is full of philanthropists. There are many examples in our industry where people who really know what they are talking about offer help and information to the rest of us in the industry. This information is aimed at professionals in the HVACR industry, not DIY folks. I thought I would share some of the really helpful information I have been fortunate enough to find.

First, TruTech Tools offers a downloadable pdf book on combustion testing “Combustion Analysis of Gas and Oil Appliances” http://www.trutechtools.com/CombustionGuide
It is well written and very informative. While you are on their site you might look around – they have lots of the latest high-end HVACR tools. Just browsing their site is somewhat of an educational experience.

Yellow Jacket offers articles and instructional videos on using their tools an instruments at the “Yellow Jacket University” http://yellowjacketuniversity.com/
Of course they are showing you how to use their stuff, but the articles and videos are well done and information with just a bit of add.
  
On the ACCA site you can download free speedsheets. These speedsheets are excel files designed for using several of their more popular manuals, including J, N, S and D. https://www.acca.org/industry/system-design/speedsheets
Note that these do not replace the manuals. Rather, they are to be used in conjunction with the manuals. I use the Manual J speedsheet  to teach load studies. There is a little bit of a learning curve for the students, but really far less than with the traditional paper spreadsheets.

For a full package, you can download fully functional demos of EliteSoft design software on their web site http://www.elitesoft.com/web/prices/elite_order_info.html
Yes, they want to sell you something, but they are willing to let you use it first before you invest. Their software does the heavy lifting for you, and many people find that worth the cost.

And one of my favorite free resources is the NIOSH Safety and Health for Electrical Trades Student Manual available at http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/docs/2009-113/

FREE MONEY!

I heard the other day that some friends of mine have a problem – they have too much money and not enough people interested in taking it off their hands. AHRI has established the REES scholarship program to encourage people to go into the HVACR field. The scholarship is named after Ted Rees, a longtime president of ARI. Money has been donated by many AHRI member companies as well as other businesses in the HVACR trades. Why? Specifically to address a critical shortage of trained technicians the HVACR field. They need applicants for the scholarships. So lets see – they will pay you to study a field with a chronic lack of trained people so you can earn a good income when you graduate. In a time when jobs are hard to get, and college costs are high, here is an industry willing to pony up cash as an incentive to train for a profession with a true career ladder, good paying jobs, and very good employment prospects upon graduation. These jobs cannot be outsourced, they will not be replaced by automation, and they require education and training to perform – you won’t be replaced by unskilled laborers. HVACR jobs are nationwide – really world-wide, so you are not tied to a particular company or location. There are many types of positions, so advancement is common. To find out more about what you can do to apply for a REES Scholarship, check out http://www.reesscholarship.org/

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.

The Successful Interview

Spring is the time that many HVACR firms start looking for help. Happily, this coincides with students graduating from colleges and trade schools looking for jobs. Now would be a good time for anyone who will soon be in the job market to think about the reasons someone should hire you. Remember, nobody but your mother will hire you just to give you a regular income or make sure you have health insurance. They hire you because you can solve problems, make money, or both. So ask yourself, “What can I do for my future employer?” Some little things can be important, such as showing up every day on time, being pleasant to work with, and applying yourself to the task at hand. However, none of these things separate you from the long line of applicants with no particular training. If you are just graduating from school, you have demonstrated the ability and desire to learn about HVACR. If you have taken any third party certifications, you have demonstrated some command of the terminology and concepts involved in HVACR. Both of these effectively separate you from the unskilled crowd. Speaking of certifications, you should not even consider applying for a job until you have taken and passed the EPA Certification. Having it will not land you a great job, but NOT having it can keep an employer from hiring you. Without the EPA certification you cannot legally do much besides manual labor – effectively putting you back into competition with the unskilled crowd. You should be prepared to demonstrate your knowledge. Many employers give tests. One told me that he asks any prospective employee to draw a basic refrigeration cycle, label the components, and describe the refrigerant states in each part of the system. If they can’t, the interview is over. You should also be able to confidently explain how to use a PT Chart and measure superheat and subcooling. On the electrical side, you should be able to read a schematic and recognize common electrical symbols. You should be able to check common electrical components with an ohm meter and wire a basic circuit. Your personality during the interview process is essential. You should be positive with a can-do attitude. HVACR involves a lot of interaction with people. One employer told me that the first impression he got of the person interviewing was the way he imagined they would look to his customers as well. If he did not like what he saw or heard, there was really no chance the person would be hired. Now is not the time to be shy or humble. The interview is your opportunity to convince the employer that you can perform. Don’t try to pretend you can do things that you can’t do, but don’t expect the interviewer to discover how wonderful you are completely on their own. If you wait for the world to discover how great you are, you might be waiting a while. It is a harsh fact of life that the employer is only considering what you can do for them. It is up to you to show them.