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A Great Resource for the Nitty Gritty of HVAC

Hvac-school-for-techs-by-techs

I love to share good resources and here’s one you need to know about if you’re interested in the nitty gritty of HVAC systems.  I’m talking about HVAC School, with their various channels like their daily Tech Tips email, YouTube videos, quizzes, and a podcast.  It’s all free.

Bryan Orr (shown below) is the mastermind behind all this and he does a fabulous job with it.  I’ve been a subscriber for a little while now and really enjoy seeing the range of topics that hit my inbox on a daily basis.  He’s sent practical articles like a series on how to lift heavy objects (something required of every HVAC tech), troubleshooting electronically commutated motors (ECMs), and how to splice wires properly.  Heck.  He’s even done an article on how to use various types of wrenches.

But he also gets into the science and engineering behind the day-to-day HVAC products and technology.  He’s run articles on Bernoulli’s principle (with a video I made in 2010), refrigeration cycle basics, and the unit of pressure known as the micron.  And once in a while he does something extra clever, like his piece this week titled Work Vehicle Entropy, which even includes a pressure-enthalpy graph of the refrigeration cycle.

He and Matt Risinger were both at the Humid Climate Conference in Austin this year and took turns interviewing each other for their respective YouTube shows.  Here’s Matt interviewing Bryan about dehumidification:

And here’s a video from HVAC School with the roles reversed, Bryan Orr interviewing Matt Risinger.

The world of building science is filled with people who have a lot of different backgrounds:  energy auditors/raters, contractors, restoration specialists, architects, engineers, HVAC pros, and recovering academics.  Many of the non-HVAC pros don’t know a whole lot about mechanical systems and this is a great way to fill in some of the missing pieces in your education. 

The HVAC School tagline may be “For Techs – By Techs,” but anyone can go in and learn some new stuff from this great, free resource.  Go there and subscribe today.

 

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This Post Has 3 Comments

  1. Bryan is a great resource for
    Bryan is a great resource for knowledge and reliable information.

  2. Q about the TXV.
    Q about the TXV.

    If the duct system contains a bypass damper which routes excess air back into the return will the TXV reduce/eliminate the amount of liquid refrigerant heading back into to the compressor?

    I’m thinking that the reason my compressor failed years ago wasn’t due to the fact that the system didn’t have a TXV.

  3. This video clip could have
    This video clip could have been designed just for coastal North Carolina. Because I build hurricane resistant untra-tight houses, I am concerned with humidity year round and especially during the swing months in Spring and Fall when our HVAC systems seldom run at all. I have used the UltraAire dehumidifiers in several homes, but recently have tried the Aprilaire units for lower cost and much quieter operation(UltraAire can induce low frequency into the structure). In my personal home, we set the thermostats at 78 degrees and dehumidistat at 45 percent. Perfectly comfortable and my wife even uses a blanket sometimes in the evening while watching TV. I figure being able to run the AC at a higher temperature uses less electricity and helps make up for added usage from the dehumidifier. I have not been able to find an HVAC system that can achieve dehumidification during those swing months and not cool the house down too much. Unlike a dehumidifier, AC dumps the heat outside and thus has to drop indoor temperature to work. Great topic. Thanks.

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