Articles Tagged with ''troubleshooting and HVACR''

Humans simply can’t absorb new processes as fast as they become available. And newer recruits have even less time to learn old procedures and new techniques at the same time. Machines, however, have that capability.

The HVAC industry has seen a significant increase in thermostatic expansion valve (TXV) usage in the past decade. Even though TXVs are the most popular metering devices for residential air conditioning systems, there is still a lack of knowledge about TXV functionality in the market.

Blower motor breakdown can be the result of anything from old age to failed bearings, high amp draw, electrical failure in the windings, dirt accumulation, and more. Knowing how to troubleshoot and diagnose problems with these motors is an essential skill an HVAC technician must possess.

One person cannot be an expert in every type and design of refrigeration equipment in the industry, and even the most experienced technicians have questions they need answered. 

In this troubleshooting situation you are dealing with equipment that has only been in operation for two months. And during that time frame, the customer has complained that at times the box temperature is higher than it should be, but the unit then seems to recover and freeze OK.

Bob and Tim were on their first service call of the winter season. A customer wanted them to perform service on their furnace to make sure that the unit was in good working order for the winter. 

Bob and Tim were on a job where one of the other technicians had been having a hard time with a persistent leak. He thought the leak was somewhere in the indoor unit, but he could not pinpoint it.

Your role in this troubleshooting situation is a follow-up to visits by other technicians who responded to this customer’s complaint about the cost of operating their heat pump in the winter. Opinions offered so far range from a possibly failing reversing valve to improper use by the customer.

Bob and Tim were on their way to the shop on a hot Friday afternoon when Bob got a call on his cell phone from his wife who said, “The air conditioner is not working and my mom and dad are coming from out of town tonight. What are we going to do?”

A new customer called and wanted their commercial unit serviced. The customer was a retail store and the manager seemed to think that the unit was not performing up to standard. The unit would run most of the time, even in mild weather, and did not seem to cool the store as well as it should.