Many larger compressors in the refrigeration and air conditioning field have forced-oiling systems. These compressors are usually over 5 hp. They contain an oil pump located at the end of the compressor’s crankshaft. The crankshaft is actually connected to the oil pump and supplies power, which turns the oil pump.

In this month’s troubleshooting situation we’re taking you to a modular classroom with a heating/cooling unit that employs resistance-type elements for the heating mode, and a direct expansion system for cooling. The complaint is that there is “very little cooling” being accomplished.

The day has been cold and damp, and Bob has been called to do a routine checkup on a heat pump in a condominium complex. Most of the units in the complex are frosted over, but the unit that he is to service has a very different frost pattern. Bob is trying to figure out what’s going on when Btu Buddy appears to help him.

Historically, the two predominant motor types have been permanent split capacitor (PSC) single-speed motors and 2.3 electronically commutated motors (ECMs) with variable-speed capability. This article looks at and compares the benefits of constant torque motor technology.

The greatest energy cost reduction opportunity lies with the HVAC system - a facility’s largest discretionary source of energy demand and, thus, its highest controllable expense. Advancements in commercial energy efficiency systems have now made them far more affordable for small to mid-sized facilities.

Bob gets a service call where the owner says there is not enough heating at one end of an office building. With Btu Buddy's assistance, Bob checks the duct system and finds that a piece of duct liner is laying down in the duct blocking the airflow and he proceeds to correct the problem.

In this troubleshooting situation, we have a customer who is complaining about one of the bedrooms in their home, specifically that the gas furnace doesn’t warm the room properly. When you arrive, you find that the bedroom in question is the furthest from the furnace, and that the duct system is an extended plenum system.

Their last service call is continued as Bob and Btu Buddy meet for lunch at the restaurant where the call occurred to discuss dew point. The duct through the dining room was dripping because the duct surface temperature was below the dew point temperature of the room and moisture formed on the duct surface.

We probably heard it many times growing up, the old adage that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. When it comes to your customer’s HVAC system, preventive maintenance not only increases the life of the system, improves energy efficiency, and reduces pollutants, but it also saves homeowners money.

Bob gets a call from the dispatcher that a new customer, a restaurant, has some ductwork in the dining room that has been sweating during the lunch hour for the last several days and dripping on the customers. It is about lunchtime so Bob goes to the restaurant to check it out. Btu Buddy helps in solving the problem.