HVAC School - For Techs, By Techs

In this short podcast from the Bry-X stage of the 7th Annual HVACR Training Symposium, Matthew Taylor from Kalos Services introduces refrigeration pulse valves, which started as a solution for CO2 refrigeration systems and are now common in commercial refrigeration as a whole. He briefly explains how they work and describes their role in the refrigeration systems (and possibly commercial HVAC systems in the future!).
Refrigeration systems have moved away from electronic expansion valves (EEVs), which have been adopted by residential HVAC systems only recently, and have been using pulse valves instead. Pulse valves are also electronic expansion devices with fewer parts than EEVs (which often have stepper motors and complex electronics) and lower failure rates as a result.
Pulse valves have a pressure transducer and a temperature sensor that go on the suction line to calculate the superheat; these report to a controller that takes the data from those parts, calculates the superheat based on the refrigerant and programming, and controls the valve like an EEV. However, there are only two wires, and the controller turns the valve on or off (like a solenoid) instead of sending pulses out. Solenoids just open or close completely, but pulse valves have a port (oversized fixed orifice) through which liquid refrigerant passes; when the load changes, the controller merely sends power to open the valve when the load goes up and stops sending power to close the valve when the load goes down. The valve is open for a certain percentage, and the on/off function is open for that amount of time in a six-second duty cycle (and off for the remaining time); this is pulse-width modulation. They also work well with refrigerants that have glide.
However, pulse valves have some challenges. They may have issues in cases where we have very long evaporators, as there are delays between what happens between the inlet and outlet. Having multiple, shorter evaporators is a common solution to this problem, and these designs are more efficient in general (especially when they can be used with efficient refrigerants that move slowly through the evaporator). Pulse valves also require a computer (though EEV ones are similar), and are less serviceable than other valves; some may require technicians to take the valve apart to take the screen out, which requires replacement O-rings and gaskets. They are also noisy enough for customers to hear them.
 
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In this candid team meeting, Bryan — a founder of Kalos Services and a veteran of residential HVAC — gathers his install crew to have an honest conversation about what goes wrong on the job. With summer around the corner and the workload about to spike, Bryan circles back to his roots in residential HVAC to lead a round-table discussion on the pain points his technicians face every single day. Rather than pointing fingers, he opens the floor for every team member to voice the specific frustrations that slow down their installs, and what emerges is a surprisingly consistent list: size and clearance problems, missing small materials, incomplete job photos, and last-minute schedule changes that leave crews scrambling before they even pull out of the shop.
Bryan draws on his own humble origins as a one-man operation hauling equipment on a Gladiator trailer — doing installs, service calls, and waste runs all in the same day — to remind his team that chaos is not inevitable; it is the byproduct of poor process. He is refreshingly self-aware, admitting that he was a very bad installer who routinely showed up with equipment that did not fit the space. That honesty sets the tone for the entire session: this is not a lecture about accountability, but a collaborative problem-solving conversation about building repeatable systems that prevent the same mistakes from happening over and over again. As Bryan frames it, the definition of insanity is doing the same thing and expecting a different result — and right now, the team is living that cycle.
The heart of the session focuses on a three-phase planning framework: what should be done the night before a job, what should happen at the shop before the crew leaves, and what needs to occur during the first 30 minutes on-site. Bryan emphasizes that skipping proper measurements and job photos should carry the same weight as failing an inspection or leaving a refrigerant leak — because the downstream cost is just as real. He breaks down the two categories of mistakes that are truly unacceptable for any installer: refrigerant leaks from improper brazing, and water leaks from poorly executed drain lines. No amount of clean workmanship makes up for either of those failures, and he walks the crew through the non-negotiable steps — pressure testing and bubble solution on every single joint — that prevent them.
Bryan wraps up by tying individual preparation habits to the bigger picture of company growth. He acknowledges that last-minute installs and mid-job equipment runs may never fully disappear, but that investing 15 minutes the evening before and 30 minutes on arrival creates a compounding tipping point effect — over time, the crew gains back hours, reduces surprises, and frees up the time that matters most: commissioning the system properly. Checklists, he argues, are not about turning skilled tradespeople into robots; they are about transferring institutional knowledge to the next generation of technicians and ensuring that nothing critical gets overlooked, no matter how many times you have done the job before.
Topics Covered
Common install-day problems surfaced in a round-table with the install crew
Equipment size and clearance issues — why measurements matter before the truck leaves the shop
The critical role of detailed job photos in preventing on-site surprises
Missing small materials (wire nuts, spray foam, surge protectors, breakers) and how to stock proactively
Scope and de-scope review: aligning the proposal with the homeowner before work begins
Bryan's three-phase planning framework: the night before, at the shop, and on arrival
Why refrigerant leaks and drain-line failures are the two non-negotiable mistakes to eliminate
Pressure testing and bubble solution as a standard, every-joint practice
The role of checklists in training new technicians and preserving institutional knowledge
Handling last-minute installs and the logistics of getting equipment to the job site
Condenser access obstacles — bushes, parking, property layout — and how to communicate with homeowners
Faulty or missing parts out of the box and strategies for catching them early
Panel rework and surprise platform rebuilds: planning for the unexpected
How improved preparation leads to better commissioning time at the end of every job
Building a culture of process over blame — poor planning is a system problem, not a people problem


Have a question that you want us to answer on the podcast? Submit your questions at https://www.speakpipe.com/hvacschool.
Purchase your tickets or learn more about the 7th Annual HVACR Training Symposium at https://hvacrschool.com/symposium.
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In this short podcast from the Bry-X stage of the 7th Annual HVAC/R Training Symposium, Ty Branaman and Leilani Orr talk about how to teach kids the trades. They share lessons they've learned from the GRIT Foundation and over their careers as trades and home educators. Their approaches have evolved over the years, and GRIT has also evolved quite a bit from its beginnings.
Leilani and Ty have found that the Socratic method is great for getting students to think critically; instead of spoon-feeding answers, teachers ask the students "why" and "how" questions. In GRIT Camps, mentors are there to keep students safe and guide them when needed, but mentors ultimately let students make mistakes and figure things out on their own. Students often make leaky joints when they braze for the first time, but it's their first time holding torches and most of the tools used at GRIT Camp.
Making mistakes is crucial to the learning process. The mistakes we (and the students) make with our own hands also stick with us more than being told how to do a task the right way. Then, when students struggle, we can ask if they want to know a shortcut; they give their mentors permission to show them the right way. This method builds curiosity, and it allows students to get excited about a career in the trades or realize that the trades aren't for them but still walk away with hands-on skills and a newfound respect for the trades.
Many tradespeople take the trade skills they learned as children for granted, as many children nowadays don't develop the same hands-on skills. The GRIT Foundation has a course that teaches mentors to teach students those hands-on skills that already seem like second nature to them. Even so, the course is just a guide, not something that needs to be followed to the letter. Many of the concepts taught in the guide and that mentors use at GRIT Camp also apply to apprentices.
 
Learn more about the GRIT Foundation at https://www.thegritfoundation.com/.
Have a question that you want us to answer on the podcast? Submit your questions at https://www.speakpipe.com/hvacschool.
Purchase your tickets or learn more about the 7th Annual HVACR Training Symposium at https://hvacrschool.com/symposium.
Subscribe to our podcast on your iPhone or Android.
Subscribe to our YouTube channel.
Check out our handy calculators here or on the HVAC School Mobile App for Apple and Android.

In this episode, Brad Cooper — second-generation HVAC technician, educator at Arkansas State University-Beebe (ASUBB), and CMHE-certified professional with HVAC Excellence — breaks down geothermal systems for everyday HVAC technicians. Brad brings a grounded, no-hype perspective to a technology that has long intimidated many in the trade. His central message is simple: if you already understand heat pumps and air conditioning, you already have most of the knowledge you need to service geothermal units. The only real difference, as Brad explains, is swapping air for water, a fan for a pump, and a condenser for two heat exchangers.
Brad opens with a compelling real-world story: a customer with two malfunctioning geothermal units called a company for help, but because the technicians were unfamiliar with geothermal systems, they replaced both units with air-to-air equipment — costing the customer $25,000 and stripping them of the significant efficiency benefits geothermal provides. This kind of outcome is exactly what Brad wants to prevent. He urges technicians not to shy away from geothermal work the way past generations were told to avoid flex duct or mobile homes, but instead to approach these systems with the same confidence and diagnostic mindset they bring to any HVAC call.
A major portion of the episode is devoted to practical diagnostics — specifically, how to use a pressure probe and a temperature probe on the water side to calculate GPM flow, BTU output, and system efficiency using a straightforward chart. Brad walks listeners through the math: a gallon of water weighs 8.34 pounds, multiplied by flow rate and delta T, gives you a reliable BTU reading — all without expensive equipment. He also covers the flush cart, the one specialized tool you'll eventually need for water-side work, and explains that most geothermal calls don't require it at all — the majority of failures are standard heat pump issues like bad capacitors, clogged drain lines, or faulty thermostats.
Brad closes with an encouraging, community-minded message: you don't need to go it alone. He encourages technicians to build a network of mentors — someone like a "Paul and a Barnabas" — who can guide them through unfamiliar territory in the field. He also highlights key industry resources, including IGSHPA (International Ground Source Heat Pump Association) for training and certification, GeoFlow for parts and materials, and his brother's company, EDGE Geo Supply, for tools and field training. Brad himself offers his personal phone number and email for anyone with questions, reinforcing that the geothermal community is accessible and willing to help.
Topics Covered
•       Brad's background as a second-generation HVAC tech and his role at ASUBB and HVAC School
•       Why geothermal systems intimidate technicians — and why they shouldn't
•       The core analogy: air-to-air vs. geothermal (air → water, fan → pump, condenser → two heat exchangers)
•       A $25,000 cautionary tale: replacing working geo units out of fear and unfamiliarity
•       Geothermal efficiency: constant EER ratings vs. seasonal SEER ratings and why seasons don't affect geo performance
•       BTU fundamentals: what a BTU is and how to calculate BTU output on the water side
•       Tonnage review: 1 ton = 12,000 BTUs per hour, melting a ton of ice in 24 hours
•       Water weight and flow math: 8.34 lbs/gallon, calculating GPM and BTUs with delta T
•       Using a two-probe setup (pressure + temperature) and a field chart to diagnose water-side performance
•       The flush cart: what it is, when you need it, and why most jobs won't require it
•       Common heat pump-side failures in geo units: capacitors, low-pressure switches, evaporator coils, bad thermostats
•       Common water-side failures: bad pump, low water, dirty water, frozen loop field
•       How antifreeze/glycol affects heating load and BTU output — and when to add it
•       Responding to frozen loop fields during extreme cold events (ice storms in Arkansas and Texas)
•       Humidity control advantages of geothermal in high-humidity climates vs. high-efficiency air-to-air units
•       Selecting the right system: geo isn't for every home or every situation
•       Open-loop options: pulling water from lakes or rivers and utility company incentives
•       Closed-loop installation considerations: drilling costs, lot size, and buried line depths
•       Building a mentor network for field support (the "Paul and Barnabas" principle)
•       Industry resources: IGSHPA for training and certification, GeoFlow, and Edge Geo Supply
 
Have a question that you want us to answer on the podcast? Submit your questions at https://www.speakpipe.com/hvacschool.
Purchase your tickets or learn more about the 7th Annual HVACR Training Symposium at https://hvacrschool.com/symposium.
Subscribe to our podcast on your iPhone or Android.
Subscribe to our YouTube channel.
Check out our handy calculators here or on the HVAC School Mobile App for Apple and Android.

In this short podcast, Ruchir Shah and Dan Riggs from SkillCat talk about how to make online training that does not suck! They talk about how to develop training that is relevant to the trades and can be applied in real-world trade work.
The skill gap is widening in the trades, especially as shortages grow when people retire and it becomes more difficult to hire qualified new people. Hiring apprentices with little experience also has costs associated with it, and SkillCat aims to address the training reasons for the skill gap and provide the needed accreditation for trades like HVAC (including EPA 608). After receiving feedback that the curriculum was too theoretical and could do better in the applied learning areas, the SkillCat team has been revamping the training program with a skill map. 
Now, there are partnerships with trade educators, more interactive videos, and interactive virtual activities to create a more relevant learning experience. There are now kits that SkillCat ships out to trainees, and assignments have offline proctors who verify all submitted materials and online activities to ensure that the trainees' submissions align with real field conditions and expectations. The goal is to have trainees who enter the field and can be fully functional helpers with a basic tool kit and enough working field knowledge to identify system components and perform basic tasks, bringing value to employers from day one. SkillCat is going to be piloting a new training program with a mentorship component as well.
 
Learn more about SkillCat at https://www.skillcatapp.com/ and the GRIT Foundation at https://www.thegritfoundation.com/. 
Have a question that you want us to answer on the podcast? Submit your questions at https://www.speakpipe.com/hvacschool.
Purchase your tickets or learn more about the 7th Annual HVACR Training Symposium at https://hvacrschool.com/symposium.
Subscribe to our podcast on your iPhone or Android.
Subscribe to our YouTube channel.
Check out our handy calculators here or on the HVAC School Mobile App for Apple and Android.