Author: clidzbarski@fieldpiece.com

Whether you’re just starting your career in HVACR, or you’re a seasoned veteran who’s seen it all, staying ahead of the learning curve is important. As emerging heating and cooling technologies hit the market, more advanced tools are developed to service new and existing tech. Also, ever-changing regulations play a critical role in how we work with refrigerants and within building codes. Staying ahead is key to being successful in this industry. Here are a few ways to ensure you are always at the top of your game.

1: Learn the software

Now more than ever, our industry is driven by its available technology. Calculations that used to require utilization of multiple devices and then doing math in a notebook are now done instantly by a few wireless tools and an app on our smartphones. Much like learning how to use a set of analog gauges, mastering these digital tools is essential to keep up with today’s era of HVACR.

The Job Link® App is a good example. It connects with devices hooked to a system for real-time diagnostics from up to 1000’ away, and calculates critical values instantly. Other apps like this can schedule jobs, dispatch workers, create customer invoices and save important customer information to be referenced instantly during future service calls. These apps continue to advance and make everyday tasks easier and faster for companies and their technicians, so understanding and fully utilizing them is of growing importance.

2: Pick up the latest tools

Beyond the standard analog classics, today’s HVACR techs are experiencing a shift in available technology. Wireless tools like psychrometers and pipe clamps are continuing to increase in popularity and modern vacuum pumps are now being built with features and capabilities not available in previous years. Tools like these that increase the speed of your job without sacrificing accuracy are tools that equal time saved, and additional earnings. Proper understanding of these advancements in industry technology can help a tech earn more and learn more on each job.

3: Hit the books — and the blogs

Keeping up with the latest news by reading industry-related publications is another way to stay on the cutting-edge of our industry. Frequently check sites like ESCO and NCI for articles on new technology, emerging industry trends, and the latest HVACR news as well as training resources. Many manufacturers also have blogs to help customers stay up to date with new product releases and new developments in heating and cooling—sharing information about how to maximize the tools they’ve designed. These sources of industry knowledge give an insider’s view into what’s happening and what’s coming.

4: Scour the Web

Last, yet another way to continue expanding your knowledge is to tap into some of the many online resources for HVACR technicians. If you’re looking for free resources, there are a number of podcasts and YouTube channels out there dedicated purely to the HVACR industry. Check out the Advanced Refrigeration Podcast,HVAC School on YouTube, and other online resources like the ACCA’s Official Site. Fieldpiece University is another place to find courses that are focused on educating technicians about new product developments and best practices, while at the same time earning NATE credits.

These are a few ways to stay ahead of the technology curve and make yourself a better HVACR tech and a better employee. So why not use them to your advantage? Be a master of your trade!

If you want to pick up some new tools, or check out more blog posts, visit www.Fieldpiece.com today.

If you’re heading out for a service check and want to make sure it goes quickly, pick up the Fieldpiece JL3KH6 – Job Link® System Charge and Air Kit. This convenient kit comes with six powerful tools to give you a full system snapshot quickly and easily — helping you diagnose any problems right away.

First, there are two Fieldpiece JL3PR – Job Link® System Pressure Probes that are great for squeezing into tight spaces. They’re designed to quickly connect onto suction and liquid lines for instant pressure measurements, and they’re ideal for servicing critically charged systems since they connect directly to the service port. There’s no need for a hose so there’s little to no refrigerant loss.

Next up are two Fieldpiece JL3PC – Job Link® Premium Pipe Clamp Probes that are built with our patented  Rapid Rail^® Sensor Technology. This innovation uses the electrically conductive pipe itself to complete the circuit and instantly measure the temperature inside the pipe — providing an accurate and stabilized reading in just a few seconds. They even perform on awkward or wet pipe configurations.

Lastly, there are two JL3RH – Job Link® System Flex Psychrometer Probes® that have long, flexible wands for taking easy measurements from any part of the system. Their convenient return and supply indicator switches make them simple to set up and help measure the dry bulb, wet bulb and dew point right away. Plus, their real time data readings make measuring Delta T a breeze.

All these tools working on their own would help any tech work smarter and faster. But, when you combine them as part of our Job Link® System, they work together to give you a birds-eye-view of the whole system. You’ll have instant access to their data from up to 1000’ away. The system also does the computations for you in real-time and helps diagnose any issues to make every service call even quicker.

Since we’re all about making life easier for HVACR techs, the JL3KH6 – Job Link® Charge and Air Kit also comes with a convenient padded case to keep your tools organized and protected on the go.

If you’re making service calls this season, make sure to pick up a Fieldpiece JL3KH6 and then get ready to schedule more appointments.

Whether it’s heating season or the fast-approaching cooling season, picking up new tools is about more than just having all the bells and whistles. At the end of the day, it’s about being armed with the tools you need to work smarter and to get jobs done faster—so you can achieve more in a day. Having the best possible equipment is about ensuring you’ve got the right tools for every job to help make every service call run smoothly.

Essential tools could range from a good screwdriver and a durable headlamp to powerful vacuum pumps and sophisticated software that gives a real-time view of an entire HVAC system.

• Let’s start with the simple stuff. Every bag should include the basics like pliers, hammers, wrenches, cutters and drills, as well as safety equipment to protect eyes, ears and more. These are things we all need for every service call.
• As far as tools that are specific to working with an A/C system during cooling season, a versatile and powerful vacuum pump is necessary as well as a digital vacuum gauge. Together, these tools make the process of pulling a vacuum faster and much more accurate. Newer pumps allow the tech to change oil while the pump is still running without losing pressure.
• A scale is next on your list of essentials, and a wireless refrigerant scale makes recharging a system even easier. Newer models are sturdy enough to handle large tanks and communicate wirelessly with a mobile device – giving a tech the ability to fully and accurately recharge a system while performing other maintenance at the same time.
• Also, pick up a new refrigerant leak detector. The latest technology has hyper-accurate sensors that sniff out small, hard-to-find leaks with ease. (We’re talking leaps and bounds better than soap bubbles.)
• To check airflow, wireless psychrometers make the job go smoothly. By attaching one on each side of the evaporator, it’s easy to take measurements like Delta T and TESP. And, since they’re wireless, they stay in place during the service call and show in real-time how other adjustments improve system airflow and overall performance.
• To check voltage coming from the street and in the system itself, a sturdy, safe clamp meter does the job nicely. They’ll alert a tech if there’s an electrical issue, and some newer models also show the system’s Kw/Hr usage. This can be a nice way of letting a homeowner know how much energy a service call is saving.

If you want to add any of these tools to your bag so you’re ready to roll for your next cooling season service call, check out the latest from Fieldpiece. Everything Fieldpiece builds is designed to help HVAC techs work better, faster and smarter through all seasons.

The Job Link® System offers some amazing and convenient tools for HVAC professionals. To help you make the most of these tools, we offer tons of free educational content on Fieldpiece University. This site is packed with resources to help you to advance your skills and utilize every awesome feature of our products.

One of the resources at Fieldpiece University is our breakdown of how the Fieldpiece SM380V SMAN Refrigerant Manifold 3-Port I Wireless works seamlessly with the Fieldpiece JL3RH Job Link® System Flex Psychrometer Probe® to make measuring the Delta T an easy process.

To measure the Delta T, start by attaching a couple JL3RH psychrometer probes to the system. One probe should be attached to the return side of the air handler and the other to the supply side. Be sure the psychrometer attached to the return is set to red and supply to blue.

Once they’re installed and turned on, connect them to the SM380V. To display Delta T on the manifold, press the “Air” button on the manifold and cycle to the “Dry Bulb” setting. On the screen, you’ll clearly see the return temperature and the supply temperature. The manifold automatically calculates the Delta T.

Along with calculating the Delta T, the manifold and probes provide the system’s target Delta T by automatically taking the air properties from the return wet and dry bulb and calculating what the Delta T should be given load conditions.

Ideally, measurements are taken at the air handler. However, if for some reason you are unable to take return and supply measurements there, the Job Link® System is adaptable. Because Job Link® System tools are wireless, they can be placed at return and supply vents inside a structure as well. Each probe magnetically attaches to an internal return or supply vent and still delivers all the measurements required to calculate Delta T or any other needed values.

Together, the SMAN and JL3RH wireless psychrometers relay their important information directly to the Job Link® System App—giving techs the ability to monitor measurements from anywhere on the job site and also quickly and easily generate Job Link® performance or maintenance PDF reports.

The flexibility of being fully wireless allows a tech to “be in multiple places at once” and work smarter, faster and more efficiently. Learn more at Fieldpiece University.

The advances made with wireless tools are some of the most exciting in our industry in a long time. Smart HVACR tools and applications like the Job Link® System App and family of tools are making work faster and smarter, while also allowing technicians to enjoy much greater precision while diagnosing and repairing a system.

Here are four ways smart tools change the game!

1. See the big picture

Since wireless tools offer seamless connections between digital manifolds, manometers, clamp meters and even scales, they allow technicians on a jobsite to see the big picture view of the system. Right from their mobile device, they see all the necessary data points to make a diagnosis—from superheat and subcooling to refrigerant pressure and more. This helps techs troubleshoot the system quickly and problem-solve with greater accuracy by bringing together disparate pieces of data to show how various adjustments impact performance.

2. There’s an app for that

The latest wireless HVACR tools, like those in the Job Link® System, work with apps on most iPhone and Android mobile devices. There’s no need for technicians to invest in a new piece of purpose-built technology to take advantage of this functionality. From the mobile device already in their pocket, techs are able to easily access information from across the jobsite while also enjoying quick reference to customer data stored in the cloud. This functionality offers greater accountability and transparency about the work being performed today and on previous service calls. Plus, Job Link is free to use! 

3. Put tools exactly where they’re needed

A wireless HVACR tool with a long range eliminates wasted time. Using traditional wired tools means a lot of hooking up and unhooking of a single probe or tool, making adjustments in one location and then walking back to check the reading, and so on. Also, some ideal locations for a probe could be far from an outlet or difficult to reach. Using a wireless manometer, temperature probe or pipe clamp, for example, allows the tech to choose the ideal location for a measurement. Once each tool is installed, they function independently while delivering data in real-time directly to the mobile device.

4. Lighter loads

Wireless tools not only remove the hassle of long extension cords and looking for outlets to plug them into, they also reduce the weight of the equipment that a tech needs to carry around a jobsite; not to mention, the number of trips up and down the ladder that they save.

Wireless tools help techs work smarter and faster. Pick up some of the latest innovations from Fieldpiece.