Month: April 2023

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.