Temperatures during the spring can be all over the place. One day it’s 70 degrees outside, and the next day it’s 30. These wild shifts in weather can make heat pumps – which work much differently than boilers or furnaces – work harder than they need to.

As you know, in climates with mild winters, an air-source heat pump can operate at high efficiency all winter long. This can save money for the homeowner due to reduced energy costs. However, when the temperature drops below 40 degrees, generally an air-source heat pump will not operate as efficiently.

Here are a few ways that you can help customers with HVAC heat pumps save money heating their homes during the spring and fall seasons:

• One way you can help is to optimize airflow direction in their system. If you’re heating a home, you want to direct the air to blow towards the floor and away from the occupants. This will evenly heat their home, avoid cold drafts and help them be more comfortable. For the warmer summer months, redirect the airflow up towards the occupants.
• Another way to ensure a system runs efficiently is to clean the dust filters. If the air flow is restricted, the heat pump needs to work harder and runs less efficiently. Filters should be cleaned often as a matter of protocol, but they should definitely be cleaned right away if the heat pump’s indicator light is on or the filters are visibly dirty.
• If your customer has an outdoor unit, keep it clear of shrubs, leaves or sticks—even making sure that debris are removed from the fins—to help the unit receive air more easily and run more smoothly.
• Lastly, make sure the unit has the correct refrigerant charge. Doing so will ensure that the system runs at its optimal efficiency so it will keep running throughout the season.

You can also add a back-up heating option for customers who rely too much on their heat pump. If temperatures are typically below 30 degrees, their heat pump may not be enough to keep the house warm.

One back-up option is electric heat strips inside the ducts that can turn on when needed and will add more heat to the flowing air. If your customer has a natural gas connection, they can add a natural gas furnace, which would be more efficient than electric strips but can be costly to install.

To aid in your service call, pick up a Job Link System Charge and Air Kit (JL3KH6). It helps you quickly and easily take a full system snapshot. You’ll know the pressures and temps right away. You can also use the Wireless Power Clamp meter (SC680) to troubleshoot electrical issues you may come across.

Hopefully these tips help you on your next service call and keep your customers’ HVAC heat pumps running strong.

As an industry, keeping things at proper temperatures is what we do best. We understand the importance of making sure that refrigerators and freezers in restaurants and grocery stores are leak-free and running at optimum efficiency. We also know how important cold storage is at hospitals, pharmacies and research labs.

Today, as the world battles COVID-19, supplies of some vaccines need to be stored at ultra-cold temperatures. To maintain these temperature levels, cold storage systems are working harder than ever. That is why keeping them maintained and knowing when they might be leaking is critical.

Even the smallest leak can have disastrous consequences. In todays’ world, a leak could lead to more than just lost refrigerant. It could lead to lost vaccines, and ultimately lost lives.

Now, as outdoor temperatures start to get warmer, freezers need to work even harder to maintain their ultra-cold temperatures. Especially in critically charged small systems, tiny leaks that went unnoticed in the winter could turn into big problems in the summer when refrigerant runs out and freezers can no longer keep up.

After all, refrigeration equipment can be poorly installed resulting in a high failure rate. Add the impacts of running hard during the hot summer months, and you have a perfect storm. That is why accurate system diagnosis is critical to a healthy, cost-efficient system. Pinhole leaks must be found, fittings must be tightened and every system’s integrity must be maintained.

Fieldpiece’s latest leak detectors boast a level of sensitivity that can find leaks <0.03 oz/yr. Yes, that is a tiny leak. They are sensitive enough to detect the slight changes in concentration that occur in the area around leaks, and trigger on CFC, HFC, HCFC and other common blends. They are also smart enough to not false trigger on moisture or oil. Plus, their flashing, lighted tip can squeeze into tight spaces.

If you are in the business of maintaining commercial freezers that hold precious vaccines, put a Fieldpiece DR82 Infrared Refrigerant Leak Detector in your bag. You’ll do more than save refrigerant. You’ll help us battle COVID-19.

Check out the DR82 Infrared Refrigerant Leak Detector right now.

Spring has sprung around the country. That means it’s prime time for you to perform maintenance checks on all of your customers’ A/C systems. Annual checks are critical, and if you aren’t already making maintenance calls, you need to start right now.

It makes sense that spring is the best time for this kind of work. It’ll be hot before you know it, and your customers would much rather you visit to service their A/C system on a cool, rainy April morning instead of a sweltering July afternoon. Whether you’re calling on residential or commercial customers, they’ll appreciate that you’re looking out for their comfort.

When you perform spring maintenance, you’ll give your customers assurance that their A/C units are performing at optimum efficiency. After all, systems that run poorly do more than waste energy – they also have shorter lifespans and are prone to breakdowns and costly repairs. That’s not what they want in the middle of August. If your customers want systems that run better and for a longer time, a spring maintenance check should be on their schedule.

Along with replacing air filters, and cleaning the evaporator and condenser coils, a maintenance check can look into the system itself to root out potential problems. Fieldpiece offers a host of diagnostic tools that allow you to quickly assess the health of a system.

Because we only produce HVACR diagnosing and testing equipment, our tools are specifically designed to inspect every component found on A/C systems. These range from SM480V Wireless 4-Port SMAN® Refrigerant Manifolds; to JL3PR Job Link® System Pressure Probes; to JL3PC Job Link® System Pipe Clamps. All of these products offer wireless convenience, industry-defining innovations, and off-the-charts accuracy.

If you’re getting ready to perform some spring maintenance, we offer the widest selection of HVACR tools on the market and everything from Fieldpiece is ideal for service technicians looking to offer best-in-class service repairs and maintenance. You’ll be able to deliver top-notch results, hassle-free, so that you can be a master of the trade.

If this continues, we’re going to need a bigger product catalog. At Fieldpiece, our portfolio continues to expand. Whether you want to recover refrigerant lightning fast, pull a complete vacuum with confidence, measure pressures without being tied down by cumbersome hoses or diagnose a complex system without the run-around – we have you covered. Our full range of market-leading tools are designed exclusively with HVACRs in mind. While each instrument we craft is unique, they all have one thing in common: They’re designed to make the work of the HVACR professional easier, faster and better. 

How do we make sure of this? We’re always asking questions of HVACR professionals. We go out in the field and test in real conditions to understand exactly the tools you need to get the job done right. We know the temperature ranges you need to measure, the expectations you need to meet and the conditions you need to work under. When you pick up anything from Fieldpiece, you’re getting something that’s tough, dependable, versatile and functional. A product made just for you. 

This is how we know the features that make your life easier, and the ones that don’t. It’s why many of our products come with a back-lit screen that you can easily read in a dark crawlspace, or why our manometers have a strong magnet that stays right in place on the duct.  

We also know the history of the industry and that “beer can cold” just doesn’t cut it these days. That’s why we developed and invented and patented Rapid Rail™ Sensor Technology for our pipe clamps. This unique technology gives you direct, reliable and almost instantaneous readings – even on wet or damp pipes. We also patented the RunQuick® Oil Change System for our vacuum pumps. It lets you change the oil without turning off the pump or losing vacuum and without making a mess. 

Our innovative portfolio doesn’t stop there. For instance, the SDMN6 manometer was specifically designed with a pressure switch tester so you can quickly diagnose whether a switch is failing—taking guesswork out of the equation. It’s a simple tool, but one that professionals thank us for every day.  

It’s also why our Job Link® System is designed to work with our core Fieldpiece tools while also integrating their functionality seamlessly. We didn’t have to do it this way, but if we didn’t, that wouldn’t make your life easier. 

In the Fieldpiece portfolio, our tools just work. We’ve been in the industry for 30+ years; we understand the business today; and we’ll keep on learning and innovating tomorrow and into the future. 

Why? Because HVACR systems continue to change. In fact, since we started three decades ago, the whole industry has changed — from the refrigerants that keep things cool to the microprocessors that power a system. One thing that hasn’t changed is our commitment to developing the tools you need out in the field. 

That’s why we’ve done more than just keep up. We continue to innovate and change the game to make your job as an HVACR master. Interested in completing your collection of Fieldpiece tools and instruments? You can start right now. 

As systems get larger and more and more complex, HVACR field service technicians wind up wasting a lot of time and effort to diagnose a problem. We’ve all been there: On the jobsite, you need to check total external static pressure as well as gas pressures at different locations across a system. On commercial jobs in particular, components are often spread across an expansive facility. Plus, in the labyrinth of ducts and pipes, there are typically a few ideal locations where you know you’ll get the accurate measurements you need. You probably aren’t looking forward to snaking a tube across a room, around a bend and down a hall just to compare pressures across zones.

So, you reach into your toolkit and start getting some tools set up in the first of many locations that you’ll need to take readings; but first you’ll probably need to spend five minutes untangling the spaghetti mess of tubing from the last time you had to do this. To everyone in the field, tidy hose management is a goal, but not always a reality.

After you take your first reading, and probably a few others depending on the size of the system, you’ll need to make sure they’re right. To check and see, you’re probably trying to take readings off of awkwardly-placed meters, moving your tools, and taking more readings off of gauges you can barely see – all just to ensure the changes you made worked.

This isn’t the best use of your time or your customer’s money. So, stop! Fieldpiece’s manometers are split port and they’re also wireless. With the JL3KM2 Job Link® System Dual Port Manometer probe kit, your probes don’t need to be connected to each other to work. It makes it easy to set up manometer probes to get your filter pressure drop, coil drop and total external at the same time. There are no hoses to tangle with and you’re free to place your probes wherever you want for the best possible reading. Also, to read each tool, just use the Job Link® App on your mobile device.

You’ll be able to set up many different probes across the system and leave them in place as you run your tests. They’ll wirelessly relay real-time information back to the Job Link® App. Right away, you’ll have a bird’s-eye view of every level and pressure you need. The flexibility of probe placement also makes it much easier to sense duct leaks and air restrictions.

How far is the range? About 1,000 feet! That means these probes can transmit a signal from the top of a building down to the basement, or from way over on the other side of the factory back to the control room. Each probe has a strong magnet, so they’ll attach anywhere and will stay put throughout the test.

No matter where they’re hooked up, you’ll be able to use these innovative manometers to check for airflow restrictions and measure gas pressures. Then, when you’re making changes to the system, you’ll be able to see all of their values changed in real-time on the Job Link App.

Our new manometers are designed to work with as many as eight different probes. This is ideal if you’re measuring in a multi-point application. You can put a couple probes on the system on the roof, a few more on the ducts in the basement, and then you can keep track of everything from one place to quickly diagnose a problem or fine-tune a system. It’s time to end the run-around once and for all.

You’ll be able to work the way you want without scrambling all over hooking-up and disconnecting probes over and over. You’ll save time, money and get accurate real-time information so you can quickly assess the health of the entire system.

Sound interesting? Check out our JL3KM2 Job Link® System Dual Port Manometer today: https://www.fieldpiece.com/product/jl3km2-job-link-system-dual-port-manometer-probe-kit/.