On my recent blog post, Pink Hard Hats Suck, I had a really excellent comment. The commenter, Stephanie, informed me that there exists such a thing as steel-toed Converse sneakers. This is not the sole reason why I think the comment was excellent, although I was pretty excited about it. The comment was excellent because she asked a GREAT question, “What do you do with your hair when you wear a … [Read more...]
The Rewards of Mentoring
Being a woman in the HVACR field can feel very lonely. Since you're reading this, you've probably read some of my "sob stories" in Confessions of an HVAC Chick, so you know about some of my more awkward moments being one female face in a sea of men at HVACR conferences, or in HVAC continuing education classes. These experiences have prompted me to seek sources of estrogen outside my daily work … [Read more...]
DIY Air Quality – Ten Potted Plants that Remove Toxins
We’ve all heard a lot about indoor air quality in recent years – whether it’s severe issues such as sick building syndrome and mold, or high levels of carbon dioxide caused by office mates too full of hot air for their own good - I think we can all agree that the air we breathe is pretty darn important. Air quality is not as straightforward as you might think. Issues impacting air quality start … [Read more...]
Refrigeration, Ice Cream and Candy: A Few of My Favorite Things
When I clicked through to the IceMachinesPlus.com article about wacky Willy-Wonka-esque food creator Charlie Harry Francis, I just knew it was going to amuse. First, it was about some of my favorite things: refrigeration, ice cream and candy! Add in the incredibly creative and wildly inappropriate usage of nearly all of the above, and lastly, to seal the deal, I mean, c'mon, the dude named his … [Read more...]
Why Smart Service Always Starts with Customer Service
Customer service is vital to the success of a business. Customers who are displeased with how they were treated or the service they received may decide not to do business with you again, and they may even give friends, family, or the entire online community a negative review about the company you represent. If you’re an HVAC company, ensuring that your customers’ experience with your installation, … [Read more...]
Lots to See in HVAC at the 2016 AHR Expo
Last week, I attended the AHR Expo at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, FL. Over 60,000 attendees wound their way through approximately a kajillion (I counted) booths set up with everything from giant cooling towers – big enough for a dozen people to comfortably stand underneath it - to tiny copper fittings and every tool, device and piece of HVACR equipment in between. It was … [Read more...]
10 Dumb Things Smart People Do When Testing Electricity (Source: Grainger)
We get a lot of questions from the DIY crowd about HVAC-related tasks. There are a lot of things that can easily be done by the beginner DIY-er, like filter changes or even condenser coil cleaning if you know a little about your system, but there are some repairs that should never be done by someone inexperienced. Things like gas or other fuel piping, anything related to combustion, electrical … [Read more...]
What is an ECM Motor?
What is an ECM Motor? Several of us were discussing ECM motors in the office the other day. Yeah, we have weird water cooler conversations like that. The general consensus was that although we were familiar with the concept behind them – they are motors that regulate their own speed without the help of an external VFD or other device - none of us really understood the magic behind what makes an … [Read more...]
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