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Fieldpiece SC680 Review
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Fieldpiece SC680 Review

The Fieldpiece SC680 was released late 2019 and is one of the top of the line multimeters currently offered by Fieldpiece. The Sc680 was designed with the HVAC/R professional in mind, packed with many features such as power consumption, phase rotation, and wireless connectivity, but is it the best option? Check out my initial impressions as we review a few major cons.

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Best Digital HVAC Gauges
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Best Digital HVAC Gauges

Are Digital Smart Probes Worth It?

Are you finally looking to make the leap into a set of refrigeration manifold probes for HVAC and Refrigeration work? If not, you really should be. While these tools are not essential to perform quality work in the trade, they do provide many benefits. I’ve listed the best HVAC smart probe options below with the pros and cons of each to help you decide which set is right for you.

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Thermal Imaging HVAC Inspection and Service
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Thermal Imaging HVAC Inspection and Service

Thermal imaging cameras are a very powerful tool for use during HVAC inspections and services. These tools allow technicians to quickly diagnose and monitor potential problems with the HVAC equipment itself, locate air leaks in the building envelope, water leaks, electrical problems and more. Identifying and correcting these problems early can lead to less costly emergency repairs, reduced/planned equipment down time, and optimum unit performance.

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Do Ultrasonic Leak Detectors Work For Refrigerant Leaks?
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Do Ultrasonic Leak Detectors Work For Refrigerant Leaks?

I have found ultrasonic leak detectors to be much more reliable locating refrigerant leaks on HVAC equipment than the other styles of electronic leak detectors mentioned. As manufactures continue to engineer new refrigerants that are safer for the ozone, electronic leak detectors seem to have a harder and harder time detecting these refrigerants.

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HVAC Tool Bag Setup- Veto Pro Tech XL
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HVAC Tool Bag Setup- Veto Pro Tech XL

I’ve Gotten quite a bit of feedback regarding my HVAC Service tool bag load out (if you havn’t seen it, you can find that HERE) and many of you have asked for me to show what I carry in my other bag. This Veto Tech XL actually started out as my service bag and I ran it for a couple of year. While it still is a great bag, its just to big to be a service bag. I don’t know about you, but I know that if my bag has more room, I’m going to fill it up and make sure that I am using that space, and if your bag is large like the Tech XL, you end up with an extremely heavy bag.

Currently this bag has been re-purposed to my Install, repair, and startup bag. I use the smaller Veto for my every day HVAC maintenance and service calls, but bring this one out when I know that I’ll be working on repairs that can get a little more involved, or unit startups etc. It’s also a great way to store and organize tools on the truck so that they aren’t scattered all over the place when I do end up needing them.

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Copper Swaging Tool For HVAC Techs
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Copper Swaging Tool For HVAC Techs

The Tool itself looks like a small metal paddle with a hex shank designed to fit into any drill that meets the minimum requirements. It is designed to quickly expand copper tubing in sizes from 1/4” to 7/8” in hard or soft drawn copper while swaging, and recommended for soft copper only while flaring.

These Spinning flare and swage tools have been around for a few years now, and guys working in the HVAC/R Industry seem to either love them or hate them. They don’t take up much room on the truck, and can be an incredibly convenient tool when in need of a quick swage or flare joint.

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How Much Do HVAC Techs Make?
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How Much Do HVAC Techs Make?

Asking how much an HVAC tech makes is a very broad and variable question. The HVAC/R trade in and of itself, is a very diverse and extensive industry encompassing several different sectors and markets. All of which is highly dependant on the geographic area and the industry you are in. The hourly rates can vary from the national minimum wage of $7.25 to $77.12 an hour or $14,500 - $154,240 per year. These rates can be much higher when including other fringe benefits such as 401ks, healthcare, and pension plans.

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What Is In your HVAC Service Tool Bag?
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What Is In your HVAC Service Tool Bag?

It’s always interesting to see how other HVAC Techs like to organize their gear, what tools they running in their bag, and how they have their service vehicle is set up. I know that I am constantly looking up content like this, because you can learn a lot from others experience and I like to make sure I’m running in the most efficient and optimized set up. Today, I’ll share what tools I run in my service bag, and the reason why they are in there.

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Is HVAC A Good Career?
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Is HVAC A Good Career?

Everyone wants a career with job security. If you are looking for a great career that does not require a college degree to make great money, consider HVAC. Nearly every commercial building today has some type of heating ventilation and air conditioning system, (HVAC) and that is not going to change anytime soon. The HVAC Job industry is growing, and will continue to grow, now more than ever. The occupational outlook handbook has job growth in the HVAC industry is forecast to grow 13% between 2018 and 2028. That’s an additional 46,300 jobs. Much faster growth than normal.

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How To Get Into HVAC With No Experience
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How To Get Into HVAC With No Experience

Before you decide that this is the career field for you, it is important to understand the pros and cons. The pros include a high demand job available worldwide. There will always going be a need for refrigeration, and air-conditioning work, whether that be in production facilities, hospitals/medical buildings, office space, supermarkets, or residential. The trade is highly versatile and always changing, which is good for someone that gets bored easily performing the same monotonous job. You will learn skills in multiple fields such as pipe fitting, electrical, tinning, welding and mechanics (rebuilding compressors such as centrifugals, screw compressors and reciprocating compressors) The pay isn’t too bad either, and is entirely up to you. Payscale.com lists the income for an HVAC tech between $31,000-$73000

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Best HVAC Tools  HVAC Tools List By Experience
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Best HVAC Tools HVAC Tools List By Experience

List of tools to get you started in the HVAC trade. When you are first getting into the trade as a helper, you can get by with the bare minimum tool list. You will be helping a lead or more senior tech. Learn all you can, and as you progress start picking up the rest of the more advanced tools as you begin to need them.

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10 HVAC Tools Under $30 worth Owning Available on Amazon
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10 HVAC Tools Under $30 worth Owning Available on Amazon

Today we are talking about 10 Tools under $30 bucks that are actually worth having, that you can pick up from Amazon. I’m sure we all got a couple of amazon gift cards for Christmas, and if you are reading this, you are probably a tool addict like my self, so what better way to spend those gift cards then on new tools?

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