Jim Wheeler: HVAC

Jim Wheeler: Short-lived A/C units

jimwheeler@ij.net (Jim Wheeler) — Mon, 30 Dec 2019 00:00:00 -0500

Back in the early 1980s as a service manager for a major HVAC distributor, I had been asked by an apartment management company to look at a problem it was having with a fairly-new A/C unit it had purchased.

Jim Wheeler: Let's talk new refigerants

jimwheeler@ij.net (Jim Wheeler) — Fri, 13 Sep 2019 00:00:00 -0400

In 1988 when I quit my job as the national service manager for a major HVAC equipment company to become an editor for an HVACR trade magazine, I was asked by then-ACCA Director Jim Norris to look into the question of whether CFCs (particularly R11 and R12) were damaging our planet by destroying the earth’s protective ozone layer.

Jim Wheeler: Are you prepared for a business downturn?

jimwheeler@ij.net (Jim Wheeler) — Wed, 17 Jul 2019 00:00:00 -0400

Funny thing with humans; we get used to seeing things going a certain way and we quickly start to assume that it will always be that way.

Jim Wheeler: Fired for selling too much

jimwheeler@ij.net (Jim Wheeler) — Mon, 24 Jun 2019 00:00:00 -0400

The title of this column? You say that would never happen at your company?

Jim Wheeler: The science of a proper vacuum

jimwheeler@ij.net (Jim Wheeler) — Thu, 18 Apr 2019 00:00:00 -0400

Not many people think of the HVACR industry or of service technicians in general as being scientists.

Jim Wheeler: Next refrigerant phase-out by 2023?

jimwheeler@ij.net (Jim Wheeler) — Mon, 18 Mar 2019 00:00:00 -0400

Yes, it’s happening again and almost nobody is really prepared! And yes, the general public is once more going to have to pay the bill. What am I talking about?

Jim Wheeler: Refrigerant oil or lubricant?

jimwheeler@ij.net (Jim Wheeler) — Mon, 25 Feb 2019 00:00:00 -0500

“All oils are lubricants, but not all lubricants are oil.”

Jim Wheeler: Do you want to be an Amazon?

jimwheeler@ij.net (Jim Wheeler) — Fri, 25 Jan 2019 00:00:00 -0500

Could you imagine all the problems that you would encounter if you sold split A/C systems online to consumers? Think of the liability! And how would you handle returns? Not a good idea!

Jim Wheeler: Grow your employee training

jimwheeler@ij.net (Jim Wheeler) — Wed, 12 Dec 2018 00:00:00 -0500

Probably one of the easiest things for a supply-house owner/manager to overlook is the need for constant employee training.

Jim Wheeler: Why is that room uncomfortable?

jimwheeler@ij.net (Jim Wheeler) — Thu, 29 Nov 2018 00:00:00 -0500

Almost every house has one — the uncomfortable, stuffy room that usually is too warm and uncomfortable.

Jim Wheeler: Can you mix R410A with R22?

jimwheeler@ij.net (Jim Wheeler) — Fri, 19 Oct 2018 00:00:00 -0400

“Everyone is doing it!”

Jim Wheeler: 'Smart house' is here to stay

jimwheeler@ij.net (Jim Wheeler) — Thu, 27 Sep 2018 00:00:00 -0400

Do all you can to bring your customers into the field of HVACR digital communications.

Jim Wheeler: VAV – An exciting and coming technology

jimwheeler@ij.net (Jim Wheeler) — Wed, 29 Aug 2018 00:00:00 -0400

It’s a fact that any office space could be made more comfortable and the whole system would be more energy efficient if it were fitted with VAV boxes.

Jim Wheeler: The customer connection

jimwheeler@ij.net (Jim Wheeler) — Wed, 27 Jun 2018 00:00:00 -0400

The loss of any good employee always results in a loss of business.

Jim Wheeler: Indoor air movement

jimwheeler@ij.net (Jim Wheeler) — Fri, 25 May 2018 00:00:00 -0400

Indoor air movement: A forgotten art?

Jim Wheeler: New HVAC tool technology

jimwheeler@ij.net (Jim Wheeler) — Fri, 27 Apr 2018 00:00:00 -0400

I guess I’m a “real man” because I love to look at and buy new tools.

Jim Wheeler: HVAC MVP: Air-measuring tool

jimwheeler@ij.net (Jim Wheeler) — Tue, 27 Feb 2018 00:00:00 -0500

Few technicians carry anything to measure air flow.

Wheeler: The right tools

jimwheeler@ij.net (Jim Wheeler) — Mon, 29 Jan 2018 00:00:00 -0500

Manifold gauges

What causes fan motors to fail

jimwheeler@ij.net (Jim Wheeler) — Sat, 30 Dec 2017 00:00:00 -0500

A fan-motor failure on an air-conditioning or refrigeration system usually is a catastrophic event.

Why is achieving a charge so difficult on residential R-22 A/C systems?

jimwheeler@ij.net (Jim Wheeler) — Thu, 30 Nov 2017 00:00:00 -0500

Why is achieving a proper charge so difficult on residential R-22 A/C systems?

Refrigerant gauge readings

jimwheeler@ij.net (Jim Wheeler) — Mon, 23 Oct 2017 00:00:00 -0400

The best tool to represent our industry is the refrigerant manifold and its gauges.

Mixing refrigerants

jimwheeler@ij.net (Jim Wheeler) — Wed, 30 Aug 2017 00:00:00 -0400

I have come across many technicians and even company owners who believed they could improve a system’s performance by giving it a shot of another refrigerant.

What is the best air-conditioner?

jimwheeler@ij.net (Jim Wheeler) — Mon, 24 Jul 2017 00:00:00 -0400

I do have some choices of components and designs I’ll recommend.

Drop-in' R-22 replacements

jimwheeler@ij.net (Jim Wheeler) — Mon, 19 Jun 2017 00:00:00 -0400

A drop-in replacement? Is anyone really saying this?

New HVAC equipment

jimwheeler@ij.net (Jim Wheeler) — Wed, 24 May 2017 00:00:00 -0400

It’s always interesting to see what international companies are able to achieve for air-conditioning units at 14-SEER.

The latest HVACR tools

jimwheeler@ij.net (Jim Wheeler) — Fri, 28 Apr 2017 00:00:00 -0400

Every year at the AHR Expo, I’m always interested in the many new tools, meters and gauges I see.

Remote connectivity big trend at AHR Expo

jimwheeler@ij.net (Jim Wheeler) — Mon, 27 Mar 2017 00:00:00 -0400

This year’s AHR Expo in Las Vegas was billed as being the largest ever and it may have been.

The case for dry nitrogen

jimwheeler@ij.net (Jim Wheeler) — Mon, 06 Feb 2017 00:00:00 -0500

I don’t know if your company carries and promotes the use of dry nitrogen, but it is a must whenever a service tech is brazing refrigerant lines.

More refrigerant phase-outs

jimwheeler@ij.net (Jim Wheeler) — Fri, 27 Jan 2017 00:00:00 -0500

What “environmental impact” is our industry creating?

See you at AHR Expo

jimwheeler@ij.net (Jim Wheeler) — Fri, 23 Dec 2016 00:00:00 -0500

The 2017 AHR Expo returns to the Las Vegas Convention Center Jan. 30-Feb. 1 and once again I’ll be front and center.