HVAC Tools For The Service Technician
Friday, 28 August 2009 12:53 | 
Written by Jason Sturding |
There are many types of tools needed to work on air conditioning systems and heating systems. Understand though before you are able to work on heating and cooling systems that use refrigerant, you will need to be EPA 608 certified for the type of refrigerant pressure you will be working on.
There are many types of tools needed to work on air conditioning systems and heating systems. Understand though before you are able to work on heating and cooling systems that use refrigerant, you will need to be EPA 608 certified for the type of refrigerant pressure you will be working on.
I will be going over the tools needed for residential air conditioning systems, and the first tool an HVAC technician should acquire is a pair of HVAC gauges. These will consist of one high pressure gauge, one low pressure gauge, pressure release fittings, and three hoses, one for suction, one for charging, and one for the high pressure gauge.
A recovery tank will be needed to recover old Freon from the HVAC unit. If you are replacing a air handler or condensing unit this is necessary, you can also use the old refrigerant to put into the new condensing unit as refrigerant does not go bad.
In order to transfer the refrigerant from old HVAC system to the recovery tank you will need a recovery machine. They are not cheap but they are needed to properly transfer the refrigerant to the recovery tank, they can also be used to move the refrigerant from the tank back into the new air conditioning system.
Once the refrigerant is removed from the old system you can cut the copper piping with pipe cutters, and set up the new air handler or condensing unit for installation. Copper piping is joined back together by soldering, so you will need a good set of HVAC soldering torches and solder sticks.
The soldering torches will make it a breeze to connect the copper piping, although a good set up will cost you a bit. Some of the items you should keep in the soldering set up are an inspection mirror, soldering sticks made for HVAC systems, and a roll of sandpaper.
After you have the new system all sealed up by soldering, you will need to get all of the air out of it by using a vacuum pump. The vacuum pump takes suction on the refrigerant lines and removes all of the air and non condensable gases from the system.
A few other tools that an HVAC technician will want to have are a leak detector of some sort. Also a thermostat, a voltage meter, swag tool, and various types of copper fittings to make the soldering process easier.
These are not the only tools that will be needed, there are many more that are out there. Some of them are necessary to have and others are just for convenience. The ones I described above will be used the most, and also are the most expensive and necessary to have for the HVAC technician.
There are many types of tools needed to work on air conditioning systems and heating systems. Understand though before you are able to work on heating and cooling systems that use refrigerant, you will need to be EPA 608 certified for the type of refrigerant pressure you will be working on.
I will be going over the tools needed for residential air conditioning systems, and the first tool an HVAC technician should acquire is a pair of HVAC gauges. These will consist of one high pressure gauge, one low pressure gauge, pressure release fittings, and three hoses, one for suction, one for charging, and one for the high pressure gauge.
A recovery tank will be needed to recover old Freon from the HVAC unit. If you are replacing a air handler or condensing unit this is necessary, you can also use the old refrigerant to put into the new condensing unit as refrigerant does not go bad.
In order to transfer the refrigerant from old HVAC system to the recovery tank you will need a recovery machine. They are not cheap but they are needed to properly transfer the refrigerant to the recovery tank, they can also be used to move the refrigerant from the tank back into the new air conditioning system.
Once the refrigerant is removed from the old system you can cut the copper piping with pipe cutters, and set up the new air handler or condensing unit for installation. Copper piping is joined back together by soldering, so you will need a good set of HVAC soldering torches and solder sticks.
The soldering torches will make it a breeze to connect the copper piping, although a good set up will cost you a bit. Some of the items you should keep in the soldering set up are an inspection mirror, soldering sticks made for HVAC systems, and a roll of sandpaper.
After you have the new system all sealed up by soldering, you will need to get all of the air out of it by using a vacuum pump. The vacuum pump takes suction on the refrigerant lines and removes all of the air and non condensable gases from the system.
A few other tools that an HVAC technician will want to have are a leak detector of some sort. Also a thermostat, a voltage meter, swag tool, and various types of copper fittings to make the soldering process easier.
These are not the only tools that will be needed, there are many more that are out there. Some of them are necessary to have and others are just for convenience. The ones I described above will be used the most, and also are the most expensive and necessary to have for the HVAC technician.
About the Author:
The author has been fixing air conditioning and heating systems for over 14 years. If you want some more detailed information on HVAC Tools then you can stop by his website. HVAC For Beginners