HVAC Course Outline

Essential HVAC hand tools—their uses and advantages; screw types and sizes; using bolts, nuts, washers, anchors, setscrews, bind rivets, and threaded rods; caring for tools.

Types and sizes of copper tubing and fittings; cutting, bending, and flaring; swaged and flared connections; using steel and plastic pipe; pipe fittings and tools; repairing pipe leaks; how to solvent-weld rigid plastic pipe.

Soldering vs. brazing; selecting proper alloys and fluxes; soldering safely and correctly; air-fuel torches and gas cylinders; connecting and operating pressure regulators; air-fuel brazing and the brazing process; selecting appropriate cylinders and torches; oxyacetylene equipment for brazing and cutting metal; safety procedures.

Place values; fractions; decimals; two- and three-dimensional linear measurements; Fahrenheit vs. Celsius temperature; area; volume; computing percentages easily.

How heat is transferred; sensible, specific, and latent heat; BTU's; saturated conditions; superheat; subcooling; measuring refrigeration and pressure; the compound gauge; Boyle's and Charles' Laws.

The refrigeration cycle; domestic and commercial refrigeration system components; valves; variations in accessory components; the gauge manifold.

Refrigerant types and applications; using temperature-pressure charts; determining superheat; pumping ratio problems; safety precautions; ozone layer depletion; complying with the Federal Clean Air Act; recovery and recycling methods.

Fractionation; bubble point; dew point; temperature glide; interpreting a temperature-pressure card for blends; selecting lubricants; performing a system retrofit to a blend; refrigerant contamination problems; detecting leaks; using refrigerant cylinders; correcting pressure problems; charging a system.

Installing and adjusting automatic and thermostatic expansion valves and capillary tubes; when and how to use equalized valves; multiplexed evaporator operations.

Hand and check valves; installing and troubleshooting solenoid, EPR, and CPR valves; how to install and adjust head pressure control and hot gas bypass valves; diagnosing and repairing AEV and TEV system problems; correcting EPR and CPR valve problems.

Compressor types and designs; compliant scroll compressors and disc-type valve designs; reciprocating compressors; aligning pulleys and flywheels; how to select, size, and replace V-belts; adding and removing oil; controlling liquid migration; vibration eliminators; the compressor data plate.

Vapor compression, centrifugal, low pressure, and absorption chiller operation; open- and closed-loop systems; ammonia and lithium bromide absorption cycles; refrigerant leaks.

Using the voltmeter, ammeter, and ohmmeter; Ohm's Law; open and short circuits; wire sizes; using the right insulation for conductors; connecting loads and switches; using and installing plugs, receptacles, and switches; using portable power tools.

How electrical power is transmitted; transformers explained; overcurrent; circuit protection devices; ground fault circuit interrupters; single- and three-phase motors; multi-speed motors; dual-voltage motors; induction motors; motor connections; capacitors; transformers; compressor terminals; fans and blowers; motor bearings.

Electromagnetic control devices; solenoid valves; relays; connecting and troubleshooting contactors and line starters; reading diagrams; adjusting and troubleshooting motor controls and thermostats; adjusting pumpdown cycles and safety controls.

Installing and adjusting time clocks; defrost cycles; connecting and troubleshooting defrost terminator thermostats; temperature and pressure termination adjustment.

Gas heat system components; adjusting burner flames, fan/limit controls, and heat anticipators; wiring heating and cooling system components; combustion; setting the electrodes; the primary control; the flame safeguard; stack control; oil furnace problems.

Components of electric heating systems; wiring connections; two-stage heating systems; isolating low-voltage control circuits from line-voltage circuits; how heat pumps work.

Striving for excellence in customer service; secrets of establishing good customer relations; learning and using customers' names; shaking hands; your appearance; how to begin and end service calls; certification and licensing requirements for technicians.