Straightforward information about HVAC Controls and Building Automation Systems including online training with videos.
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Warm Weather Keeps DDC Controls Contractors Busy
Building Automation is Hard Work

The warm weather is here upon us, especially in my neck of the woods here in Texas. With that warm weather DDC Controls contractors and integrators get busy! Now you may start thinking this is because of all the HOT calls and service issues, but actually the warm temperature has little to do with the fact that Controls contractors get busy this time of year. Building Automation Systems are in demand all year round, but there is a slight ‘seasonal’ aspect to the timing of when that work starts. This has nothing to do with temperatures and ALL to do with budgets and money. Typically speaking about 3-4 months during the third and first quarter (winter months) are slower than the rest of the year, but it is due to companies and organizations figuring out where they ended up for the current year and also planning their next year’s budgets. Not alot of [...]

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Tour of Tool Bags for the DDC Controls Technician or Installer

CLC Tool Bag

When most people go looking for buying their tool bags they usually have a name brand in mind. Some of the more popular ones are: Klein Tool Bags Husky Tool Bag Tool Bags by CLC   Personally, I’m not one to shop for name brands and usually will go for the more economical brand without buying a cheap tool bag. What I do is try to look at a bag’s pockets, features and lil extras  and think about how I will be able to use each one of them in my everyday tasks. Don’t buy a tool bag based on a feature that is really great, but you really don’t utilize it often. Custom Leather Craft (CLC) is what I believe a more ‘value’ brand and I have purchased their products in the past, so I don’t have a problem giving a quick review of a few of their canvas [...]

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15 Things You Will Never Hear an HVAC Contractor Say…EVER!

hvac-contractor-technician

This video was made by Nordyne University and they offer FREE and Paid Online Training on HVAC equipment. I’m not much on the residential nor equipment side of things, but I can so see every HVAC guy shaking his head syaing, “Nope, I’d NEVER say that!”   Never seen any HVAC Contractors say any of these things!     HVAC Equipment Training Videos Online Head over and take advantage of their free online videos about HVAC equipment. If you are working for a HVAC contractor maybe pass along the info regarding their paid training programs.   HVAC Equipment Literature Library They even have a section of their site that has a huge library of HVAC Equipment Documentation. The documents they have available include: Consumer Materials Installation Instructions Owners Manuals Replacement Parts List Technical Specifications Wiring Diagrams  

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Facilities Management, One of Many Jobs That Requires Multitasking…and Magic…and a Little Juggling Too!

Multitasking Facilities Management and DDC Controls

  A Facilities Manager’s job has never been explained to me in such an entertaining way. Thanks goes to Charity Matthews with Southwest Signs for sharing it on LinkedIn. This video really explains any job position where you have to multitask or wear many hats. Obviously, this is a dated video due to the Apple Macintosh in the background, yes I said the whole word because back then that’s what they were called and they didn’t have an ‘ i ‘ in front of everything.   Nonetheless, this video is great… pass it on! Be sure to turn the volume down for the Howling FM’er. LOL      Job Multitasking and Responsibilities of a Facilities Manager Even though this video is about a Facility Manager’s position I am sure you can relate this to any job position where everyone thinks your job is so simple and yet you have to work [...]

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Liebert Mini Mate Retrofit – HVAC Controls Schematics – Part 1 of 2

Liebert Mini Mate DDC Controls Schematics Retrofit Video

You’d think Cody would be done with this DDC Controls Retrofit, huh? I mean it’s been like 2 months now… Well obviously it’s not his fault. Putting together these 10 minute or so videos sometimes takes a good 30 minutes to 1 hour of production time per 1 minute of video. Eh, I’ll get fast at it the more I do. This is going to be a 2 part video on the Liebert Mini Mate Schematics because it was getting a bit long. So, in this video we are going to get up close with the controls schematics that came with the unit. This is important to go over when replacing the mechanical controls of a unit with a DDC Controls System. Reason being, you gotta find all the points and terminals where your physical connections are going to be made without shorting anything and actually turning on and off [...]

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Resetting Temperature Setpoints Based On Outside Air Requires… Linear Interpolation?

sexy teacher training ddc controls building automation systems

I always seem to forget that magical calculation that will reset a Supply Air Temperature Setpoint based on the Outside Air Temperature. I figure… Eh, I’ll Google it. Then realize, “WTH do you call that kind of calculation?” Is it a Slope Calculation? with an interception… er Intercept? No… It’s a:   Linear Interpolation Calculation Type of Automation Situation Yeah, sure… whatever. Believe it or not I failed 3 YEARS of High School Mathematics!     Maybe if I had more HS teachers like this Brazilian Beauty, I might have paid more attention. I still ended up loving Math because it’s either RIGHT or it’s WRONG. I also love Excel and figuring out all kinds of spreadsheet formulas as well as trying to incorporate mathematic calculations when writing programming code. Learn that math stuff, it helps…ALOT.   Why Reset the Supply Temperature Setpoint Based on Outside Air The main reason [...]

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