One of the worst feelings in the world for a certified heating professional is to be on a jobsite and to realize he/she doesn’t have the tools necessary to complete the task. While experience in the field is the best education when it comes to identifying the essentials, a little guidance is always helpful. Here Read more
tools
One of the worst feelings in the world for a certified heating professional is to be on a jobsite and to realize he/she doesn’t have the tools necessary to complete the task. While experience in the field is the best education when it comes to identifying the essentials, a little guidance is always helpful. Here are our picks for the top 3 tools every Hydronic heating professional should have.
Combustion Analyzer: The primary purpose behind a Combustion analyzer is to verify whether or not the boiler is performing at peak efficiency. By measuring the products of combustion through this preventive maintenance measure, a service professional is able to quickly identify appliance issues that could hinder product performance. Such problems include, but are not limited to, low fuel pressure, backdrafting, lack of make-up air, obstructed flue or a cracked heat exchanger.
Manometer: A device used to test incoming gas pressure and how much the pressure drops on start up. If your incoming gas pressure is too low, the unit could experience delayed ignition, failure to ignite, and reduced operating efficiency. These are all factors which contribute to increased callbacks and a decrease in customer satisfaction.
Multimeter: Essentially this tool helps contractors to identify whether power is going to the boiler or not. Typically, it has 3 units of measurement: Volts, Ohms, and/or Amps, which are used to verify that an electrical current is reaching all the intended components. The volts option is used to test voltage to the blower, gas valve, and pumps, while the Ohms setting checks fuses, sensors, and continuity. Something else worth considering is that most multimeters in the mid-range price point have numerous accessories built-in, allowing one tool to satisfy multiple demands. In many cases, your meter can also be a very accurate temperature tester, which is ideal in cases when the boiler display doesn’t read the sensors value individually, when your water heater isn’t working with your mixing valve or if you need to determine the rate of flow in an emitter loop.
What are your top “must have” tools for performing work on hydronic heating equipment? Is there an apparatus that you find yourself utilizing regularly for service calls or installations?
Jaime Jimenez is the marketing coordinator for ACV Triangle Tube. Headquartered in Blackwood, New Jersey, ACV Triangle Tube engineers and manufactures a wide range of space heating, water heating, and other HVAC related products for residential, commercial and industrial markets. Visit www.triangletube.com.
One of my favorite parts of my job is meeting people from all over the world working in the trades. John and I have met face to face with dozens of plumbing and heating pros at trade shows, on job sites and at industry events but its our daily interaction on social media that puts Read more
One of my favorite parts of my job is meeting people from all over the world working in the trades. John and I have met face to face with dozens of plumbing and heating pros at trade shows, on job sites and at industry events but its our daily interaction on social media that puts us in contact with countless new friends annually that keeps us on our toes.
Whether on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram I get messages weekly from seasoned pros to new guys and gals just entering the trades. Some are sharing their experiences with a certain product, pictures of an install they’re proud of or something crazy they encountered on a job. Often I’m asked by the new hires the same question: What’s that one tool or few tools you just can’t be without?
I never have a solid answer, or at least the one they’re likely expecting. For me that one tool I couldn’t be without is the only tool needed to complete the job at hand. So the answer is “all of them”, I suppose.
Take this basic tubing bender. It’s as old as the hills, super simple and will outlast my career as a plumbing and heating contractor. It’s only good for about one or two things but without it what could’ve been a simple task to turn out a proper product, I’d instead be hand-bending and likely taking too long to get an offset right or simply ending up with a crappy looking bend. I don’t even use it every day, I have others for various size tubing and wouldn’t want to be without those either, no matter how infrequent they leave the truck.
The point is there are obviously a handful of essential tools but if you need to be told to never forget your tape measure then we’re not talking about the same thing. My advice is this: Pay attention to what you’re doing daily, weekly, monthly and make note of the tools you use on a regular basis. Then, buy the best available within your budget and they’ll last you a long time, like this Imperial-Eastman bender that my now retired Grandfather gave me when I started out over 20 years ago. It wasn’t new then and it’s bent at least a few thousand offsets over the years. To all the new guys and gals I say good luck and don’t hesitate to contact us!
My #5 pick comes from ProStaffer Andy Mickelson. The E Instruments BTU1500 “All-In-One” flue gas combustion analyzer for hvac residential & commercial boiler and furnace installation & maintenance. This is a 5-in-1 tool giving you draft & differential pressure measurement, Flue and ambient temp sensing, combustion efficiency, ambient CO monitor and has a built in Read more
My #5 pick comes from ProStaffer Andy Mickelson. The E Instruments BTU1500 “All-In-One” flue gas combustion analyzer for hvac residential & commercial boiler and furnace installation & maintenance.
This is a 5-in-1 tool giving you draft & differential pressure measurement, Flue and ambient temp sensing, combustion efficiency, ambient CO monitor and has a built in manometer.
The built-in printer, magnetic holster and full color display (with zoom and backlight) make this thing easy to operate. Power comes from a rechargeable lithium ion battery or an AC adaptor. Internal memory will store up to 2K test results.
PC software is included with both the BTU1500-1 (gas) & BTU1500-Oil models along with Bluetooth connectivity for android devices. The mobile app allows for easy transfer of info in the field as well as saving info for a later date without requiring access to the analyzer.
Both models are built with pre-calibrated, field replaceable sensors. Sensors are typical electrochemical for O2, CO and H2. Carbon Dioxide readings are calculated. Warranty coverage is 2 years for both the analyzer and sensors.
Info courtesy of e-inst.com
The new FLEXVOLT system from Dewalt has opened up a whole new line of tools and possibilities for the pro contractor looking to get more done in less time. We’ve had a few of the FLEXVOLT tools at work in our shop and in the hands of the ProStaff team for a couple months now Read more
The new FLEXVOLT system from Dewalt has opened up a whole new line of tools and possibilities for the pro contractor looking to get more done in less time. We’ve had a few of the FLEXVOLT tools at work in our shop and in the hands of the ProStaff team for a couple months now and continue to be impressed. The latest is the DCB1800 Portable Power Station.
The power station is a combination 4-bank parallel battery charger and DC power inverter capable of providing 1800 watts continuous power at 15A with a peak power rating of 3600 watts 120v. That’s some serious power, this thing is sick.
There are a still a lot of tools on the job that haven’t lent well to cordless technology yet. Core drills, large demo hammers, compressors and various saws. Add to that the many contractors still using corded tools where upgrades either haven’t been in the budget or replacement of a perfectly good tool is unwarranted and you’ve got the need for portable power.
The DCB1800 power station is a portable generator running off (4) 20v MAX batteries, not a gas engine so indoor use is not a problem. The inverter is silent in comparison to any other portable power solution as well making it a non-factor where noise is a obstacle to getting the job done. This is a gamechanger for those looking to knock out some punch list items at the end of the job or quickly get in and out to complete a task with a corded tool when cordless isn’t available.
I wanted to get an idea of how much power this thing has so I loaded it up with (1) FLEXVOLT 20/60v MAX pack and (3) 20v MAX batteries, all new and fully charged and plugged my DW734 thickness planer in to it. I ran (14) 2×8 Fir boards thru the planer before losing power supply. The low power indicator lights started flashing after 10 boards, giving me four more complete before shutting down. That’s 112 feet of planing 2×8’s! I’d imagine ripping some plywood for backing or chipping with a rotary hammer for 20-30 minutes is within reach with a power supply like that. I’ll be putting this to the test on the job soon so stay tuned, for now check out video proof of my test:
https://youtu.be/bHT9eJi9cvM
TOOL: FLIR CM174 Imaging 600A AC/DC Clamp Meter With IGM (Infrared Guided Measurement) Mechanical Hub asked me to test out the FLIR CM174 Clamp Meter with the integrated IR Camera. I was excited yet skeptical to try out a new meter. In my line of electrical work I have my ‘go to’ meters and current Read more
TOOL: FLIR CM174 Imaging 600A AC/DC Clamp Meter With IGM (Infrared Guided Measurement)
Mechanical Hub asked me to test out the FLIR CM174 Clamp Meter with the integrated IR Camera. I was excited yet skeptical to try out a new meter. In my line of electrical work I have my ‘go to’ meters and current clamps that I know every in and out of. These have shared the same long days, weekends, overnights, and holiday emergency calls, so why look at product other than what I’ve carried for years? Well after I familiarized myself with the FLIR CM174, I was impressed by the added functionality that this meter provided.
Let’s be honest, in the electrical world there is voltage and current and you don’t need much of a complex device to tell you what these readings are; however, I didn’t realize what all I was missing without FLIR’s IGM technology (Infrared Guided Measurement). The IR function of this compact meter gave me an advantage and more importantly a safety aspect to my job that was not their previously. Not only can I easily troubleshoot hot spots and imminent failures with this meter, but when going through my procedures to test for ‘zero’ voltage or absence of voltage, I am also able to take a look at the thermal properties of the equipment. The old mentality is that I need to get to work and get this job done as quick as possible, so I only care about voltage – am I going to get shocked or not. Getting hit by a stiff 480V in the morning is not how I like to start my day, but the reality is I’m stuck in a time crunch and the customer is standing behind me tapping his feet because his plant is shut down and costing him big dollars every second it is down. So I hurry up and grab my ‘new’ meter, and as expected, the voltage is zero, but what about the temperature? Do I really have time to check this, and why would I care to even look at this, I have never done this in the past. So I have the meter in my hand and it is only 1 quick click away from telling me the temperature. To my surprise there is a section of the equipment that was extremely hot due to a loose connection. My heart takes off and I get a little clammy thinking about how bad I could have been burnt when I would have grabbed onto the equipment to get this repair completed while trying to get the customer back online. 
The silent killer, known as electricity, is not the only silent danger that I should be worried about. I thank the FLIR CM174 for identifying other safety aspects of my job and preventing me from being injured. The safety aspect alone is worth having the meter, but the ability to troubleshoot using the IR functionality of this meter is a huge step above what the industry is used to. At the end of day, the customer has the lights back on and was thoroughly impressed by the equipment not only to solve their problems, but to identify and resolve other pending issues that were not identified before. This customer is now loyal to us and continues to use us for their service needs.
Tool feature info courtesy of flir.com
