Arkansas HVACR NewsMagazine September 2025

HVACR NewsMagazine September 2025

Tech News

The customer pays for the replacement years sooner.

Even when safety isn't the issue, combustion that isn't tuned correctly wastes fuel. That's extra money out of the customer's pocket every heating season. Skipping combustion analysis isn't harmless just because no one has gotten sick (that you have heard about). Charging Shortcuts Charging by "good enough" instead of weighing in and using superheat/subcool methods can quietly damage a system. A compressor running hot from a low charge or flooded from an overcharge may keep going for years, but it's running harder and hotter than it should, wearing itself out from day one.

Other "It Still Works" Habits There's a long list of these slow-burn mistakes: undersized conductors that run hot for years, uninsulated horizontal drains in humid climates that foster biofilm growth, duct systems with high static pressure that require the blower to draw higher current, condensing units installed with inadequate maintenance clearance, and more. Each of these can work "fine" in the sense that the system turns on and blows either cold or hot air. But "fine" just means the customer is paying the price in hidden ways: higher bills, more frequent repairs, or shorter equipment life. The Bottom Line When you skip best practices, you aren't saving the customer anything. You're gambling with their money, their comfort, and their safety. The fact that you didn't get a callback doesn't mean it "worked fine.” It just means the cost was slow, hidden, and paid by someone else. If we take pride in our work, we can't hide behind "I've been doing it this way for 20 years." The right way is the right way, even if no one ever knows you did it. This article was furnished by the generosity of Bryan Orr, HVAC School by Techs for Techs. We encourage you to subscribe to their podcast and articles at https://hvacrschool.com/ Mediocre: of only ordinary or moderate quality; neither good nor bad; barely adequate.

Worse yet, things like dumping liquid refrigerant into the suction during startup can wash out lubrication in those critical first moments. The compressor may survive, but the damage is baked in for the rest of its shortened life. Disconnecting or Failing to Install Crankcase Heaters A crankcase heater isn't there for decoration. It prevents refrigerant from migrating into the compressor during the off cycle. If you disconnect it, the oil can foam on startup, causing a momentary loss of lubrication. One incident isn't usually fatal, but repeated cycles like that shorten the compressor's life.

https://www.dictionary.com/browse/mediocre