What is Pattern Recognition as it Applies to the Service Industry? Pattern Recognition, or “PR”, as it applies to the appliance and HVAC repair industry, is simply noticing similarities between symptoms and causes. If 7 out of 10 times, an electric dryer is found to have “no heat”, and the element is open, PR will […]
About the Tech Circuit™ The Tech Circuit’s mission is to continuously improve and maintain the Field Technician’s electrical diagnostics aptitude. The need to provide electrical and electronic related diagnostic solutions in the field has become increasingly unavoidable. Developing an innate understanding of how electricity works greatly empowers you when encountering such scenarios. Below is a […]
Why do Motors have Inrush Current? Understanding how things work greatly impowers you when troubleshooting in the field. Let’s add a little motor theory to that knowledge. Why is Startup Current so High? Why is a single-phase induction motor’s starting current so high? You might just call it inrush current. It’s more complicated than that […]
Intro It’s important to understand how electricity behaves at its most fundamental level. There are certain unwavering truths about it that will exist wherever and whenever you encounter it. Some of these root-level aspects that are relevant to field technicians are summarized in the below table and further explained in the following text. Must-know Fundamentals […]
Should you Reference Neutral when Testing 240v Circuits? How many times have you heard a technician state “I’m getting 120v on both sides of the element and it still doesn’t get hot”? Technicians can get confused when working on an appliance that has lost L2, for example. If L1 feeds through a dryer element and […]
Appliance and HVAC Technician Electrical References Below are links to all Appliance Technician Quick-References to date. Feel free to bookmark/share this page or the individual pages below. These are updated as often as needed: 120v Point-to-Point Troubleshooting Cheat Sheet – CLICK HERE 120V Point-to-Point Voltage Pen Diagnostics Cheat Sheet – CLICK HERE 240v Point-to-Point Troubleshooting […]
Intro to the Relay Testing Cheat Sheet This blog shows a diode trick and checklist for fast testing of relays, as well as determining the relay coil voltage. The checklist is further down in this blog. Important Note Never attempt to repair circuit boards in appliances or HVAC systems unless you are directly supervised by […]