Recovery Pro Tips w/ Jesse from NAVAC

Key takeaways

Always prioritize keeping HVAC systems sealed to avoid unnecessary refrigerant loss.
Transitioning from traditional manifold gauges to digital probes enhances recovery efficiency.
Utilizing proper tools like 3/8 hoses and filter dryers significantly impacts refrigerant recovery outcomes.
Implement strategies for refrigerant recovery in cold climates, such as providing supplemental heat.
Use scales to ensure accurate refrigerant measurements and always follow safety protocols.

Summary

Introduction to Recovery Practices

In this lively discussion, the host Bryan and Jesse Stewart, the National Training Manager at NAVAC, engage in an insightful conversation focusing on best practices and techniques for refrigerant recovery. They open up about their friendship and Jesse's diverse experiences, transitioning to HVAC from a background in coal mining and lineman work. The conversation highlights the importance of remembering foundational practices while adapting to new technologies.

Understanding Sealed Systems and Refrigerant Loss

Bryan and Jesse dive deep into the importance of keeping HVAC systems sealed to avoid unnecessary refrigerant loss. They discuss how technicians often gauge systems without necessity, leading to minor refrigerant losses that accumulate over time. This practice not only costs money but also contributes to the issue of mysterious leaks, which many technicians encounter but might fail to diagnose correctly.

The Evolution from Manifolds to Digital Probes

The podcast highlights the shift in the industry from traditional manifold gauges to more advanced digital probing systems. While acknowledging that manifolds have educational value and are sometimes used as backups, Jesse advocates for the elimination of restrictions during recovery processes for better efficiency. They offer practical advice on utilizing 3/8 hoses, core removal tools, and inline filter dryers, underscoring how modern techniques greatly enhance recovery outcomes.

Challenges and Strategies in Cold Climates

The episode also touches upon the emerging challenges of refrigerant recovery in extremely cold climates, particularly with the rise of cold-climate heat pumps. Bryan and Jesse emphasize the necessity for technicians to adapt strategies for recovery during frigid temperatures, including the use of supplemental heating methods to ensure effective refrigerant extraction.

Prioritizing Safety and Best Practices

Throughout the discussion, safety is a recurring theme. They stress the importance of using scales for accurate refrigerant measurement, following the 80% rule when filling recovery cylinders, and confirming airflow before adding refrigerant. Bryan and Jesse wrap up their conversation by encouraging technicians to continually learn and adapt, emphasizing that pride in one’s craft leads to better service delivery.

Show notes

Recorded live on the floor at the AHR Expo 2026, this episode of the podcast brings together host Bryan and his guest Jesse, National Training Manager at NAVAC, for a candid, high-energy conversation about professional best practices in the HVAC/R trade. The two have a long-standing friendship and professional rapport that makes the discussion feel both educational and genuinely entertaining. Jesse brings a unique background to the table — from underground coal mining in West Virginia to becoming a lineman, then pivoting to HVAC through vocational school and a contractor-sponsored apprenticeship program. His path to becoming a national trainer is a testament to the value of investing in yourself and being open to learning at every stage of a career.

The core of this episode centers on refrigerant recovery and charging best practices — a topic that might sound routine but quickly reveals how many technicians, even experienced ones, are cutting corners that cost their clients and their companies money. Bryan and Jesse dig into the problems caused by unnecessarily opening sealed systems, the refrigerant lost every time a technician gauges up a system without need, and why the HVAC industry needs to shift its mindset to treat equipment more like a home refrigerator: a sealed system that should run for years without needing to be cracked open. Jesse makes a compelling case that many so-called "mysterious leaks" are actually caused by repeated unnecessary gauge hookups removing small amounts of refrigerant each time.

A significant portion of the conversation focuses on the transition away from manifold gauges toward digital probes and modern recovery setups. Jesse isn't dismissive of manifolds — he acknowledges their place in the classroom and as a backup tool — but he makes a strong case that eliminating restrictions throughout the recovery and charging process is one of the single most impactful things a technician can do to improve efficiency, protect equipment, and deliver better results for customers. Topics like pulling Schrader cores, using 3/8" hoses, Rapid-Y fittings, and the importance of using a filter dryer inline with the recovery machine are all covered with practical, field-tested advice.

Bryan and Jesse also tackle some timely and emerging issues facing the industry, including the equalization behavior of R-454B blends and the growing challenge of refrigerant recovery in extreme cold climates as cold-climate heat pumps become more widespread in northern markets. These aren't hypothetical — they're problems technicians are encountering right now, and Bryan's theory about refrigerant fractionation showing up on thermal imaging cameras offers a genuinely fascinating technical angle. The episode closes with Jesse's overarching message: eliminate restrictions wherever you can, take pride in your craft, and never stop learning.

Topics Covered

Jesse's background: coal mining, lineman work, HVAC vo-tech, contractor apprenticeship, and path to becoming a national trainer
The sealed system philosophy: why unnecessarily opening refrigerant circuits causes more problems than it solves
Manifold gauges — their appropriate role in training and as a backup vs. the case for moving to digital probes
How repeated gauge hookups can introduce refrigerant loss and fake "mystery leaks" — the 3.5 oz. per hose problem
Restrictions as the enemy of efficient recovery: pulling Schrader cores, using core removal tools, and proper hose sizing
The importance of recovering liquid first and how restrictions cause flash gas that slows recovery and adds heat
Hose size trade-offs: why 3/8" hoses are the recommended sweet spot between flow rate and refrigerant retention
Using a filter dryer inline with the recovery machine as cheap insurance against acid contamination and machine damage
Why recovered refrigerant should generally NOT be reused — dirty recovery tanks, fractionation, and the limits of a single filter pass
Scales as a non-negotiable tool: weighing refrigerant in AND out, and why techs who estimate by feel are guessing
Diagnosing overcharge and undercharge situations using scale data before making repairs
Airflow first, charge second: the importance of confirming CFM before adding refrigerant to a struggling system
The R-454B equalization issue: refrigerant fractionation in new blends and Bryan's thermal imaging theory
Cold-climate heat pump recovery challenges at sub-zero temperatures and strategies for adding heat to the system
Heat pump maintenance best practices: testing defrost cycles and what happens when they haven't been checked in years
Word of mouth as the most powerful (and dangerous) form of advertising in the service industry
Recovery cylinder safety: the dangers of overfilling tanks and the 80% rule

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