Troubleshooting Tips and Tricks w/ Let's Be Techs

Key takeaways

Use all your senses—listen, observe, feel—before reaching for tools when troubleshooting HVAC systems.
Inspect service valves for oil and check caps/seals before connecting gauges to avoid ghost leaks.
Electrical issues are evolving; contactor coil failures and transformer overloads are increasingly common, often due to aftermarket accessories.
DIY methods like using a contactor as a short-finder or adding individual circuit fuses ('tattletales') can save troubleshooting time.
Thermal imaging cameras are valuable diagnostic tools for spotting electrical hotspots, coil issues, and motor problems, especially when surfaces are shiny or reflective.
Pay attention to contextual clues—weather, recent activities, unusual noises—to better diagnose intermittent faults.
Sharing knowledge openly within the trade helps elevate the industry and supports technicians at all levels.
Understanding compressor discharge temperatures, especially the 225°F rule, can help catch overheating issues early.

Summary

Introduction and Guest Background

The episode introduces Johnny from Let's Be Techs, a social media content creator and HVAC technician with a diverse background. Johnny started his career in construction and transitioned into HVAC through an apprenticeship, later moving into refrigeration. He began creating educational videos as a hobby, which grew into a significant social media presence. His content aims to share practical, real-world troubleshooting tips for technicians.

Philosophy of Troubleshooting and Practical Tips

Bryan and Johnny emphasize the importance of using senses—listening, feeling, and visual inspection—before applying specialized tools when diagnosing HVAC problems. Topics include checking service valves for oil before removing caps, visual cues like frost on walk-in coolers, airflow in condensers, and noting surging in liquid lines. Both stress the importance of a big-picture approach to troubleshooting rather than jumping to conclusions about charge levels or component failures.

Electrical Diagnostics and Common Failures

The discussion highlights a shift in electrical issues, with a focus on increased contactor coil failures and transformer overloads, often exacerbated by aftermarket add-ons like UV lights and dampers. They explore troubleshooting shortcuts, such as using a contactor as a DIY short-finder, and discuss the reliability of resettable fuses ('popper' fuses) versus standard ones. The conversation includes real-world stories about intermittent shorts, the significance of constant current monitoring, and diagnosing hidden issues like backfeeding and compressor running backwards.

Advanced Troubleshooting Tools and Techniques

The hosts cover the use of thermal imaging cameras for diagnosing electrical and mechanical issues, including condensers, motors, and compressor racks. They share tips like preventing false readings on shiny surfaces with gaffer's tape and using megohmmeters to identify latent wire shorts. The episode also discusses creative problem-solving, such as adding individual fuses ('tattletales') to isolate intermittent faults and using innovative tools in place of expensive diagnostic equipment.

Complex Equipment and Unusual Cases

Relaying stories of unique diagnosis, Johnny discusses a VRF system where electronic expansion valves stay open when power is cut, leading to issues when merely shutting off power. Other anecdotes include cases of scroll compressors running backward, abnormal compressor overheating, and unusual scenarios like a Barbados project with unconventional VRF control strategies. These stories underscore the importance of contextual analysis and experience-based troubleshooting.

Community and Knowledge Sharing

Both Bryan and Johnny advocate for open sharing of knowledge within the industry, criticizing gatekeeping and encouraging the use of community commentary for learning. Johnny emphasizes that most techs are eager to learn and improve, and the comment sections of social media videos are a valuable resource where technicians exchange tips, correct misunderstandings, and collectively elevate the trade.

Additional Topics and Closing Remarks

Other discussed topics include the application of thermal imaging for electrical panels, motors, and coils; the significance of understanding compressor discharge line temperatures, especially the 225°F rule; and the benefits of sharing practical stories to learn from real-world experience. The episode concludes with a call to follow Johnny on social media, information about upcoming HVACR training events, and a humorous closing joke.

Show notes

In this episode of the HVAC School Podcast, host Bryan sits down with Johnny, the creator behind the popular social media channel "Let's Be Techs." Johnny brings a wealth of hands-on experience to the table, having spent his first 13 years in residential HVAC before transitioning into commercial refrigeration. He shares his unconventional path into the trade—starting out building houses before being recommended to an HVAC contractor—and how the lack of quality mentorship early in his career motivated him to create educational content for technicians. His videos, which began as a fun hobby and a way to teach his helper remotely, have since grown exponentially across TikTok, YouTube, and Facebook, and continue to attract technicians hungry for practical, real-world knowledge.

The bulk of the episode is a deep dive into real-world troubleshooting strategies, covering everything from the very first moments you arrive on a job site to diagnosing complex intermittent electrical faults. Bryan and Johnny both emphasize the value of using your senses before reaching for specialty tools—listening for surging liquid lines, feeling condenser airflow with your hand, and visually inspecting service valves for oil before removing caps. They share a mutual philosophy that the best technicians are those who can step back, assess the big picture, and narrow down the problem systematically rather than immediately jumping to assumptions about charge levels or component failures.

A significant portion of the conversation centers on low-voltage electrical diagnostics, an area where both techs have noticed major changes over the last several years. Bryan and Johnny discuss the rise of contactor coil failures, transformer overload from aftermarket add-ons like UV lights and zone dampers, and the clever use of a contactor in place of a fuse as a low-cost short-finder tool. They also revisit the concept of "tattletale" fuses and resettable fuses, comparing their reliability and appropriate applications. Throughout these discussions, both hosts bring in personal war stories that make the technical content feel grounded and immediately applicable to everyday service calls.

The episode wraps up with discussions on thermal imaging cameras, scroll compressor anomalies, and a memorable consulting story from Barbados involving a VRF system. Johnny and Bryan also touch on the importance of sharing knowledge openly in the trades, pushing back against the gatekeeping mentality that leaves newer technicians struggling to find reliable information. Both agree that the comment sections of field-focused videos have become a valuable community resource—a place where techs teach each other, correct each other, and build a collective knowledge base that benefits the whole industry.

Topics Covered

Johnny's background: from construction to HVAC apprenticeship to commercial refrigeration
How "Let's Be Techs" started as a fun hobby and grew into a major social media presence
Using your senses first: listening, looking, and feeling before pulling out specialty tools
Checking service valves for oil and inspecting caps/seals before connecting gauges
Walk-in cooler first-response checklist: fans, thermostat display, suction line frost, liquid line surging
Feeling condenser airflow direction to diagnose dirty or clogged coils
Identifying capacitor and contactor issues from the moment you approach residential equipment
The rise of contactor coil failures and how location-based dirty power contributes
Transformer overload: understanding the 40 VA / 24V current rating and why a 5-amp fuse doesn't protect windings
Aftermarket add-ons (UV lights, dampers, zone systems) overloading low-voltage circuits
Float switches fusing closed from excess current draw
The contactor-as-short-finder trick: a DIY alternative to the Short Pro tool
Adding individual circuit fuses ("tattletale" fuses) for isolating intermittent low-voltage shorts
Resettable (popper) fuses: reliability issues and why 3-amp versions outperform 5-amp versions
Contextual diagnostics: thinking about when and why a fuse blew (weather, season, recent activity)
The 225°F discharge line rule for monitoring compressor health
Scroll compressor oddities: running backwards, check valve failures, and starting under equalized pressure
VRF system quirk: electronic expansion valves staying open when power is cut to one air handler
Thermal imaging cameras: practical applications in the field including electrical panels, motors, condenser coils, and compressor racks
Using black tape (gaffer's tape) to improve thermal imaging accuracy on shiny surfaces
Megohmmeter use for finding wire shorts that are intermittent but close to failing
The importance of anti-gatekeeping: sharing knowledge freely and learning from community feedback

Follow Johnny on social media as "Let's Be Techs" on YouTube, TikTok, Facebook, and Instagram.

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