My old HVAC mentor taught me something I keep seeing new guys get backwards

I remember my first year in the trade, this guy named Ray in Omaha told me to always check the static pressure before messing with refrigerant charges. Seems simple, but I see posts online where people skip straight to adding juice when the real issue is a dirty filter or undersized ductwork. Last month I showed a kid in a forum his airflow numbers were way off, and he saved $400 on unnecessary parts. Anyone else notice new techs jumping to the hard fix before ruling out the basics?

2 comments

2 Comments

mila_mitchell20d ago

Ngl I used to be the guy who'd jump straight to topping off refrigerant without checking anything else. Ray's advice makes total sense now, never thought about it like that before.

the_henry20d ago

Yeah I read something similar in an HVAC trade magazine a while back, they said like 80% of refrigerant leaks are from people just topping off instead of fixing the actual problem. Made me realize I was basically throwing money at a band-aid fix every time. It's wild how much more efficient the system runs once you actually find and seal the leak first.