HVAC Service Work: Tools of the Trade

 April 1, 2024      Jeff Rosenblum

The first tool that every technician should have is a multimeter. This meter should be capable of measuring AC and DC voltage, microamps, millivolts, frequency, amps, capacitance and 3 phase motor rotation. Having a good quality meter can make your job much easier and more productive. A good quality meter we recommend is the UEI DL599.

The next tool you should have in your arsenal is a dual port digital manometer. This is one of the most useful tools you can have. This gets used year-round so make sure you always have a fresh set of batteries. The dual port digital manometer can be used to measure gas pressure, test pressure switches and test and set static pressure so you can dial in your cooling airflow. Unfortunately, this tool is often overlooked and underutilized, but it makes the job much easier. The UEI EM720SPKIT is a great choice as it comes with everything needed to measure static pressure, gas pressure and test pressure switches.

Another tool that should make its way on to every truck is a combustion analyzer. When you leave a customer’s house, a final combustion test should be done to make sure that the fossil fuel burning piece of equipment is burning safely! Not testing for CO can be very dangerous for not only you, but your customer. We always focus on the efficiency of the equipment, but what about the safety? Safety should be paramount! The UEI C161 is a great analyzer to add to your list of tools!

There are several other tools we will discuss in future articles, but these are 3 tools that are used the most often. As always, if you need technical assistance, don’t hesitate to call the Famous HVAC Tech Department at 330-475-8230.