There is a wide range of HVAC instruments that help a technician do his job of keeping climate control systems in good condition. Some of these tools can be found in the average person’s garage or the local hardware store, while others are highly specific for tasks in the climate control industry and can only be bought at specialty tool shops. These heating, ventilating, and air conditioning tools can be divided into four types, depending on what they are used for. These categories are general tools, electrical tools, sheet metal tools, and refrigeration tools. Each instrument is essential for HVAC projects.
The first category, general tools, includes instruments that will probably be recognizable to handymen and do-it-yourself enthusiasts. These are the most familiar and the easiest to find. Some examples are screwdrivers, nut drivers, box and open-end wrenches, socket wrenches, a tape measure, a utility knife, channel lock pliers, needle nose pliers, a small crescent wrench, a hammer, and a set of Allen wrenches. A look into an HVAC technician’s tool kit will probably also reveal a small flashlight, because an HVAC diagnosis and troubleshooting project usually involves working in dark crevices and spaces like vents and basements. Although not technically a tool, an pair of sturdy coveralls is also part of the HVAC technician’s gear, to help protect his clothes from the usual stains and tears that can be expected from the job. Extension and folding ladders are also necessary for getting into hard-to-reach, overhead units.
The instruments in the next category little less familiar and somewhat more specialized. Electrical tools include diagonal wire cutters also known as “dikes,” wire strippers, lineman’s pliers, wire crimpers, a wire stapler, and a snake. There are also special instruments used to diagnose any problems and test the flow of electricity. These electrical testing tools include a digital voltmeter, which measures the voltage potential between two points in an electrical circuit, a clamp-on ammeter, which evaluates the flow of electric current in a particular circuit, and an infrared non-contact thermometer, which monitors temperature accurately from a distance with the use of a laser ray.
Since sheet metal is one of the most common materials in HVAC systems, service technicians need instruments that can perform tasks such as cutting and soldering, which are usually required in installation and repair work. Thus, HVAC tools for sheet metal servicing and installation are an important part of a technician’s arsenal. Numbered among these are straight and angled snips (there are two varieties: left handed and right handed), a tinner’s hammer, seaming tongs, crimpers, a reciprocating saw, a stapler, and an offset duct stretcher. To protect the technician’s hands from accidents that can happen when dealing with the sharp edges of sheet metal that can easily slice the skin, thick, heavy, protective gloves are also recommended. Other suggested safety measures are wearing protective goggles and a safety mask.
The last category, refrigeration and plumbing tools, include a portable oxy-acetylene torch, refrigerant gauges, a fin comb, an inspection mirror, vacuum gauges, a refrigerant recovery machine, a vacuum pump, a coil cleaning bottle, and a recovery machine. Also in the toolkit are plumbing implements such as tube cutters of various sizes, pipe wrenches, a hacksaw, and PVC pipe cutters.
Some of these tools are pretty expensive and are some of the biggest investments of a service technician starting his career or a business man starting a company in the HVAC industry. In purchasing HVAC tools, it is important not to sacrifice quality in favor of getting cheaper deals. Poorly made tools will cost a technician more in the long run, since he would have to buy replacements. The risks that he puts his own safety and the quality of his service in are also significant. However, there are places and ways that he can save money. Before buying tools, conduct research about the best brands on the market. Ask more experienced HVAC professionals. Read online customer reviews and product complaints to find out the pros and cons of each brand. Internet research could also lead to websites and individual sellers from whom one can get excellent deals even on the most expensive HVAC tools.
But more important than information on where to get these tools is knowing how to use them. Some of the components and materials in HVAC systems are classified under dangerous and restricted substances, and proper training is required before one can be qualified to handle them. Freon, for example, a common refrigerant, is extremely hazardous to the environment and to personal health. A licensed HVAC technician has undergone the requisite training, and knows the right way to use the tools and to handle the substances with all the safety precautions and procedures. If you are a layman or a do-it-yourself enthusiast setting out on an HVAC project of your own, it is important that you do not take these precautions lightly. There are some jobs that even the most sophisticated tools cannot help you perform. If the task is too complicated, simply call an HVAC technician and let him do that job that he is trained to do.
