Building HVAC Science

Listen in as Bill chats with… himself! He shares some recent, personal and business encounters and discussions that left an impression on him. We hope you find them interesting. This episode was recorded in May 2023.

Listen in as Bill chats with Ben Walker, the Co-CEO of Retrotec about a wide range of technology related topics from sensors to programming to AI-Artificial Intelligence. Ben shares with us his experiences over his career in tech companies, primarily with Retrotec, one of TruTech's major vendors of air tightness and air flow testing gear. We learn about the history of the digital manometer at Retrotec, as well as the important topic of enclosure integrity testing and how to manage large building testing. Other topics of note include the move to DC motors, rCloud an app based test data platform (and so much more), the long list of new features on the DM32X digital manometer and more. Retrotec products: https://www.trutechtools.com/retrotec THE ALL NEW Retrotec DM32X digital gauge: https://www.trutechtools.com/retrotec-dm32x-digital-gauge.html Ben's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ben-walker-4a05901/ As Ben suggests, try ChatGPT yourself at www.openai.com This episode was recorded in April 2023.

In this episode, Bill interviews Chris Stephens Refrigeration Business owner and Social Media Influencer extraordinaire! There are so many nuggets to mine out of this episode, I hope you spend the time to listen to all of it. Chris is truly a multidimensional person, not like in the SciFi way though where he can walk through walls. His Big Picture concept, which he uses in all aspects of his life can be summarized as: Slow Down – Pause, allow you mind to catch up with where you are Take a Step Back - Think about what is going on Look at the Big Picture - Summarize the pros and cons of the various paths and decide if a short cut is worth it in the long run. Additionally, we talk about: The lost art of evacuation The Genesis of the 2 social media projects he started/ is in: HVACR Videos and HVAC OverTime His personal home performance project/journey His perspectives on electrification And much more Chris' business: https://www.jvsrefrigeration.com/ Chris' LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-stephens-a414651a6/ His 2 YouTube Channels: https://www.youtube.com/c/HVACRVIDEOS https://www.youtube.com/@HVACOvertime This episode was recorded in April 2023.

In this episode, Bill interviews Michael Rubino founder of HomeCleanse.com We discuss the technical & business aspects of mold removal and where it fits in to addressing and solving mold problems in a home or building. Michael is a forward thinker, having created his own mold remediation school for employees. At the school, they utilize the concept of I Do, We Do, You Do, that is you must be able to execute like the company experts in order to graduate to doing field/customer work. He is also author of The Mold Medic: An Expert's Guide on Mold Removal and a council-certified Mold Remediator by IICRC and ACAC and a contributing member, sponsor, and speaker for the Indoor Air Quality Association. We learn about how his growing up in the construction and remediation industry, influenced his current work. Michael's book: https://www.amazon.com/Mold-Medic-Experts-Guide-Removal-ebook/dp/B08FPCTWNZ Michael's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelrubino88/ His website: https://www.themichaelrubino.com/ This episode was recorded in March 2023.

In this episode, Bill interviews Adam Mufich, AKA A-Team Adam. You may know Adam from his video podcast, HVAC OverTime, which is a big collaboration he does with his friends Chris Stephens (HVACR Videos on YouTube), Bill Russell (Curious HVAC Guy on YouTube) and OT Joe (HVACR OverTime North on YouTube) In their words: "We never sugar coat anything; we tell it like it is. If you want the real uncensored hot takes on the state of the industry, come hang out live every Friday at 9:00pm EST on both YouTube and Facebook." https://www.facebook.com/groups/775287052979835 Adam describes his personal journey in the trades, where is has gotten him and where he is headed. Adam's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adam-mufich-5225055a/ Adam recently wrote a very interesting blog post we mention in the interview: https://hvacrschool.com/dunning-kruger-in-hvac/ He's also one of the hosts of the new Cooler Heads Podcast: https://www.iheart.com/podcast/269-the-cooler-heads-podcast-103621990/ You should also check out the YouTube Channel of the celebrity guest Adam mentions, Big Clive: https://www.youtube.com/@bigclivedotcom 969,000 viewers with 2,100 videos – I'm pretty sure you will find something of interest! Other links we mention: https://www.hvac20.com/#/ https://www.youtube.com/@HVACUncensored https://www.natethehousewhisperer.com/ This episode was recorded in March 2023.

In this episode, Bill chats with Kevin Hart, the founder of HAVEN, a start up that makes a unique IAQ sensor/control system. Hear from Kevin about his background as an electrical contractor and how he came up with the idea for Haven, as well as all the iterations the product has been through. In the episode he describes RDCV: Residential Demand Control Ventilation and why it is important for contractors and homeowners to understand details on this subject. Learn how a simple chemical compound that is found in most homes can convert to formaldehyde, a carcinogen. Haven Website: https://haveniaq.com/ Haven for sale at TruTech Tools: https://www.trutechtools.com/haven Haven 22 is the DISCOUNT CODE for this product: https://www.trutechtools.com/haven-central-air-monitor.html which is for Pros to use to get a product to install for customers or in their own homes. Kevin's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevinrhart/ Kevin's email: kevin@haveniaq.com Here's a link to Grace and Corbett Lunsford's HOMECHEM videos we mentioned: http://bit.ly/HOMEchem This episode was recorded in March 2023.

In this episode, Bill explains some of the activities that are keeping him busy lately. The National HVACR Education Conference https://www.escogroup.org/hvac/nhetc/default.aspx The National Home Performance Conference https://building-performance.org/events/national/ The National Comfort Institute (NCI) HVAC Summit https://www.gotosummit.com/sessions/ Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Business FREE educational program https://www.10ksbapply.com/ This episode was recorded in March 2023.

What's it like to build a tech product from the ground up? How do you validate that a market exists? What tools can you use to gain confidence that you are on the right track? In this week's podcast, Bill Spohn is joined by John Hoehn, CEO of Duckling. Duckling's mission is to help contractors help their customers on their journey to electrifying their homes. John and his co-founder, Sudeep Yegnashankaran have deep backgrounds in software development. They have been working on Duckling over the last two years and are now recruiting their first customers. Bill is honored to join their team as an advisor alongside Elliott Trice, who brings decades of experience in tech product development and design. Keep your eyes open and ears peeled for what Duckling hatches in the coming year! In full disclosure, Bill has a small financial interest in Duckling. Duckling website: www.getduckling.com Results from the contractor survey conducted in late 2022: https://bit.ly/HVAC-electrify Duckling one-page overview: https://bit.ly/Duckling-1-23 Are you a contractor interested in being a design partner with Duckling? Fill out this quick form: https://bit.ly/Duckling-EAP Electrification Panel Discussion at the 2023 HVAC School Symposium featuring Kimberly Llewellyn, Jim Bergmann and Bill Spohn* https://hvacrschool.com/events/4th-annual-hvac-r-training-symposium/electrification-panel/ * a small fee will gain you access to all recorded sessions from the Symposium for a limited time. Learn more about Steve Blank, who guidance John mentions in the podcast: https://steveblank.com/books-for-startups/ This episode was recorded in February 2023.

What do we do with our time? What did I do with my time in the last week? The Bangles said it best: … Time, time, time See what's become of me While I looked around for my possibilities In this episode, Bill is joined by Eric Kaiser where they share observations on products and events and the interesting people they engaged with during their 4 day excursion to the AHR Expo 2023. The AHR Expo: https://www.ahrexpo.com/ SUPCO TradeFox site and application: https://www.supcotradefox.com/ TruTech TradeFox page: https://www.trutechtools.com/supco-trade-fox.html Diversitech TradeInvent application: https://info.diversitech.com/tradeinvent-by-diversitech ASHRAE Standard 221: https://hvactoday.com/ashrae-221/ REFCO Inverter Checker: https://www.trutechtools.com/Refco-Inverter-Check-Kit-wData-Flow-Monitor_p_4930.html REFCO Gobi Condensate pump: https://www.trutechtools.com/Refco-Gobi REFCO Combi Condensate Pump: https://www.trutechtools.com/Refco-COMBI-Condensate-Removal-Pump-Universal-Voltage REFCO Karoo Condensate pump https://www.trutechtools.com/Refco-Karoo JB Climate Class probes: https://www.trutechtools.com/jb-climate-class.html Sauermann Combustion Analyzers: https://www.trutechtools.com/sauermann-combustion-analysis.html This episode was recorded in February 2023.

In this episode, Bill explains some of the activities that have kept him busy in the first few weeks of 2023. The HVACR Symposium: https://hvacrschool.com/events/4th-annual-hvac-r-training-symposium/ The AHR Expo: https://www.ahrexpo.com/ Installing a new operating system at TruTech Tools: EOS: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dpXL2SGfkBc https://www.eosworldwide.com/ This episode was recorded in February 2023.