Even if you’re quite talented in what you do, most of the time you can’t do your job
professionally unless you have some specific tools. The same goes for HVAC service technicians. Well, that doesn’t necessarily mean that you should look for the technician with the most tools, but not having even a basic set of tools to start with often speaks a lot for the quality of service aircon technicians provide as stated by Home Aire Care.
With that being said, there are certain tools that are indispensable when it comes to aircon maintenance and servicing. If your technician has them, this pretty much means that he or she is committed to the craft. Here’s a shortlist of some of the most important tools every HVAC technician needs in the field.
1. Reciprocating Saw Blades
To begin with, reciprocating saw or Sawzall is one of the essential tools for AC technicians. What it does is that it cuts through virtually anything, which makes it quite valuable. Of course, it all depends on the type of blade you use in it, so it’s best advised that you buy a durable one. Also, mind that a good technician always keeps his batteries charged.
2. Vacuum Pump
If you have problems with leaks and moisture, then you’ll definitely need your technician to come with their vacuum pump. Basically, the vacuum pump has the ability to suck moisture and air out of the AC lines, which helps the technician to determine which lines have leaked before charging or recharging the system with new refrigerant. However, there are plenty of models, and it might be a little difficult to determine which pump suits your needs best.
3. Mobile HVAC Software
Unlike popular belief, this “tool” will definitely improve the quality of work done by your technicians. They allow you to give the professionals you’ve hired all the logistical information they need, including schedules, contact information, equipment records, service histories and etc. As a result, the technicians are given the opportunity to focus all their time and energy on the job instead of having to deal with tedious administrative tasks.
4. Refrigerant Scale
Charging the aircon with the right amount of refrigerant liquid is one of the jobs that HVAC technicians must do with excellent precision. This is because the amount of refrigerant affects the temperature maintenance of the AC for the assigned space. Providing too little might cause the unit to malfunction while charging too much will create a high-pressure system within the cooling equipment. As a result, the compressor will be under constant pressure, which will cause lots of maintenance issues. For this reason, a refrigerant scale helps to address such issues by measuring the weight of the refrigerant, which is added or removed.
5. Cordless Drill
Of course, you can’t expect an HVAC technician to do much without a cordless drill. After all, this is one of the essential tools because of its portability, power, and versatility. If your aircon needs holes for anchor bolts or installing a new compression, then a cordless drill must be in the list of tools. Usually, professionals have two or more batteries in order to ensure that they’ll be able to work all day without needing to charge the drill’s batteries.
6. Screwdrivers with Insulated Handles
Just like any other technician, the good aircon technician would have the required arsenal of screwdrivers. They will come in handy when it comes to repairing your air conditioning system. To prevent any mishaps and accidents, the expert technicians use screwdrivers that are fitted with insulated handles so as to prevent any electric shocks.
7. Pipe Wrenches and Pliers
You may have heard that wrenches and plies are used in plumbing. However, any good HVAC technician has a set of pipe wrenches or pliers. The latter often include needle-nose, channel-lock, open-face, wire strippers, and linesman pliers. Typically, such tools are used when working on natural gas lines and connections to plumbing.
8. Tin Snips and Shears
When working with metal, you must have particular tools in order to do your job smoothly. With air conditioners, there’s a lot of work with sheet metal. So, it won’t be uncommon for the techs to equip themselves with all three types of tin snips – straight aviators, lefts (reds), and rights (greens). This is because each type of tin snip allows different positioning and cut directions, thus making the cuts more precise. If longer straight cuts are needed, then your technician will have to use a pair of steel shears, of course, with an insulated handle.
9. Multimeter and Voltage Tester
Generally, most professional contractors are well-prepared when it comes to safety. However, a careful operation is always suggested because of the electrical connection that HVAC systems have. Usually, technicians are equipped with electrical testers, which help them to verify the presence of live wires, measure voltage or resistance, and so on.
10. Tube Cutter and Tube Blender
In short, the tube cutter is used to chop copper tubing in AC units. Usually, their width ranged from 8 to half-inch outside diameter. Just make sure that your technician is still looking for replacements, or he’s using the same old and blunt weapon. As for the tube blender, this is a copper blending tool. It has 3-size molded round wheels, and what it does is bend copper tubes. This completely eliminates the possibility of your AC tube cracking.
11. Tape measure
Surprising or not, the tape measure is a universal tech tool. Obviously, the use of tape measure in aircon maintenance and repairs is that it’s used when measuring the length of the copper tubing, the volume of a room, and others. Therefore, your technician should have a tape measure that’s at least 25 ft. Long.
12. Level
Last but not least, installing and dealing with air conditioners involve a high degree of leveling. And since most of the surfaces on which ACs lie are made of metal, a strong magnetic level is much more useful than you might have expected. As a result, you can easily keep your hands free when leveling.
Final Thoughts
In conclusion, the tools listed above are a must aircon tools for any HVAC technician. With them at hand, there is no reason to worry about any repairs. Of course, there are lots of other tools and items that are just as important as these, but the following list of items will suffice for the most common AC repairs and maintenance. The reason is that all of these tools are important and give you the opportunity to perform various repairs, servicing, and maintenance works without any holdbacks.
All in all, there is a wide variety of work that falls under the HVAC umbrella, and this means that professional technicians need to have the right tools in their roster so as to provide high-quality work to their customers. If you’re looking for top-notch AC servicing, LK Brothers Aircon is one of the top aircon servicing companies in Singapore. They provide a mix of quality and reasonable pricing for their services.
