HVAC School - For Techs, By Techs

In this special collaborative episode between the Building HVAC Science Podcast and HVAC School, host Bryan Orr sits down with his father and co-founder Robert Orr (Kalos) and Bill and Billy Spohn, the father-son duo behind TruTech Tools, for an in-depth conversation about the realities of running, transitioning, and ultimately passing the torch in a family-owned business. What makes this episode particularly compelling is that both pairs are actively living through their own succession journeys in real time, offering listeners an unusually candid and personal look at the emotional, structural, and cultural dimensions of handing off a business you helped build from the ground up. The conversation begins with each participant sharing where they stand today. Bill Spohn Sr. is transitioning into semi-retirement as CEO and co-owner of TruTech Tools, which has tripled in revenue since his son Billy joined the company in 2018. Billy Spohn has stepped into the role of President and co-owner, focusing on working on the business rather than in it. Robert Orr, co-founder of Kalos alongside Bryan, has similarly stepped back after a formalized three-year succession plan, with Bryan now holding majority ownership and day-to-day control. Together, these four men represent two different approaches to the same deeply human challenge: what does it really mean to let go of something you built, and how do you do it in a way that honors both the past and the future? A major theme throughout the episode is the emotional weight of identity and transition that founders and long-time leaders rarely talk about openly. Both Bill Spohn Sr. and Robert Orr reflect candidly on how much of their personal identity has been wrapped up in their respective companies, and how surprising it has been to grapple with the shift from decision-maker to advisor. Robert speaks movingly about health challenges, including having suffered strokes, that accelerated his thinking about succession and mortality. The group explores how no amount of business planning fully prepares you for the emotional reality of stepping back, and yet both men express genuine peace and gratitude for how their transitions have unfolded. The honesty in these reflections is rare and refreshing, especially in business media that often skips the messy human middle. The discussion also digs deeply into the operational and cultural infrastructure that makes a successful handoff possible. TruTech Tools implemented the Entrepreneurial Operating System (EOS) starting in 2022, a framework that Billy says was one of the greatest gifts his father could have given him before assuming leadership. EOS brought role clarity, accountability structures, and regular team rhythms that transformed how the company functions. Bryan and Robert took a more organic approach at Kalos, leaning on trust, a shared value system, and clearly defined responsibilities that evolved over years of working side by side. Both companies emphasize that clarity and accountability are non-negotiable, regardless of company size, and that culture is not a poster on the wall but a reflection of how leaders actually behave when things get hard. The episode closes with practical advice for other family business owners navigating similar journeys. Key takeaways include starting the conversation early, building an advisory board outside the company, making public commitments to accountability, investing in business reading and peer groups, holding regular family meetings so that everyone understands the plan, and above all, prioritizing emotional health and the ability to have hard conversations before they become festering resentments. Bryan offers a memorable point: intelligence gets beaten by emotional regulation and patience every day. The group is unanimous that succession planning is not a single event but a thousand small handoffs, and the best time to start preparing is well before you feel ready. Topics Covered Introductions: Bryan Orr (Kalos), Robert Orr (Kalos co-founder), Bill Spohn Sr. (TruTech Tools CEO), and Billy Spohn (TruTech Tools President) TruTech Tools 3x revenue growth since Billy joined in 2018 The emotional side of letting go: identity shifts, loss of relevance, and the unexpected grief of stepping back from a business you built Moving from decision-maker to advisor: how both Bill Sr. and Robert are navigating this transition Legacy vs. transactional business: building to keep versus building to sell, and the stewardship mindset The baton handoff metaphor: why succession is a thousand small transitions, not one dramatic moment Robert Orr on health challenges (strokes) that accelerated his thinking about succession planning EOS (Entrepreneurial Operating System) at TruTech Tools: what it is, how it was implemented over two years starting in 2022, and why Billy credits it as the single biggest gift for his leadership journey Role clarity and accountability charts versus traditional org charts Quarterly employee check-ins as an alternative to annual reviews How Kalos grew organically without a formal EOS framework, and the value of building structure around trust and shared values GWC framework from EOS: Gets it, Wants it, Capacity to do it Kalos hitting 400+ employees and the challenges that come with scale Culture preservation through succession: how core values survive a leadership change Faith-based principles in business culture: loving your neighbor, leading with grace, clarity as kindness The concept of stewardship: feeling responsible for a business rather than simply owning it Separate job descriptions for CEO vs. President at TruTech Tools and why it mattered for the whole team Bryan on having five family members working at Kalos and maintaining clear boundaries between family and professional roles Advice for family businesses: start early, overcommunicate, make public commitments, seek outside advisors Building a small advisory board outside the company for outside perspective Recommended resources: business peer groups, books on succession planning, and the EOS/Traction framework by Gino Wickman The importance of family meetings for keeping non-active family members informed and aligned Forgiveness and reconciliation as a foundation for healthy family business relationships Having hard conversations proactively so tension does not carry into family life Bill Spohn Sr.'s closing reflection on what comes after stepping back, and the importance of preparing for your next chapter in life Resources mentioned: Traction by Gino Wickman Rocket Fuel by Gino Wickman & Mark Winters Succeeding by Albert Ciuksza Good to Great by Jim Collins Family Business Succession: The Final Test of Greatness by Aronoff, McClure, & Ward Process! by Mike Paton and Lisa Gonzalez The Business Transition Handbook by Laurie R. Barkman Who Comes Next? Leadership Succession Planning Made Easy by Mary C. Kelly & Meredith E. Powell Predictive Index (personality/behavioral assessment tool used at Kalos) University of Pittsburgh business peer group for entrepreneurs (referenced by Billy) Family business advisory boards and outside mentors Visit TruTech Tools at https://trutechtools.com/. Have a question that you want us to answer on the podcast? Submit your questions at https://www.speakpipe.com/hvacschool. Purchase your tickets or learn more about the 7th Annual HVACR Training Symposium at https://hvacrschool.com/symposium. Subscribe to our podcast on your iPhone or Android. Subscribe to our YouTube channel. Check out our handy calculators here or on the HVAC School Mobile App for Apple and Android.

Looking to Add Plumbing To Your HVAC Business? Learn the critical pitfalls to avoid before you make the leap! In this livestream from the 7th Annual HVAC/R Training Symposium, service plumber and third-generation tradesman Nate Agentis breaks down why adding plumbing to your HVAC business isn't as simple as hiring a plumber and stocking PVC on your trucks. What You'll Learn: Why most HVAC companies fail when adding plumbing services The hidden costs beyond just hiring plumbers Marketing challenges specific to emergency plumbing How to structure your plumbing division for success The importance of leadership and proper business planning Insurance, branding, and culture considerations Smart entry points like maintenance plans and water heater services Nate shares real-world insights on avoiding the cash flow drains, cultural toxicity, and structural mistakes that plague HVAC companies trying to diversify. Whether you're considering adding plumbing or already struggling with your plumbing division, this conversation provides actionable strategies for sustainable growth. Have a question that you want us to answer on the podcast? Submit your questions at https://www.speakpipe.com/hvacschool. Purchase your tickets or learn more about the 7th Annual HVACR Training Symposium at https://hvacrschool.com/symposium. Subscribe to our podcast on your iPhone or Android. Subscribe to our YouTube channel. Check out our handy calculators here or on the HVAC School Mobile App for Apple and Android.

In this episode of the HVAC School Podcast, host Bryan sits down with Johnny, the creator behind the popular social media channel "Let's Be Techs." Johnny brings a wealth of hands-on experience to the table, having spent his first 13 years in residential HVAC before transitioning into commercial refrigeration. He shares his unconventional path into the trade—starting out building houses before being recommended to an HVAC contractor—and how the lack of quality mentorship early in his career motivated him to create educational content for technicians. His videos, which began as a fun hobby and a way to teach his helper remotely, have since grown exponentially across TikTok, YouTube, and Facebook, and continue to attract technicians hungry for practical, real-world knowledge. The bulk of the episode is a deep dive into real-world troubleshooting strategies, covering everything from the very first moments you arrive on a job site to diagnosing complex intermittent electrical faults. Bryan and Johnny both emphasize the value of using your senses before reaching for specialty tools—listening for surging liquid lines, feeling condenser airflow with your hand, and visually inspecting service valves for oil before removing caps. They share a mutual philosophy that the best technicians are those who can step back, assess the big picture, and narrow down the problem systematically rather than immediately jumping to assumptions about charge levels or component failures. A significant portion of the conversation centers on low-voltage electrical diagnostics, an area where both techs have noticed major changes over the last several years. Bryan and Johnny discuss the rise of contactor coil failures, transformer overload from aftermarket add-ons like UV lights and zone dampers, and the clever use of a contactor in place of a fuse as a low-cost short-finder tool. They also revisit the concept of "tattletale" fuses and resettable fuses, comparing their reliability and appropriate applications. Throughout these discussions, both hosts bring in personal war stories that make the technical content feel grounded and immediately applicable to everyday service calls. The episode wraps up with discussions on thermal imaging cameras, scroll compressor anomalies, and a memorable consulting story from Barbados involving a VRF system. Johnny and Bryan also touch on the importance of sharing knowledge openly in the trades, pushing back against the gatekeeping mentality that leaves newer technicians struggling to find reliable information. Both agree that the comment sections of field-focused videos have become a valuable community resource—a place where techs teach each other, correct each other, and build a collective knowledge base that benefits the whole industry. Topics Covered Johnny's background: from construction to HVAC apprenticeship to commercial refrigeration How "Let's Be Techs" started as a fun hobby and grew into a major social media presence Using your senses first: listening, looking, and feeling before pulling out specialty tools Checking service valves for oil and inspecting caps/seals before connecting gauges Walk-in cooler first-response checklist: fans, thermostat display, suction line frost, liquid line surging Feeling condenser airflow direction to diagnose dirty or clogged coils Identifying capacitor and contactor issues from the moment you approach residential equipment The rise of contactor coil failures and how location-based dirty power contributes Transformer overload: understanding the 40 VA / 24V current rating and why a 5-amp fuse doesn't protect windings Aftermarket add-ons (UV lights, dampers, zone systems) overloading low-voltage circuits Float switches fusing closed from excess current draw The contactor-as-short-finder trick: a DIY alternative to the Short Pro tool Adding individual circuit fuses ("tattletale" fuses) for isolating intermittent low-voltage shorts Resettable (popper) fuses: reliability issues and why 3-amp versions outperform 5-amp versions Contextual diagnostics: thinking about when and why a fuse blew (weather, season, recent activity) The 225°F discharge line rule for monitoring compressor health Scroll compressor oddities: running backwards, check valve failures, and starting under equalized pressure VRF system quirk: electronic expansion valves staying open when power is cut to one air handler Thermal imaging cameras: practical applications in the field including electrical panels, motors, condenser coils, and compressor racks Using black tape (gaffer's tape) to improve thermal imaging accuracy on shiny surfaces Megohmmeter use for finding wire shorts that are intermittent but close to failing The importance of anti-gatekeeping: sharing knowledge freely and learning from community feedback Follow Johnny on social media as "Let's Be Techs" on YouTube, TikTok, Facebook, and Instagram. Have a question that you want us to answer on the podcast? Submit your questions at https://www.speakpipe.com/hvacschool. Purchase your tickets or learn more about the 7th Annual HVACR Training Symposium at https://hvacrschool.com/symposium. Subscribe to our podcast on your iPhone or Android. Subscribe to our YouTube channel. Check out our handy calculators here or on the HVAC School Mobile App for Apple and Android.

Join Joey Henderson LIVE from the 7th Annual HVAC/R Training Symposium in Florida! This essential training breaks down the science of heat transfer into practical field techniques every technician needs. What You'll Learn: Understanding sensible heat (dry bulb) vs latent heat (wet bulb) removal Why airflow matters Heat transfer diagnostics BEFORE pulling out gauges Gas furnace temperature rise troubleshooting How all about heat relates to cooling, heating, and refrigeration Inverter/cold climate heat pump heat transfer principles Target saturated temperatures Key Takeaways: Industry capacity standards Why humidity removal takes MORE energy than temperature drop Diagnosing low airflow, dirty coils, and charge issues through heat out measurements Temperature rise method for gas furnaces and heat strips Water flow and boiler heat transfer fundamentals Joey Henderson shares real-world stories and field-tested methods for mastering heat in, heat out principles. Whether you're working with mini-splits, gas furnaces, or commercial chillers - understanding heat transfer is the foundation of excellent HVAC work! Have a question that you want us to answer on the podcast? Submit your questions at https://www.speakpipe.com/hvacschool. Purchase your tickets or learn more about the 7th Annual HVACR Training Symposium at https://hvacrschool.com/symposium. Subscribe to our podcast on your iPhone or Android. Subscribe to our YouTube channel. Check out our handy calculators here or on the HVAC School Mobile App for Apple and Android.

Recorded live at the 7th Annual HVACR Training Symposium, this episode brings together Roman from HVAC School and building science practitioner Brynn for a deep-dive conversation on one of the most pressing challenges in the HVAC industry: how contractors can use building science principles not just to solve problems, but to communicate value and close sales at the kitchen table. With 26 years of industry experience and 15 years of consistently applying building science in his contracting business, Brynn shares the process his team has refined to help homeowners understand their comfort problems — and confidently invest in the right solutions. Central to the conversation is the idea that testing — not guessing — is the foundation of a great HVAC business. Brynn outlines his team's "big three" diagnostic approach: starting with indoor air quality testing, followed by a load calculation using a LIDAR tool, and finishing with a duct evaluation. These three steps give technicians the data they need to tie findings directly to a homeowner's stated concerns. Rather than overwhelming customers with spreadsheets and raw numbers, the goal is to present information in a way that connects with their lived experience — validating that their hot rooms, cold spots, or humidity discomfort are real, measurable problems with real, measurable solutions. Brynn's team can complete a full load calculation in as little as 20 minutes on-site, a capability that routinely impresses homeowners and sets them apart from competitors. The episode also tackles the business case for slowing down. Rather than rushing technicians through six to eight calls a day, Brynn's company reduced daily call volume to two to four, giving technicians time to perform thorough diagnostics. The result? Ticket sales increased, replacement opportunities grew organically, and install callbacks dropped to a remarkable half of one percent, compared to an industry average closer to ten percent. Roman and Brynn agree that adopting building science practices isn't about overhauling your business overnight. The key is to start with one skill — like combustion testing or airflow measurement — master it, embed it in company culture, and build from there. Over time, these small habits compound into a business that delivers on its promises every time. Beyond the technical content, the conversation wraps with a heartfelt discussion about workforce development and the GRIT Foundation, a nonprofit working to reintroduce skilled trades exposure to young people. With shop classes having largely disappeared from schools across the country, Brynn and Roman emphasize the importance of giving children the chance to discover a passion for hands-on work. Brynn's team hosted a GRIT camp in Detroit, and one participant has since enrolled in HVAC college — a reminder that sparking curiosity early can change the trajectory of a young person's life. Contractors interested in Brynn's training programs and building science bootcamps can find more information at HVACTrain.com. Topics Covered The culture and community of the HVACR Symposium and why first-time attendees always come back Why building science can feel intimidating to contractors — and how to simplify it for customer conversations Brynn's "big three" on-site diagnostics: indoor air quality testing, load calculation, and duct evaluation How to ask the right questions first — understanding the customer's pain before running tests Using data to validate homeowner concerns (hot rooms, cold spots, humidity issues) rather than dismissing them Completing a full load calculation in 20 minutes using LiDAR tools and tablet software Presenting test results with third-party references (EPA, American Lung Association) to build trust Why oversized HVAC equipment is the rule, not the exception — and what the data shows across thousands of homes The business case for slowing down: fewer daily calls, better diagnostics, higher ticket sales, fewer callbacks Reducing install callbacks from an industry average of ~10% to just 0.5% through building science practices How to implement building science incrementally: start with one practice, make it a habit, then build from there Using platforms like measureQuick and Smart Probe for ongoing performance verification Mitigating legal and financial risk on larger residential and multi-family projects through proper documentation Building a word-of-mouth reputation that eliminates the need for active marketing The GRIT Foundation: reintroducing skilled trades to young people and inspiring the next generation of HVAC professionals Where to find Brynn's contractor bootcamps, online classes, and workforce development seminars at HVACTrain.com Learn more about Brynn's education opportunities at https://www.hvactrain.com/. Have a question that you want us to answer on the podcast? Submit your questions at https://www.speakpipe.com/hvacschool. Purchase your tickets or learn more about the 7th Annual HVACR Training Symposium at https://hvacrschool.com/symposium. Subscribe to our podcast on your iPhone or Android. Subscribe to our YouTube channel. Check out our handy calculators here or on the HVAC School Mobile App for Apple and Android.