Learn Practical Skills At Home

Your comprehensive lessons are clear and well-organized; easy to follow, yet challenging and engaging at the same time. Each lesson begins with an introductory note from your instructor, plus a preview outlining the subject matter and study objectives.

Next comes the reading assignment from your beautifully illustrated textbook, lesson book or supplemental references. Practical review exercises will help reinforce important key concepts and techniques. Then, turn in your open-book exam for the lesson, whenever YOU are ready.

Enroll online or call 1-800-535-1613 to speak with an Admission Advisor!

Meet Your Instructor

Norman Johnson is the instructor for The Professional Heating and Air Conditioning Program. For Four years, he owned and operated a heating and air conditioning company. He has taught college-level technical and trade courses since 1994. William J. Cannafax (pictured at left) is the author of the course. He has more than thirty years of experience in the HVAC industry. During that time, he founded his own heating and air conditioning service business, which he operated for ten years.

Your instructor will make sure you progress smoothly through your studies. If you need help or have questions along the way, just write, call, fax or E-mail us 24 hours a day. Our staff of caring, knowledgeable career tutors will give you prompt, personal guidance.

What You’ll Learn Lesson By Lesson in this Course

Lesson 1: Hand Tools & Fasteners. Essential HVAC hand tools—their uses and advantages; screw types and sizes; using bolts, nuts, washers, anchors, setscrews, bind rivets, and threaded rods; caring for tools.

Lesson 2: Tubing & Pipe. Types and sizes of copper tubing and fittings; cutting, bending, and flaring; swaged and flared connections; using steel and plastic pipe; pipe fittings and tools; repairing pipe leaks; how to solvent-weld rigid plastic pipe.

Lesson 3: Soldering, Brazing & Flame-Cutting. Soldering vs. brazing; selecting proper alloys and fluxes; soldering safely and correctly; air-fuel torches and gas cylinders; connecting and operating pressure regulators; air-fuel brazing and the brazing process; selecting appropriate cylinders and torches; oxyacetylene equipment for brazing and cutting metal; safety procedures.

Lesson 4: Math For Technicians. Place values; fractions; decimals; two- and three-dimensional linear measurements; Fahrenheit vs. Celsius temperature; area; volume; computing percentages easily.

Lesson 5: Thermodynamics, Temperature & Pressure. How heat is transferred; sensible, specific, and latent heat; BTU’s; saturated conditions; superheat; subcooling; measuring refrigeration and pressure; the compound gauge; Boyle’s and Charles’ Laws.

Lesson 6: The Refrigerant System Cycle. The refrigeration cycle; domestic and commercial refrigeration system components; valves; variations in accessory components; the gauge manifold.

Lesson 7: Refrigerants & Their Recovery. Refrigerant types and applications; using temperature-pressure charts; determining superheat; pumping ratio problems; safety precautions; ozone layer depletion; complying with the Federal Clean Air Act; recovery and recycling methods.

Lesson 8: Refrigerant Blends & Troubleshooting. Fractionation; bubble point; dew point; temperature glide; interpreting a temperature-pressure card for blends; selecting lubricants; performing a system retrofit to a blend; refrigerant contamination problems; detecting leaks; using refrigerant cylinders; correcting pressure problems; charging a system.

Lesson 9: Refrigerant Controls. Installing and adjusting automatic and thermostatic expansion valves and capillary tubes; when and how to use equalized valves; multiplexed evaporator operations.

Lesson 10: Valves, Troubleshooting Flow Controls. Hand and check valves; installing and troubleshooting solenoid, EPR, and CPR valves; how to install and adjust head pressure control and hot gas bypass valves; diagnosing and repairing AEV and TEV system problems; correcting EPR and CPR valve problems.

Lesson 11: Compressors & Their Lubrication. Compressor types and designs; compliant scroll compressors and disc-type valve designs; reciprocating compressors; aligning pulleys and flywheels; how to select, size, and replace V-belts; adding and removing oil; controlling liquid migration; vibration eliminators; the compressor data plate.

Lesson 12: Water Chillers. Vapor compression, centrifugal, low pressure, and absorption chiller operation; open- and closed-loop systems; ammonia and lithium bromide absorption cycles; refrigerant leaks.

Lesson 13: Basic Electricity. Using the voltmeter, ammeter, and ohmmeter; Ohm’s Law; open and short circuits; wire sizes; using the right insulation for conductors; connecting loads and switches; using and installing plugs, receptacles, and switches; using portable power tools.

Lesson 14: Electrical Circuits & Motors. How electrical power is transmitted; transformers explained; overcurrent; circuit protection devices; ground fault circuit interrupters; single- and three-phase motors; multi-speed motors; dual-voltage motors; induction motors; motor connections; capacitors; transformers; compressor terminals; fans and blowers; motor bearings.

Lesson 15: Solenoids, Relays & Motor Controls. Electromagnetic control devices; solenoid valves; relays; connecting and troubleshooting contactors and line starters; reading diagrams; adjusting and troubleshooting motor controls and thermostats; adjusting pumpdown cycles and safety controls.

Lesson 16: Defrost Cycles. Installing and adjusting time clocks; defrost cycles; connecting and troubleshooting defrost terminator thermostats; temperature and pressure termination adjustment.

Lesson 17: Gas & Oil Heat With Air Conditioning. Gas heat system components; adjusting burner flames, fan/limit controls, and heat anticipators; wiring heating and cooling system components; combustion; setting the electrodes; the primary control; the flame safeguard; stack control; oil furnace problems.

Lesson 18: Electric Heat With Air Conditioning & Heat Pumps. Components of electric heating systems; wiring connections; two-stage heating systems; isolating low-voltage control circuits from line-voltage circuits; how heat pumps work.

Lesson 19: Customer Relations & Your Career. Striving for excellence in customer service; secrets of establishing good customer relations; learning and using customers’ names; shaking hands; your appearance; how to begin and end service calls; certification and licensing requirements for technicians.

Special Supplements: Career Search Manual & Time Management Guide. Practical tips for getting your career off to the right start; working and studying at top efficiency and productivity.