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To be an HVAC technician you will need to have a variety of tools to service units. The most important tool is actually the license you will need to be able to service units and handle Freon, which is called the EPA 608 certification. That is the most important one as it is illegal to service HVAC units without one, now here are some of the other tools you will need.

The first tool I will cover will be the gauges. I will be going over the tools needed for repairs on residential homes, so your gauges should be able to read the pressure of r-12, r-22, and r-502. In the future you will need a different kind as r-22 is being phased out but you will get at least ten years of use out of these.

A recovery tank will be needed to recover old Freon from the HVAC unit. If you are replacing a air handler or condensing unit this is necessary, you can also use the old refrigerant to put into the new condensing unit as refrigerant does not go bad.

The way you get the old refrigerant into the recovery tank is by using a recovery machine. The recovery machine takes suction from the HVAC system and puts the refrigerant into the recovery tank. These machines will cost you a pretty buck but they are very well needed to get the job done.

Once the refrigerant is removed from the old system you can cut the copper piping with pipe cutters, and set up the new air handler or condensing unit for installation. Copper piping is joined back together by soldering, so you will need a good set of HVAC soldering torches and solder sticks.

Soldering on HVAC systems is done by using HVAC torches. A set of HVAC torches will include a gas tank along with a oxygen tank. The set will also have a couple hoses, gauges, and fittings to make the soldering easy.

Now that you have the pipes soldered together, we have to remove all of the non condensable gases, and also make sure that the system is air tight. We can do this by using a vacuum pump, which is hooked up through your HVAC gauges. Vacuum pumps are not cheap but are very necessary to have.

You will also want to have a good voltage meter on hand, as you always need to test a unit before servicing the electrical side. Some other tools you might need are a coil fin straightener, refrigerant leak detector, and a thermometer made for HVAC systems.

The tools that I mentioned will be used the most by an HVAC technician who is servicing residential homes. There are of course many others he or she might need, but these are the essential ones that are used the most, especially if you are replacing an air handler or condensing unit.

The author has been servicing air conditioning and heating systems for over 15 years. If you want some more detailed information on HVAC Tools then you can stop by his website. HVAC For Beginners