Episodes

Connect and support: a kind and noble mission that can span all elements of humanity. Connect in one way to understand. Connect in a second way to bring information streams together. Conduit Tech is developing a means of rapidly connecting technical information to help HVAC contractors excel - what a cool basis for the name of a new company! In this episode, I am joined by Shelby Breger cofounder of Conduit Tech who explains the motivations and synergies that brought she and Marisa Reddy tog...

A simple episode where Eric Kaiser (ELK) and Bill Spohn (OverKill Bill) riff on TruTech’s business philosophies: Core Values, Purpose and Niche and what kind of actions we take to put these words into action in the world. Also what we feel it means to be a good steward to the industry. OH and cheer on #HVACLIFE team in the Maine 70.3 Ironman on July 30, 2023 featuring Chris Hughes (TEC-13.2 miles running), Chad Simpson (Simpson Salute – 56 miles bicycling) and our own Eric Kaiser – 1.2 miles sw...

This episode should be helpful to business owners. However, anyone working IN a business should find it interesting to know more about one of the topics on the mind of many business owners: business succession planning. After walking the walk of leading a $100M family-owned business through their transition, Laurie is now a guide to business owners providing a structured process to plan successful transitions of their companies. Laurie hosts a podcast, Succession Stories (link below), has wri...

Bryan Uhler calls himself a naturally observant builder. This personal characteristic has served him well as understands the residential construction market with some keen observations. Join as Bryan explains how he came to learn about building science, later building it into all projects. Also, hear about how he found this podcast by mistake! Here’s cool description from of his brother’s YouTube that shows these traits run in the family: The purpose of this channel is promote knowledge and...

Listen in as Bill chats with… himself! Again! 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 June 2023.

Trevor Matthews shares with us his fascinating life story: from the moment he shifted his life interests from travel and surfing into the trades and as it led to forming the Refrigeration Mentor a training, education and mentorship program for the refrigeration trade. Some notable thoughts from this episode: “You can get a handle on anything with your mindset.” “Be prepared to pay the price in time and effort to get what you want.” “Important small experiences you have become your own.” “Yo...

The 349 common connections Eric Kaiser and I share in LinkedIn speak a lot to the common perspectives we share. Yet, it’s in the differences, in the weeds, where the conversation gets interesting. Please welcome Eric Kaiser as TruTech Tool’s new Industry Engagement manager. And new co-host of this podcast. We call Eric the ELK, his initials, to differentiate him from my Co-Owner, Eric Preston. Let’s get to know him a little better in this episode. Eric’s links: Email: EKaiser@TruTechTools....

Jeremy’s been studying the details for many years. Details like: Building and energy codes are becoming more and more stringent. Green building programs are driving more and more high-end construction. Products and construction techniques are rapidly evolving. He’s also paid attention to what is sorely needed and missing. That's why he’s helped to define the full HVAC use-case: requirements, performance, technology, architectural integrity, installation, and maintenance. Listen in as Jere...

Zac Reed, Product manager at Aeroseal, joins us today to share the technology, history and applications for Aeroseal products. Aeroseal was developed in Dr. Mark Modera’s California garage in 1993. For the first time ever, it was possible to seal leaks and holes in air ducts from the inside out. Up until that time, the only way to seal ductwork was messy, labor intensive, and not an option for most homeowners. The simplest explanation for the Aeroseal process is fix-a-flat for homes: both duc...

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 buildi...

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 S...

In this episode, Bill interviews Michael Rubino founder of 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...

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 bot...

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...

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...

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/ TruT...

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.

Today, I feel very in tune with this podcast’s stated mission: Building HVAC Science covers a broad array of topics in building science and HVAC diagnostics, as well as human comfort, health, and safety….; this show will take a deep dive into all things that relate to buildings and people in the built environment. I was very fortunate to interview Dr. Joe Allen, an esteemed Indoor Air Quality researcher, presenter, and author, as we covered what Joe has observed and educated us on regarding th...

For several years, in southern Maine, a small group of building professionals have been getting together monthly to discuss building science. Many topics are brought up for discussion: high performance windows, venting cathedral ceilings, moisture migration in wall assemblies, slab on grade details, etc. The conversation is informal and roams a bit. At one of those meetings, one of my guests today, builder, Dan Kolbert, expressed frustration with the status quo, and even more frustration with ...

Today’s guest, Anna Desimone has done an awesome job compiling resources for consumers to learn about factors, features and benefits of building an Energy Efficient home. Anna is author of Live in a Home that Pays You Back--A Complete Guide to Net Zero and Energy Efficient Homes, featuring national building programs in the U.S. and Canada. This is not a technical deep dive, but more of a consumer reference for understanding the blueprints of Building Envelope, Thermal enclosure, HVAC, Lighting...

My three esteemed guests/amigos shed some light on common misconceptions in the HVACR industry. Catch the video version here: https://youtu.be/ZL5-sEOJj0c We talk about fun topics like: -Heatpumps are only for the south of the Mason-Dixon line -A1 refrigerants are Non-Flammable -A2L refrigerants are Flammable -R32 is a replacement for R410a -Reclaimed refrigerant does not have any value -SEER2 has taken us by surprise -Equipment brand names determine the quality, performance and longevity of se...

Listen in as Phil Zito describes the journey he has taken from being bored, to blogging to building a business that provides top notch online training and workforce development programs. Formerly known as Building Automation Monthly, a newsletter and podcast in its early years, The Smart Buildings Academy has experienced rapid growth. As the SBA says on their website: “If you’ve been looking for a way to take yourself or your building automation team to the next level. Then you’re in the right...