Ask the Counter: Heating Season Answers

Six real questions from techs, answered by Craig at our Durham counter and Wayne at our Raleigh counter: fall heat pump PM, truck stock, part ID, press fittings, the fall compressor swap and the first tool to buy.

Ask the Counter/Episodes 01 to 03

Real questions,answered by our counters.

Every couple of weeks we take a question from a tech and hand it to the people behind our counters. Here are the first three episodes in one place: six answers from Craig in Durham and Wayne in Raleigh.

Episode 01/Heating season prep

Answered by

Craig Carmichael

Counter Technical Expert

ACR Supply Durham

Question 1

What's on your fall heat pump PM that saves you a callback?

Craig's answer comes down to four checks. Each one is a part that fails on the first cold night, which is exactly when nobody wants the phone to ring.

The fall heat pump PM checklist

Heat strips

Test them and check for dust. Backup heat can save an overnight call.

Reversing valve

Check coil voltage and confirm it magnetizes with a solenoid tester.

Gas pack safeties

Flame sensors, pressure switches, limits and gas regulators.

Defrost boards and sensors

The parts ordered most at our counter this time of year. Check them before the season does.

Question 2

What should every tech have on the truck before heating season?

Three things. They cover the most common no-heat calls, and they keep you from driving to the counter in the middle of one.

Universal defrost boards

On the truck

Common igniters

On the truck

Universal furnace controls

On the truck

Pro tip from Craig

Check all your connections.

Look for burnt terminals and loose connections while you are in there.

Episode 02/Parts and press fittings

Answered byCraig Carmichael, Counter Technical Expert, ACR Supply Durham.

Question 1

What information do I need to bring to the store to help identify a part?

The most important thing to bring is a clear photo of the equipment's data plate. The model and serial numbers help our counter experts and SSAs locate parts manuals and contact manufacturers to identify the correct replacement part.

Many electrical components also have part numbers printed on them, so bringing the original part or a clear photo of its markings helps too.

Having this information helps us order the right part and reduce downtime for your customers' equipment.

Question 2

What are the benefits of press fittings?

Three reasons techs like press

Less need for hot work permits and fire watches

Some sites require these when brazing. Because press fittings do not require an open flame, they can eliminate those requirements for the connection work, depending on site policies.

Reduced burn hazards

Press fittings eliminate the torch related burn hazards associated with brazing.

No brazing gases needed

Keeping press fittings in stock helps prevent delays caused by running out of oxygen or acetylene on the job.

Episode 03/Fall refrigeration and first winter tools

Answered by

Wayne Roberts

Counter Technical Expert

ACR Supply Raleigh

Question 1

What's one refrigeration call that's easier to fix in the fall than in the summer?

Wayne's answer

Replace the compressor.

It's most likely on the roof, and the temps are better in the fall for that. A cooler roof makes for a safer, steadier swap than a summer afternoon up there. If one is on its way out, fall is the time to get ahead of it before the summer rush.

Question 2

What's one tool you'd tell a first-year tech to buy before their first winter?

Wayne's answer

A manometer for verifying gas pressure.

It's something you will use often once heating calls start. Verifying gas pressure is part of starting up and checking gas heat, so you'll want your own on the truck.

Need any of these parts or tools? Every ACR Supply counter stocks them, and our counter experts can match a part from a data plate photo. Stop by your local store or shop online.

Ask the CounterReal questions, answered by the people behind our counters. Got one for the next episode? Ask it on Reddit at r/ACRSupply or at your local store.

With thanks toJen Budd and Jo Worker, who carried these questions to the counter and the answers back.

By Anthony Woest - October 20, 2026

Ask the Counter: Real Answers from Behind the Counter

Real questions,answered by our counters.

What's on your fall heat pump PM that saves you a callback?

What should every tech have on the truck before heating season?

What information do I need to bring to the store to help identify a part?

What are the benefits of press fittings?

What's one refrigeration call that's easier to fix in the fall than in the summer?

What's one tool you'd tell a first-year tech to buy before their first winter?