Universal Controls for Today's HVAC Technician w/ Jim Fultz

Jim Fultz with Emerson discusses Universal Controls for Today's HVAC Technician and how HVAC technicians can expect to use and interact with them. He specifically focuses on White-Rodgers aftermarket controls in heating equipment.

Universal components work across all systems, such as modern thermostats; you can see thermostats on gas furnaces, heat pumps, straight-cool A/Cs, and more, and they'll all serve the same purpose. The "Universal" identifier merely indicates a part that works across several systems regardless of OEM. Universal controls aim to be easy for technicians to use when OEM parts are too expensive or impractical to order; customers also appreciate being given alternatives.

On furnaces, a common burner component that can usually use a universal replacement is the gas valve. White-Rodgers aftermarket components can work for hot-surface or direct-spark ignition.

In the blower compartment, we have the 24v transformers, which are critical components that allow universal components to work on systems. The "control circuits" that a 24v transformer connects with are the thermostat circuit, limit circuit, pressure switch circuit, gas valve, and ECM Speed Tap selection circuit. The integrated furnace control (IFC) is another critical component, as it fully controls all furnace operations; each control has specially designed functions for one or two-stage equipment, various blower motor types, direct-spark or hot-surface ignition, and OEM or universal options.

Nowadays, universal kits typically have adapters to multiple furnaces, so they can work across several different manufacturers' models. You just have to verify the cross-reference of the voltage of the universal control to the IFC (such as via the WR Mobile app). After that, the installation instructions should tell you which harness you need for the conversion.

Whereas the IFC is the heart of furnace controls, the defrost control is the heart of a heat pump system's controls. The defrost control manages the condensing fan motor, contactor, reversing valve, and coil temperature. It may also operate and monitor the high-pressure switch, low-pressure switch, outdoor air temperature, and backup heat.

The defrost control may use one of two strategies: timed defrost or demand defrost. Of the two defrost strategies, demand defrost is favorable because it can result in longer equipment life, more cost savings ($200-400 annually), and offer better compression protection. White-Rodgers defrost controls can upgrade units from timed defrost to demand defrost with the Matrix LED by using thermostat and heat pump harnesses and thermistors.

Contactors are components that require frequent replacement nowadays, which is ironic because they used to be the most durable part of the system. Contactors may come in the 1-pole, 1.5-pole, and 2-pole varieties. Most manufacturers tend to use 1.5-pole contactors nowadays. The SureSwitch universal part is a 1.5-pole contactor that can replace all three types.

Contactors commonly have electrical arcing issues. Pitting and welding occur during arcing, which prevents contactors from opening or closing. Pitting and welding may also happen due to voltage drops or insect damage. The SureSwitch contacts are sealed, so it is an appealing replacement because bugs cannot access the contacts and cause welding or pitting. The SureSwitch also comes with protection against brownouts and short cycles; those benefits will lead to improved equipment longevity.

The SureSwitch also comes with coil voltage options. The red cap on the spade can allow the SureSwitch to work with 120v, 208v, or 240v applications.

Jim also discusses:

Common White-Rodgers applications
Furnace burner components
Furnace blower assembly and blower motors
Furnace operation sequence
IFC pins
Universal benefits
Universal component usage for Carrier/ICP air handler boards
Time defrost vs. demand defrost
Setup and programming options with the 47D01U-843
State requirements for heat pumps
Using auxiliary (backup) heat
47D01U-843 benefits on heat pump systems
The anatomy of arc damage
SureSwitch features
White-Rodgers product warranties
Future three-phase universal contactors
SureSwitch compatibility with refrigeration systems
Mounting the SureSwitch
How WR Mobile works

[RefrigerationMentor]

Jim, is an expert at what he does and shared a lot of great knowledge in this discussion.

[HVACinstructer]

Awesome, well done presentation. Measuring a flame sensor, in a hot surface ignition (HSI) system requires a DMM meter capable of measuring micro amps connected in series with the flame sensor wire. It should read at least 2.0 micro amps to adequately prove ignition.

[tommydeforest]

Thank you some awesome info going into heating season

[peterdarlington]

I’ve been using the universal defrost board for a couple years now it’s awesome! Didn’t know y’all made a universal furnace board don’t work on furnaces a lot but will be grabbing some as soon as I see them

[ThatCryoGuy]

Very good video
Jim mentions 66 possible malfunction sod a refrigeration system, I’d love to see this list. I can only think of 23. The only way to get more is just variations of these.
Brian, any way you could come up with this list?

[hkhsm]

Nice video, great knowledge and experience.

Thanks for sharing

[nathanhurst]

Problem I see with the sureswitch is trying to pump a system down that has a low pressure switch in it. Without being able to hold a contact down and keep the machine running. Guess one would just have to wire around em or jump them out temporarily

[warenmann]

Does the 47D01U-843 Timed Defrost to Demand board retain the user input option settings after a total power outage, if so, is there a time limit that it will keep them for... Excellent presentation, Thank You...

[RickSegui]

How long does it take before White Rodgers is allowed to supply a universal part versus an OEM?

[realestateservicessaleshea]

There is a lot of standing pilots out there, you can find H pilots also!
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Stay safe.
Retired (werk'n) keyboard super tech. Wear your safety glasses!