FL HVAC study guide
FL HVAC · Work through your exam, one topic at a time.
The Florida air conditioning contractor license is a state credential that allows a business to advertise, bid, permit, and perform HVAC work in Florida. Florida issues air conditioning contractor licenses in three classes - Class A (unlimited within the trade), Class B (limited to units of a stated capacity), and Class C (limited to smaller units and specified work) - and each class carries its own scope, so confirm which class you are applying for before you build a study plan. The FL HVAC study guide has 8 sections and about 2,414 words.
01Business, Financial Management, and Contracting Practices
An HVAC business survives on three linked disciplines: an enforceable written contract, pricing that recovers every cost, and disciplined cash flow. Separate direct costs (labor, materials, equipment, permits, subcontractors) from indirect or overhead costs (rent, vehicles, insurance, licensing, tools, advertising, office salaries).
334 words, about 2 min02Florida Building Code, Statutes, and Contractor Licensing Regulations
Florida regulates HVAC contracting under Chapter 489, Part I, Florida Statutes, administered by the Department of Business and Professional Regulation through the Construction Industry Licensing Board. A certified contractor holds a state certificate and may contract statewide; a registered contractor is qualified by a local jurisdiction and may practice only within that jurisdiction unless separately registered elsewhere.
313 words, about 2 min03Load Calculations and System Sizing
Sizing begins with an ACCA Manual J (eighth edition) room-by-room load calculation using Florida design conditions, typically an outdoor summer design dry bulb near 91 to 93 degrees Fahrenheit, with indoor conditions of about 75 degrees dry bulb and 50 percent relative humidity. Load components are transmission through envelope surfaces, infiltration, internal gains from people, lighting, and appliances, duct gains or losses, and ventilation air.
291 words, about 1 min04Equipment Selection, Installation, and Start-Up
Selection covers more than capacity: verify AHRI-matched combinations, minimum SEER2, EER2, and HSPF2 values required by the Florida Energy Code, nameplate MCA and maximum overcurrent protection, physical dimensions and clearances, refrigerant type, and suitability for a heat-pump-dominant climate. Installation quality then determines whether the equipment ever delivers its rated performance.
290 words, about 1 min05Ductwork Design, Air Distribution, and Ventilation
Duct design follows ACCA Manual D. The method begins with available static pressure: the blower's rated external static pressure minus the pressure drops of every device in the airstream, including the evaporator coil, filter, supply and return grilles, balancing dampers, and any electric heat section.
299 words, about 1 min06Refrigeration Principles and Refrigerant Handling
The vapor-compression cycle has four processes: compression, condensation, expansion, and evaporation. Every refrigerant has a saturation pressure-temperature relationship, and that relationship drives diagnostics.
288 words, about 1 min07Electrical Systems, Controls, and Motors
Start with fundamentals: Ohm's law, power relationships, single-phase versus three-phase distribution, conductor ampacity from the applicable table, termination temperature ratings, overcurrent protection, grounding and bonding, and voltage drop, where the common guideline is 3 percent on a branch circuit and 5 percent total. On equipment nameplates, read RLA or FLA, LRA, minimum circuit ampacity, and maximum overcurrent protective device.
302 words, about 2 min08Safety, Jobsite Practices, and Environmental Compliance
Core hazards on HVAC jobsites are electrical, refrigerant, brazing and hot work, pressurized nitrogen, ladders and roofs, confined spaces, and heat. Electrical work requires lockout and tagout, verified de-energization, correct PPE, and awareness of arc flash boundaries.
297 words, about 1 min