TORQUE & TAPE — The Blue-Collar skills Guide

TORQUE & TAPE — The Blue-Collar skills Guide

Welcome to Torque & Tape. We teach the jobs that build everything. Short lessons for real work. Wiring that passes. Brazing that holds. Loads that balance. Bids that win. Inspectors, foremen, shop owners, and new hands. We keep it simple and useful. One checklist per episode. New shows every week on YouTube and in your podcast app. Follow Torque & Tape and start your next shift with a win. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Episodes

Building an Off-Grid Home: From Groundwork to Winter - A Homesteading Journey

September 3, 2025 • 53 mins
A couple picks a parcel by reading the land with simple tools and patient notes. They test soil, trace sun and wind, and check access in bad weather. Water and power come first. They compare a drilled well to rain catchment, flag a cistern for gravity head, and size a modest solar setup with a quiet generator as backup. Paperwork and erosion control clear the way for grading and a septic perc. They beat a storm to dry-in with piers...

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DIY Solar Power on a Budget: Your Beginner’s Guide to Off-Grid Living

September 1, 2025 • 34 mins
In this episode, we explore how to build a budget-friendly DIY solar power system perfect for off-grid living. Our step-by-step guidance walks you through essential topics such as load math, LiFePO4 battery setup, and MPPT programming. Discover how to wire a pure-sine inverter and maintain your system to ensure your lights, phone, laptop, router, and small TV run smoothly without guesswork. Whether you're a complete beginner or som...

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Year-End Maintenance Checklist for Trades

August 31, 2025 • 34 mins
Avoid January breakdowns with our step-by-step field manual! In this episode, we present a comprehensive year-end maintenance checklist designed specifically for small trades shops. This guide helps you lock in schedules, pass inspections, keep your trucks road-ready, and kick off the new year clean and confident. Tune in and set your shop up for success as we dive into practical maintenance strategies tailored for the trades indus...

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Hiring Your First Helper

August 31, 2025 • 50 mins
Stop guessing and start hiring with confidence! In this episode, we present a step-by-step field manual designed specifically for small shops in the work and trades industry. From establishing the legal setup for hiring to crafting clear job posts, conducting structured interviews, and managing clean payroll, we've got you covered. Plus, learn about essential day one safety measures and develop a comprehensive ninety-day plan that ...

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Effective Customer Communication for Field Service Pros

August 31, 2025 • 19 mins
Master the art of customer communication designed specifically for field service professionals. In this episode, we provide a clean talk track ideal for technicians who aim for first-time fixes and fewer callbacks. You'll discover simple scripts, clear metrics, and proof points that customers can retain. This comprehensive guide is tailored for the nuances of customer communication, setting realistic expectations, showcasing live r...

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Smart Pricing Strategies: Mastering Margins and Markup

August 31, 2025 • 39 mins
In this episode, delve into essential pricing strategies that empower you to work with confidence. Understand the crucial differences between margin versus markup, discover how to build a real shop rate, and learn to set floors for materials. We’ll guide you on how to block labor time effectively, blend a whole job to meet your target profit, and navigate discounts and change orders seamlessly. Plus, find out how to send a clean bi...

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Thermal Imaging Techniques for Efficient HVAC and Electrical Diagnostics

August 31, 2025 • 37 mins
In this episode of Torque & Tape, we present a clear, step-by-step field manual for using thermal imaging techniques to accelerate diagnostics for HVAC systems, electrical panels, motors, and building envelopes. Discover how to set emissivity, control span, and effectively pair images with meter proof. Learn to build detailed reports that secure approvals and significantly reduce downtime, all while enhancing your skills in the...

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Grounding and Bonding Essentials

August 31, 2025 • 31 mins
Electrical Skills for Professionals

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Mastering Change Orders: A Contractor's Guide to Effective Jobsite Communication

August 31, 2025 • 32 mins
Win change orders without raised voices with our guide on construction management. In this episode, we unveil a step-by-step system designed for contractors and project leads that teaches how to set clear rules, capture clean tickets, and bill with proof. Learn essential skills for effective jobsite communication, protect your schedule, lock written approvals, and price with clarity. This episode is tailored for those in residentia...

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Mastering HVAC Leak Detection: Finding and Fixing Ghost Leaks

August 31, 2025 • 44 mins
Discover how to master HVAC leak detection with our comprehensive field manual. This episode dives into essential techniques to confirm real loss and stop callbacks. Learn the critical steps for sealing service ports, pressure testing with oxygen-free nitrogen, correcting for temperature drift, and running deep vacuum and rate-of-rise tests. Isolate sections and pinpoint leaks using soap, ultrasonic, and hydrogen detection tools. A...

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HVAC Airflow Optimization

August 31, 2025 • 32 mins
In this episode of Torque & Tape, we provide a comprehensive HVAC guide focusing on airflow optimization using static pressure. Join us as we explore how to measure, diagnose, and fix airflow issues for HVAC systems. Learn the best practices for placing ports, reading manometers, and translating static to cubic feet per minute. We'll guide you through choosing the first repair and proving results with photos and numbers. Whethe...

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Key Safety Setups to Prevent Jobsite Injuries

August 31, 2025 • 57 mins
In this episode of Torque & Tape, we explore critical jobsite safety setups designed to prevent injuries and foster a secure work environment. This steady, field-tested guide covers seven essential setups including lockout tagout procedures, effective fall protection strategies, clean air controls, and how to conduct hot work safely without incidents. Listeners will learn a clean daily gear routine, the importance of testing be...

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From Apprentice to Leader: Proven Steps for Trades Success | Leadership Guide

August 31, 2025 • 40 mins
Embark on a proven path from apprentice to crew leader with our expert guide on Trades Leadership. This episode lays out clear steps, clean proof, and steady habits that stand up to inspection and earn respect in the field. Designed specifically for the trades, we provide actionable insight for real shop and site conditions, including numbers and strategies you can show and implement. Tune in to learn how to transform your skills i...

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Maximize Tool Life: A Field Manual for Effective Maintenance

August 31, 2025 • 43 mins
Unlock the secrets of effective tool maintenance with our comprehensive guide on preventive care in trades education. This episode focuses on essential practices to stop rust, keep torque steady, align saws, protect batteries, and ensure proper compressor care. Discover how to establish weekly and seasonal routines that blend shop manual habits with essential practical checks. By prioritizing tool maintenance, your equipment will l...

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Essential Duct Design Tips for HVAC Professionals

August 31, 2025 • 53 mins
Discover essential duct design tips for HVAC professionals in this comprehensive guide. A clear, field-tested system for residential duct design includes techniques such as room CFM targeting, pressure budgets, friction-rate sizing, and velocity analysis. Learn how to select terminal fittings and layout strategies that minimize losses while ensuring airtight sealing and insulation. Plus, we’ll walk you through a clean commissioning...

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Leak-Free Brazing Techniques for HVAC

August 30, 2025 • 28 mins
This comprehensive field manual explores leak-free brazing techniques for copper and brass joints in HVAC applications. Learn the essentials of safe setup, clean fit up, nitrogen purging, flame control, and alloy feed—all tailored to ensure your joints pass inspection and stay leak-free. You'll also discover how to conduct crucial proof tests using pressure tests, bubble checks, and deep vacuum methods with a micron gauge. Designed...

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Passing Inspections on the First Visit

August 28, 2025 • 43 mins

Pass rough and final on the first visit with a calm, repeatable field system. This how-to trades manual walks you through every step, from setting scope on paper to handing the owner a clean turnover packet. You will learn how to prep a site, meet safety rules, speak numbers that match the label or plan, and show proof in one minute.

Chapter by chapter, you build a routine that inspectors respect. You start with permits, code year, ...

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Truck Stock That Saves the Day — HVAC Service How-To

August 28, 2025 • 58 mins

Show up prepared, finish in one trip, and leave proof. “Truck Stock That Saves the Day” is a hands-on HVAC service field manual built for blue-collar upskill. You get a repeatable truck layout, a fast restock loop, and a safety kit routine which keeps you sharp on the first call and the last.

Across seven tight chapters, the guide walks you through power and control saves, leak-free brazing with nitrogen purge, deep vacuum targets, ...

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Breaker Sizing and Code Mistakes to Avoid

August 28, 2025 • 68 mins
Size the breaker right the first time and pass inspection with proof. This field manual walks you through load math, ampacity by temperature rating, standard wire to breaker pairs, AFCI and GFCI by room, multiwire safety, and real world derating and voltage drop. Built for working pros and apprentices who want a clean checklist, clear numbers, and a steady voice.

Hosted on Acast. See aca...

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Solder vs. Braze vs. Press: Education How-To Trades Guide

August 28, 2025 • 75 mins
A clear, step by step education how to for trades pros and apprentices. Learn when to solder, when to braze, and when to press copper. Get the exact numbers, tests, and records that pass inspection the first time. Built for plumbing, HVAC, and mechanical work in the field.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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