ESCO Institute-HVAC Excellence

What actually happens inside an HVAC electrical circuit when a switch opens or closes?

In Episode 11 of Visualizing HVAC Excellence, we continue our Electrical Fundamentals guided pathway with Basic Switching: Open, Closed, and Control Logic.

Closed means on. Open means off.

Featuring Kati Theurer, CMHE, Instructor of HVAC at Jefferson College and Founder of From Tutus to Tool Belts, with host Todd Kler, this episode breaks down how switches make or break an electrical path, how open and closed conditions affect current flow, and why switches do not create or send power. They simply allow or stop the path.

We will explore basic switch operation, open circuits, closed circuits, complete and interrupted electrical paths, series circuits, and the foundational control logic that leads into thermostats, pressure switches, temperature controls, relays, contactors, and mechanical HVAC controls.

Using interactive 3D HVAC training visuals from Visual 3D Academy, this episode helps make switch positions, contact movement, circuit continuity, electrical paths, and basic control logic easier to see, understand, teach, diagnose, and apply.

This episode is designed for HVACR students, HVAC instructors, apprentices, technicians, trade schools, and anyone learning or teaching electrical troubleshooting, control circuits, and HVAC electrical fundamentals.

See it. Learn it. Apply it.