< Previous20 DECEMBER 2017HIGH PERFORMANCE HVAC TODAYthe Log-Tchebycheff or Equal Area methodolo-gy. Of these two methodologies, multiple stud-ies suggest that Log-Tchebycheff is more accu-rate. However, it’s easier to calculate the traverse point locations using the equal area method, and the accuracy is acceptable for most HVAC appli-cations.NON-IDEAL MEASUREMENT LOCATIONSWhen an ideal traverse plane isn’t available, ASHRAE 111 also provides guidance for deter-mining whether a traverse produces an accurate result based on measurement values. The guid-ance basically states that 75% of the velocity mea-surements in the traverse need to be greater than 10% of the maximum velocity measured, and none of the measurements can be negative. If we must take a measurement in a questionable place in the duct system, this guidance can be a valu-able tool to boost confidence in our result.PLOTTING CFM USING STATIC PRESSURE AND RPMWhen you can’t achieve direct air velocity mea-surements because of the system configuration, we recommend estimating airflow using a man-ufacturer-supplied fan curve or fan performance table. In this approach, measure the fan speed in rotations per minute (RPM) and fan static pressure Airflow rate through HVAC equipment can be one of the most difficult mea-surements to make in the field. This is mostly due to common equipment and system configurations that do not provide acceptable measurement sites. Ideally, we’d mea-sure average air velocity through a straight sec-tion of duct near the equipment. We’d measure using a manometer and pitot tube, or a thermal anemometer. Then we’d multiply average veloc-ity by duct cross-sectional area to find volumet-ric flow rate. This method can achieve accuracy on the order of ±4 or 5% under ideal conditions. However, it’s rare to have the luxury of perform-ing a textbook traverse in the field.DIRECT MEASUREMENTDirectly measuring air velocity through the equipment requires a length of straight duct be-fore and after the measurement plane for best ac-curacy. Once you’ve selected the measurement plane, perform a traverse, making multiple mea-surements at various points within that plane. The number and location of points necessary for an accurate average velocity depends on the shape and size of the duct.ASHRAE 111 provides guidance on selec-tion of an acceptable measurement plane, as well as selection of traverse points using either Explaining the Nuances of Field Airflow MeasurementBy Ben Lipscomb, P.E., Engineering Manager, National Comfort Institute, Inc.COMMERCIAL HVACDownstream traverse locations.DECEMBER 2017 21HVACTODAY.COMgood condition. Bent, broken, or dirty fan blades and housings impact fan performance and are not accounted for in manufacturer data. There’s no consistent way to determine the im-pact of fan condition. However, it’s important to remember that a dirty or damaged fan could produce airflow 10% to 20% lower than indicated by manufacturer data for a given pressure and RPM.Assessing airflow through HVAC equipment in the field can be diffi-cult. But it is critical for achieving capacity and efficiency at or near manufacturer ratings. It is also a pre-requisite for properly charging refrigerant circuits and performing other refrigerant temperature and pressure-based diagnostics. Poor airflow through equipment can indicate issues like dirty filters, a clogged coil, or a worn belt. It can also be symptomatic of undersized or otherwise restricted ducts. Take time to measure and assess airflow. Doing so unlocks a range of diagnostic tech-niques that find problems often invis-ible to other diagnostic methods. This helps avoid misdiagnoses that can oc-cur when refrigerant is checked before airflow is verified. use the resulting adjusted TESP and measured RPM to determine airflow.BRAKE HORSEPOWER PLOTTINGSome manufacturers provide air-flow data in relation to static pressure and brake horsepower (BHP) instead of, or in addition to, RPM. In these cases, use a power meter to measure input power to the motor. Next, es-timate motor and drive (e.g. v-belt drive) efficiency to determine BHP. It is important to remember that motor efficiency is not static, but varies with motor loading. Depending on their size, motors usually achieve near-rat-ed efficiency between 70% and 100% of their rated load. Below 70% load-ing, efficiency begins to drop off.When both RPM and BHP data is provided , you can use both, plus the static pressure rise, to verify your measurement. They will also establish a range if the two methods produce different results.FAN CONDITIONEquipment manufacturer data is developed with clean fans that are in rise. Larger fans typically come with built-up air handlers. A full fan curve is usually available for the fan itself.With packaged equipment, fan data is most often provided in the form of a table. Packaged equipment usual-ly provides the data in relation to To-tal External Static Pressure (TESP) in-stead of fan static pressure rise. The TESP is the pressure rise from the re-turn air inlet to the supply air outlet of the equipment. Fan static pressure rise is from the inlet to the outlet of the fan alone.For direct-drive motors common on residential equipment, the manufac-turer usually provides airflow data in relation to static pressure and the mo-tor speed setting (i.e. “speed tap” or “dip switch setting”). In these cases, the RPM measurement is not necessary.MANUFACTURER-SPECIFIC NUANCESManufacturers have various ap-proaches for developing performance tables. When applying the data to field measurement, pay special attention to the conditions used to develop the table. For example, one manufactur-er could develop their table for a “dry” coil with no filter. Meanwhile, another manufacturer develops one for a “wet” coil with a “clean” filter. Accessories or optional equipment -- like gas heat exchangers, electric heat strips, and economizers -- also typically requires special consideration.One way to deal with these nuanc-es is to determine differences between the internal pressure drops of installed equipment and the equipment configu-ration used to develop fan performance data. Add or subtract internal pressure differences from measured TESP. Then Typical manufacturer-provided performance table.Ben Lipscomb, P.E. is a regis-tered Professional Engineer with project management experience, specializing in commercial/residential HVAC energy efficiency. He’s done energy efficiency pro-gram design and implemen-tation, policy and regulatory consultation, as well as measurement and verification consultation and much more.22 DECEMBER 2017HIGH PERFORMANCE HVAC TODAYTHE JOURNEY BEGINSI was first introduced to this information in March of 2008. Dan Squires of Vincent’s Heating and Plumbing, Port Huron, MI, told me about Jim Davis, a trainer from National Comfort Institute, Inc. Squires shared with me what he learned in Davis’ class. He told me that the next class Jim was doing was in Louisville, KY. I have a brother who lives there, so I loaded my two top technicians into my 1994 custom Dodge van -- nicknamed the “Love Shack” — and drove 12 hours to Louisville. After the first day in his class, we were convinced this Jim Davis was crazy.Why? Between us, my technicians and I had almost 50 years of HVAC industry experience and this guy was telling us many of the things we knew were wrong. We went back to my brother’s house and started playing with his furnace. Wow! Everything Jim said was true. It all worked exact-ly as he said it would. By the time we made it to day three of the course, our heads were spinning with all this new information.GROWTH FROM STRUGGLE By jerks and starts we started implementing this information into our daily practices. One by one, we started tuning our customers’ equipment as we now knew was the right thing to do. Un-fortunately, we had yet to learn how to correctly charge for our knowledge.But first things first. I had all my field staff cer-tified through the NCI training (yes, plumbers, too). Each time I sent an employee, I attended with them. I find they seem to score much better if the boss is in class. So, in the past nine years I attended the class 13 times. The interesting thing Becoming an evangelist can be a long and often difficult road when dealing with “the Silent Killer,” known as Carbon Monoxide (CO).In my opinion, every technician who works on fuel-burning appliances (furnaces, boilers, water heaters, gas dryers, gas stoves, etc.) should have extensive training in combustion and carbon monoxide. This training must include:• Causes and effects of CO poisoning• Proper diagnostic procedures• Proper repair procedures• How to prevent problems from occurring in the first place.Fortunately, this is exactly what NCI’s Combus-tion and CO training course covers.My Journey to Becoming A Local Carbon Monoxide EvangelistBy Tom JohnsonMANAGEMENT“To be a CO evangelist, you have to test every gas-fired system you encounter.” -- Tom JohnsonDECEMBER 2017 23HVACTODAY.COMMeet Tom Johnson at NCI Summit 2018High Performance HVAC Summit 2018 is happening March 4-6 in Austin, TX. Tom Johnson is one of six Performance-Based Contractors™ presenting how they Blaze A Trail to High Performance. Johnson, who is the general manag-er of TM Johnson Brothers, Inc., Cambridge, MN shares his journey to becoming the go-to expert on solving carbon monoxide (CO) issues in his market area. You’ll learn how to establish your identity, what barriers to overcome, and how to sustain the CO culture in your company. He’ll also highlight how to develop an action plan for what you need to know, what your team needs to do, and how to make yourself better known in your community.Come meet Tom and network with your peers in Austin. Learn more about the Summit 2018 program at GoToSummit.com. JOIN US FOR SUMMIT, STAY FOR SOUTH-BY-SOUTHWEST MUSIC FESTSummit 2018 offers you and your team a tremendous opportunity to not only hear from some of the Performance-Based HVAC Industry’s finest as they share their wins and challenges, but also a chance to network with like-minded contrac-tors from across the nation.Take advantage of Early Bird pricing by registering today. Questions? No problem. Call 800-633-1850 and talk to your customer care representative.After Summit ends, stick around for our Post Show Training classes and then head into downtown Austin for one of the world’s best music festivals, South by Southwest. Click here for details.homes. But I also know our company is positively affecting their safety and health. Thank you, Jim Davis, and thank you NCI!You can learn more about this top-ic at a breakout session that Jim and I are doing at the NCI Summit in Austin, Texas, March 4-6, 2018. Make plans to be there! We are going to have a blast! I’m sure Jim will have a new joke or two to share as well! ions on measurable facts, not on hear-say from others. Then learn how to charge for your services to make a prof-it. Most importantly, you must believe in doing what is right, safe, and true for your employ-ees and your customers.Our employees know we help protect hundreds, if not thousands of people in our community. We do this by knowing about CO issues. TM Johnson Broth-ers is among the few who can fix those issues before they become serious. Our people use that knowledge every day. For me, there is no better feel-ing than that. I know my customers are warm and comfortable in their is, I learned more each time.Now, nine years later, measur-ing and testing is part of our compa-ny culture. Every piece of fuel-burn-ing equipment we touch gets tested. We have installed hundreds of barometric draft dampers. We have had reports from custom-ers of 30% fuel savings, based on our doing a proper tune-up. As word spread of our CO success-es, we found ourselves the local CO evangelist.I have been invited to speak at building inspectors training classes. I do a weekly radio show and promote CO safety, nearly every week. Some of our competitors refer people to us to deal with the ‘problem jobs they can’t solve. Even some utility people refer customers to us. Furthermore, recent-ly our local newspaper invited me to write an article on CO safety.STAYING THE COURSESuccess does not happen overnight. First, it required a change in beliefs for me as the owner and general manag-er. Second, it was a mind shift for my employees. Once they go their heads wrapped around it, they brought it to our customers. Our customers now re-fer us to their friends and the momen-tum grows.The most important take away from this is that if you don’t start, you will never get there. You must be diligent and persistent. Always base your opin-Tom Johnson is the general manager of TM Johnson Brothers, an HVAC contracting firm in Cambridge, MN.“EVERY PIECE OF GAS-FIRED EQUIPMENT WE TOUCH IS COMBUSTION TESTED.” — TOM JOHNSON24 DECEMBER 2017HIGH PERFORMANCE HVAC TODAYThe business world is a serious place. Think decisions. Think responsibility. Think pres-sure. Think stress. What better way to take the edge off than a bit of hu-mor. There are many ex-amples of great leaders using humor to engage others, disarm conflict, and lighten the mood. President Ronald Rea-gan, Industrialist Henry Ford, and many others have used humor effec-tively in their leadership roles. A leader with a sense of humor, especially about themselves, appears more confident and attracts confidence from others. It also builds trust, it is memora-ble, it “spreads” easily, and it sells.AS A LEADER, SEEK HELP“A mentor is someone who allows you to see the hope inside yourself.” — Oprah Winfrey, television personality and business entrepreneurFinding a mentor whom you trust means hav-ing an advisor for those times when things get tough. A mentor is someone you can bounce ideas off of or who may share things you hav-en’t thought of before. They say no person is an island. You cannot know everything. Mentors act as coaches, counselors, and advisors. They are often role models. Mentors are so import-ant that I suggest you read. “Seven Surprising Truths About Mentors,” by Steve Tobak.Last month we began this article talking about the seriousness of the business place. As the leader in your HVAC company, you are responsible for deci-sion-making that impacts its success and failure. Being a leader also impacts the lives of those people who work in the company. Those same people look to you for leadership. Again, this is serious stuff.So as a leader, how do you know you’re doing the right things for the business and your people? What makes a great leader? In this second part of our two-part series, we continue with answering those questions.Last month we highlighted nine of the 19 attri-butes which include:• Lead by Example • Be Humble, for Real• Communicate• Share Your Vision• Be Trusting• Have Productive Meetings• Know Your Limits• Have Compassion• Put Family First, Work Second.If you missed last month’s installment, no wor-ries – just click here and get caught up.Now let’s continue with the final 10 attributes of being a great leader:HAVE A SENSE OF HUMOR“Thomas Jefferson once said, ‘We should never judge a president by his age, only by his works.’ And ever since he told me that, I stopped worrying.” – Ronald Reagan, 40th U.S. PresidentBy Mike WeilLEADERSHIPAttributes of a Great Leader[PART TWO]Lead by Example Be HumbleCommunicationShare Your Vision Be TrustingHave Productive MeetingsKnow Your LimitsHave CompassionPut Family First, Work SecondHave a Sense of HumorAs a Leader, Seek HelpBe a MentorThe Need to ReadLink Results and GoalsTake Ownership and ActionLearn from the PastStrive for ImprovementSurround Yourself with Smart PeopleServe OthersDECEMBER 2017 25HVACTODAY.COMlibraries: anything by Peter Drucker “as a foundation, Ray Dalio’s manage-ment principles for a framework, and finally, Lighthouse for highly action-able leadership tips.”LINK RESULTS AND GOALSWant to hit aggressive goals? It doesn’t matter if they are sales goals, share of market goals, customer ac-quisition goals or whatever – incen-tives should be appropriate for the re-sults team members achieve toward that goal. According to McClafferty, “A simple way to lock down your incentive is to understand the single most import-ant driver of customer success in your business, then build from that.”LEADERS TAKE OWNERSHIP AND ACTIONA great leader’s “ability to learn, and translate that learn-ing into action rapidly, is the ul-timate competitive advantage.” -- Jack Welch, former chairman and CEO of General ElectricLeaders need to relate to their team as if they are the customer. If they point out a problem, the leader needs to solve it. To do that, make sure you understand the problem complete-ly. Then regularly update your team on your progress, and then share with them the solution. This also extends to checking in with the team. Check in with them often. Whether it’s to re-view their performance or yours, tak-ing ownership with regular check-ins builds motivation and helps keep ev-eryone on track.AS A LEADER, LEARN FROM THE PAST“Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” -- George Santayana, American philosopher, essayist, poet, and novelistIf you examine the history of busi-ness – as does Jim Collins, the ‘Good to Great’ author -- you’ll see un-countable examples of successful business models and spectacular busi-ness failures. So, here’s the challenge: think about what the people you ad-mire do well, and consider what went wrong for those who end their careers mired in scandal or disgrace. Great leaders learn from the past to change the future of their organizations and their lives.BE A MENTOR, YOURSELFAgain, everyone can use a mentor. Winston Churchill said, “We make a living by what we get. We make a life by what we give.” Just as mentors can help you through difficult spots, you can help others. Whether they are budding leaders within your organiza-tion, people from within the commu-nity at large, or working with disad-vantaged youth – you can help people see their own strengths and weakness-es, help them be more productive or teach them more about the industry they serve. You can help them avoid making the mistakes you made. Who knows, in your role as mentor, you may even learn something new.A GREAT LEADER HAS THE “NEED TO READ”Every great leader, no matter what the industry or business, does a lot of reading. Management books, self-help literature, and the like will really help in your development. Forbes Maga-zine contributor Alex McClafferty rec-ommends the following for all leaders’ ILLUSTRATIONS AND PHOTOS COURESY OF ISTOCKPHOTO26 DECEMBER 2017HIGH PERFORMANCE HVAC TODAYyour company, and give them room to grow and innovate. They will be the ones who take your mission and vision and make them into reality. They will challenge you, but that is a good thing. What isn’t good is when you sur-round yourself with “yes-men (and women),” who tell you what they think you want to hear. They won’t challenge you and they won’t really take the com-pany to where you want it to go.LEADERSHIP IS A SERVICE“The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.” – Mahatma Gandhi, leader of the Indian Independence Movement in 1942Great leaders seek to serve, not to be served. Leadership should never be about power, popularity, or money. Servant leaders don’t think of them-selves as better than the people they lead. They believe in their teams and work to remove the roadblocks that prevent those teams from getting their work done. To illustrate, there is a great article published in the April 3rd edition of the Washington Post titled, Servant Leadership: A Path to High Perfor-mance. Author Edward D. Hess dis-cusses what servant leadership means and why it should be important to anyone running a business today. IN CONCLUSIONFurthermore, from these tips and from reading the resources cited here, it is very obvious that being a great leader isn’t something you can fake, or learn overnight. From an employ-ee viewpoint it’s obvious when some-one is a great leader because they feel inspired and part of something bigger than them. They WANT to work hard-er and be successful.By the way, employees can spot “fakeness” from a mile away. It’s something that you as a leader have to truly believe, and truly be passionate about. So as you walk the path of Per-formance-Based Contracting™, try to see yourself through the lens of great leadership and success. STRIVING FOR IMPROVEMENT NEVER ENDS“Every day you may make progress. Every step may be fruitful. Yet there will stretch out before you an ever-length-ening, ever-ascending, ever-im-proving path. You know you will never get to the end of the journey. But this, so far from discouraging, only adds to the joy and glory of the climb.” -- Sir Winston Churchill – British prime minister from 1940 to 1945 and 1951 to 1955It is said that great people constant-ly learn new things and always try to improve themselves. There’s always something that you can work on or a new skill to master. Keeping an open mind to new ideas and possibilities al-most guarantees you will continue to grow and improve. Earlier, we talked about the im-portance of humility in great leaders. Striving for continuous improvement is recognition of humility. It says, ‘Yes, we’re good, maybe very good, and we can be even better.’SURROUND YOURSELF WITH SMART PEOPLE‘’If you ever find a man who is better than you are - hire him. If necessary, pay him more than you would pay yourself.’’ – David Ogilvy, founder of the Ogilvy & Mather advertising agency and founder of modern advertisingNot just smart people – great lead-ers surround themselves with people who are smarter than they are. Bring these people onto your teams, into LEADERSHIPDECEMBER 2017 27HVACTODAY.COMPHOTO OF THE MONTH“You gotta be kidding me! Only a ‘Bama fan would do that!” — Scott Copeland, Affordable Heating and Cooling, Phenix City, AL This month’s winner fits into the “Bad” category. As you can see, someone installed a heat pump package unit in an attic. Seriously.Scott Copeland from Affordable Heating and Cooling submitted this entry and is the December 2017 winner of our Photo-of-the-Month contest, as voted on by the subscribers to the High Performance HVAC Today magazine and visitors to the website. He will receive a $50 gift card.You can too – submissions are always welcome. If you’d like to submit a photo for consideration in our Photo-of-the-Month contest, go to ncilink.com/potm or click below and fill out the information as requested.Click HereNCI MEMBER UPDATEOur next Summit promises to be our biggest and best Summit ever! Registra-tion has been very brisk for NCI’s upcoming Summit on March 4-6, 2018 in Austin Texas. Be sure to register as soon as possible to take advantage of our Early Bird rates, and also reserve your hotel room at NCI’s special rate of just $169/night before they are all gone! Click Here to learn more about Summit 2018, register online and book your hotel reservations today!Exciting New NCI Membership Options!In response to your requests for more membership options beyond Basic NCI Membership, we now have several new choices for you. In addi-tion to our current Learning Excel-lence Online Membership package, which includes our Learn 24/7 Unlim-ited Online University, members can now choose our Learning Excellence Live package. Or get the best of both Live and Online year-round training for your entire team with our Learning Excellence Premium package! Take a look at the options below and contact NCI Customer Care to learn more, and choose the best membership level for your organization’s needs. Record Turnout Expected for Summit 201828 DECEMBER 2017HIGH PERFORMANCE HVAC TODAYUnlimited Toll-Free SupportHigh Performance Talk Discussion ForumFind-A-Certi ed Professional Lead Generatori-NCI - Mobile Friendly Technical & Sales ToolsHundreds of Technical & Marketing DownloadsMembers-Only NewsletterArticle Library Featuring 100’s of Technical & Business ArticlesLive & Online Training and Conference DiscountsMember Rewards NCI Training Bucks on PurchasesNCI Online Store DiscountsComfortMaxx Air™ - Air ow Testing SoftwareUnlimited Online Course AccessUnlimited Webinar AccessComfortMaxx Pulse™ - Air & BTU Testing SoftwareMaximum Training Incentive Partner Program DollarsBonus Annual NCI Training Bucks EarnedComfortMaxx Verify™ - Full System Testing Software$120015%5%15%15%$4200$4200NCI MembershipWith Learning Excellence Online PackageWith Learning Excellence Live PackageWith Learning Excellence Premium PackageMonthly Investment$100$450$450$700Be sure to click on the image below to view more details online.We’re now offering these options to allow you to customize your member-ship and get the most value based on your specific needs.Pricing is as follows:• Learning Excellence Online: $450/mo • Learning Excellence Live: $450/mo • Learning Excellence Premium: $700/mo Get started right away! Contact NCI at 800-633-7058 to find out more.National Comfort Institute New Membership Options At-A-GlanceDECEMBER 2017 29HVACTODAY.COMNext >