< PreviousJANUARY 2019 23HVACTODAY.COM zYou have control of your work schedule zYour customers can’t receive a comparable maintenance plan anywhere else zYou get the satisfaction of proving that your work is making a difference in HVAC equip-ment performance, customer comfort, and well being zYour customers don’t want to have your competitors in their homes zMost of your new customers come from the referral of your ‘Season Ticket Holders’ zThe weather doesn’t make or break your business zYou have year-round steady income.If you hear someone say these facts are true about their business today, you might might want to call their bluff. As a second-generation busi-ness owner, I feel like I have heard it all. When I hear contractors claim they have a salesman clos-ing 80% and selling $4 million in residential in-stallations, something smells.But the fact is, High-Performance contracting is a real thing at my company. It wasn’t always that way. Ball Heating and Air was started by my dad, Don Ball, in 1964. Dad was 23 years old then and he worked mostly for general contractors. In the HVAC Industry, we are not traveling in another dimension. We are traveling along a path that leads to true customer comfort and system performance. So imagine, if you will, an area we don’t call the Twilight Zone, but do call the High Performance Zone. In it you find the following: zYour company has over 2000 ‘Season Ticket Holders / Raving Fans’ zOn your mildest day of the year, you’ll get to be in at least 20 customers’ homesSelling High-Performance Maintenance AgreementsBy Jim BallSERVICE“THIS IS A DIMENSION AS VAST AS SPACE AND AS TIMELESS AS INFINITY. IT IS THE MIDDLE GROUND BETWEEN LIGHT AND SHADOW, BETWEEN SCIENCE AND SUPERSTITION, AND IT LIES BETWEEN THE PIT OF MAN’S FEARS AND THE SUMMIT OF HIS KNOWLEDGE. THIS IS THE DIMENSION OF IMAGINATION. IT IS AN AREA WHICH WE CALL THE TWILIGHT ZONE.” – ROD SERLING24 JANUARY 2019HIGH-PERFORMANCE HVAC TODAYSERVICETHE MOVE TO MAINTENANCE AGREEMENTSIn the early 1990s my dad began working with Ron Smith to learn more about the power of maintenance agreements. So Ball Heating began encouraging customers to become maintenance agreement clients. We promised to take care of their systems for fewer breakdowns and that would provide longer service life. I don’t know exactly how a presen-tation from Ron Smith convinced my Dad to commit to the Dominant Mar-ket Share program. But I have heard Dad say Ron talked about going to the mailbox on July 1st and taking out a million dollars of maintenance agree-ment renewals. This was in the 80’s when a million was a lot of money. Smith, who some have dubbed the father of the HVAC Service Agree-ment, worked with Ball Heating and Air Conditioning to set up a mainte-nance department, develop a service agreement plan, and train the sales-people to sell it. So, encouraged by Ron’s model, Ball Heating and Air changed and became committed to the maintenance pro-gram. Both my father and I have an agreement on our own home systems. THE HIGH-PERFORMANCE CONNECTIONThe last 26 years since we began the maintenance program haven’t always been all peachy keen, but our story has changed. Our lifestyle has improved. Then we joined National Comfort Institute (NCI) in 2014 and began working toward becoming a Perfor-mance-Based Contracting™ organi-zation. This challenged us to demand more of ourselves and to provide more value to the customer. Our maintenance program moved forward into the performance-based platform. The challenges that come along with performance-based main-tenance programs are unique, but the results assure your customer is getting the best value. I think in our market we aren’t only the most expensive, but the highest quality too. We typically are 25-40% higher than our competitors when we walk in. By the way, Ball Heating and Air Conditioning maintenance renewals are at 95%. We currently have more than 2,500 agreements (which we call ESAs – Energy Savings Agreements).AN ENGINEER’S APPROACHAs a mechanical engineer, I learned early in school about ‘the perfect test world’ and the real world. A little thing called friction always frustrated my projects and negatively affected my grade as well. I was taught to expect friction and to make sure your results had a way to include friction in the end performance. Much like the HVAC systems we install today, you can never get a system to operate at 100% efficien-cy. The builders and HVAC manu-facturers want to base our custom-ers’ decisions on the perfect test world, instead of the real world. You and I know better. The hard part is making sure our team and our customers do too. HOW OUR MAINTENANCE AGREEMENT PROGRAM WORKSOur maintenance agreement pro-gram includes doing a system evalu-SOME HISTORYIn those days when you finished the install, you hoped the phone didn’t ring and the general paid you before you started working on the next house. Dad says tracking down those contractors to get paid wasn’t an easy living. Sometime in the mid 80’s, he refocused the company on service and maintenance work. In the 1980s our business was very heavily driven by the weather, some-thing many contractors who were around said held true for them as well. If you have a hot summer in South Mississippi, you will have a great year. Fact. Business just comes to you, it falls in your lap. You can be the worst business person and still survive. Sales supposedly covers a world of business sins. No profit? Just sell more. Our family planned va-cation around the summer months. We knew there would be late hours and late phone calls. It didn’t mat-ter much to us because the business was doing well. But every so often the weather didn’t cooperate, and what we thought was good wasn’t so good after all. A business that we once loved and were proud to have our name on now became a noose around our necks. We wound up borrowing money to make payroll or to make the next payment to our suppliers. Some-how my Dad had the grit to survive, and we were blessed with more good years than bad. So goes the story of the early days. I imagine many of you and your families have the same or similar story today.JANUARY 2019 25HVACTODAY.COMthe equation. The High-Performance Zone is where we now live and work. And our customers are better off be-cause of it. are delivering everything we prom-ised them. Competitors sell equip-ment like it’s the final answer. The truth is the equipment is just part of ation by taking static pressure read-ings before and after we do our work. In other words, we test-in and test-out. I realize that isn’t enough, so we are working on adding more of the high-performance practices to our maintenance agreement program.Another thing is friction shows up all over the place, not just in the HVAC system itself. A maintenance program provides your company with many opportunities to take care of your customers and exceed their expectations. However, there is some friction you need to know about and plan to resolve along the way. Oh, and by the way, this is re-al-world stuff. We aren’t living in the Twilight Zone. And we can absolute-ly prove to our customers that we MEET JIM BALL AT NCI SUMMIT 2019High-Performance HVAC Summit 2019 is happening April 15-18 in Orlando, FL. Jim Ball is one of five Performance-Based Contractors™ presenting how they bring High-Performance into their companies and their marketplace. Jim, who is general manager of Ball Heating and Air Conditioning, Biloxi, MS, will discuss how his team have become so much better through implementing a strong performance-based maintenance program.Come meet Jim and network with your peers in Orlando. Learn more about the Summit 2019 program at GoToSummit.com.Register today. Questions? No problem. Call 800-633-7058 and talk to your customer care representative.After Summit ends, stick around for our Post Show Training classes. Click ncilink.com/19PST for details.26 JANUARY 2019HIGH-PERFORMANCE HVAC TODAYcalibrated virtually forever, but they are cum-bersome and can be messy to use. They’re still used on commercial work, especially in sta-tionary applications.Other analog manometers, also known as Magnehelic® Gauges, have been around for decades. They’re very du-rable, they hold their calibra-tion well, and provide a di-rect static pressure reading through a dial gauge. The downside is they need to be level to get accurate readings – often difficult to do in an attic or crawl space. A zero to 1-in. water column (WC) model is ideal for most residential and light com-mercial applications. Expect to pay between $150 and $250 for a good Magnehelic® kit depending on what ac-cessories you want. A good kit will include ev-Every experienced field person knows the right tools can make all the difference - whether it’s their hand tools or the test instruments they use in service and installation. The right instrument helps make testing consistent and efficient. It reduces second guessing and repeat test-ing when you feel you can’t trust your readings.This article will introduce you to many of the specialized instruments used in High-Performance testing and diagnos-tics. We’ll also take a look at suggested tool lists for each of your field people, both in a residential and light commer-cial HVAC company.The exact instruments you buy will de-pend on some factors that are unique to your company. For example, your needs will vary with whether your service tech-nicians perform full diagnostics or pass on leads from basic testing, or whether your installers start up their own systems or you have start-up techs.RECOMMENDED TEST INSTRUMENTSn Analog or Digital Manometer: Liquid- filled manometers have been around for centu-ries. These devices are very accurate and stay The Right Tools For The JobBy Dominick GuarinoMANAGEMENT The ABCs of High-Performance HVAC Contracting: PART 7Catch up on all the installments of this series:Part 1: What is High-Performance HVAC and Why Do It? ncilink.com/ABCs-1Part 2: Is It the Right Fit for Your Company? ncilink.com/ABCs-2Part 3: Five Steps for Becoming A Performance-Based Contractor. ncilink.com/ABCs-3Part 4: Five More Steps to Becoming a Performance-Based Contractor. ncilink.com/ABCs-4Part 5: Your Investment in Performance. ncilink.com/ABCs-5Part 6: The Five Keys to Quality Training. ncilink.com/ABCs-6JANUARY 2019 27HVACTODAY.COMin high-quality humidity sensors. Be sure to look at response time when it comes to wet bulb testing – especial-ly across multiple locations simulta-neously. For these tests you will need several fast responding hygrometers.n Digital Refrigerant Gauges: With today’s increasingly sophisticat-ed higher efficiency air conditioners and heat pumps, analog gauges just don’t cut it any more. If your techs own them, it’s not a bad idea to hang onto to them as they may come in handy in a pinch, but your field people’s go-to instruments should be digital.There are many benefits to digital manifolds. One is you can use them on a spectrum of systems with differ-ent refrigerants, ranging from tradi-tional R-22, 410A, 134A, and more. Today’s manifolds include pro-grams for 40 or more different refrig-erants. They come in many configu-rations and degrees of technology. All of them automatically calculate Su-perheat and Subcooling, but some are more accurate than others.Some digital manifolds are fully computerized, and can perform very sophisticated diagnostics. Many now include wireless technology and ap-plications for mobile devices. The key is getting the right tool for the person using it. It’s usually a good idea to get something with a few more features than you think you may need, but there is no need to buy the top of the line with all the bells and whistles – especially when first starting out. Technology is moving so fast that you may want to move up to some-thing better in the next year or two that outperforms today’s top-of-the-line instruments.n Combustion Analyzer: A high- quality combustion analyzer can be used for CO safety checks, combus-tion diagnostics, and precision burner adjustments. Residential/light com-mercial combustion analyzers range in cost from $600 to $1,500, depend-erything you need to drill and cap test ports and check static pressures at key places in a system.High-quality digital manometers are also a great option. Some are ex-tremely accurate, have multiple pres-sure ranges, and are very durable. Digital gauges do not need leveling – a plus in tight spaces. A digital ma-nometer kit costs between $150 and $250 depending on what’s included. Whatever manometer you buy, make sure you have the right pressure tip, drilling accessories, and hole plugs with your gauge at all times.n Digital Hygrometer: A digital hygrometer is very handy for mea-suring wet bulb temperatures when testing in cooling mode to measure enthalpy. As you learn to test enthal-py change when calculating delivered BTUs, you’ll find accurate wet bulb measurements are critical. Digital hygrometers typically range from $100 to $200.NCI tests require wet-bulb readings to be recorded to the nearest tenth of a degree. Some hygrometers lack accu-racy and can’t be calibrated. Several manufacturers make ac-curate and durable instruments that display temperature, RH, and wet-bulb temperature. Some air multimeters have built-28 JANUARY 2019HIGH-PERFORMANCE HVAC TODAYMANAGEMENTply and return grilles with an accura-cy of +/- 3%. Hoods typically come with a 2 ft. X 2 ft. skirt (opening size). Different size skirts used mostly in commercial air balancing are typically available as accessories. Some hoods offer fea-tures like wireless communications and datalogging. The key is to choose an instrument that best fits how your company will use it. For example, a residential salesperson might be better off with a simple hood he or she can use to quickly capture one or more airflows to show the customer where the big-gest issues are. Your balancing technician may benefit from a hood that captures readings easily and helps quickly nav-igate the balancing process. If you’re buying your first hood, start with a good basic model, so you can figure out what features and ben-efits best suit your company and each individual that will be using it.n Draft Gauge: Draft gauges are important instruments for trouble-shooting combustion systems. While there are digital gauges available, an inexpensive, extremely durable Dw-yer 460 Air Meter does the best job at a cost of less than $50. Every service technician should carry one of these on their truck with their analyzer. Remember, blowing smoke up a flue bonnet does not veri-fy adequate draft or venting.n Airflow Capture Hood: A qual-ity flow hood costs between $2,500 and $3,000. There are so-called resi-dential or low-flow hoods on the mar-ket for $1500 or less, but they typi-cally lack repeatability and accuracy. This is the one instrument you shouldn’t cut corners on. It will be-come your go-to instrument and you’ll need to trust your readings. A good digital hood should be able to consistently and quickly measure from 30 to 2,000 CFM on both sup-ing on quality and accessories. An important feature to look for in a combustion analyzer is fast re-sponse to CO and oxygen level chang-es. When you look at the specs, check out the pump volume. The more vol-ume it can pull, the faster the analyz-er will respond to changes. At mini-mum it should pull at 400 cc/min. A better volume is 700 cc/min. A high-range CO sensor is also im-portant – the higher the range, the more likely it will quickly bounce back from a very high reading in a flue. Look for a minimum high range of 4,000 ppm. 8,000 ppm is better. Another key feature is calibrated replacement sensors. These sensors make it possible to avoid sending the instrument back to the manufacturer to replace a sensor. This will save you both time and money. A built-in draft gauge usually adds $100 or more to the price, and is rare-ly used. In most testing situations draft should be checked with a sep-arate instrument. Other features to look for are data-logging and printing capabilities (to provide date-stamped documentation).JANUARY 2019 29HVACTODAY.COMn Digital Tachome-ter: If you’re installing or servicing belt-driven packaged equipment, a digital non-contact ta-chometer allows you to accurately measure and adjust fan speed. n Remote Clamp-on Amp Meter: When adjusting pulleys to increase airflow on belt-driven blowers, it’s critical to check amp draw so as not to overload the motor. To get accurate airflows and amp draw, this must be done with the blower compartment door on. A one-piece clamp-on meter won’t work in this scenario. A clamp with a 3-ft. lead is needed to perform the test. Remote clamps come as plug-ins or standalone units ranging from $100 to $300. THE RIGHT TOOLS FOR EACH FIELD ROLEDepending on their role, each of your field-based people will need a different set of tools and instruments. The following is a breakdown by role:n Salesperson/Comfort Con-sultant: While your salesperson can start with a few basic tools, eventually they will need the instruments below in order to properly test and diagnose air distribution issues. Here’s a list of tools and instruments to take on a diagnostic sales call: zManometer kit with pressure tip, drill bit and stop, and hole plugs zAirflow Capture Hood zDigital Anemometer zDigital Hygrometer zInfrared Thermometer zPocket Thermometerscally depend on the field of view. Field of views vary from 4:1 to 30:1. The higher the number, the tight-er the circle the infrared sensor will focus on. This is very import-ant when you’re shoot-ing a grille 18 feet up in the air on a cathedral ceil-ing. The higher the field of view, the more likely you’ll be measuring just the grille surface temperature. Make sure the thermometer has a la-ser pointer so you can precisely target the spot you’re trying to measure.n Ultrasonic Tape Mea-sure: While you can measure rooms with a tape measure to calculate heating and cooling loads, this de-vice, typically available with a la-ser target for less than $50, speeds up the process and helps you project a more professional image with your customers. These devices take prac-tice to get reliable numbers, but allow quick, reliable room measurement.n Digital Anemometer: There are numerous digital anemometers on the market from a variety of manu-facturers. Prices range from $300 to over $2,000 depending on accuracy, repeatability, and features. The tool of choice here is a hot wire anemom-eter as opposed to a rotating vane model. Hot-wire anemometers stay calibrated longer since there are no moving parts to wear out. It’s also easier to perform accu-rate traverses with a hot wire as the measurement is taking place over a smaller area with little or no interference from the instru-ment. I recommend using a dig-ital multimeter that incorporates a highly accurate anemometer, a digital manometer, and an accu-rate humidity sensor. This instru-ment can quickly pay for itself by taking hours of work out of travers-ing ducts and grilles since it does all of the tedious calculations for you at the push of a button.n Infrared Thermometer: An in-frared thermometer is a must-have tool for diagnosing system perfor-mance. It can be used for a variety of diagnostic tests including measuring grille temperatures, calculating wall and ceiling R-values, finding missing insulation, identifying thermal by-passes, and more.The quality of infrared thermome-ters can vary with prices ranging from $100 to more than $500. Prices typi-Next >