HIGH-PERFORMANCEHVAC TODAY TMIf You Don’t Measure, You’re Just Guessing!™hvactoday.comNOVEMBER 2019ALSO IN THIS ISSUE:Training Partnership: The Role of DistributorsAre Combustion Efficiency Calculations Misleading?You Cannot Judge a Book by its CoverTechnology and the HVAC Industry:Don’t Be Left BehindNOVEMBER 2019 3HVACTODAY.COMNOVEMBER 2019 VOLUME 3 NUMBER 11HIGH-PERFORMANCEHVAC TODAY TMTHE LEADING EDGE:Technology’s Impact on the HVAC IndustryAustin Energy’s Tom Turner foreshadows a future where Performance-Based Contracting is THE delivery method of choice. Those who don’t embrace it may be left behind.TRAINING SPOTLIGHT:Training Partnerships: The Role of DistributorsFour HVAC distributors discuss the importance of training partnerships with their contractor customers.INDUSTRY:You Cannot Judge A Book By Its CoverMel Johnson, NCI VP of Utility Programs, says now is the time for High-Performance HVAC contractors to shine. The opportunity to improve customer perceptions is now.TECHNICAL:Are Combustion Efficiency Calculations Misleading?Jim Davis of NCI says Performance-Based Contractors shouldn’t depend on the calculated efficiency of a combustion analyzer. Doing so can be misleading.161410 DEPARTMENTSToday’s Word .........................................................................................5High-Performance Product Reviews .............................................6Photo of the Month .........................................................................19Member Update ...............................................................................20HVAC Smart Mart ...............................................................................21Ad Index ................................................................................................21One More Thing ................................................................................228NOVEMBER 2019 5HVACTODAY.COMTODAY’S WORDBy Mike WeilMike Weil is editor- in-chief and director of communications and publications at National Comfort Institute, Inc. He can be reached at mikew@ncihvac.com.My friend and fellow NCI teammate, David Richardson, recently wrote a blog post (nciblog.com/one-de-gree) using a similar title to the one I have here. In his post he compares the act of boiling water by adding heat to it, one degree at a time, to moving forward with your life’s goals. He wrote, “All of us change as a direct result of the daily decisions we make and the habits they eventually become. Positive change doesn’t take place overnight – it’s the result of hard work and repetition. “As you start, things might not happen as quickly as you want them to. Continuously add-ing one degree often takes us out of our com-fort zone, but allows us to do things we normally wouldn’t.”David pointed out that this applies to every-thing and everyone. But unlike that pot of wa-ter, people don’t have thermometers to let them know when they’ve not only reached their boiling points, but when they are at the cusp of changing state. He wrote, “A major break-through could be just one step away and you’ll miss it unless you continue to add one degree.”This really struck a chord with me, especial-ly when it comes to training and education. So many people look for a silver bullet – a way to set them so far apart from the pack that they will rake in all the money and glory. The problem is, they want it fast. Instantaneously. That is a fantasy. We all know it, but somehow everyone loses sight of that as they make deci-sions regarding the training of their people and their approach to their marketplaces. If you set a goal to provide true High-Perfor-mance services to your customers, you must commit to training. It must be part of your com-pany culture and the services you provide. It’s not a one-and-done event. That first de-gree of change just starts the momentum. Each degree added continues building toward that change of state.The good news is that contractors are not alone when it comes to turning up the heat on the pro-fessionalism of their teams and their companies. The HVAC Industry is blessed with many resourc-es to help contractors add one degree everyday.Your distributors are key to that. In fact, vir-tually all of your vendors (distributors, manu-facturers, trade allies, and associations) provide opportunities to help you train your people and yourself. IN THIS ISSUE:In fact, this month we spoke with four distrib-utors on how important training contractors is to their strategies and goals. Their comments are further reason why you should look to them for technical and non-technical training. Read the interviews at ncilink.com/DistRT.Furthermore, Tom Turner of Austin Energy discusses the very important need for contractors to stay on top of changing methodologies for test-ing and diagnosing comfort systems at ncilink.com/LeftBehind.You can also learn why combustion efficien-cy can sometimes be misleading in the latest ar-ticle from NCI’s own Jim Davis at ncilink.com/Calcs. And finally, see how High-Performance con-tracting offers more depth in how you positively impact your marketplace AND the HVAC Indus-try (ncilink.com/BookCvr).All these articles play nicely with the One De-gree rule. Remember, if implementing High- Performance into your company was easy, every-one would do it. If you start at one degree per day, the sky is the limit.Have you added one degree today? Training By the Rule of One Degree6 NOVEMBER 2019HIGH-PERFORMANCE HVAC TODAYrefrigerant circuit can all be recorded. In data logging mode, you can set up time frames for days, hours, and minutes. The best part about the JL3KH6 is its very reasonable price point.In true Fieldpiece fashion, this kit is built for rugged use. It can survive being dropped and will still provide the tech with an operational and accurate measurement.One more thing: you can put the cal-culators down. The app performs all the necessary calculations. All instru-ments can switch from high and low-side measurements. It can take supply and return temperatures as well. This makes it very easy to distinguish where each instrument is located.Fieldpiece has thought of everything. The refrigerant line temperature clamps run a continuity test. This assures it will display the correct line temperatures and provide accurate measurements. It also includes a compact carrying case for all six instruments. For more information or if you’re inter-ested in buying this product, go to ncil-ink.com/FP-JL3KH6.— by Casey Contreras, National Comfort Institute Field Coach and InstructorFIELDPIECE JL3KH6 WIRELESS CHARGE AND AIR TEST KITWhen it comes to refrigerant-side per-formance, the JL3KH6 Wireless Charge and Air Test Kit is where it’s at. It helps to reduce refrigerant contamination and displays enthalpy change, so you know if adding charge is the proper course of action.The kit needs to be on the cover of Time magazine. Not for its Bluetooth ca-pability or its simple and easy setup pro-cedures. Not for the small instrument profiles or durability. Not even because of its magnetized flexible single wand psychrometers. It should be on the cover because of the latest software update. This has made it easier for technicians to data log a system. Space temperatures, register and grill temperatures, and the HIGH-PERFORMANCE PRODUCT REVIEWSWritten By HVAC Professionals for HVAC ProfessionalsNOVEMBER 2019 7HVACTODAY.COMventing. You’ll need a combustion ana-lyzer for that. The Dwyer 460 is an inex-pensive and versatile solution for most draft pressure measurement applica-tions. It comes with the following: zCarrying case zDwyer 460 Air Meter / Draft Gauge z4” length of pressure tubing zVarious probes and accessories.Draft pressure is measured in units called inches of water column (in. w.c.). The Dwyer 460 measures up to one-tenth of an inch of pressure (.10” w.c.) and is very sensitive to pressure changes. To get this feature in a digital manometer, you would have to pay hundreds of dollars.Pressure tubing connects the draft gauge to a curved metal probe that is inserted into the flue for draft measure-ment. A small white ball inside the draft gauge moves up and down freely to in-dicate the draft pressure reading on the gauge’s black scale. Occasionally, the inside of the gauge may get damp from flue gas and must be cleaned so the ball moves freely. If you’re interested in learning more about the Dwyer 460, go to the NCI Store at ncilink.com/Dwyer460.— by David Richardson, Curriculum Development and Instructor, NCIDWYER 460 AIR METER AND DRAFT GAUGEThese Dwyer instruments are essential test instruments for anyone who diagno-ses carbon monoxide (CO) and combus-tion problems on vented equipment. This includes natural draft (drafthood) and induced draft (80%) equipment. Without it, you could easily misdiagnose a problem contributing to dangerous combustion readings.With proper training, the draft gauge will tell you if adequate combustion air is available for the equipment and that no building pressure changes are interfer-ing with equipment operation. In a few short steps, it can also tell you if a flue is restricted or undersized. Contrary to popular belief, the draft gauge cannot verify proper equipment 8 NOVEMBER 2019HIGH-PERFORMANCE HVAC TODAYexplains. “Our customers have a busi-ness to run, and as a value-added sup-plier, we must bring them training op-portunities to help them grow their business, learn about new equipment, and new technologies.Ken Perotta of Crescent Parts and Equipment in St. Louis, MO concurs. He says training is a centerpiece of the ser-vices they offer their contractor customers.“We conduct more than 100 annual training days in our main office and an additional 50-plus classes in the rural branches each year. Our sales group also does hundreds of classes, one to two hours long in our contractors’ offices to help train on spe-cific areas they need help in.” All four of the distributors we spoke with say that their focus on training helps their customers do their jobs better and sell more equipment as a result. This creates a win-win-win scenario for contractors, consumers, and the distributors alike.“We view contrac-tor customers as an extension of our com-pany,” adds Jeremy Barnes of Fergu-son LLC., Tampa, FL branch. “Without quality contractors representing our product in our mar-kets, we can’t accomplish our goals as an organization.”GETTING THE WORD OUTOne of the main factors to conduct-ing successful training programs is “filling seats.” Distributors are in the drivers seat when it comes to making this happen.According to Tony Aspesi of Bak-er Distributing Co. in Jacksonville, FL, you can have the best state-of-the-art training facility, but it is worthless un-less you have a mar-keting strategy to get the word out to con-tractor customers.“We certainly have our own marketing approach,” says Aspe-si, “but what really pulls it together for us is the training partnerships we have with outfits like National Comfort In-stitute. Their approach is top notch and that makes it so much easier to promote training at our facilities.”At R.E. Michel, they use their sales and marketing teams together to pro-mote training. They spread the word via word-of-mouth, email, and web-site promotions, as well as social media campaigns, according to McAllister. On the other hand, Perotta sees the success of Crescent Parts’ programs also based on bringing good nation-al training organizations into the re-gions they serve to train their contrac-tor customers. “These organizations get our con-tractors in the door. They help us make them better and more efficient. The HVAC Industry is rich in training. From A to Z contrac-tors have access to education-al programs – both live and online – that address every aspect of running their companies. This includes teaching ways to improve business and sales, marketing, and staying abreast of new technologies. Do contractors take full advantage of all the training available? Not real-ly. And that is where the local distrib-utor comes in. Distributors play a vital role in bringing training to their con-tractor customers in an organized and meaningful way.This is especially important in the realm of Performance-Based Con-tracting™ where technical expertise goes well beyond just replacing equip-ment and upselling accessories. In this light, High-Performance HVAC Today spoke with several dis-tributors about their role in the train-ing sector and how partnership with National Comfort Institute helps them in this mission.THE IMPORTANCE OF HVAC CONTRACTOR TRAININGChad McAllister of R.E. Michel Co. in Glen Burnie, MD says for his organization, training HVAC contractor cus-tomers is vital.“Proper training is imperative to our cus-tomers success,” he TRAINING SPOTLIGHTBY Mike WeilTraining Partnerships: The Role Of DistributorsNOVEMBER 2019 9HVACTODAY.COMreally important to the success of keep-ing HVAC contractors on top of their game. Each says that from a technical perspective, the training partnership they have with NCI is key.“NCI has shown us time and again that they take technical training to the next level. They help us arm con-tractors with the tools and knowledge they need to improve their skillset and their businesses,” Barnes concludes. If you are an HVAC contractor working in the High-Performance sec-tor, or planning on doing so, remem-ber that your distributor is a key part-ner in helping you be successful.Take advantage of the training op-portunities they provide. It is in your customers’ and your company’s best interest to do so. tom line – good work equals good news which equals more sales.”Barnes agrees and adds, “We have found, especially on the technical side, that working with companies like NCI has vastly improved the quality of work done by the contractors who have attended. “One of the biggest areas we have no-ticed is on the airflow side of the resi-dential business. While getting to a zero claim world is not attainable, we do see that contractors who attend the resi-dential air balancing class now install systems that run like they are supposed to and require far less call-backs.”PARTNERSHIP IS KEYAll four of the distributors we spoke to agree that training partnerships are “This also attracts new contractors that we don’t normally do business with into our location so we can show-case our training room, our ware-house, and our people,” Perotta adds.“They get to witness our relation-ship with our contractor customers and in many cases we start to earn more of their business.”TRAINING IMPACT ON BUSINESS“When contractors are better at do-ing what they do, we have less warran-ty claims,” Aspesi comments. “Most warranty claims are due to improper installation practices. Proper training greatly reduces these claims. “When jobs are done right, custom-ers are more satisfied and when that happens good news travels fast. Bot-Next >