HIGH-PERFORMANCE HVAC TODAYHVAC TODAY TM If You Don’t Measure, You’re Just Guessing! ™ hvactoday.comOCTOBER 2020 ALSO IN THIS ISSUE: Creating a Culture of Carbon Monoxide Safety A New ANSI/ASHRAE Standard Creates a NEW Contractor Product The PATH to Performance Part Three - Airflow Is the Second Step to Airside Performance Build YourOCTOBER 2020 3HVACTODAY.COM OCTOBER 2020 VOLUME 4 NUMBER 10 HIGH-PERFORMANCE HVAC TODAYHVAC TODAY TM MARKETING: Consciously Promote Your Own Brand You are the brand. Contractor Steve Miles says the key is making sure you consciously present a consistent message. TECHNICAL: Airflow: The Second Step to Airside Performance This is the third in a series of articles by David Richardson discussing the PATH to Performance. TECHNICAL: New ANSI/ASHRAE Standard Creates Contractor Opportunity NCI President Rob Falke discusses the new ANSI/ASHRAE Standard that is geared to field technicians and creates a new sales opportunity for HVAC contractors. MANAGEMENT: Creating a Culture of CO Safety Contractor Vic Updike and his team at Masterworks Mechanical provide a most unique service that truly sets them apart. 21 18 13 8 DEPARTMENTS Today’s Word .........................................................................................5 High-Performance Products .............................................................6 Member Update ...............................................................................26 Photo of the Month .........................................................................27 HVAC Smart Mart ...............................................................................28 Ad Index ................................................................................................29 One More Thing ................................................................................30OCTOBER 2020 5HVACTODAY.COM TODAY’S WORD By Mike Weil Did You Know that Networking is A Small Business Owner’s Best Friend? A s I write this column, it’s a gorgeous Fall day here in Cleveland. The sun is out, the temperatures are comfortable, and there is a fragrance in the air that marks the season change. In the midst of all this, the first presidential de- bate is looming, the country remains very divided, and the COVID-19 pandemic is still impacting the public in general, small businesses in particular. But, on such a pretty Fall day, it seems like a shame to paint the world in colors of doom and gloom. Especially since so many HVAC contrac- tors I have talked to recently have made the deci- sion NOT to partipate in all the sourness. Instead, they are working hard to find ways to better serve their customers. Many of them are using their entrepreneurial spirit to get creative in how they approach their brand and market their products and services. Others are taking advantage of the trend for on- line live seminars, webinars, and conferences to learn more on how to operate successfully in a COVID world. Most are excited about what they are doing and it shows. They say their numbers are up — both in terms of sales and gross profits. Current industry shipment figures bear this out. Others turn to their peers for advice, ideas, and support. The most powerful aspect of any business is peer-to-peer networking which can help drive you and make you more confident in the things you do. Some of these peer contacts come in the form of official or non-official advisory boards. Do you have an advisory board? This is a group of peo- ple who don’t compete with you but who you can confide in. They can help you think outside the box and keep you on the positive side of worry and fear. I have an unofficial advisory board of contractors and industry people who I touch base with, run ideas past, and who bring information, humor, and much needed advice into my world. You can and should have this too. If you are a member of National Comfort In- stitute (NCI), there are a number of network- ing opportunities available. Consider all the oth- er members of NCI, most of whom are open and willing to help if they can. Some of them partici- pate in things like our live online training where they meet, train together, and connect. Some members particpate in our Trailblazer Coaching program which is a guided network- ing opportunity. Many participate in live online events like the 2020 Virtual High-Performance HVAC Summit that provides a lot of opportunities to network and make connections — with other con- tractors as well as vendors. If you’re a member of trade associations such as the Air Conditioning Contractors of America (ACCA), you have access to potential advisory boards, via their MIX ® (Management Informa- tion Exchange) Group program. To learn more, just go to www.acca.org/members/mix. Also, don’t forget to consider local choices for a similar type of advisory group through Lions, Ro- tary, city clubs, and so on. There is even an independent national organi- zation called The Alternative Board (thealter- nativeboard.com) that can help get you into a local peer advisory board. No matter how you put together an advisory board, the result can be no-holds-barred feedback and a sounding board for your business. Add that to peer-to-peer networking, and you cannot lose. By the way, neworking also means you share and help your peers. It’s a win-win any way you look at it. Mike Weil is editor-in-chief and director of communications and publications at National Comfort Institute, Inc. He can be reached at ncilink. com/ContactMe.6 OCTOBER 2020HIGH-PERFORMANCE HVAC TODAY This new version comes with wired K-type temperature clamps but can also accept the wireless temperature clamps (JL3PC). Another addition is that the 480Vs can now re- ceive a signal from the new single-wand psychrometers (JL3RH) and display the mea- surements on the screen. By toggling down you can switch between dry bulb, wet bulb, relative humidity, and most importantly, enthalpy. Calculating target superheat and charging systems hasn’t been easier. These devices even communicate with the Fieldpiece re- frigerant scale (SRS3). The 480Vs still have the 3 /8” vacuum port and ¼” refrigerant port, along with a built-in micron gauge. In my opinion, the SM480V REFRIGERANT MANIFOLD AND MICRON GAUGE Fieldpiece has done it again, the new 480V refrigerant gauges have been infused with the attitude of Vin Die- sel, strength of Dwayne Johnson, and the beauty of Paul Walker. The four-port 480Vs are built to withstand the abuse that every day HVAC field work brings. These instruments have a sleeker design that keeps thermocouple jacks tucked out of the way. They include a third thermocou- ple jack to measure outdoor temperatures. Fieldpiece upgraded the exterior of the gauges which are now both impact and water resistant. HIGH-PERFORMANCE PRODUCT REVIEW Written By HVAC Professionals for HVAC Professionals micron gauge is the best feature of the 480V manifold. One of the newest and coolest add-ons is the ability to data log a system’s oper- ation for up to seven days continuously! The 480V has a built-in USB port so you can extract the data and view it on a laptop. There is so much more the 480V will do to make your life easier. Check them out and decide for yourself. You won’t be dis- appointed. For more information or to order, go to ncilink.com/FP-SM480V . – by Casey Contreras, NCI Field Coach8 OCTOBER 2020HIGH-PERFORMANCE HVAC TODAY represents a cubic foot. The number of cubic feet per minute is known as airflow. As you learn airflow principles, it helps to as- sociate it with three rules. You’ll find that many of the complicated issues you regularly encounter tie to one or more of these rules. 1. Airflow Takes the Path of Least Resis- tance. When you study how air circulates inside a duct system, it takes the largest path as it moves away from the fan. Since air pressure is near the fan, it’s much easier for air to pass through a large duct leak (or multiple small leaks) there than travel through the duct system to a supply regis- ter or return grille. Also, consider poorly installed filter racks. This condition allows unfiltered air to go around the air filter instead of going through it. As this unfiltered air goes around the air filter, it leads to indoor air quality (IAQ) and prolonged equipment maintenance issues. 2. One CFM In = One CFM Out of the HVAC system blower. For every cfm of air that goes into the blower wheel, one cfm of air must also come out. Let’s say you have a four-ton system operating in cooling mode. You measure airflow at the air-handling equipment and deter- mine that you’re circulating 1600 cfm through the blower. This means you have 1600 cfm of air pulled into the blower and 1600 cfm of air discharged from it. 3. Airflow Is Always Highest at the Air-Handling Equipment just as static pressure is. Most duct systems leak and as air moves toward the regis- ters, the total air volume in the duct sys- tem decreases. There is only so much air to move from the air-handling equip- A i rflow is the second step on the path to performance. It is the lifeblood of a forced-air HVAC system, and when it is outside specified parameters, the entire system and every component suffer. You would think since airflow is so important, more HVAC professionals would pay attention to it. Unfortunately, airflow is the most misunderstood and ignored part of our industry. The path to performance can get confusing once you get to the airflow step. There are so many variables to consider. Follow the same pat- tern described in the previous article with static pressure measurement and keep it simple. Other- wise, you will quickly get lost in the weeds. AIRFLOW PRINCIPLES Airflow is a general term that’s easy to misin- terpret. Our industry measures airflow in cubic feet per minute (cfm). To visualize one cfm, imag- ine a single 12 x 12 x 12 cardboard box of air. This Airflow: The Second Step to Airside Performance By David Richardson TECHNICAL The PATH to Performance: Part 3 Over the next several months we will feature articles detailing the PATH ( P ressure, A irflow, T emperature, and H eat). In the first two install- ments, David Richardson provided an overview of PATH and detailed Step 1: Pressure. ● Read Part 1 here: ncilink.com/PATH1 (Overview) ● Read Part 2 here: ncilink.com/PATH2 (Step 1: Pressure). Remember, practice makes perfect. So, as Richardson explains, become proficient in each step before proceeding to the next. In the end, you will be able to deliver the greatest value in service and performance that your customers have ever seen. And that will help you deliver the most well- deserved profits to your bottom line. In his next article, Richardson will address more details on the third step in the PATH: Temperature. Stay tuned! The PATH to Performance: A Six-Part Series THIS IS THE THIRD IN A SERIES OF ARTICLES BY DAVID RICHARDSON DISCUSSING THE PATH TO PERFORMANCE: PRESSURE, AIRFLOW, TEMPERATURE, AND HEAT.OCTOBER 2020 9HVACTODAY.COM to quickly understand the meaning of each reading. 2. Fan Airflow is what happens at the air-handling equip- ment and is the foundation of prop- er system operation. The quickest and easiest way to determine fan airflow is to plot it on the manufacturer fan tables (found in most installation in- structions). The fan speed setting and measured total external static pres- sure (TESP) are two pieces of informa- tion you’ll need. Find these two points on the fan table and intersect them to determine fan airflow. It’s important to note that the blower must be clean. If it is dirty, clean it first, and then pro- ceed with your tests. 3. Delivered Airflow deliv- ers comfort and efficiency into the living space and determines true system performance. The air bal- ancing hood is the main test instrument necessary to measure it. The anemome- ter measures grilles and reg- isters you can’t access with the hood. This measurement moves you beyond your com- petition and allows you to see hidden defects that you can show to your customers. If you want to see how HVAC systems work in the real world, measure airflow into the living space. 4. Outside Air pro- vides for HVAC system ventilation needs. It should enter a system inten- tionally, such as through a dedicated outside air duct, economizer, energy recov- ery ventilator (ERV), heat recovery ventilator (HRV), or ventilating dehumidifier. You can measure outside air with a traverse (ncilink.com/Traverse- Tools). The source will determine if you need to traverse with a thermal or a rotating vane anemometer – each ap- plication is different. You can traverse a dedicated duct with a thermal ane- mometer or traverse an economizer in- let with a rotating vane anemomete r. DIAGNOSE AIRFLOW READINGS Since airflow measurement is rare- ly perfect, there is usually a tolerance most standards allow. The most com- mon value is ±10% of the design or required airflow. When you diagnose your readings, you’re trying to get as close to the required airflow as pos- sible. However, sometimes this isn’t possible. The percentage allows you some cushion in those situations. ment, through the duct system, and to individual rooms. When a duct sys- tem loses airflow through duct leak- age, you’ll never be able to deliver full comfort to your customers. TEST INSTRUMENTS Before you can measure airflow, you will need two additional test instru- ments for your static pressure testing kit. They include: ▼ Air balancing hood – the quick- est and easiest way to measure airflow from a register or grille. ▼ Anemometer (Hot-wire, thermal, or rotating vane) – for measuring in- side a duct or hard-to-access registers and grilles. The addition of these test instru- ments will round out your airflow mea- surement arsenal and allow you to ex- pand where and how you measure the system. DIFFERENT AIRFLOW MEASUREMENTS As you measure airflow, it helps to classify it into four categories. We name each based on the measurement location or source of the airflow read- ing. Once you understand the four air- flow types, you can see how they work together. 1. Required Airflow is the amount of airflow a system needs. It establishes a target to aim for. There are many applications for required airflow, the most common of which is fan airflow. Other appli- cations include individual room air- flow and outside air. These values act as a baseline that you will compare all your measurements against. Compar- ing design airflow to measured air- flow enables you and your customers David Richardson demonstrating how to use an air balanc- ing hood to measure airflow.Next >