HIGH-PERFORMANCE HVAC TODAYHVAC TODAY TM If You Don’t Measure, You’re Just Guessing! ™ hvactoday.comDECEMBER 2020 ALSO IN THIS ISSUE: Beating the Houston Heat: A Performance-Based Home Run Heat: The Last Step in Airside Performance – Part 5 Training is Key to Performance-Based Contracting ™ Professionalism and Craftsmanship Viccarone Heating and Air Conditioning, Strongsville, OHDECEMBER 2020 3HVACTODAY.COM DECEMBER 2020 VOLUME 4 NUMBER 12 HIGH-PERFORMANCE HVAC TODAYHVAC TODAY TM TECHNICAL: Heat: The Last Step on the PATH to Performance (Part 5) Why is Heat the last step? David Richardson explains in this month’s continuation of our six-part series. MANAGEMENT: Beating the Houston Heat: A High-Performance Home Run One Performance-Based Contractor uses the skills learned in training to totally solve a sticky situation. TRAINING: Training is Key to High-Performance Contracting™ Getzschman Heating, LLC trains on purpose. Authors Ron and Scott Getzschman tell you why they do it and what its impact is on their business. 19 15 11 DEPARTMENTS Today’s Word .........................................................................................4 High-Performance Product Review ...............................................5 Contractor Spotlight: Viccarone Heating ...................................6 Photo of the Month .........................................................................23 Member Update ...............................................................................24 HVAC Smart Mart ...............................................................................25 Ad Index ................................................................................................25 One More Thing ................................................................................26 Cover photography by Mike Weil, © National Comfort Institute, Inc.4 DECEMBER 2020HIGH-PERFORMANCE HVAC TODAY dence, protect them, and made it easier for their technicians to enter homes and do their work. TRAINING ISSUES On the downside, general and technical in-per- son training simply stopped. At least for a while. But luckily organizations like National Comfort Institute, ACCA, and others very quickly devel- oped virtual capabilities so they could help con- tractors continue training their people despite limitations imposed by the COVID shutdowns. SOCIAL CLIMATE This year was a year of panic, social activism, and an extremely divisive presidential election that left this country reeling. As a result, we’ve seen an increase in vandalism, thefts, and other is- sues that make it difficult to keep employees, tools, and equipment safe. Oh, let’s not forget that shutdowns across the country clobbered the delivery channels and we saw HVAC equipment shortages that still linger today. Despite all this, the industry persevered. We learned how to use new technology to train our people and keep our customers informed. We changed protocols to help consumers feel safe while we worked in their homes. And the chang- es implemented throughout this industry will help make it stronger once we get past the pandemic. Yes, 2020 was a tough, sometimes ugly, and seemingly endless year. But I hope the positives will carry us forward and help make 2021 a bet- ter one. Check out Dominick Guarino’s One More Thing column (ncilink.com/2021) for some thoughts on where next year may take us. In the meantime, Happy Holidays from all of us to your teams and families. Best wishes for a bet- ter, even more successful 2021. I t’s finally December, the last month of the year I want to forget. As the door swings shut on 2020, many of us want to sigh with relief and look forward to a much better, safer world in 2021. But can we truly forget the year when the en- tire world became engulfed in the COVID-19 pandemic that wreaked havoc on our lives, our livelihoods, and our society? Let’s have a look at where we were and why we won’t forget this year anytime soon. THE PANDEMIC The spring shutdowns, social distancing, and face mask requirements hit small businesses very hard, and some won’t recover. Though things did ease up a bit, with the onslaught of the second and third waves of infections and more than a quarter million deaths, it is still a dangerous and scary world. Early on, HVAC contractors were categorized as essential and were allowed to remain open to help their customers stay comfortable and safe in their homes. But many were forced to completely change how they conduct business. With more people than ever forced to cancel trips, work from home, and home-school their kids, the need for better indoor air quality and system maintenance went through the roof and continues doing so even today. Many High-Performance HVAC companies added new wrinkles to their service offerings like using low-contact services. For example, they used virtual walk-throughs to help determine what was happening in a home or building before dispatching techs to the site. Others focused on community service – using MERV-13 filters to create masks donated to their communities which helped build customer confi- The Year We’d Love to Forget, But Won’t ... 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 TODAY’S WORD By Mike WeilDECEMBER 2020 5HVACTODAY.COM having an extra-large condenser which cools faster, especially on hot days. And, it is water-resistant and can work in di- rect rain. Another standout MR-45 feature is its digital control panel with an input and output pressure display, plus several but- tons to control and set up the instrument. Built-in Bluetooth makes it nice to turn the MR-45 on and walk away. I could focus on other tasks while keeping an eye on its progress remotely. That is a total productivity win! Built-in safeties also protect the instrument from cata- strophic failure and promise a long life. As always, Fieldpiece included one of the easiest operation manuals in the busi- ness. One cool attribute: no setup is nec- essary. It’s pretty much plug-and-play. Big yellow’s done it again! Fieldpiece Instruments is no stranger to raising the bar for functional, durable, and accurate technician tools. Their affordable instru- ments allow thousands of technicians to accurately perform their jobs. Recently I had the privilege of install- ing two HVAC systems for a close friend. It was a lot of fun because I got to go tool shopping! I needed a refrigerant reclamation ma- chine for this project, so I began doing my research. I remembered the great track record of all the previous Field- piece tools I’ve purchased. Their MR-45 Digital Recovery machine just made sense to me. The lightness of this machine sur- prised me. It weighs only 22 lbs. despite HIGH-PERFORMANCE PRODUCT REVIEW Written By HVAC Professionals for HVAC Professionals Even though I won’t use it as much as most other techs out there, I know this tool will still come in handy. By the way, Fieldpiece stands behind its products, and for that, I strongly recommend the MR-45 Recovery Machine. Go to ncilink.com/MR-45 for more information. — by Casey Contreras, Field Coach, National Comfort Institute Fieldpiece MR-45 Digital Recovery Machine 6 DECEMBER 2020HIGH-PERFORMANCE HVAC TODAY ness grew, he needed to get out of the house. In those early days, he worked a lot for an industrial manufacturing company in Cleveland, OH known as Kirkwood Industries doing, as he says, “whatever they needed.” Much of that work was servicing and maintaining their rooftop units, creating drying ovens, as well as dust collection systems. They were his biggest client. While working there, he was hired to hook up a dust collection system to a plasma table and the result was his decision to buy his first plasma table. “That purchase was a huge risk for me,” he says, “because I really couldn’t afford to do it financially.” And then Kirkwood Industries closed up shop and moved operations out of the country and Viccarone lost his biggest source of income. As prov- idence would have it, one of Gino’s friends asked for help on a home he was building. Up to that point, Gino had never done new construction work and says he was always willing to try new and chal- lenging things. When that project was done, Gino says he knew that new construction was where he wanted to be. When that project was completed, Gino’s friend helped him land a job with a national home-building organ- ization – Kimball Homes – and that is the point in this story where Viccarone Heat- ing found its footing and focused on residen- tial new construction. “When it comes to the HVAC systems we put into homes, I have always be- lieved in delivering the highest quality possible so that customers get the most from the money they spend,” Gino ex- plains. “I always used my training and what I learned on the job to do the best I could. There was no corner-cutting. It had to be done right.” His reputation for quality work and resultant customer accolades led, one G ino Viccarone is a lifer. From the time of his graduation from the West Side Institute vocational school in Cleve- land, OH, to where he is today, he has only worked in the HVAC Industry. His first job was with a local HVAC contracting company where he worked for slightly more than eight years as a service technician. The hours were long, the work could be gru- eling, especially during the hot, muggy Cleve- land summers. Even- tually, he was given the opportunity to do some installation work and he fell in love. In 1994, he decided to start his own company, and Viccarone Heating and Air Conditioning was born. He operated the business from his home. “My father was retir- ing from his job at the Cleveland Plain Dealer newspaper and he decided to volunteer four years of his time riding along with me in the truck. He refused to let me pay him. He often would buy me lunch, especially on those days when I was getting frustrated.” THE EARLY YEARS In the beginning, Viccarone did a lot of commercial work and as the busi- CONTRACTOR SPOTLIGHT By Mike Weil New Construction High-Performance: Professionalism and Craftsmanship Gino Viccarone sits in the “command center” in the newly constructed headquarters. Photos by Mike Weil, © National Comfort Institute, Inc.DECEMBER 2020 7HVACTODAY.COM New Construction High-Performance: “My father used to tell me to nev- er turn down work because you nev- er know when it will dry up,” he says. “Over time this led to working for oth- er builders as well.” Today Viccarone Heating has grown with two additional branch locations besides the Strongsville headquarters. The Cleveland operations gross be- tween $9 and $10 million and employ between 52 and 55 people. Gino says they have a branch in Chi- cago (Viccarone Heating and Cooling of Illinois) that grosses around $3 million and employs 12 people. The other branch is in Columbus, OH. It has six employees and grosses near $1 million. “Our expansion is the direct result of how we approach projects and our re- lationships not only with builders but with suppliers and inspectors as well,” he says. BUT WHAT ABOUT SERVICE? When it comes to service, Gino says, “My motto, at first, is that we will only A bird’s-eye view of the sheet metal fabrication shop and the state-of-the-art dust collection system. This is an example of the high-quality fabrication that Viccarone brings to the table. This is a commercial duct radius. ize it to deliver the best airflow possible for the customer. To that end, I’ve invested heavily in the fabrication equipment necessary and the trained fab- ricators who do that work.” Viccarone’s sheet metal shop is equipped with plasma cutters, benders, brakes, and more. Plus, Gino even invested in state-of- the-art dust removal and air cleaning systems in his warehouse/sheet metal shop to protect co-workers and create the safest and cleanest work environ- ment possible. It is this approach to business and air delivery systems that lead to Ryan Homes asking Gino’s team to take on more and more work. day, to a representative from Ryan Homes visiting one of Viccarone’s job sites. This Ryan representative saw how Gino designed and installed ductwork and wanted him to work for Ryan Homes. Two or three months later that is exactly what happened. VICCARONE HEATING TODAY Gino Viccarone says that over the years, he’s found that if he wants to design and install quality systems, he has to be completely self-reliant – no subcontracting any part of the HVAC project. So practically from the begin- ning he invested in his own sheet met- al shop and creates his own ductwork, elbows, returns, and more. “We design everything and custom- Photos by Mike Weil, © National Comfort Institute, Inc. Photos by Mike Weil, © National Comfort Institute, Inc.8 DECEMBER 2020HIGH-PERFORMANCE HVAC TODAY service what we install. The reason: we know the equipment, the ductwork, and everything that went into that sys- tem. We know how to fix anything that goes wrong.” Viccarone eventually grew a service division that operates as a full-service company. Gino empowered his service manager to grow that business. That required making sure the service techs are properly trained and can do the job without falling back on the main new construction business. Service quality and airflow are the focus in this division and Viccarone Heating not only test, measure, and diagnose the complete mechanical system, they also always replace all the ductwork near the furnace with radius fittings for optimal airflow. It’s part of their standard pricing. They do this because they can produce metal so fast and cost-effectively. TRAINING AND CERTIFICATION Success is contingent upon continuous educa- tion, training, practice, and hard work. All of Vicca- rone’s technicians – instal- lation and service techs – receive airflow testing and diagnostics, air balancing, combustion performance, and CO safety training/ certifications from Nation- “The biggest thing I’ve learned from NCI is that proper airflow is every- thing. The balancing hood doesn’t lie. Plus, we use NCI’s static pressure kits and have one on each of our trucks. Our tech team just loves it. They send me pictures when the systems they in- stall hit the static pressure marks. It’s almost competitive as to who will get closest to .5-in.” He points out that traditionally de- signers ran square duct on return sys- tems. They would then cut in a takeoff and drop the return out of it. “I wanted to try something differ- ent to increase airflow. So, I had one of my best lead installers nest two 90° (inside/outside radiuses) returns on the top. Then instead of just running ductwork, I had this installer treat it like a supply and then drop down to a nice long 90° radius into the furnace. By doing that, static pressure dropped significantly.” He adds, “This virtually eliminat- ed air turbulence inside the duct and helped it flow smoothly into the fur- nace. If you gently guide which way air must travel, static pressures drop. When air must fight other airstreams to get down the trunk, static rises and you will have problems.” OTHER TOOLS OF THE TRADE Furthermore, Gino says they’ve be- come masters at finding and sealing duct leaks. He says 15 years ago, you were considered a hack if you covered your joints. Gino invested in and uses an Aero- seal system (ncilink.com/aeroseal) when they need to seal leaks. Another tool that is becoming more useful to Viccarone Heating is NCI’s CONTRACTOR SPOTLIGHT Pictured is a standard Viccarone furnace installation using custom-made inside/ outside radius plenums for optimal airflow. al Comfort Institute (NCI). They also are trained and licensed in refrigera- tion and Gino brings in trainers from wholesalers and manufacturers as well. He tells the story of his first en- counter with NCI. Early in his career he was doing work for New Centu- ry Homes and had just designed and installed what he thought was an in- credible system using all his knowl- edge and craftsmanship. The custom- er had it checked by an NCI-trained High-Performance contractor who found the ductwork vastly undersized and static pressures nowhere near what they needed to be. That is when Gino learned about the High-Per- formance approach and changed his path to do that kind of work. Photos by Mike Weil, © National Comfort Institute, Inc.DECEMBER 2020 9HVACTODAY.COM ComfortMaxx™ cloud-based soft- ware (ncilink.com/CMaxx). Right now it is mostly used by the service division. “Several years ago, we attended a ComfortMaxx class and the techs were really gung-ho on it. They con- tinue to move further in that direc- tion,” he says. “I want to start using it on the new construction side so we can show cus- tomers how we can guarantee their comfort without overwhelming them with tech speak. The problem is it slows our crews down. I’m not going to have my guys do something if they aren’t going to do it right. So, I have to figure it out.” MOVING FORWARD The new construction business was very good and profitable for Viccarone Heating, but as Gino says, it is a tough business. “It is hard to maintain the level of Jacob Viccarone working the bender in the sheet metal fabrication shop. Photos by Mike Weil, © National Comfort Institute, Inc. professionalism and quality if you can’t find the right people to help you,” he explains. Within the last few years, Gino was seriously thinking about retirement and selling the business. But then his son, Jacob, joined the company, and everything changed. “Jacob came in with fire in his bel- ly. He wanted to learn everything and do anything. I put him in charge of our sheet metal shop. He brought in sev- eral new guys and between them all, they put the “Q” back in quality,” he explains. “There was no job too big, or turnaround too fast for them. They never complained. They constantly want more work. “This changed everything. This is why we can make custom inside/out- side radius fittings and get them onto the job so fast. My son and the fab- rication team are the right people at the right time and without them, we wouldn’t be achieving the levels of quality and growth we enjoy today.” Furthermore, he currently feels his administrative team is on point and believes he has the best lead installers in the business. Gino says he is finally at peace with where they are and where they are heading. One of the results: Viccarone and his son decided to build a next-gener- ation building to better accommodate the company’s growth. They designed it together, oversaw the 20,000 sq. ft. facility’s construction together, and were able to move in during the wan- ing days of August 2020. REINVENTING THE WHEEL For Gino Viccarone and his team, the importance of the customer, the team, and their families is their focus. To be the best they can be, education, training, and having a can-do mindset are the only way to achieve that. “It’s our culture to strive towards perfection. I know there is no such thing as perfection, but it’s the striving that’s important. We can’t provide the best, most comfortable, and most en- ergy-efficient systems unless we mea- sure everything. “From that perspective,” Gino says, “I believe that NCI has had a huge im- pact on my business. I took my first air balancing class in 2006 and there was no looking back. NCI taught me that I was using the wrong numbers in my static measurements, mostly because I didn’t truly understand what the num- bers meant. “Their training made that crystal clear and our accuracy is vastly im- proved as a result. “So I came back and reinvented the wheel. I told my guys that I didn’t care what size the furnace was, we had to bring in more air using big re- turns with inside/outside radiuses. No more vertical filters. They were all to be installed horizontally. We must give every furnace ALL THE AIR IT WANTS.” “That’s one of our biggest secrets,” he concludes. “I think contractors should focus on doing things right for customers at all times. The key to this is communications and relationship building. Will you always get it right? No. But you must learn from your mis- takes and always move forward.” It is for these and many other reasons that High-Performance HVAC Today is pleased to add Viccarone Heating to our list of Contractor Spot- lights. Congratulations. Next >