< Previousthe classes and certifications they are working on. We know what they need to work on, and fre- quently the techs come to me to let me know if there’s something they want to concentrate on. Of course, if that fits in with what we need them to learn, then we’ll also work that out. The power of training to rejuvenate the team is fantastic, especially after the go-go-go time of summer. But that doesn’t just happen. It takes planning. I’m the in-house trainer for our company. I han- dle all the scheduling and often teach the class- es. We cover static pressure testing, electrical di- agramming, duct renovation, CO testing, etc. I’ve been through training with National Comfort In- stitute (NCI), and use those skills and knowledge to train our team. We have all the materials needed to help our team understand the why behind all of it first. If they don’t know why we want them to perform static pressure testing and everything else, they won’t do what we want most of the time. That includes understanding the why behind all our processes and procedures. Then we make sure everyone follows those processes and proce- dures. Very importantly, we capture everything we do in our operations manual. MAKE TRAINING YOUR OWN Why do I do this myself? The answer is sim- ple. Our technicians work hard every day start- ing at 5 AM. In all good conscience, I cannot send them to training sessions in the evening. For ex- ample, in the Maryland area where we operate, we have an apprenticeship program for techni- cians that helps them earn their journeyman li- cense in four years. Apprenticeship schooling is available through T he busy summer season, especially this year’s extreme heat, is when most HVAC contractors run their teams ragged and make the bulk of their annual revenues. Often businesses bring on extra people to help cover the increased workload, extended hours, and people get very close to burning out. So how do you recharge your team as the busy season slows down? At Minnick’s Inc., early fall is when our schedule loosens up and we have time to prepare for the winter season. We don’t get busy again until January, which is why scheduling va- cations for our team is essential. Time off is a big part of recharging people from the summer grind. But vacations aren’t enough. Fall is the time to get our training, marketing, and planning back on track. THE POWER OF TRAINING Each fall, we put together a training schedule. We know where each of our techs are regarding 10 AUGUST 2022HIGH-PERFORMANCE HVAC TODAY Recharge Your Company After A Busy Summer Season By Rob Minnick MANAGEMENT Minnick’s training center has three rooms, including one dedicated to hands-on training.come from, and how to ensure we are set up to grab those streams. I look at our numbers monthly, even during the busy seasons. Knowing our numbers helps me keep my finger on the pulse and see what changes we need to keep our team working and revenue rolling in. Fall slowdowns allow me to sit down and discuss those numbers in more detail. This is also when we can imple- ment creative new plans or service of- ferings. Fall is when we test drive any- thing new. For instance, this year, I signed up for The New Flat Rate (TNFR) pricing system in May. We got it all set up and launched it mid-Summer. We did some training through June because TNFR requires you to attend three virtual classes, which was great. After all, we don’t have time to go to Georgia during the summer. Then we had to get everyone on board and understand what it is, why we are using it, and so on. During the fall, we will discuss the problems with this new software and work out any bugs. That way, we are up and fully running with it. This launch was unusual in that we launched during summer. I did this because flat rate pricing makes things simpler for our technicians. Plus, it gives homeowners choices – some- thing I’ve been trying to build with good, better, best scenarios. RECHARGING THROUGH REMOTE MONITORING We offer a standard maintenance agreement at Minnick’s, but our main agreement is for remote maintenance monitoring. Remote maintenance is where we install a device on the cus- tomer’s HVAC system that monitors it 24/7. This program helps our field ser- vice and installation teams recharge because it can run through mainte- nance routines remotely, saving them road time. Another advantage of offering these agreements is they reduce the fuel costs of our vehicles, especially with today’s high gas prices. It works like this: we go into our on- line portal and ask it to run cooling or fall maintenance routines. It will turn customers’ systems on and run through all the maintenance checks just like a tech would do. The device then lets the homeown- er and us know if there are any issues or concerns. Technicians only visit the locations if the monitoring system de- tects a problem or other big concerns. Furthermore, remote maintenance monitoring helps us precisely sched- ule Spring air conditioning tests. Most our local ACCA chapters, where techs take classes two nights a week, rough- ly from 6:00 to 10 pm. I went to the Maryland State De- partment of Labor in 2010 to request starting my own apprenticeship pro- gram. I had to do all kinds of paper- work, create a syllabus and gather training materials, then submit every- thing for approval. They approved it, and now I have my own in-house state-approved ap- prenticeship training center. Minnick’s training center has sev- eral rooms – one holds up to 10 peo- ple, the other holds 35 to 40 people. A separate room contains all the dif- ferent equipment, control boards, and everything else necessary for us to do hands-on training. We also do home performance test- ing and training; we have a BPI-certi- fied test house, and I am a BPI Proctor with all the certifications to do their training within our company. I make training our own, and all my employees go through those classes to get certified. Because I am a BPI proc- tor, we even train other HVAC techni- cians for BPI certification from up and down the East Coast. FALL IS A TIME TO REVIEW AND PLAN As summer winds down and fall begins, I have a bit more time to sit back and take a hard look at the busi- ness. This is when I start figuring out our current strengths and weakness- es, where future revenue streams will AUGUST 2022 11HVACTODAY.COM A control board helps techs understand electrical wiring.MANAGEMENT weeks, and if things aren’t working well, then we might have to put them on the shelf. Yes, fall for Minnick’s is recharge time. I would like to learn what you do to recharge your team after the busy summer. FALL IS RECHARGE TIME As the saying goes, you need to go slow to go fast. I don’t like rolling out too many new programs or ser- vices simultaneously. Many leader- ship books talk about changes and new things that will make your com- pany great. I believe the best thing a business owner can do is pick and choose the best programs/services. Then give it the time necessary to decide whether to keep moving on with it or ditch it. That’s why we always talk about what’s working and what isn’t with a new product in weekly meetings. We discuss any new apps we may be using. We ask techs how to make it better. That’s why we typically give new programs or services six to eight air conditioning manufacturers don’t want contractors to run the cooling un- less it’s 55°F or warmer. If we do the tests at 55°F, everything will come out fine because there is no load on the compressor. And then, when it turns 70°F or higher, and a problem crops up, the customer gets angry with us because we were just there testing their system. We can schedule cooling checks for when outdoor temperatures will be 65°F or warmer by remote monitoring. And we can run checks on many differ- ent systems at the same time. This saves a lot of man-hours. That gives our team more manpower for do- ing high-performance system testing, measuring, and diagnosing, as well as our building performance work. Rob Minnick is the CEO and president of Laurel, MD-based Minnick’s Inc. He has more than 35 years of experience in the HVAC Industry, serves as a board mem- ber for the National ACCA, and holds certi- fications from the State of Maryland, ACCA, Building Performance Institute, Residential Energy Service Network, and the U.S. Green Building Council. He has been a member of National Comfort Institute since 2007. He can be reached at ncilink.com/ ContactMe. 12 AUGUST 2022HIGH-PERFORMANCE HVAC TODAYdescribe online marketing strategies built around the capabilities of cyberspace. As its name implies, social media marketing leverages platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, and even TikTok. Once upon a time, creating print ads (most of- ten for advertising in the Yellow Pages) was the primary way most contractors marketed and pro- moted their companies. With the advent of social media, posting tidbits on Facebook and Twitter promoting sales, advice, and company informa- tion was considered equally important. Some fun facts to consider (source: LocaliQ): zThe average U.S. adult spends 2.25 hours on social media every day z More than 70% of people who have a positive experience with a business on social media will recommend that business to their networks zFacebook users click on 12 Facebook ads on av- erage every month z Nearly 80% of Twitter users feel more positive about a company when they get a response to their tweet z4 out of 5 people on LinkedIn drive business decisions z 46% of TikTok users engage in the app without any other distractions. THE NEW NUMBER ONE PLATFORM Speaking of TikTok, it’s more important than ever to remember that there is more to social media marketing than posting on Facebook and Twitter a few times a day. TikTok has become one of the most used so- cial media platforms, especially with the Gen Z I t is the apex of the summer season, and busy doesn’t begin to describe what is happen- ing to HVAC contractors across the country. And yet September is just around the corner, and as fall looms closer, it is time to start think- ing about what to do to keep your man-hours up while workloads drop off. I know it’s hard to think about this now, but you should start looking at your marketing and promotions to keep those phones ringing as busi- ness slows down. BEYOND TRADITIONAL MARKETING Traditional marketing, occasionally called of- fline marketing, incorporates conventional me- dia, including print (newspaper or magazine ads, mailers, and door-to-door fliers), TV commer- cials, and radio ads. Social media marketing, also known as digi- tal marketing, is a blanket term typically used to 14 AUGUST 2022HIGH-PERFORMANCE HVAC TODAY It’s Time to Get Real with Social Media Marketing By Michael Weil MARKETING Graphic from WordStream Blog site at ncilink.com/Wordstream.demonstrate your superior service, problem-solving, and data-based ap- proach, marketing via social media should follow these four rules: z Follow Your Audience – If your customer base is on TikTok, you should be too. To be successful, you need to connect, engage, and be- come part of the conversations they are having. By the way, this is equal- ly important for every social media platform. zThrow Out Tradition – Social media, especially TikTok, has cre- ated a giant wave of user-generated content, changing how companies market today. Remember, TikTok is dominating both Facebook and Twit- ter right now. z Prepare for a Monetization Model – TikTok continues inno- vating to stay ahead of competitive social media platforms. They are working on improving monetizing content to keep content creators and consumers from going elsewhere. Consider looking into their pro- grams as you prepare for upcoming marketing campaigns. z Keep Expansion on the Hori- zon – As social media platforms continue to evolve and change, your approach to using them should too. It would be best if you kept up or you may get left behind. Consumers are driving this trend, and 49% of those surveyed by HubSpot say they’re likely to buy products and services they see adver- tised while they browse. “Success hinges on your ability to de- liver personalized ad experiences that speak to needs or ideas that consum- ers already have in mind. User expecta- tions for ads vary across generations, so the trick is to gain a deep understand- ing of your audience’s preferences and build your strategy around them,” says the HubSpot survey. WHAT A SOCIAL MEDIA MARKET- ING STRATEGY REQUIRES A successful social media marketing strategy will look different for every business, but here are the things they will all have in common: Knowledge of your audience: What platforms do your customers use, when they use them and why, what content they like, who else they follow, and more. Brand Identity: What message do you want to convey to your audience? How do you want them to feel when viewing your content? Content Strategy: While there is a level of spontaneity on social, you’ll need a structured content strategy to have a consistent voice and to regular- ly produce quality content. Analytics: Quantifiable data will inform your strategy, including who you’re reaching, the right content to share, the best times to post, and more. and millennial crowd. Its popular- ity surged during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, which drove consumers indoors and onto their mobile devices. According to a recent survey by HubSpot and Talkwalker, the one upward trend almost guaranteed through 2022 is the continued domi- nation of TikTok. In that study, they say, “this short- term video platform has broken down- load records, quickly becoming the go- to app for connecting with current and future consumers. Powered by a high- ly personalized content recommenda- tion system, TikTok can help brands gain exposure to and connect with a qualified, engaged audience.” In fact, another survey by a group called SensorTower showed that in terms of downloads, TikTok placed first over WhatsApp (#2), Face- book (#3), and Instagram (#4). These studies show the TikTok plat- form was the best for your business if you want to target the Gen Z and mil- lennial customer base. The HubSpot study adds, “We’re also seeing TikTok content diffuse regular- ly across other platforms, demonstrat- ing that it’s a medium that consumers engage with on an omnichannel level. It is inspiring other channels to test content to match.” This part of the study is a powerful indicator that the TikTok platform is one you should consider when put- ting together your social media mar- keting plan. FOUR TAKEAWAYS TO CONSIDER Based on these reports, if you want to promote your High-Performance HVAC approach to customers and to AUGUST 2022 15HVACTODAY.COMFEATURE OVERLINE zContent Marketing Institute (ncil- ink.com/CMI). The widespread use and versatili- ty of social media makes it an effective free channel for marketing your busi- ness. With the constant changing and improvement of the tech behind the platforms, it behooves you and your team to track each platform’s strengths and weaknesses to make sure you get the most out of your efforts. need to post regularly, stay on top of engagements with your business, en- gage back, keep up with trends, and maintain accurate profiles. Add Value: Don’t use social media to pitch your business. Focus on add- ing value through valuable and inter- esting content and building up those around you. This, in turn, will organi- cally promote your business, and oth- ers will promote it for you. If you’d like more tips on how to use social media marketing, check out this guide to social media for small busi- nesses by WordSteam (LocaliQ): ncil- ink.com/SocialMediaGuide. Some other resources you should include: z Online Access (ncilink.com/OL- Acces-SM) z HubSpot (ncilink.com/Hubspot) Regular Activity: Social Media is a real-time platform. If you want to use it to grow your business, you Social media doesn’t work if it is all promo- tional. According to the Wordstream report, your content should be mostly informational (70%). This graphic from their blog report at ncilink.com/Wordstream, is called the 70- 20-10 Content rule. Mike Weil is the Director of Communications for National Comfort Institute, Inc. (NCI). He also serves as editor-in-chief of High-Per- formance HVAC Today magazine, the only trade publication that targets the High-Performance HVAC Contracting community. He can be reached via NCI’s contact page at ncilink.com/ContactMe. 16 AUGUST 2022HIGH-PERFORMANCE HVAC TODAYtheir proper range when you maximize equip- ment performance. Based on tens of thousands of field-testing results, we’ve recorded reliable and repeatable data for most equipment’s appro- priate flue gas tem- perature ranges. But knowing the main outlet flue gas temperature is most important. When doing combustion testing, we mea- sure the main outlet temperature before adding dilution air. However, for some additional diagnos- tic data, measuring above drafthoods and barometrics can exhibit revealing in- formation such as the mixed flue tem- perature and the possibility of con- densation. When dealing with furnaces, use the formula CFM x Delta T x ADCF to determine the de- livered Btus. On an atmospheric furnace with a drafthood and proper blower speed setting, the Delta T (ΔT) should be about 75 to 85°F. When achieved in the field, the flue temperature range of these furnaces is consistently between 415 to 525°F. However, if the flue temperature is below 415°F, the furnace is under-fired (chills) and not delivering its rated capacity 100% of the time. If the flue temperature is over 525°F (fever), there S o how do you know if your flue gases are ill? Do they have the chills, low tempera- ture, a fever, or excessive temperature? I thought it might be good to probe into this flue gas problem. Measuring the flue gas temperature with a combustion analyzer would be the standard pro- cedure to determine if the flue gases are cold (chills), hot (fever), or normal. However, it is easy to misdiagnose these symptoms because you rarely see a list of flue temperature ranges for dif- ferent types of equipment. An additional reason for misinterpretation of flue gas temperatures is a common misconcep- tion that the lower the flue gas temperature, the higher the efficiency. That may apply if the flue temperature is in the lower acceptable range. But what is that range? THE RULES OF HEAT TRANSFER ARE SIMPLE. HEAT GOES TO COLD; THE GREATER THE TEMPERATURE DIFFERENCE, THE GREATER THE TRANSFER RATE. HVAC equipment uses various fuels and oper- ates at different temperatures for air, water, and steam. Equipment has different rated efficiencies and, in some cases, multiple firing rates. When was the last time you read an installation or op- eration manual and the flue temperature ranges were listed? The rules of heat transfer are simple. Heat goes to cold; the greater the temperature differ- ence, the greater the transfer rate. When mea- suring the actual output performance of com- bustion equipment, flue temperatures will seek How to Determine If Flue Gases Are Sick By Jim Davis TECHNICAL Measuring flue gas temperatures using a combustion analyzer is the standard procedure for determining whether there are combustion issues. However, re- sults CAN be misleading if you don’t know the acceptable tem- perature range. AUGUST 2022 17HVACTODAY.COM18 AUGUST 2022HIGH-PERFORMANCE HVAC TODAY est flue temperature. They should have a 60 to 70°F rise when deliver- ing their rated Btus. The flue tempera- ture range on these would typically be between 100 to 140°F. Anything below 100°F (chills) and over 140°F (fever) is problematic. On older condensing fur- naces, measuring 120 to 140°F is more likely than on newer ones, where it is sometimes hard to get to 100 degrees. I look at the secondary chamber on condensing furnaces in the same way I do a fin-tube radiator. We are blow- ing 70°F air across it at a good veloci- ty. Would a secondary chamber that is 90° or one that is 110°F have a better transfer rate? Unfortunately, we must deal with what the equipment is capa- ble of doing. WHAT ABOUT BOILERS? Boilers can make hot water or steam. Temperatures of hot water boilers can range from 120 to 200°F. Residential to commercial steam boilers can have steam tempera- tures from 215 to well over 300°F. Of course, they can’t have the same flue temperature with different water temperatures. Again, the flue tem- peratures can’t be the same for all temperatures of steam. Because of the different tempera- tures of the water or steam, there needs to be a floating range for flue temperatures. On conventional water or steam natural draft boilers, we use a flue temperature range of 270 to 370°F higher than the outlet water or steam temperature. So, if the outlet water temperature is 160°F, the minimum flue tempera- ture should be 430°F. If the tempera- ture is lower (chills), the boiler is un- derfired. If the temperature is higher (fever), it is either overfired, has poor pump flow, or is dirty (scale). This article aims to help make tech- nicians aware of the field-acquired op- erating parameters – when it comes to flue temperatures – that are needed to allow equipment to perform as rated. This is only one measurement, but it is never listed in the manufacturers’ specifications. There is so much more to this – I could write a class about it. Wait!! We did, and it’s called Combus- tion Efficiency and Carbon Monox- ide Diagnostic Certification!! Learn more about this here: ncilink.com/ COTest. are three possibilities: poor airflow, overfired, or dirty heat exchanger. Most are not aware of these tempera- ture ranges and poor (sick) operat- ing conditions because many only put their trust in a combustion analyzer’s efficiency calculation. Measuring in the field has verified that this efficien- cy does not provide accurate informa- tion and is misleading. WHAT ABOUT INDUCED DRAFT FURNACES? Based on the formula above and proper airflow, the ΔT of these furnac- es should be about 60 to 70°F. Because of the extended heat exchanger surface, they do have a lower flue temperature. The flue temperature range of these furnaces is between 300 and 400°F. When the flue temperature is be- low 300°F, the furnace is under-fir- ing (chills) and not delivering its rated capacity 100% of the time. Tempera- tures above 400°F(fever) are caused by poor airflow, over-firing, or a dirty heat exchanger. WHAT ABOUT A TWO-STAGE IN- DUCED DRAFT FURNACE? Low fire is a built-in under-fired condition, and you should expect low- er flue temperatures. However, be- cause the blower speed is also adjust- ed, the ΔT should still be 60 to 70°F. The problem with operating in low fire with lower flue temperatures is that it dramatically increases the likelihood of condensation. The material used for the flue will not make any differ- ence except in how fast the flue dete- riorates. Never should a flue tempera- ture in a non-condensing furnace drop below 250°F (chills). Condensing furnaces have the low- Jim Davis (right) demonstrates how to use a combustion analyzer to determine whether flue gases are “sick” or not on a live furnace. Jim Davis is the senior instructor for National Comfort Institute (NCI). He has a long and storied career in the HVAC Industry. Today he is considered one of the foremost authorities on airflow’s impact on combustion and carbon monoxide safety. If you have questions. you can contact him, at ncilink.com/ContactMe .Seeking Authors High-Performance HVAC Today maga- zine is always on the lookout for High-Per- formance HVAC Contractors like you, who might be interested in writing and con- tributing articles. Sure, you already have a full-time job, right? But think about this: As an author, you have a tremendous opportunity to stand out in your marketplace. Think of your articles as content you can market to customers. So what do we need? The magazine focuses on how contractors are im- plementing and using the high-perfor- mance methodology in their processes and daily activities. You are the experts and we’d love to share some of your suc- cess stories, challenges, case studies, and so on. Some typical ideas can cover: z Tools : This can be a 250-word review of something you use to test stat- ic pressures, mea- sure airflow, tem- perature, and heat in residential and commercial HVAC systems. z Processes : What strategies do you have in place for your techs in the field and/or your of- fice personnel to manage everything from recording field measurements to tracking high-per- formance training, objectives, and so on? z Sales : How is Performance-Based Contracting impacting your sales? z Business/Marketing : How do you incorporate testing, measuring, and di- agnostics into your service agreements? How do you use social media for market- ing your High-Performance Contracting services? How do you explain test results to customers? z Technical : How do you train/certify your field service and installation team? We understand you are busy. That is OK. We can help make it as easy and painless as possible. If this is interesting to you, simply go to the following URL: hvactoday.com/ contribute. Fill out the very brief form there, and we will contact you to get the ball rolling. If you have any questions, please reach out to Editor-in-Chief Mike Weil at ncil- ink.com/ContactMe. Advanced Air/Hydronic Balancing Certification Designed to ensure the integrity, accu- racy, and repeatability of test results, this course is one of NCI’s most advanced air and hydronics balancing classes. It is a four-day course where instruc- tors review the principles of quality test- ing, adjusting, balancing, and system troubleshooting. Participants will learn special methodology and procedures unique to NCI that will help them better diagnose system deficiencies and rec- ommend solutions. Once coursework is completed, at- tendees have the option to take written and field exams that, once passed, will earn them the NCI Advanced Air and Hy- dronic Balancing certification. Who should take this class? This course is designed for HVAC professionals with a minimum of five years of air balancing experience. These professionals include system balancers, HVAC contractors, and facilities engineers. If you are interested in learning more, call 800-633-7058 or visit the national- comfortinstitute.com website. NCI UPDATE AUGUST 2022 19HVACTODAY.COMNext >