< Previousstalled, whether it’s hot and chilled water or a condenser water loop. Recently, I was in a stand-alone bank in Cleve- land, OH that had three DX (direct expansion) systems. It had hot water re-heat on all three and they were never balanced. When I asked why, the answer was that the owner never asked for bal- ancing or that the system was working fine. Maybe it works fine now, but if a unit was piped backwards, or a valve was installed backwards, problems will eventually surface. Sadly, I’ve read hundreds of TAB reports where the HVAC equip- ment was either a water-source heat pump or ground-source heat pump, with ZERO hydronic data included in the report. YOU CAN NEVER BE A MASTER OF YOUR TRADE WITHOUT HYDRONICS SKILLS That is the bottom line. Think about it: there are plenty of carpenters who never build stairs. There are thousands of plumbers who only install hot water heaters or toilets. Given the demand in the trades and labor shortages, there are proba- bly electricians who may have gotten away with only installing light switches and electrical out- lets without ever wiring in the main. Regardless, it’s universally accepted that to ob- tain your master status in these trades, you must know all aspects of each trade. Why should TAB be any different? Guess what, it’s not. If you want to obtain you senior certifications, you must have this skill. TAB IS KEY TO ALL COMMERCIAL SYSTEMS I recently spoke with Steve Kidrowski, a 30-year-industry veteran who is a TABB (Test- ing, Adjusting and Balancing Bureau) Certified TAB Supervisor and a contributor to the SMART I ’ve been involved in the Testing, Adjusting and Balancing (TAB) trades for years, and often have discussions with industry profes- sionals who question why they need to get certified in Hydronics when they never perform any hydronic TAB? In fact, many contractors will say things like: “I have twenty years TAB experience working on box stores, etc., and I NEVER encounter hydronic systems.” My answer to both questions is “Just because you ignore hydronic systems, doesn’t mean you aren’t supposed to know how to work on them.” I’ve personally worked on hundreds of retail stores and restaurants that did have hydronics. Many mixed-use buildings in most metropoli- tan areas have some sort of hydronic system in- 10 NOVEMBER 2022HIGH-PERFORMANCE HVAC TODAY Commercial Balancing: Hydronics is NOT Optional By Scott Fielder TECHNICAL Technician Dana Walsh, part owner of Direct Flow Bal- ancing, Inc., of Mt. Pearl, Newfoundland, Canada works on balancing a commercial hydronics system.hydronic material is relevant to TAB and mastering hydronic balancing. You have to understand the systems and equipment before you can balance them. Then purchase relevant TAB manuals starting with ASHRAE 111 – 2008 (RA 2017) Testing, Ad- justing and Balancing of Build- ing HVAC Systems. Other well-written TAB resources include: zSMACNA (Sheet Metal and Air Con- ditioning National Association) HVAC Systems Testing, Adjust- ing and Balancing zNEBB Testing, Adjusting and Balancing Manual, Third Edition zAABC Technician Training Manual, 3rd Edition zand the classic Kahoe Test & Bal- ance Field Manual. Also note that most of these organi- zations have magazine or newsletter publications that you can download. In addition, many manufacturers have multiple resources that you can also download and read. For example, Caleffi Idronics technical magazine is probably best known and has dozens of issues for download. Bell and Gossett has a series of training manuals for down- load that cover subjects like system sizing, variable flow, and circuit setter balancing procedures. These are free downloads, just sitting there waiting to be read. A search of other manufactures websites will not only produce other written resources, but a variety of on- line/distance learning options as well. STEP TWO: ONLINE TRAINING There are dozens of options for on- line training, a lot of which are free. I take many of these courses myself and I always learn something. Many online training courses also offer professional development hours that are accepted by some states and organizations for annual CEU require- ments. The point is, investing your time in these courses extends beyond just what you learn. Here are several online training courses to consider: z Taco Comfort Solutions offers webinars, online courses, and train- ing videos and ITI TAB Education curriculum. He made a couple of statements that made a lot of sense to me. He said: z“A TAB professional will never ful- ly understand variable volume sys- tem balancing until they have bal- anced hydronic systems.” z “Anybody can stick their head in a duct and figure it out. Now stick your head in a glycol-filled pipe and figure it out. Time for education, math skills, and experience, to re- solve the issues.” NEBB, the National Environmen- tal and Balancing Bureau used to cer- tify “Air Balancing,” and “Air and Wa- ter Balancing.” In 2006, they changed this and mandated that anyone who was Air-Only certified had to become certified in hydronics as well. Anyone who refused to comply was decertified. The point of this is that the general industry consensus is that a certified TAB professional must mas- ter both air and hydronics. EDUCATE YOURSELF There are multiple hydronic TAB training opportunities out there, but it starts with you. You need to determine how much time and effort you are will- ing to put into it, and how much re- search you plan on doing. Don’t worry, I’m going to provide you with multiple resources. STEP ONE: READ I often hear the phrase, “I don’t learn by reading, I learn by doing.” How- ever, if you are to master any trade, you must start by being a reader. Buy the “Pump Handbook,” “Pump- ing Away,” or various other publica- tions on hydronics in general. Even if they aren’t TAB specific, almost ALL NOVEMBER 2022 11HVACTODAY.COM12 NOVEMBER 2022HIGH-PERFORMANCE HVAC TODAY Procedures. I’ve toured their AABC-En- dorsed training center, sat in on class- es, and have been highly impressed. I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention the apprenticeship training opportunities offered by both the Sheet Metal Work- ers and Fitters Unions in various areas. This past winter, I got to tour most of the training centers for Sheet Met- al Workers Local 104 in Central California, and it was like Disneyland for TAB geeks. They have amazing training centers with very capable and experienced trainers. In general, people don’t know that many of the Pipefitter/Steamfitter Lo- cals offer TAB training, and who better to teach hydronic systems? I’ve recent- ly had multiple conversations with the Southern California Pipe Trades District Council 16, regarding TAB training. District 16 represents 13 Locals in Southern California. However, if in- terested in either the sheet metal or pipefitter’s programs, you’ll need to contact the local in your area to find out what options are available. Finally, there are A LOT of live train- ing opportunities available from the manufactures themselves. Again, even if the training is not directly about Hy- dronic TAB, all hydronic training is relevant to TAB. Bell and Gossett’s Little Red School House near Chicago is prob- ably the best known, and their training is free of charge. Upcoming subjects include “Modern Hydronic Heating Systems – Basic Seminar,” and “Wa- ter-Based HVAC System Design.” IMI Hydronic Engineering’s Hy- dronic College has over 40 dedi- cated trainers and multiple training centers around the world, including hands-on training available. Well, there is more than you realize, if you simply look. For example, there is a two-day hy- dronic TAB course offered by the Na- tional Comfort Institute (NCI) called, “Hydronic Testing, Adjusting and Balancing.” This class is sole- ly dedicated to hydronic TAB and is capped at 12 students to ensure opti- mum hands-on training. It is offered at both the NCI California and Ohio training centers. NEBB offers multiple Testing Ad- justing and Balancing Seminars around the country at various loca- tions including the NEBB headquar- ters in Gaithersburg, Maryland or the IMI Training Center in Irving, TX. Their current TAB Training team are some of the best TAB profession- als in the country. Engineered Air Balance in Hous- ton, TX, offers classes in TAB Fun- damentals and Air & Water Systems TECHNICAL zIMI Hydronic Engineering offer’s Hydronic College that provides webinars and courses on subjects such as Balancing Fundamentals, Pump Optimization and Pressure Independent Balancing and Control Valves z A few others include Lochinvar University, Armstrong Flu- id Technologies (over 130 webi- nars), Thermal Tech, Inc., and Emerson Swan. There are mul- tiple others out there, too many to list. If you go to any manufacture of hydronic system components, 90% will have some sort of training zFinally, NEBB has recently updat- ed the NEBB Learning Center to provide a wider variety of TAB train- ing options. STEP THREE: ATTEND LIVE TRAINING Another complaint that I hear is that there simply is no classroom/ Contractors participate during an instrument demonstration in an in-person Hydronics training class at the National Comfort Institute training center in Sheffield Lake, OH.NOVEMBER 2022 13HVACTODAY.COM projects you completed years ago. Tell the owner you want to conduct a qual- ity control investigation, which is ex- actly what you are doing! Test hydron- ic systems that you encounter during service calls. You are training yourself AND providing a value-added service to your customer. ALL OR NOTHING - YOU CANNOT MASTER “PART OF SOMETHING” As mentioned before, you cannot obtain Master Plumber or Electrician status if you complete only part of the skills required. Why should it be dif- ferent for someone who desires to be a Master of the TAB Trade? Do you want to have open heart sur- gery by a doctor who only knows how to operate on three of the four heart chambers? On that note, to quote Steve Kidrowski again, “Do you want a ba- sic flow hood technician or a multi- ple-skilled technician to test and ad- just your hospital operating rooms?” This article was inspired by dozens of conversations with professionals all over the country. Hopefully I’ve pro- vided a clear road map with plenty of resources to help you along the way. Many of them are free. If you truly want to be a master of your trade, hydronics is not optional – it’s a must. retail and restaurants? Each of their 22 NEBB Certified Professional and Certified Techni- cians carry a hydronic meter. This is a significant investment for a company that primarily works on projects that “never have water.” I asked Darren Witter, Melink’s Se- nior Vice President of Strategic Pro- grams, why they make this investment. He said, “I frequently find that hy- dronic systems are not appropriate- ly installed, started-up, or adjusted during construction. “For this reason, we invest in edu- cation and instruments for our field technicians to inspect, test, and bal- ance hydronic systems in conjunction with air systems.” The primary brands of hydronic meters include Evergreen Telemetry, Shortridge, Alnor, and Dwyer. There are others, and they range in price from $800 to just under $4,000 (and that doesn’t include ultrasonic me- ters). If you are just getting started, simply invest a few hundred dollars in a pair of reliable instruments and start using them. They may not be acceptable by most certification standards; however, they’ll be just fine for starting out. Do you want to train yourself on how to use them? Revisit hydronic locations in Irving, Texas and Atlanta, Georgia. Again, a lot of other companies such as Taco Comfort Solutions, Grundfos, Lochinvar, etc., offer live training. Some companies will even send the trainer to your location. In fact, that’s one of the favorite parts of my job is meeting customers on job sites and teaching them how to use our equipment. PURCHASE AND USE THE EQUIPMENT That may sound like a loaded state- ment coming from someone who works for an instrument manufactur- er. However, I’m an instrument geek. I hate NOT having the right tool for the right job. I personally own three hydronic meters and had them prior to working for the manufacturer. Part of the reason I was hired by Ev- ergreen Telemetry was because I bought their hydronic meter years ago and use it in the field. I arm myself with multiple hydronic meters and use different ones for different appli- cations. That may not be practical for most companies. On the other hand, I know of sever- al companies with eight to 10 techni- cians who must share one meter be- cause they have one “Water Guy” who uses it most of the time. In this sce- nario, the other technicians are denied the opportunity to work on hydronics or to simply familiarize themselves with the meter. I mentioned earlier that I often hear, “I only work retail or light commer- cial, so I don’t need a hydronic meter.” If that was true, then why is there an Ohio-based TAB contractor – Melink -- whose primary focus is the TAB of Scott Fielder is the Director of Field Op- erations for Evergreen Telemetry, a Phoe- nix-based TAB equip- ment manufacturer. Scott has over 23 years in the TAB industry, to include 15 years work- ing in the field in Texas, and seven years providing TAB training and training development. He can be reached at ncilink.com/ContactMe. “A TAB professional will never fully understand variable volume system balancing until they have balanced hydronic systems.” – Steve KidrowskiNOVEMBER 2022 15HVACTODAY.COM Merv 8 filters. During the pandemic, building owners suddenly understood the difference be- tween good and poor filtration. Some of our cus- tomers began requiring Merv 13 or even 15 filter replacements. IAQ AWARENESS AND DEMAND INCREASES We also saw increased demand for air purifica- tion either through ultraviolet germicidal irradi- ation or bipolar ionization devices. Sales of those types of air handler renovations increased signifi- cantly. And as the pandemic grew, IAQ demand by building occupants increased. Here in Ohio, we saw the Columbus Teach- ers Union go on strike, not necessarily for more money but for better working conditions. Among those conditions was the demand for better com- fort and indoor air quality. These demands increased business for com- mercial HVAC contractors but also increased po- tential problems. By enhancing filtration, you in- crease static pressures as well. As a professional contractor, you must do the engineering calcula- tions to ensure the air handler and duct systems can handle that increase. Also, when you enhance dilution, you’re bring- ing in more outside air, so additional problems can arise. We saw increasing complaints because of higher humidity, especially in the summer- time. Not all air handlers are meant to take more than X-percent additional outside air. During the height of the pandemic, we ex- plained to customers how there’s a balance to all of this. We showed how customers might see increased energy costs from some of these solu- tions even though they enhanced indoor air qual- ity. Our company, Enervise, created a Return I n the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandem- ic, the question for us as commercial HVAC service contractors is whether the public awareness and need for good indoor air qual- ity (IAQ) will remain strong or fade into memo- ry. Our industry knows what it takes to provide proper indoor air quality for commercial own- er-occupied buildings, and we’ve substantiated that in our ASHRAE standards and codes. What changed was how the pandemic brought awareness to IAQ favorably and positively. This situation forced us as contractors to react to the marketplace, and the market was telling us that occupants wanted confidence that their offices and workspaces were healthy environments. During the pandemic, one of the key desires among building owners and managers was to create a healthy indoor air environment that re- duces virus transmission. Pre-Covid, most peo- ple didn’t give much thought to filtration even though ASHRAE Standard 180P recommends Changes Caused by the Pandemic in Commercial HVAC Service By Tom Winstel MANAGEMENT16 NOVEMBER 2022HIGH-PERFORMANCE HVAC TODAY Typically building owners have the option to repair or replace compo- nents. If they can’t replace it because deliveries are sliding, they could re- pair what they have. That might be their only option. But what happens if they can’t do ei- ther due to supply chain issues? If they had redundancy, that’s cer- tainly beneficial, but not in all situa- tions is this the case. At Enervise, we are moving toward temporary solu- tions like heating and cooling equip- ment rentals until critical systems can be retrofitted or repaired. Good quality commercial service contractors want to be a single source for their customers. We want to pro- vide turnkey solutions. I see supply chain issues creating opportunities in rentals and just-in-time cooling sys- tems as a part of a service we can offer. However, we typically are not in the rental business. I believe it’s import- ant to keep yourself in a position to coordinate that service. So that means partnering with vendors in the rental industry. OTHER SUPPLY CHAIN ISSUES Today, there are new protocols re- quired to enhance rooftop unit energy efficiency. Original equipment manu- facturers are not only dealing with ev- erything from products stuck on ships to transitioning their plants to build the new model units that are required. This perfect storm is creating even more significant supply disruptions for some manufacturers. Add into that the high-tech chip shortage. One of our customer’s 140- ton chiller failed, and we couldn’t find the chip necessary for the solid-state control board. At Enervise, we partner with a heavy chiller technician specializing in ma- jor system overhauls. We asked for his help on this project. He found he had two of the control boards we needed sitting on a shelf and agreed to sell us one of them. Now we could get the client’s chiller system back up and running. These situations force us to man- age expectations. It’s more important than ever to communicate with clients with Confidence Report, which is essentially a healthy building assess- ment checklist. We use this report with building owners and operators to list their HVAC assets. We also use it to develop an approach to ensure we don’t change the use of their HVAC and ventilation system design to the point where it would negatively affect comfort or operation. Interestingly, as the pandemic is winding down to a more seasonal dis- ease, like the flu, my peer group is see- ing a swift return to what I would call a typical approach to indoor air quality. In other words, the heightened aware- ness created during the pandemic seems to be waning. We still see continued demand for purification products, especially in the healthcare and education sectors. SUPPLY CHAIN DISRUPTIONS Beyond IAQ, today, the U.S. suf- fers from severe supply chain shortag- es. There is an interesting debate as to whether the current supply chain is- sues were caused by the pandemic or not. This is an important topic of con- versation amongst my peer group. The reality is that no matter the cause, we must deal with it. We see rooftop equipment delivery delays go- ing out six to eight months. Hydronic and chilled water system delivery de- lays can stretch out for a year. I’ve nev- er seen such supply chain disruptions in my career, and I have been in this industry for 36 years. Furthermore, critical component delays are rampant. You might have a system that lost a crucial component like a compressor, heat exchanger, or coil, and today, many replacements are unavailable. NOVEMBER 2022 17HVACTODAY.COM MANAGEMENT year degrees with high schoolers. This approach ignores programs for skilled trades apprenticeship training paid for by employers or the government. If we, as a society, promoted the trades equally to how we encour- age college, young people would see how the trades as a cool and practi- cal pathway to rewarding careers. Oh, and by the way, they would graduate with no debt. WHAT HASN’T CHANGED BECAUSE OF THE PANDEMIC As a society, because of these vast supply chain disruptions, people have come to accept lousy service as the new normal. As supply chains return to normal and eventually will, we need to overcome mediocre quality service issues. Building owners and managers want qualityservice. That means, as an industry, we must get back to hav- ing responsive service. This isn’t new. Providing good quality service re- mains the hallmark of a good contract service contractor. We cannot let our quality thresholds drop. Doing proper maintenance is al- ways good for the industry. Good task- ing and frequency enhance customer on energy efficiency. Unfortunately, oil production and delivery disruption from the war in Ukraine and OPEC’s production limit announcements will continue to cause energy prices to rise. And then there is the U.S. electri- fication movement which I believe is putting extreme pressure on the pow- er grids. Our grids can’t handle the mass adoption of electrification. Electrification success will require utilities to reinvest in infrastructure improvements to ensure sound trans- mission lines and grids. The costs for doing this typically get passed on to consumers through higher electrical utility costs. Regarding natural gas, we have a 100-year supply in the United States. We’ve become the next net exporter of natural gas to Europe. Now our natural gas prices are be- ing driven more by international than U.S. supply and demand. That means our natural gas costs will continue to rise for the foreseeable future, espe- cially if Europe becomes more depen- dent on our exports. THE TECHNICIAN SHORTAGE The HVAC Industry continues to face a severe labor shortage. There are many reasons for this shortage, which have been piling up for years. Today we face issues with getting young people to choose careers in the trades and those who do flit about looking for the most money. As I see it, the issue is endemic to how Ameri- ca overemphasizes four- what you are doing to expedite parts and equipment and manage all that is within your control to ensure delivery. INFLATION COSTS AND THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT Recently the Biden administration created The Inflation Reduction Act. I believe the HVAC contracting industry must consider this act and its impact on our businesses and cus- tomers. To me, the dollars allocated through this program will go toward demand-side energy efficiency im- provements. The idea behind this act is great, but not all commercial HVAC contractors can take advantage of the 179-D tax deduction, for example. That deduc- tion is only for work provided by firms that pay prevailing wages and that have a federally approved apprentice- ship program. Non-union companies that aren’t participating in a federal apprenticeship program are not eligi- ble, and neither are their commercial clients. The Inflation Reduction Act is a gift from the Biden administration to the trade labor unions. AABC and other organizations have spoken out on behalf of non-union contractors. This is something that should invite participation from the entire HVAC contractor community. FROM NATURAL GAS TO OIL – ENERGY COSTS ARE CHANGING American energy independence can be attributed to the success of frack- ing, which helped drive down elec- tricity costs. In parts of the Midwest, where electric prices are typically low, it’s not easy to have demand-side ener- gy savings drive project retrofits based Yes, the pandemic caused many chang- es, but so much re- mains the same. As commercial HVAC contractors, we re- main in a unique position as relevant resources to build- ing owners and managers. We must continue positioning our- selves as knowledge leaders who can help or advise customers through their challenges. There’s still a need to communicate well with customers. The moment of truth is identifying what they need, re- solving it, and then closing the loop with the customer and letting them know what you did. benefits like indoor air quality, uptime, comfort, equipment energy efficiency, and more. The fact is, when you have proper- ly maintained systems, you don’t have breakdowns. That system should be able to run without issue. Then you can provide responsive service when the customer does have an emergency breakdown. We cannot hide behind the supply chain or tolerate mediocre quality ser- vice as an industry. In responsive ser- vice, we need to enhance communica- tions with customers to explain supply chain issues and how proper mainte- nance benefits them. Good quality service and mainte- nance do not go out of vogue. It’s as essential as ever. MANAGEMENT Tom Winstel is president of Enervise, LLC, a com- mercial HVAC facilities management company headquartered in Cincin- nati, OH. Tom is a fourth generation owner whose company offers services ranging from nationwide retrofit and strategic replacement programs, national facility commissioning, and more. He can be reached at ncilink.com/ContactMe. 18 NOVEMBER 2022HIGH-PERFORMANCE HVAC TODAYNext >