< Previous14 FEBRUARY 2023HIGH-PERFORMANCE HVAC TODAYtest: Total External Static Pressure (TESP). Mea- suring TESP is the same as having a doctor hook you up to a sphygmomanometer to record your blood pressure. Measuring TESP means hooking up a manometer instead. This mea- surement may uncover hidden opportunities that have gone unnoticed for years. Besides testing TESP, other measurements will help you find and diagnose issues. Measuring pressure drops (∆P) across system components is one. Another is measuring temperature loss/ gain through the duct system. You can also mea- sure airflow across coils and heat exchangers. Combustion testing and analysis are also im- portant. These tests can show potentially danger- ous situations for occupants because of duct leak- age or positive/negative pressures that can create carbon monoxide (CO). Based on the above, what potential opportuni- ties could you be missing? Here are a few to think about: MEASURED TESP MAY REVEAL THE FOLLOWING UPGRADE OPPORTUNITIES: zAdd more return air ducts using the NCI Duct Sizing Chart zAdd more supply air runs or, as I say during my seminars, sometimes a duct system needs pres- sure relief valves zChange the constant speed fan motor for an OEM variable speed motor zNew redesigned and balanced duct system. MEASURED COMPONENT PRESSURE DROPS CAN SHOW: z Restrictive air filters – The solution is to change the filter to a “V” configuration. This increase’s surface area by using two filters instead of one W hen is the best time to offer system upgrades? Is it when the opportu- nity presents itself during a service call, preventative maintenance (PM) call, or sales call? The opportunities will always present themselves through diagnostic testing and educating the consumer about what you discover. Once you uncover an issue through diagnos- tics, document whether the service, installation, or sales departments performed those issues. Now is the time to become a teacher. This means finding ways to explain your results to the cus- tomer in ways that they’ll understand. That is the subject of other articles. Learn more here: ncil- ink.com/CustEd. THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN YOU AND COMPETITORS A question to ask yourself is, what types of di- agnostic testing could you perform that gives you degrees of separation from your competitors? Let’s start with the most basic air diagnostic System Upgrades via Service Calls By Alphonse D’Ambola TECHNICAL FEBRUARY 2023 15HVACTODAY.COMsystem is pulling 15% of the return air from the attic. This situation is like- ly one reason the equipment’s ∆T is only in the mid-teen range. It will take longer for the system to satisfy the thermostat. Two repair opportunities include: z Duct sealing. Always verify stat- ic pressure whenever sealing ducts. You may solve one issue and cause a more severe one zAdd duct insulation. BTU MEASUREMENTS: Verify airflow by any of the follow- ing methods: zDuct traverse. Add airflow from all supply air registers using a high-quality air-balancing hood z Use manufacturer fan charts zMeasure and record dry bulb and wet bulb temperatures. Then you can determine BTU per hour (BTUH). Here’s what you need to do when us- ing a manufacturer fan chart: 1.Inspect the blower wheel for cleanli- ness (clean if dirty) 2.Measure TESP 3.Verify fan speed on direct drive mo- tors, and measure RPM belt/pulley fan 4.Plot fan CFM from the manufactur- er’s fan charts 5.Measure dry-bulb temperature 6.Measure wet-bulb temperature 7.Convert wet-bulb readings into en- thalpy, subtract supply air enthalpy from return air enthalpy to deter- mine enthalpy change (∆H) Formula: CFM x ∆T x 1.08=SBTU/Hour (sensible BTUH) CFM x ∆H x 4.5=TBTU/Hour (Total BTUH) TBTU/Hour minus SBTU/Hour equals Latent BTU/Hour (LBTUH). WHAT IF YOUR SYSTEM ONLY MOVES 280 CFM PER TON? Cooling Example: zThree-ton condensing unit, indoor fan moving 840 cfm x 16° ∆T x 1.08=14,515 SBTUH z 840 CFM x 5.36 ∆H x 4.5= 20,260 TBTUH z20,260 TBTUH - 14,515 SBTUH = 5,745 Latent BTU removal per hour. Heating Example: 60,000 BTU Output. 660 CFM x 44° ∆T x 1.08= 31,363 BTUH. zLess restrictive coils zPerformance grade registers and grilles. COMBUSTION APPLIANCE ZONE (CAZ) In every home or building where gas-fired appliances are used, there is a flue pipe venting outside. Sever- al issues can cause combustion issues leading to CO production in those spaces. We call those spaces the com- bustion appliance zone or CAZ. It is imperative to measure the pres- sure of the CAZ with reference to an adjoining room to see if the CAZ pres- sure is operating at a safe level. Be sure there is no interference from ex- haust fans and return duct leakage. Some solutions to potential issues include: zDuct Sealing z Pressurize CAZ. AIRFLOW TEMPERATURE DIAGNOSTICS Every HVAC company should mea- sure equipment temperature change (∆T). How many companies require technicians to measure system∆T? System∆T is not the same as equipment∆T. For example, let’s say you have an HVAC system in the attic, and it’s a hot summer day with 87° ambient and 120° attic air. The Illustration from the Shop Hacks website, shophacks.com. Photo of the AirScape SFB-V Series MERV- 13 V-Bank Inline Filter Box. 16 FEBRUARY 2023HIGH-PERFORMANCE HVAC TODAYTECHNICAL for will uplift your staff and compa- ny. Your customer will be thrilled with their investment. THE GOOD NEWS Diagnostic testing offers endless op- portunities to capitalize on your field findings. Take advantage of every opportuni- ty when you’re on a service call. Ser- vice is where we balance the fact that mother nature does not always coop- erate with HVAC businesses. The good news is NCI can help you with the entire process, from learning how and what to test, to finding solutions based on your cli- ents’ test results. Then you can pro- vide recommendations and imple- ment what they choose. The last may be the most challenging part for an HVAC com- pany. There’s even more good news in that there is an endless potential of great qualified leads waiting to be uncovered through your service department. During the craziness of summer heat or winter’s bitter cold, you can always plant the seeds based on diagnostic test results and harvest the project when things calm down. Charlie, how come you didn’t block Ray Robinson’s punches? My uncle’s response was diffi- cult to swallow. “Alfonse, I blocked the punches that I could see,” he ex- plained. I laugh at that now, but it’s the same in our industry. How do you identify HVAC system issues if you can’t see them? How can you fight the HVAC System Perfor- mance battle if you have not trained to do that? Fortunately, when appropriately trained, we do not have to rely on ath- letic ability to perform at a world-class level. In the HVAC world, we need test instruments and training on how to use them, interpret our findings, then prescribe solutions to the problems we uncover. The satisfaction comes from iden- tifying system problems and offering the correct solutions! It also comes from seeing the difference compared to initial testing. The absolute joy comes when testing out and seeing real documentable re- sults. Knowing that you just gave your customer the COMFORT they paid Cooling Example: Three-ton unit: 36,000 TBTUH. 20,260 ÷ 36,000 = 56%. Heating Example: 31,363 ÷ 60,000=52%. SCORING YOUR HVAC SYSTEM The calculations above show the HVAC system score. In these two sce- narios, the scores are as follows: Cooling System Performance Score (CSPS) = 59% Heating System Performance Score (HSPS) = 52%. In today’s market, do you think your clients would like to improve the performance of their system and upgrade? What if this is how some of your systems function? If you don’t measure, how would you know your systems have a degree of separation? Would your refrigerant charge correct at 280 CFM per ton? Don’t assume what most con- tractors assume: 400 CFM per ton is a rule of thumb. Before de- ciding you need to adjust the re- frigerant, you must verify airflow! It is paramount to charge the system based on manufacturer requirements accurately. GOING UP AGAINST WELL- TRAINED COMPETITORS What if your competition is trained/ certified and better at diagnosing these problems? What do you do if that is true? My uncle Charlie Fusari, a pro- fessional prizefighter, faced Sugar Ray Robinson for the Welterweight Cham- pionship in August 1950. He lost a de- cision. When I was 15, I saw a video of the fight and had one question: Uncle Image from the Graphic Conservation Website. Al D’Ambola is an instruc- tor for National Comfort Institute (NCI). He has conducted more than 500 seminars across the USA. He has been in the HVAC industry since 1976. He has done everything from new construction installations, oil burner “soot sucker” tune-ups, servicing residential HVAC systems, and selling residential-commercial HVAC systems. He is also well-versed in balanc- ing residential/commercial/industrial systems. Al can be reached at ncilink.com/ContactMe. FEBRUARY 2023 17HVACTODAY.COMand another 25% expect growth to exceed 10%. Furthermore, according to projections by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the 1.2 million people in the U.S. currently employed by HVAC companies should increase by 5% through 2028! According to Air-Conditioning, Heating, and Refrigeration Institute (AHRI) statis- tics, as of October 2022, HVAC central air con- ditioners and air-source heat pump combined shipments (year-to-date) increased by 1.9% from the same period in 2021. However, the trend slips downward when you examine individual equipment-type shipments. For example, air conditioner units alone dropped 3.8% year-over-year in October. Forced-air fur- nace shipments were off by 0.7%, oil-fired furnac- es by 25%, and residential storage water heaters by 16.9%. Shipments of residential heat pumps alone were the only year-to-year equipment that saw a boost: they increased by 11.4%. Isn’t that interesting? Demand for heat pumps is increasing, despite rising costs. Some of that is because the energy efficiencies of heat pumps, es- pecially in light of the green energy push in the U.S. today, are more attractive and valuable to consumers today. More on that in a bit. Undoubtedly, costs for finished equipment (and just about everything else Americans consume) will continue to rise in 2023. The Federal Re- serve’s inflation fight may slow down runaway de- mand in many areas, but it impacts interest rates, which will negatively impact new construction. The replacement market, however, will remain strong – but not in the way you usually would think. According to Matt Michel of Service Na- tion in an ACHR News article, the industry may see fewer replacements, yet replacement reve- nue will climb! A s a High-Performance HVAC contrac- tor, it’s essential to know where the industry is headed. This can help you plan for and address customer’s needs, especially during these weakening economic times. From where I sit, three major trends will continue impacting and changing the residential HVAC market in 2023 and beyond. First, let’s talk about the economy. Media pun- dits and marketers have been working double overtime to redefine what a recession is, but the truth is, the numbers don’t lie. The U.S. economy is slowing down. Inflation is high, and the cost of doing business is rising. Not all is doom and gloom. The HVAC Industry is positioned to have an overall great year in 2023 based on three trends: Growth, New Technology, and Sustainability. Sure, many other trends are happening simul- taneously, but I think these three encapsulate all of them. Here’s why: HVAC INDUSTRY GROWTH The AHR Expo and ASHRAE Journal 2023 Survey reports that 88% of HVAC business own- ers reported a good or excellent business year in 2022. In that survey, 43% of respondents said they expect between five to 10% growth in 2023, Despite an Economic Slowdown, HVAC Residential Markets Heat Up By Mike Weil MANAGEMENT FEBRUARY 2023 19HVACTODAY.COMNext >