hvactoday.comAPRIL 2023 HIGH-PERFORMANCE HVAC TODAY TM If You Don’t Measure, You’re Just Guessing! ™ SERVICE PERFORMANCE STARTS WITH ALSO IN THIS ISSUE: • The “When-What-Who-and-Why” of CO and Combustion Testing • Properly Managed Service-Generated Leads Increase Sales Success • Finding Future Technicians: Get Involved with Your Local Trade SchoolsAPRIL 2023 3HVACTODAY.COM APRIL 2023 VOLUME 7 NUMBER 4 HIGH-PERFORMANCE HVAC TODAY TM DEPARTMENTS Today’s Word .........................................................................................4 High-Performance Product Review ...............................................5 High-Performance HVAC Summit 2023 Brochure ...........12 NCI Update .........................................................................................29 HVAC Smart Mart ...............................................................................30 Ad Index ................................................................................................31 One More Thing ................................................................................32 06 MANAGEMENT: Finding New Techs: Be Involved in Local Trade Schools To recruit top quality students from local trade schools, you need to invest time partnering with them. Learn more here. 16 SERVICE MANAGEMENT: The When-What-Who-and-Why of CO and Combustion Testing Jim Davis explains the reasons behind combustion performance and CO testing. 1923 SALES: Increase Sales Success: Properly Manage Service Generated Leads Based on his Summit 2023 presentation, David Holt shares how you can convert service leads into sales success. TECHNICAL: How Room Surfaces Affect Comfort Room surfaces have a direct impact on the human body. Paul Wieboldt discusses convection, evaporation, radiation and conduction.you’re team is in, the better equipped they will be to deal with extreme temperature stress. Ex- tra body fat and underlying health problems will contribute to quickly becoming overheated. 6.Self-Check:Every person reacts differently to temperature extremes, so it’s important for techs to pay attention to how they feel. If they become light-headed or dizzy, they should tell someone and find a cool place to rest. Again, drink plenty of water. Also, if possible, try to schedule working hours for your field team close to the coolest part of the day — mornings or evenings. 7.Recognize Heat Exhaustion: When you conduct safety training for your team, its a good idea to talk about heat exhaustion. Discuss what it is and its signs. OSHA says heat exhaustion signs include fatigue, disorientation, nausea, head- ache, a rapid heart rate, and clammy skin. These symptoms can quickly escalate to heat stroke if not attended to. 8.Recognize Heat Stroke: This is seri- ous. When experiencing heat stroke, a person will have an elevated body temperature, loss of consciousness, convulsions, vomiting, and di- arrhea. Learn to recognize the signs in yourself and others. Most victims of heat exhaustion and heat stroke won’t recognize it in themselves, so co-workers should watch out for each other. Pay special attention to those over 65 years old, those who are overweight, and those on medications. 9.Take Plenty of Breaks.Frequent breaks can help with overheating, which is important in avoiding heat exhaustion or heat stroke. Breaks mean getting out of the sun, drinking water, and cooling down. Your techs are the lifeblood of your business. By taking care of them, they can take care of your cus- tomers and your business. So consider these tips and have a profitable and safe summer. T his has been a very bizarre winter. We’ve seen rain and snow, tornadoes and blizzards, landslides, mudslides, and snowmaggadon. But now it’s April and we’ll soon start seeing warmer temperatures, lots of sunlight, longer days, and hopefully, tons of air conditioning calls! But all those niceties can quickly become not- so-nice when you are working on hot rooftops, stuffy crawlspaces, and in unbearable attics. The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Ad- ministration (OSHA) offers its Heat Illness Prevention program to help guide contractors how to protect their field service and installation crews while working in the heat. Here are nine things OSHA points out: 1.Eat Right: This is just common sense. Your team shouldn’t skip meals or overeat. In hotter weather, its always better to eat light (skip greasy, heavy foods). According to OSHA, its also an ex- cellent idea to drink at least eight ounces of cool water per hour. 2.Caffeine is not Your Friend: We all love our coffee in the mornings, but drinking too much on a hot day can cause dehydration. Also, energy drinks and some sodas are full of caffeine. So it’s a good idea to reduce your intake of these beverages on hot days. 3.Dress Properly:Are your uniforms short- sleeved and lightweight? Are they made from moisture-wicking material? They should be. And be sure to encourage your team to use sunscreen and wear sunglasses when working outdoors. 4.Get Lots of Sleep: OSHA also recommends people get plenty of REM sleep. This is easier said than done during hot weather, but is vital for keeping your people healthy and better able to handle hot indoor and outdoor temperatures. 5.Stay Healthy:The better physical shape 4 APRIL 2023HIGH-PERFORMANCE HVAC TODAY Nine to Tips to Help Protect and Keep Your Technicians Safe this Summer TODAY’S WORD By Mike Weil Mike Weil is editor- in-chief and director of communications and publications at National Comfort Institute, Inc. Contact him at ncilink. com/ContactMe.HVACTODAY.COMAPRIL 2023 5HVACTODAY.COM iPhone or iPad. This ability is beneficial when gas-fired equipment is in a small closet and must be tested with the door closed while you stand outside. On larg- er commercial equipment, the flue dis- tance to the burner is farther than the hose assembly for the CA030, which would not allow us to read the measure- ments as they happen. Another great feature is this instru- ment makes the NCI flue interference test less tedious because you can see the draft reading from different locations in the building as you turn on additional exhausting appliances or open and close doors. Did I mention the large soft carry- ing case? There is room for the analyzer and plenty of room for other meters and tools to make them easier to carry. Sauermann has many videos and in- structions on the Internet about using the CA030 analyzer and all its options. They are some of the best I have seen. This is a new analyzer, so its field history is short as of now, but the feedback so far from the field is that technicians like it. For more information, go to ncilink. com/Sauermann. — Jim Davis, senior instructor, National Comfort Institute SAUERMANN NCI SI-CA030 COMBUSTION ANALYZER Introducing a new advanced combus- tion analyzer by the Sauermann Group called the NCI Si-CA030. This analyzer is part of a special kit for NCI members and students. It includes the normal combus- tion probe, a separate draft probe, and comes in a large soft case. The CA030 measures oxygen (O 2 ), car- bon monoxide (CO), and flue tempera- ture much like other analyzers, but the instrument’s ability to detect higher CO readings (8000 ppm) allow more time to evaluate certain problems that would otherwise be over-ranged. The life of the O 2 and CO sensors is listed as four to five years, which is longer than most. One of the great features of the CA030 is its wireless communication with your HIGH-PERFORMANCE PRODUCT REVIEW Written by HVAC Professionals for HVAC Professionals6 APRIL 2023HIGH-PERFORMANCE HVAC TODAY program instructor, the secret sauce is having contractors working with the school in a proac- tive manner rather than waiting for graduating students to approach them. SOME BACKGROUND According to Reitz, Polaris opened its doors in 1975. From inception, the school had an HVAC program that works with six local high school districts and adult learners from across North- eastern Ohio. In 2019 Polaris completed a nearly $60 million renovation of its facility, which occu- pies 257,000 sq. ft. of space on 47 acres of land. These renovations included complete updates to the HVACR labs and classrooms with new equipment and technology. But the focus is on how to get young people in- terested in careers in the trades. “Beginning in the eighth grade, students are invited to tour our facility to get fa- miliar with our career-technical programs,” says Doug Miller, the school’s director of community outreach. “They also begin to explore the idea of Polaris, and then, as they get into ninth and tenth grade, they see what we have to offer. They often dis- cover that many of our programs provide access to college credit and industry credentials. This opens their eyes. Their parents love what they see too, and they love what we offer.” F or many decades the HVAC Industry has suffered from a low inflow of new people into its ranks. That problem has become even more acute due to the increase in contractor and technician retirements as the HVAC workforce ages. So many articles have been written on this subject, with so many calls for a renewed industry-wide focus on the prob- lem. Yet the issue persists. Many contractors turn to their local trade schools and career centers to recruit students for their HVAC businesses. Over the years, many have complained that the best students gradu- ating from these schools are often hired outside the industry’s con- tracting segment by manufacturers, facilities manage- ment firms, hospi- tals, distributors, and so on. The “leftovers,” I’ve heard contrac- tors say, often ar- en’t well equipped to do the contractors any good, especially if hired for the busy summer season. And yet, from the trade schools’ perspective, there is a different story. One school in particu- lar, The Polaris Career Center in Middleburg Heights, OH, is an example of a first-rate techni- cal school with a robust HVACR program. Their modus operandi is to maintain strong re- lationships within the HVACR industry through- out Northeastern Ohio. According to Rick Reitz, Polaris’ HVACR Recruiting Techs Requires Active Participation in Trade Schools By Mike Weil MANAGEMENTAPRIL 2023 7HVACTODAY.COM Bill Evans, the Polaris principal, says that currently, the career center has 950 students in the building, but the Polaris satellite program impacts around 4,000 students. He adds that in a typical year, more than 70% of these students go straight from Polaris to some form of additional education at a two or four-year institution. In the HVACR program, Re- itz says they en- roll around 25 in-coming ju- niors and have a wait-list of additional ap- plicants each year. He also says that around one-third of them eventually go to work for contractors. “It roughly breaks down like this,” Reitz explains. “One-third of them graduate and go to work for HVACR contractors. Another third complete the HVACR program and go on to pur- sue further education. The final third move on to other endeavors, including some who start their own businesses.” Evans adds, “As far as contractors go, the best advice I can give is get in- volved with an HVACR program — get to know the teacher, join an advi- sory council, be a guest speaker, offer field trips to your facility, participate in mock interviews, offer shadowing experiences, be visible at student/par- ent open house events and more. Be as active as your schedule allows. Re- member, it’s a long-term investment of your time and talents.” OUTREACH PROGRAMS Rick Reitz agrees and says the key for contractors is to get involved in the school’s outreach programs. “Get involved and you’ll make con- nections with our students and staff. The investment in your time will pay off,” he explains. Reitz spent much of his working life in the HVAC trades – first as an in- staller and service technician for an HVACR contractor in Texas, then as a commercial factory service tech for the Trane Co. in Atlanta, GA. “At Polaris, we work with many great HVACR contractors through our advisory council,” Reitz continues. “We have at least two meetings with them per year as required by state and federal mandates. We understand that many folks have demanding sched- ules, so we have shifted our meet- ings to a virtual format that allows for much more participation.” “Those who get involved are seeing the pay off. Our active industry part- ners often help in our mock interviews, and they get connected to our students earlier in the employment process. Plus, if we need something, they’re here for us.” Reitz was born in Cleveland and ul- timately returned home from Atlan- ta to work as a Trane factory service technician for Gardner Service. Even- tually, he joined the staff at Polaris as an instructor and has been there for 15 years. He knows the importance of work- ing with young people from his back- ground and explains how several par- ticipating contractors helped outfit their classrooms and labs. For example, the students can access $30,000 of Bitzer compressors, all donated by Fazio Mechanical, a par- ticipant on their advisory board. “In fact,” Reitz continues, “Fazio peo- ple are coming in to do a compressor tear-down class for our students.” The advisory board not only has in- put into the HVACR program curric- ulum, but Reitz says they have ear- ly access to provide students with job opportunities. “Hiring high school students has its challenges. It’s important for us to help manage employer expectations. Many of our partners would prefer to get more hours from our students each day but that is constrained by the school sched- ule. Employ- ers that adapt and open their doors to our students usu- ally scoop up the best ones after gradua- tion,” says Re- itz. “Sometimes you have to make an investment to get better students,” he adds. TOP STUDENTS MAKE A MARK Reitz says that Polaris gives junior and senior students with solid grades and good attendance records op- portunities for internships. He says that if those students have a good ex- perience, they become even more engaged and make their mark on the Rick Reitz Polaris Senior Hunter Huff Doug Miller (left) and Bill Evans8 APRIL 2023HIGH-PERFORMANCE HVAC TODAY MANAGEMENT freedom to run some control diagnos- tics independently. He also shadows the hospital’s controls contractor. Interestingly, Huff says his original goal was to be an electrician, but he fell in love with HVACR. “I became interested in learning about refrigerant properties and all I could about heat transfer. Polaris laid the groundwork, and now the hospital is giving me practical experience.” The good news is that Huff has im- pressed the people at Southwest, and they have already offered him a full- time position after he graduates. Huff says that Southwest is already further- ing his training by helping him to earn his stationary license. HVACR IS A THINKING TRADE Rick Reitz says they often have to overcome a major obstacle with po- tential students. That obstacle is the idea that the trades only involve heavy physical work. “The reality is that HVACR is a automation controls, which is rare for someone my age.” He adds that the facilities team gives him tasks to do, but he has the Polaris HVACR program. One example is an 18-year-old stu- dent named Hunter Huff. Hunter is a senior graduating this June who landed an internship in the facilities department of Southwest General Health Center. This hospital is a 103-year-old com- munity health and support center serv- ing the greater Cleveland area. Huff’s internship there includes hands-on training and experience working with commercial boilers and modern digi- tal control systems. “I basically carry as much respon- sibility as any other employee, even though I’m just an intern,” Huff ex- plains. “The work is very hands- on, and they give me a lot of respon- sibility for working on boilers, air handlers, pump motors, and more. They even let me work on many Polaris Rooftop Equipment Lab Guest speaker Al D’Ambola from National Comfort Institute teaches Polaris HVAC students about proper techniques to test for static pressure. (Recruiting continued on page 10)Next >