FALL Get Ready For ALSO IN THIS ISSUE: • Fall Marketing Ideas That Work • Training Investments Shape Your Company’s Future • Get Your Customers’ Ducts in a Row hvactoday.comAUGUST 2023 HIGH-PERFORMANCE HVAC TODAY TM If You Don’t Measure, You’re Just Guessing! ™AUGUST 2023 VOLUME 7 NUMBER 8 HIGH-PERFORMANCE HVAC TODAY TM TRAINING: How Training Investments Shape Your Company’s Future Training investments are the fulcrum on which the future success of your company rests, says NCI’s David Holt. TECHNICAL Get Your Customers’ Ducts in a Row Getting customers’ ductwork operating properly depends on measurements and testing, Adam Mufich explains. DEPARTMENTS AUGUST 2023 3HVACTODAY.COM Today’s Word .........................................................................................4 High-Performance Product Review ...............................................5 NCI Update .........................................................................................21 HVAC Smart Mart ...............................................................................24 Ad Index ................................................................................................25 One More Thing ................................................................................26 0610 MARKETING: Fall Marketing Strategies that Work Based on ideas shared during NCI’s High-Performance HVAC Summit, several contractors share successful marketing tips. 16 LEAD GENERATION: Customers Want Contractors They Can Trust Contractor John Owens shares how his company created marketing that helped build customer trust and success. 224 AUGUST 2023HIGH-PERFORMANCE HVAC TODAY Mike Weil is editor- in-chief and director of communications and publications at National Comfort Institute, Inc. Contact him at ncilink. com/ContactMe. I ’ve always had an appreciation for those stew- ards of the crystal ball — whether they’re the palm readers you see on the boardwalks of amusement parks, the mysterious gypsy women with the heavy Eastern European accents at county fairs, or even the television weather forecasters who get paid big bucks to be wrong 90% of the time. One forecaster by the name of Nostradamus has always intrigued me. Born in 1503 in the south of France, Nostradamus grew up and be- came famous as a physician and astrologer, who wrote a book called, The Prophesies (published in 1555). The book was a collection of long-term predictions that some claim accurately predicted everything from the French Revolution to the rise of Adolf Hitler, the 9/11 terrorist attacks in the U.S., and even the end of the world. How can this be? Though I find it fascinating, Nostradamus seems to be THE conspiracy theo- rist of the 15th century. I am not a believer. However, we live in a world where it’s vital to think about the future — from planning to get things done by certain deadlines (the plague of journalists everywhere) to keeping tabs on how national, state, and local events impact your high-performance business. You even need to think about training the next generation of leadership in your company. Sometimes forecasting can help derail bumps in the road before you hit them. From a more historical perspective, Nostrada- mus couldn’t have predicted how Willis Carrier would see a need to control humidity which even- tually led him to develop the Psychometric Chart. From that and other events, the modern air conditioning industry was born. Carrier obviously went on to think creative- ly about several other things, as did many other people in the industry, and they created a new fu- ture with inventions resulting from that thinking. We often take this and other history lessons for granted, but to me, it’s simply amazing how such creativity, and the forecasting behind it, built and still sustains one of the most important industries in the world today. It’s also important to remember that the ability to forecast and think creatively impacts you and your business every day. From forecasting how the marketplace situation impacts your cus- tomers and your business, to creating the plans and strategies necessary to grow a high-perfor- mance culture in your company, and everything else in between. This not only benefits your team, but also the entire HVAC value chain. Sound a bit idealistic? What would Nostrada- mus say? Does he have a 468-year-old quatrain about how high performance will change the en- tire comfort industry? I doubt it. But every day smart contractors ad- dress industry-wide issues like using A2L re- frigerants, improving HVAC system energy ef- ficiency, and solving manpower shortages. They move their teams to become certified pro- fessionals, and find unique custom solutions for customer comfort issues to position themselves for continued growth and success. When I think about that, it thrills me as much as do the strange and mysterious interpretive predictions of a man from the 1500s who many still see as an accurate predictor today. We have a lot to be proud of as an industry. We are problem solvers, we are creative, and we work hard to build a better future every day. Sure, I am still fascinated with all the stewards of the crystal ball. But Nostradamus aside, can we do something about the really poor predictions highly-paid weather forecasters make? The Art of Forecasting: What Would Nostradamus Say? TODAY’S WORD By Mike WeilHVACTODAY.COMAUGUST 2023 5 fluid chemicals, which is a corrosive and toxic additive in the hydronic loop, the park administrators were very concerned about leaks. The good news is that the Dwyer 490W operates with less leakage potential and is easier to zero out than other instruments at that altitude. Its components are resistive to the corrosive nature of that fluid. The Dwyer 490W uses two pressure in- struments that connect directly to the Pete’s Plug needle. The probes commu- nicate with a smartphone app that uses an intensive library of valves and circuit setters that allows the app to display direct flow information — not just the pressure drop. This saves a considerable amount of time in determining and plot- ting flow rates. The 490W’s compact construction and integration with technology sets it apart in the industry for service and TAB tech- nicians. The Dwyer company continues to lead the industry in pressure and flow measurement and has had the industry’s confidence for over 100 years. Learn more about this differential pressure manometer here: ncilink.com/ Dwyer490W. — by Jeff Sturgeon, NCI California Train- ing Center Manager and Instructor Dwyer 490W Differential Pressure Manometer Many technicians today are faced with an increasing selection of instruments, often leading to choosing one that may not be the best. When it comes to Hydronic Testing and Balancing instru- ments, I use an incredible range of me- ters and instruments. One that has been a standout for me is the Dwyer 490W Differential Pressure Manometer. In October of 2021, I traveled to Hawaii to instruct a Hydronics class at the AURA D-KIST Solar Telescope on the Island of Maui. This telescope is located 10,080 feet above sea level in Haleakalā Nation- al Park, which is very protected. Due to the altitude and Dynalene 50 HIGH-PERFORMANCE PRODUCT Written by HVAC Professionals for HVAC Professionalsduct system, and you find a glaring issue. I’ve learned over the years that a problem is not a problem unless the homeowner recognizes it. Ask many questions and have the customer elab- orate on the issues experienced. Keep the spot- light on them. When they say the system is loud, my follow-up question might be, “Loud enough that you have to turn up your TV volume when it is running?” If they say a specific room is uncomfortable in the summer, I might respond, “How uncomfortable is uncomfortable? Are you saying it’s off by a de- gree or two, or is it worse than that?” I might also ask, “On a scale from one to 10, how uncomfortable are we talking?” If it is a problem worth solving, getting them to share their tale of woes won’t take much effort. This is when I recog- nize I have a potential job. The next question is simple but essential: “If I can identify any items contributing to your is- sues, would you like me to provide you with re- pair options?” When they answer yes, I walk outside and grab my most powerful tools, a tape measure, a Ductulator, and my Trueflow Grid. I need to get an idea of the system’s oper- ating condition. MY TRUSTY TRUEFLOW® GRID My first step is to run the full workflow of the TrueFlow Grid. The TrueFlow generates a customer-facing re- port showing the total external static pressure, system pressure drops, and airflow through the furnace or air handler. It will also identify weak links in the duct system. Before showing the report to the homeowner, you must analyze the data and consider potential solutions. Let’s identify how much airflow this par- M ost things at which you succeed in life require lots of practice. This was true for me when it came to identi- fying problems with a duct system, attempting to convey the issues I found to the homeowner, then selling a solution that would benefit both my company and that customer. I have gone through several iterations of this process, always trying to tweak it to produce the best results possible. Since I consider myself a technician and not a salesman, my first instinct is to grab my tools and figure out the issue. The problem is that this will likely waste time and not solve any issues. START WITH DISCOVERY I always start with discovery. The discovery might happen when a customer calls in to com- plain about uncomfortable rooms in their home, or when you are on a service call unrelated to the 6 AUGUST 2023HIGH-PERFORMANCE HVAC TODAY Get Your Customers’ Ducts in a Row By Adam Mufich TECHNICALtemperature rise. Finally, we can solve for our target airflow by slightly rearranging the sensible heat formula: Btu Output ÷ (temp rise x 1.08) = Required heating airflow Now that I have my required airflow for the customer’s system, I start look- ing at the ductwork near equipment components. Two numbers that I want you to remember are 700 feet per minute (FPM) and 900 FPM. These numbers are the maximum velocity limits that ACCA recommends on a residential duct system. The first number, 700 FPM, is for the return, and 900 FPM is for the supply. We can analyze the return and sup- ply trunks with these numbers in mind. If you have a Ductulator, then it is easy. Plug in the duct size you are referencing and look at the CFM you are moving and the corresponding velocity. If it is above the maximum velocity limits, the system is over- sized, the ductwork is undersized, or, worst case, all of the above. SIZING AND OTHER POTENTIAL ISSUES Remember that just because the ve- locity in the duct is less than ACCA’s limits does not necessarily mean the duct is sized correctly. It means no glaring red flag is waving in front of your face. Another obvious issue might be a small evaporator coil on a large sys- tem. This would cause a high-pressure drop across the evaporator coil. I always look at the filter size as well. The magic velocity I use for 1-in. filters is 300 FPM. If your velocity is high- er than 300 FPM, it is likely causing a high-pressure drop, increasing the static pressure. Converting filter CFM to veloc- ity: CFM ÷ Area (sq. ft.) = velocity Let’s say our hypothetical system moves 1,000 CFM through a 16-in. x 20-in. filter. In this example, you can see that a 16-in. x 20-in. filter is inadequate for the system. Taking National Comfort Institute’s “Duct System Optimization” class was also crucial to my process. It taught me how to identify duct system deficiencies and make surgical chang- es to the ductwork that positively im- pact the overall system performance. CONNECTING THE DOTS Start connecting the dots between the customer’s complaint and what the report tells you. If the homeowner ticular system needs. That is easy for air conditioning because the TrueFlow report gives us an idea of that, but what about the heating side? If we are working on a system with a gas furnace, we can figure this out with a bit of math. I look at the sys- tem’s data plate and find the tempera- ture rise range. Whatever its range, you want to find the midpoint. FIND THE MIDPOINT TEMPERATURE The midpoint will be the target. Running a furnace at the midpoint of the range will give you a buffer against issues like when the furnace filter loads up with dirt. You find the midpoint in the range by simply averaging the larger and smaller numbers. So let’s say your range is 20°F to 50°F. Take the larger number and add the smaller number together, then di- vide by 2. In this case: 50°F + 20°F = 70°÷2 = 35°F. That 35°F is your target heating AUGUST 2023 7HVACTODAY.COMTECHNICAL lems becomes an art form. When you can solve these problems, you will de- velop a positive reputation, and cus- tomers will start spreading referrals like wildfire. Being able to solve issues that oth- er companies can’t puts you ahead of the game and eliminates your com- petition. This allows you to take the time necessary to do the right thing while charging what your company is worth. In this scenario, I usually find low airflow and high duct pressure. The nice thing about installing the correct size equipment is that it usually re- duces airflow requirements and low- ers the static pressure, ensuring the system operates as designed. In this scenario, you might sell the customer a new, properly sized system. Another thing I try to remember is to slow down and collect as much data as possible. It is essential to un- derstand what the home needs versus what it currently has installed. There is likely more than one issue contrib- uting to the customer’s complaints. AND FINALLY... Take a step back and look at the “Big Picture.” Identifying comfort prob- complains about the house being hu- mid, consider offering a solution that involves verifying that the equipment is sized correctly by performing a Manual J calculation. Then you can set the airflow of the equipment by matching the home’s sensible and latent requirements to the equipment’s performance data. Finally you can set the system’s cor- rect refrigerant charge. As you complete the steps need- ed to correct comfort complaints, ask yourself what happens if the system is oversized for the home. You need to stop the process and have that conversation with the own- er. Let them know that the oversized equipment is likely the cause of their home being so humid. Adam Mufich is the pres- ident of A-Team Heating and Air in Glen Ellyn, IL. He has been an HVAC tech for 20 years. This 75-year- old HVAC firm is family owned and employs NCI and NATE-certified technicians. To reach Adam, go to ncilink.com/ContactMe . 8 AUGUST 2023HIGH-PERFORMANCE HVAC TODAYNext >