Contracting Business

Geothermal Guide First in RSES 'Sustainability Series'

Fri, 17 May 2013 17:21:00 +0000

Topics include open-loop and closed-loop applications, subsurface geology, loop design, and more.

RSES’ Understanding Geothermal Systems is the first title in the RSES Sustainability Series. It was introduced at the RSES Conference and HVACR Technology Expo, in conjunction with the RSES Mid-Southeast Regional Association Conference, in late 2012.

Don’t Mess with Morrison

Fri, 17 May 2013 15:13:00 +0000

This is what keeps Ft. Worth, Texas-based Morrison Supply Co. in a state of expansion and development. There are 92 branches in Texas, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Louisiana and Kansas – and the plan is to keep growing. “In HVAC, we want to double our size over the next four to five years,” says Stan Allen, president of Morrison Supply. “We want to reach a billion dollars in sales by 2017 as a company.”

Sequestration, Duh

Fri, 17 May 2013 15:10:00 +0000

You want to know what really, really bugs me? The garbage that emanates from the mouths of politicians and government employees, which we used to call bizarre but regrettably has now become ordinary.

Tech Update

Fri, 17 May 2013 15:02:00 +0000

Bitzer

Bitzer launched a free refrigerant pressure-temperature application designed for
iPhone, BlackBerry and Android devices over 3 years ago. Since then, over a half-million downloads have made it one of the most popular apps for air-conditioning and refrigeration technicians, according to Bitzer.

Now That the Rules Have Changed

Fri, 17 May 2013 14:58:00 +0000

Jon Melchi

In April 2013, the Environmental Protection Agency published a final rule governing the allocation of HCFC-22, more commonly referred to as R-22, for the years 2012 to 2014. It is the EPA’s charge to set production and importation limits for this refrigerant, with the ultimate goal of phasing down the refrigerant to zero by the year 2020. After establishing these limits each year, the EPA establishes allocations among certain companies, who in turn make the product available for commerce. Typically, allocation rules occur in five-year increments.

VNA Truck Applications: How Dense Is Too Dense?

Fri, 17 May 2013 14:53:00 +0000

Bryan Jensen

As the real estate market emerges from recent years of stagnant facility construction, expansion costs pressure expanding warehousing operations to do more with the space they already have. Companies welcome anything to reduce the size of a distribution center, cut cost and lower fixed overhead. One readily available option that can assist in those reductions
is a very narrow aisle (VNA) storage system.

Preventing a Silent Killer

Fri, 17 May 2013 14:33:00 +0000

The stories are tragic, and they happen too often. Families in their homes, employees in offices or construction workers on job sites become sick or die because of gas poisoning. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that each year more than 400 Americans die, more than 20,000 visit the emergency room and more than 4,000 are hospitalized due to unintentional carbon monoxide poisoning alone. That doesn’t take into account the other deadly gases – nitrogen dioxide, hydrogen, LP and natural gas – that kill or cause severe illness.

What Would Happen If Salespeople Didn’t Know the Price?

Fri, 17 May 2013 14:29:00 +0000

When wholesalers rant, margin erosion always finds its way to the top of the concern list. Let’s take another look at the fundamentals of our selling strategy.

Essentially, wholesalers fall into four categories (and I hesitate to even consider the last for the readers of this discussion). They are:

• Solution providers.

• Value-added parts providers.

• Combination of solution and value-added providers.

• Low-cost discount house.

Website Overhaul: The 7 Questions You Must Ask Before You Start

Fri, 17 May 2013 14:23:00 +0000

Michelle McGowan

Well, get ready – now is the time. Here’s our trusty guide of questions you should keep in mind as you take on this daunting task.

What has been working? Now is the time to take a good look at your analytics and really understand what people are clicking on, where they go next and how long they stick around. Make a list of the content you have and rank each piece in order of importance based on where your visitors are looking.

About those three phone messages I left you

Fri, 17 May 2013 14:17:00 +0000

In a previous column, I observed that in some instances the telephone remains a superior tool for reaching people or simply getting information when compared with the Internet.

May 2013

Fri, 17 May 2013 04:00:00 +0000

John Kruk, MLB All-Star and ESPN Analyst to Keynote Comfortech 2013

Thu, 16 May 2013 14:49:00 +0000

Comfortech 2013 brings together the owners and managers of residential and commercial HVACR and hydronics/plumbing contracting firms.

In his presentation, “I’m Not a Keynote Speaker, I’m a Ballplayer,” Kruk will entertain the audience with stories from the “big leagues” and how his career arc relates to the mechanical systems contractor.

Don't Look if You're Afraid of Heights!

Thu, 16 May 2013 14:00:00 +0000

Terry McIver

What will be the Westin Cleveland Downtown Hotel is undergoing a $64 million renovation. Due to open in April, 2014, the 484-room hotel will feature work by more than 1,000 Cleveland artists. Ohio-based Marous Brothers Construction, Designer/Builder on the project, began remodeling the property in December 2013. Brewer-Garrett of Cleveland is the mechanical contractor.

Phil Gin Named CFO/COO at Polar Technology

Wed, 15 May 2013 19:46:00 +0000

Gin's vast industry background includes stints with Baker Distributing, Bryant Habegger, and Carrier.

Polar Technology officials announced the hiring of Phil Gin, recently of Baker Distributing, fulfilling the dual role of chief financial officer and chief operating officer.

An HVAC Manager’s Guide to Keeping It Cool When Things Heat Up

Wed, 15 May 2013 18:34:00 +0000

By Matt Michel

• Count to Ten – It really is true, that taking a deep breath and forcing a pause prevents many human explosions, and corresponding lasting damage.

• Leave – If things are building up to the point where you doubt you will be able to keep cool, leave the office. Tell everyone you are leaving for a meeting or to run errands.

ASHRAE 62.2: A Design Standard Lacking Verification?

Wed, 15 May 2013 18:23:00 +0000

By Rob 'Doc' Falke

Recurring Design Defects
A good quality design requires much more work than finding the nominal rated airflow of a bath fan or heat recovery ventilator in the sales literature, and slapping a model number into a building plan schedule. Unfortunately, when HVAC contractors bid a plan and spec job and the customer complains about air quality issues 6 months later, the designer is long gone and the contractor is left holding the bag.

Service Clinic: Effective Refrigerant Recovery Techniques

Mon, 13 May 2013 18:35:00 +0000

By Ritchie Engineering Co., Inc., YELLOW JACKET Product Division

A step-by-step guide to performing this essential service.

It's one of the most common yet essential tasks service technicians perform each day. Here's how to make refrigerant recovery fast and efficient.

Is Design/Build Your Specialty? Prove It!

Mon, 13 May 2013 16:00:00 +0000

The ContractingBusiness.com Design/Build Awards honor the finest examples of commercial Design/Build HVAC mechanical systems installations across the U.S. But you can't win if you don't enter.

A Minute with McIver

ASHRAE Annual Conference June 22-26; Features Building Efficiency, Research Summit

Fri, 10 May 2013 18:14:00 +0000

The Technical Program addresses the practitioner’s needs for the built environment industry with such tracks as Building Energy Modeling vs. Measurement and Verification, and much more.

A new Research Summit, which comprises a major portion of the technical program with some 30 sessions scheduled, 22 of which are paper-based sessions—brings together distinguished researchers to present and discuss the latest research results, innovative research techniques and forecast future research directions.

Trane Team Completes Major Analysis and Upgrade of Commercial Building's Chiller Plant

Thu, 09 May 2013 20:01:00 +0000

McGladrey Plaza had an opportunity to leverage their Trane control system to get additional savings and better system operation by implementing Variable Primary Flow programming.

Trane replaced the four existing centrifugal chillers in the building’s west tower, as well as the chilled water condenser water pumps and the cooling towers located on the roof of the building.

Digital Editions

Thu, 09 May 2013 19:47:52 +0000

HVACR Digital Edition Archive

Southland Industries Wins High Profile Projects

Thu, 09 May 2013 18:32:00 +0000

A new museum in the heart of DC, a hospital expansion, and a 1.5 million sq. ft. casino are recent projects announced by this mechanical HVAC leader.

The SLS Hotel and Casino renovation consists of three hotel towers. The Holy Cross Hospital expansion includes a 232,000 square foot patient tower. The National Museum of African American History and Culture will total more than 400,000 sq. ft.

Dealing With What’s Out of Your Control

Wed, 08 May 2013 18:57:00 +0000

By Mike Moore

We cannot always control the factors of our success — outside influences, internal culture, and the individuals we work with all have a factor in there somewhere.

If You Build It, They Will Come

Wed, 08 May 2013 18:43:00 +0000

By Andy Fracica

In the 1989 Kevin Costner movie, Field of Dreams, Kevin Costner’s character Ray Kinsella hears a whispered voice that says, “If you build it, they will come.” The “it” is a baseball diamond in the middle of his cornfield.

Five Tips for Social Media Marketing

Wed, 08 May 2013 18:04:00 +0000

By Chris Vaughn

Every business that launches a new marketing campaign envisions the perfect result, where the brand is flourishing and the leads are coming in faster than you can manage them.

NEBB Donates $10,000 to ASHRAE Research

Wed, 08 May 2013 17:08:00 +0000

NEBB’s donation will help ASHRAE’s research to further high performance HVAC&R technologies which result in improved standards and guidelines.

ASHRAE Golden Circle is made up of investors who contributed $10,000 or more to ASHRAE research. Golden Circle investors contributed more than 10% of the total amount of funds collected for research.

Mechanical Sales to Distribute Inpro/Seal Bearings and System Protection Products

Wed, 08 May 2013 16:00:00 +0000

Mechanical Sales will add shaft grounding solutions to their product portfolio of HVAC application support.

Inpro/Seal’s CDR increases reliability on motors and coupled equipment by protecting the bearings from harmful VFD -induced shaft currents.

Danfoss Supports New Energy-Efficiency Legislation from Senators Shaheen and Portman

Tue, 07 May 2013 13:58:00 +0000

The Shaheen-Portman legislation would increase the use of energy-efficiency technologies in the residential, commercial, and industrial sectors.

Danfoss, Baltimore, MD, recently issued a press release in support of The Energy Savings and Industrial Competitiveness Act of 2013, S.761. The bill was recently reintroduced by Senators Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) and Rob Portman (R-OH).

Survey Says: Design/Build!

Fri, 03 May 2013 14:28:00 +0000

by Terry McIver

More than 60% of contractors surveyed say they are successful in convincing customers that D/B is the way to go.

Our survey of mechanical HVAC contractors finds that the Design/Build method of HVAC project fulfillment is generally alive and well.

May 2013 ContractingBusiness.com

Fri, 03 May 2013 04:00:00 +0000

2013 National Commercial Refrigeration Contractor of the Year: Wright Brothers, Inc. is On a Mission to Serve Positive Online Reviews: An Essential Element of Success HVAC Pressure Controllers: A Big Switch Is Taking Place