• Much to See and Do at AHR Expo

    Jan. 20, 2011
    Survey respondents say they expect business to be better in 2011.

    The dates for 2011 AHR Expo – Jan. 20-Feb. 2 — are circled on many office calendars. How about yours? If you attend, you’ll be among an industry group that feels good about the near future. Respondents to an AHR Expo survey said their business so far in 2010 has been "much better" (9.%), "better" (57.2%) or the "same as last year" (26.3%). And, more than two-thirds of exhibitors say they expect 2011 to be “a better year.”

    So, refrigeration contractors, what are you waiting for? Take some well-deserved time off to visit this show, or assign one of your managers to make the trip. The combination of educational programs. and product exhibits in two massive halls will get you thinking about making 2011 a great year for you, too. And, if you’re someone who finds it to be difficult to reach product reps on the phone, this show is your chance to get more questions answered in a short amount of time.

    Here are some refrigerant-related products and services you’ll see at the AHR Expo:

    Bacharach (Booth C605) has released new Portable Gas Monitors available in two models, the Comfort Chek™500 and the IEQ Chek™ Series. http://www.bacharach-inc.com/

    DuPont’s (Booth N4904) main message for AHR Expo 2011 is the removal of R-22 refrigerant from the market, as further reductions in the R-22 supply were made Jan 1. Other topics DuPont will highlight for attendees this year include how DuPont ISCEON® MO99™ and the launch of the DuPont™ Opteon™ family of products. In addition, DuPont sources tell ContractingBusiness.com that the company is introducing a Brand Assurance Program designed to help combat both counterfeits and illegal imports of DuPont™ Freon® R-22. Stop by the booth to see the DuPont™ Izon® 3D hologram anti-counterfeit label. The Izon® label provides visual identification of material as genuine DuPont product. DuPont customers will begin to see the DuPont™ Izon® 3D hologram on R-22 DACs in the first quarter. For those who are unable to attend this year's show, we are offering a virtual tradeshow booth. The virtual booth will launch on refrigerants.dupont.com on January 31, the first day of the AHR Expo.

    RemTech (Booth N5722) has taken an innovative role in decreasing the emission of ozone-depleting and global warming substances, through the establishment of a comprehensive Halocarbon Bank Management Program. The RemTec Halocarbon Bank Management Program accepts “used” CFCs, HCFCs, HFCs and halons from clients for reclamation. Once tested and segregated according to the type of contamination, all refrigerants and halons are then cleaned to industry-accepted quality standards and certified through laboratory analysis. “As an aggregator, RemTec has the only Plasma Arc destruction facility in the U.S. that’s used for ozone-depleting substances,” says Patti Ellingson, director of wholesale distribution, in an interview with ContractingBusiness.com. “We’re promoting our program, working with other reclaimers in the industry, to destroy those substances, such as R11, R12, 114 and 115. Those are the four that currently have offsets available to them,” Ellingson says.” http://www.remtec.net/

    Ritchie Engineering (Booth C316) has a new AccuProbe UV leak detector. Use a heated sensor or UV technology (or both simultaneously) to detect HFC, HCFC, and CFC refrigerants, including SNAP-approved hydrocarbon blends. Additionally, the YELLOW JACKET® BULLET™ HVACR vacuum pump is a two-stage, rotary vane, oil-sealed 7 CFM pump with a wide mouth oil reservoir port for easier, cleaner filling; a large oil sight glass for easy monitoring of the oil level; a large brass oil drain for faster oil changes, and a wide-stance metal base with rubber overlay for extra stability. http://www.yellowjacket.com/

    Neutronics Inc. (Booth C1549) is showing the Ultima ID Pro HVACR refrigerant analyzer; it monitors two pressures, two live temperatures, subcooling and superheat, and liquid and vapor saturation temperatures for 84 refrigerants. It features a pressure/time chart that shows a short, detailed history of what's happened in the system, a data logging feature, and other built-in features. According to company sources, the thin film transistor display will make it easy to upgrade features in the future. refrigerantid.com

    Promax (C1318) Promax RG6000 refrigerant recovery machine Promax RG6000 refrigerant recovery machine is designed to withstand the rigors of daily use in extreme conditions. This refrigerant recovery machine features a self-purge manifold that makes it easy to prepare the machine for the next job. Large oversized pressure gauges are easy to read. An internal filter helps protect the machine from harmful foreign objects. http://www.tif.com/products/detail.php?id=9181

    USA Refrigerants (N3445) While the primary industry focus is on what to do with used R22, USA Refrigerants has initiated an R410A buyback program. “The program was started at the urging of contractors. They barraged us with phone calls about starting an R410A program,” says Mike Mulligan, vice president, marketing/sales. “By February and March we’ll start getting a lot of contractors involved.” Mulligan told ContractingBusiness.com that a USA Refrigerants national survey of contractors found that HVACR contractors are indeed recovering R410A, but are holding onto it. The company also has buyback programs for R22, R-11, R-12, R-22, R-113, R-123, and R-134a. http://www.usarefrigerants.com/RefrigerantBuyback.aspx

    Manchester’s Refrigerant Cylinder (C911) designs are available for recovery, reclaim, transport, recycle, and virgin gas. Reusable and refillable cylinders manufactured in sizes from 15# to 1,000# meeting DOT specifications and have working pressures from 260 to 400 PSI. To help cut your company’s inventory cost, Manchester’s 30, 50 and 100# cylinders include extra ¾” opening for future installation of automatic stop/fill liquid level switch. http://www.mantank.com/products/refrigerantcylinders.htm

    Full Listing of Refrigerant and Reclaim/Recovery Exhibitors:

    A-Gas Americas Inc. N4446
    AGRAMKOW North America N5830
    Airgas Refrigerants Inc. C1818
    Arkema Inc. C1719
    Articco, Inc. N4214
    Bacharach C605
    Calorie Fluor C170
    Comercializadora Ind. JFD SA de CV N4446
    ComStar International Inc. C168
    Coolgas, Inc. N5233
    DuPont Refrigerants N4904
    Dynatemp International, Inc. N4720
    Fenghua Refworld Refrigeration Industry Co., Ltd. N4322
    Galco-Climalife C755
    Hangzhou Maidi Heating and Refrigerating Equipment Co., Ltd. N4314
    HARP International Ltd. N5357
    Honeywell International; GENETRON Refrigerants N4930
    Hudson Technologies N3362
    ICOR International, Inc. C1081
    InoxCVA N5208
    Johnson Controls, Inc. N5058
    Long Term Elec. Co. LTD N4425
    National Refrigerants, Inc. C1950
    Promax C1318
    Quatrosense Environmental Ltd. N4447
    Refricenter International N5314
    Refrigerant Services Inc. C168
    RemTec International N5722
    Rizk Brothers Co. for Refrigeration Gas & Equipment N5660
    Yellow Jacket/Ritchie Engineering C316
    Robinair C1318
    Shandong Dongyue Chemical Co., Ltd. C2319
    Sinochem Ningbo Ltd. N3539
    Solvay Fluorides LLC C2357
    T.T. International Co., Ltd. C2211
    Tung Fung Industrial Manufactory (HK) Ltd. N5809
    USA Refrigerants N3445
    Yuhuan Langxun Brass Industry Co., Ltd. N4324
    Zhejiang Yonghe New Type Refrigerant Co., Ltd. N3138