Refrigerant Leak Detection
All pressurized HVACR systems can eventually leak refrigerant. Therefore, it's the responsibility of the HVACR technician to monitor systems regularly...
Staying in Touch
Make this a very early New Year's resolution: to explore remote monitoring for use with HVACR systems. Quick and easy off-site access to system performance...
Refrigeration Service Today
Nitrogen Purge Kit Performs Many Key Functions The Nitrogen Purge Kit from TurboTorch, St. Louis, MO, is described as the ideal kit for HVAC and refrigeration...
How to Catch Fall IAQ Opportunities
The fall season lacks the extreme temperatures that keep HVAC services in high demand. We’re required to focus on new ways to generate business. Let’s take a look at several points that we can use in our marketing and daily conversations with our customers to benefit both of us. ...
CO Puts Contractors in a Tight Spot
One of the biggest threats to the HVAC contractor is one that is seldom given the attention that it deserves -- carbon monoxide. Unlike other challenges faced by contractors and their technicians, inattention to possible CO problems can lead to illness and death for their customers and put contractors and technicians at risk. ...
When It’s Time to Replace a Duct
Less than 60% of U.S. HVAC contractors think that their customer’s comfort problems can be solved by simply changing equipment. When the new equipment is up and running, and the same comfort problem still lingers, it may be time to replace a duct or two. Let’s take a look at the steps involved in this simple maneuver....
Heat Pump Mysteries
I smelled fall in the air yesterday morning for the first time. The cold is on its way. Let’s take a few minutes and consider heat pump capacity and take a look at how heat pumps will act on those colder mornings this winter. Did you know in some parts of the country, there are days when a three-ton heat pump will deliver less than 12,000 BTU?...
Golden Opportunity
If you've been in the HVAC industry very long, you know that there have been many changes since the 1980s. And while success or failure has never been...
The Fall, 2009 Classes are Set for Charlie Greer's 4-Day Sales Survival Schools!
• Are you worried about the economic climate? • Are you or your employees having trouble getting your prospects to make a buying decision? • Do you want to have a higher average dollar amount per sale? • Do you want to sell more service agreements and high-end products? • Are you having difficulty overcoming the "price objection?" ...
Customer newsletters – Just how critical are they?
Here is the truth: After your service department, newsletters can become your the No. 1 source of sales leads. They will outstrip direct mail campaigns. They will annihilate yellow page advertising. They will beat radio advertising too. The ROI on newsletters can be absolutely outstanding. Not to mention their value as a brand building vehicle and an excellent mechanism for retaining your existing customers. But it’s also true that a lot of newsletters can’t, and never will, deliver business for contractors. ...
Staying Positive in a Negative World, part 12
46. Forgive Yourself. We all screw up from time to time. Unfortunately, we can’t go back in time and unscrew up. We can’t change the mistake. All you can do is learn from it. You should learn from your mistakes. As George Santayana said, “those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” ...
Verification Is Imminent
After over 30 years of government and utility HVAC energy savings programs, the winds of change are finally beginning to blow. In appears that very soon more of our installations will require verification of performance by a third party. In the halls of state energy leadership groups the phrase “enough is enough” is echoing. We’re in for a change, boys and girls and we’re not yet sure what’s on the horizon and how it may impact our businesses....
Questions About SEER
A question I hear often is how much more efficient is 18 SEER efficiency rated equipment compared to 14 SEER equipment? The answer shocks most contractors. Let’s take a look at efficiency beyond the SEER rating....
SERVICE TIP: Superheat Q&A
Q: What is superheat? Superheat refers to the number of degrees a vapor is above its saturation temperature (boiling point) at a particular pressure....
Commercial Boiler Tuning for the 21st Century
What might your customers' expectations be of a commercial boiler servicing? With fuel cost on the rise again, it may be to improve or ensure the boiler's...
Trusted Sidekicks: Good Vendors are Easy to Find
BOSS Facility Services doesn't self-perform; we serve our clients by enlisting the help of numerous vendors across the country. It can be a challenge...
Leaping Tall Buildings
Be a commercial HVAC hero. Expand on your ability to manage multiple locations with super service on a moment's notice. Speed, communication, and resourcefulness will help you save the day....
Staying Positive in a Negative World, part 10
36. Write It Down. A contractor I know said he came across an old goal he had written down before he started his business. The goal was to be the highest paid employee at his company and worth every penny. He said he achieved this goal and now was trying to figure out the best way to craft a similar goal for his business. Though his company is profitable, the profitability is recent. The contractor wonders if the lack of a goal has impeded his success. It probably has....
From The Ground Up, Part 2: Early Trials, Tribulations...and Successes
Air Genie has been open for business for 16 months. The part of the county in which I am located has had the highest foreclosure rate and the highest unemployment rate in the U.S. most of those 16 months. ...
How to Measure Real Duct Leakage
If a plumber installs a leaky piping system, they’re in trouble. Houses explode from gas pipe leaks and ceilings cave in from leaking water pipes. However, when we install pipe and ducts for air, we get away with leakage all the time. The question isn’t if duct systems leak, but how much do they leak? Wouldn’t it be great to really know the answer?...
How to Stay Positive in a Negative World, Part 9
31. Practice Like You Play. Every athlete has heard the refrain, “Practice like you play. Play like you practice.” Top performers practice. ...
Coil Cleaning: Sell it, or Systems Die!
Many technicians make the mistake of quoting cleaning customers' coils as an option. That's why they get a lot of turn-downs. But there's more at stake...
How to Stay Positive in a Negative World, Part 8
This is the eighth in a series of articles by Matt Michel about how to stay positive when we’re surrounded by bad news and negativity. ...
What Is Your Company’s Identity?
Each of us holds an idea of what our company represents, or its identity. All companies have an identity. Let’s take a look at what has formed this identity and what actions you take that improve or damage the personality of your company....
Refreshing Your Brand, Part 2: Working Your Brand From the Inside Out
It’s an unfortunate reality of our industry that many of our customers think, “HVAC companies are all the same.” Taking that one step further, they think, “If all HVAC companies are the same, then I may as well buy from the company with the lowest price.” It’s a sad thought process, but it’s not their fault. It’s ours. ...
