HVAC News, May 2022

Webstone®, a brand of NIBCO, announces new patent-pending Dielectric Water Heater Supply Valves™ (DWHSV). These Pro-Pal® step-saving valves simplify the installation and service of any water heater, combining a dielectric union, a ball valve, and a ½” FIP vacuum relief valve port into a single forged dezincification resistant brass body. For areas where an expansion tank is also required, the Dielectric Water Heater Supply Valve with Expansion Tank Service (DWHSV-X) i...

As the year progressed, Pure Air Control continued to cover many IAQ-related topics. It stressed the importance of testing and monitoring in the ongoing fight against the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus. It discussed the concept of self-healing buildings, which includes several building remediation methods and technologies. Over the summer it addressed the six pillars of creating healthy buildings and looked at a Harvard study on IAQ and cognitive performance. Creating Healthy Buildings As Pur...

EffectiV HVAC reinforces its position as a pioneer in IAQ innovation as the company announces its 3-in-1 solution has been verified by industry-recognized expert Innovative Bioanalysis as an effective solution in containing the spread of COVID-19 after being tested against the virus.  Typically installed in the ceiling and designed to treat air before it enters the room, EffectiV HVAC’s UV diffusers use the latest cutting-edge technology by combining low-pressure drop MERV-9 filtrati...

Many users breathed a collective sigh of relief as 2021 began even as users remained cautious about the future. However, 2021 brought new challenges with COVID-19 including new variants of the SARS-CoV-2 virus Other indoor air quality concerns resulted from buildings left empty during shutdowns. That included the growth of mold and bacteria like Legionella. Aging infrastructure and mechanical systems in schools also concerned many Americans in 2021 and we provided advice to administrators on ho...

Indoor air quality is critical to the health and safety of building occupants. The threat of airborne viruses, like SARS-CoV-2 that causes COVID-19, only highlights the need for proper IAQ. The path towards creating a safe indoor environment involves inspection and testing. However, not all commercial IAQ testing companies are equal. Many of these IAQ testing companies in Massachusetts outsource their field crews. It is far better to use a company that employs its field technicians. Better stil...

Dynamic food retail market trends are driving changes in commercial refrigeration design strategies. Over the past decade, retailers have expanded their store portfolios to include smaller-footprint grocery stores targeted to serve growing urban markets. However, traditional centralized rack refrigeration systems simply aren’t always the most optimal choice for these smaller formats. Many operators are exploring distributed refrigeration strategies that leverage the merchandising flexibil...

For business owners and facility managers, the comfort and safety of building occupants are top priorities. That means ensuring proper indoor air quality. Improving IAQ requires the use of energy and materials, however. In many cases, this creates a linear economy where system components are replaced as they degrade. This results in unnecessary waste and increased carbon emissions. One way to break out of the linear economy and into an HVAC circular economy is through repair and restoration ins...

RectorSeal®, Houston, a manufacturer of quality HVAC/R and plumbing tools and accessories, and a wholly-owned subsidiary of CSW Industrials, Inc. has introduced Draft-Block™ Orange, a fire blocking expanding polyurethane foam sealant for use by trade professionals across North America. Applications of Draft-Block™ Orange Designed for Type V residential construction, Draft-Block Orange is an excellent filler that expands up to three times to fill, bond, and insulate a wide assor...

COVID-19 has caused major disruptions in the lives of millions of people across the US and the world. As the pandemic gets under control users are dealing with the ripple effects of the virus. A shortage of raw materials, copper and steel in particular, as well as a shortage of semiconductors, create headaches for HVAC contractors. COVID is not the only cause of shortages. Other factors include high tariffs on imports from China, high summer demand, a shortage of drivers, rising ocean freight r...

The COVID-19 pandemic revealed many weaknesses in school buildings across the country. According to a recent report from the American Society of Civil Engineers, 53 percent of the public schools in the United States have building systems in need of replacement or upgrades. Forty-one percent of these schools report problems with their HVAC system. Half of those schools report systems that are either in poor or fair condition. Until these issues are addressed, students and staff remain at risk. W...

Johnson Controls-Hitachi announced the addition of five regional companies to its roster of North American distributors for the Hitachi Variable Refrigerant Flow (VRF) systems and SmartFlexTM Mini-Split systems. New Distributors The new distributors strengthen the North American distribution footprint for these popular Johnson Controls-Hitachi products. The new distributors are: Johnstone Supply of Waltham, Massachusetts, serving Massachusetts, and New Hampshire. Engineered Building Syste...

The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and its variants put indoor air quality in the spotlight. However, facilities managers have long known about the importance of proper ventilation to the health and wellbeing of building occupants. For K-12 facilities, and college and university classrooms too, fixing school IAQ should be a top priority. Fixing School IAQ When high temperatures and humidity combine in the indoor environment, air quality worsens. Mold forms and dust, VOCs, bacteria, and other pathog...

Few would argue against the need for improving test scores in schoolchildren. It would also be beneficial to know what impact indoor air pollution has on students. However, no one would recommend testing the effects of air pollution on children directly.  That said, one such experiment, conducted by accident in California several years ago, provides a takeaway that’s hard to ignore. The result of this unplanned experiment found IAQ benefits to schools in the form of hi...

On September 23, 2021, the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued a final rule establishing a comprehensive program to cap and phase down the production and consumption of climate-damaging hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) in the United States. HFCs are potent greenhouse gases commonly used in refrigeration and air conditioning equipment, as well as foams and many other applications. A global phasedown of HFCs is expected to avoid up to 0.5 °C of global warming by 2100. This fin...

NIBCO INC. introduces its Wrot Racer® push fittings, a new line of premium copper push fittings that are engineered to join copper, CPVC-CTS, PEX, and PE-RT (with stiffeners) for easy transition between piping systems. With a patented fitting design, installations are easily made within seconds. Wrot Racer push fittings are manufactured in the U.S. of 99.9 percent pure wrot copper. Naturally, lead-free, the fittings feature antimicrobial properties and zero dezincification, providing for sa...

A machine works at its best, when it is running at most of its potential. It all boils down to its efficiency, reliability, and service. Typically, people tend to forgo the factors that help it functional hassle-freely. The maintenance factors are conducive to any system’s successful and lifelong functioning. Commercial Refrigeration Similarly, a commercial refrigeration system needs regular maintenance, in order to check premature system failure. Fortunately, the process is relatively q...

Of the many benefits of improved building ventilation and filtration, cognitive functioning is among them. This is the finding of the COGfx Study 3: Global Buildings conducted by the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Global Health. The school’s research on how IAQ affects occupants’ cognitive performance spans a decade. The most recent study found that green buildings lead to the higher cognitive performance of occupants. The test, conducted on 302 office workers in the US, UK,...

RectorSeal®, Houston, a manufacturer of quality HVAC/R and plumbing tools and accessories and a wholly-owned subsidiary of CSW Industrials, Inc., adds a new and improved 13-inch Big Foot® H-Frame kit to the company's expansive line of HVAC products. Big Foot 13-inch H-Frame kit The Big Foot 13-inch H-Frame kit is designed for ideal rooftop support of ancillary equipment, including ducts, pipes, and cable trays. Available in three sizes, Small, Large, and Mega, Big Foot H-Frame kits are...

A survey ordered by Vaisala, a measurement technology company, shows that people would feel safer with more data on Indoor Air Quality (IAQ). The survey, which included over 4,000 respondents in the USA, France, Germany, and Finland, was conducted in the summer of 2021, studying people’s concerns regarding indoor air during the COVID-19 pandemic. More than one-third of the respondents are concerned about the indoor air quality in their place of work, and more than half said that concerns...

When the COVID-19 pandemic in the U.S. in early 2020, forced schools across the country to shut down including K-12 classrooms as well as colleges and universities. As students adapted to virtual classrooms, schools developed plans for reopening once it was safe to do so. With new variants of the SARS-CoV-2 virus emerging, schools must again develop and put in place higher education IAQ strategies to keep students as well as faculty safe. Prepare for the Future Even as more people get vaccina...

RectorSeal®, Houston, a manufacturer of quality HVAC/R and plumbing tools and accessories, and a wholly-owned subsidiary of CSW Industrials, Inc., announced that the company is now a master distributor of Dust Free® indoor air quality products. Dust Free of Royse City, Texas, is one of the indoor air quality manufacturers serving the HVAC marketplace. RectorSeal customers will have access to a full line of indoor air quality products, including air filters, UV purification systems, whol...

The COVID-19 pandemic closed K-12 schools across the United States of America (USA). Students and teachers, as well as parents, had to adapt to remote learning. Educators did the best they could with the resources available, but there is no substitute for in-person learning. The COVID-19 pandemic is not over, however, schools have reopened. Some schools enforce social distancing and mask-wearing mandates. They have also increased cleaning and disinfecting efforts, and are making improvements to...

Air Conditioning Contractors of America (ACCA) launched its newest awards program, ACCA’s Marketing Masters Awards, sponsored by RYNO Strategic Solutions. The ACCA Marketing Masters Awards honor and recognize the best marketing programs developed and implemented by heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) contractors. Award categories The awards are broken into five categories: Traditional Media – Print Traditional Media – TV or Radio Connections through Social...

Many factors influence parents’ decisions about where to send their children to college. Concern about the quality of education and its cost weigh on their minds, but health and safety do as well. In fact, according to a recent survey conducted by real estate services company JLL, college air quality is one of the top three factors parents consider in their college selection. The pandemic hit higher education hard. The risks of in-class learning remain a concern, especially with the emerg...

Facilities managers may wonder how building occupants feel about the indoor environments where they spend most of their time. They may be interested to know that a majority of occupants may not feel their buildings have safe air quality. At least that was the findings of a recent survey conducted by the consulting agency Savanta.  Safe Air Quality Survey Results The survey included 1,165 participants ages 18 and over from Canada and the United States. Survey respondents spend time in...

In June 2021, Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA) conducted a review of the latest COVID-19 science, data, and guidance. After consulting with the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention), OSHA issued an emergency temporary standard (ETS) for employers, working in healthcare and healthcare support services. However, despite the name ‘COVID-19 Healthcare ETS’, the rule applies to any organization that provides first aid services. This could include schools...

Tillamook County Creamery Association, a farmer-owned cooperative based in Tillamook, Oregon, USA, has been providing high quality dairy products for more than a century. Tillamook produces internationally recognized, award-winning cheese, as well as exceptional ice cream, butter, cream cheese spreads, yogurt and sour cream. Certified B Corporation (B Corp) Tillamook County Creamery Association is recognized as a Certified B Corporation (B Corp), which means it meets the highest standards of s...

RectorSeal®, Houston, a manufacturer of quality HVAC/R and plumbing tools and accessories and a wholly-owned subsidiary of CSW Industrials, Inc., is a master distributor of GulfCoat™ Circuit Shield™ conformal spray coatings. Circuit Shield coatings When properly applied, Circuit Shield coatings provide a clear, micro-thin acrylic coating that protects surfaces from the harmful effects of corrosion caused by environmental forces such as salty ocean air. Further, it helps to miti...

RectorSeal®, Houston, a manufacturer of quality HVAC/R and plumbing tools and accessories, and a wholly-owned subsidiary of CSW Industrials, Inc. is also a master distributor of Drain Guard™ HVAC condensate drain guard products. A significant nuisance and the source of many callbacks to HVAC installations, white slime, algae, fungus, and bacteria co-mingle and can cause failures in condensate drain lines. drain protection The unit's transparent design allows for a quick view to ensu...

RectorSeal®, Houston, a manufacturer of quality HVAC/R and plumbing tools and accessories and a wholly-owned subsidiary of CSW Industrials, Inc., introduces two new products to the RSH® Series of Surge Protection Devices (SPD) and Voltage Range Monitoring (VRM) kits.  RectorSeal RSH Series devices protect HVAC equipment from electrical surges, brownouts, and other voltage disturbances resulting from transient over-voltage and natural-cause surges. The RSH series is a preferred choi...