Snips articles from April 2007

Snips archives from April 2007

Correction.(Correction notice)
April 1, 2007... In an advertisement on page 120 of the March issue, the name of Triangle Fastener Corp. was misspelled.

Building upon success: 2007 NAHB show reaches record in fourth year in Florida city.(National Association of Home Builders)(Conference notes)
April 1, 2007... ORLANDO, Fla. -- Now we know why the International Builders' Show is so tiring for attendees. The National Association of Home Builders, which hosts the annual event, describes it this way: "If you can imagine walking through every square foot...

Stretching pennies: necessities for assembling a sheet metal shop on a budget.
April 1, 2007... Virtually all heating and air-conditioning companies need HVAC ductwork and other sheet metal items made fast. Most need small-quantity sheet metal orders fabricated quickly and efficiently. Why is efficiency so important on small orders?...

'Tee' time: making a better fitting using manual methods.
April 1, 2007... There are a great many styles of "tee" fittings. The tee fitting allows you to branch out into different directions. They range from your most basic type, often found at the local wholesaler, to the more complex that require transitions or...

Code red: as states change standards, more roofing contractors consider using pre-made edges.
April 1, 2007... Death, taxes and more building codes. Such certainties ensure that a contractor's life is filled with challenges. But while many states are boosting building codes, they're also opening a door of opportunity for enterprising roofing contractors...

Lassoing them in: Dallas attracts plenty of industry professionals for 2007 AHR Expo.
April 1, 2007... DALLAS--It appears the AHR Expo's return to Dallas--the first time the city has hosted the show since 2000--roped in plenty of HVAC professionals. Show organizers say more than 47,000 people packed the city's main convention center for the Jan....

Energy systems help cool Cleveland zoo's 'rainforest'.(applications in the field)
April 1, 2007... The RainForest at Cleveland Metroparks Zoo contains 2 acres of plants and wildlife similar to those found in rainforests around the world. Each year, over 1 million visitors come to this 2-story, domed, simulated biosphere to experience...

More efficiency.(applications in the field)(Brief article)
April 1, 2007... Rather than being roof-mounted and exposed to the elements, as is commonly done with air-handling units, the ones serving the RainForest are built into the facility to maintain unit efficiency that would otherwise be lost in Cleveland's warm...

A solution.(applications in the field)
April 1, 2007... Since the use of a gearbox was the common approach when the heat wheels were installed, the issue wasn't initially seen as one of equipment selection, but viewed as a problem of application. Each heat wheel installation is custom-made and has...

Historic restaurant saves energy with new chillers.(applications in the field)
April 1, 2007... The Reata restaurant located in downtown Fort Worth, Texas, recently installed new centrifugal chillers, but the installation was not typical. The restaurant is located in the historic downtown district known as Sundance Square. Sundance...

Rheem sponsors NASCAR driver in Nextel Cup Series.(supplier news)
April 1, 2007... Rheem Manufaxturing Co. will sponsor a racer in this season's NASCAR Nextel Cup Series. The company has announced its sponsorship of the Richard Childress Racing No. 29 car for the 36-race season. The manufacturer said that its...

Klenk buys tool manufacturer.(supplier news)
April 1, 2007... Klenk Tools has purchased a Hood River, Ore.-based toolmaker. On Jan. 16, Everhard Products' Klenk division acquired Innovative Tools Inc. of Hood River, Ore. Terms of the sale were not disclosed. Innovative Tools was started in 1996...

Sanyo launches products division.(supplier news)(Brief article)
April 1, 2007... Sanyo HVAC recently introduced its new applied products division, which will focus on supporting the sales, training and service of Sanyo's ECO-i Variable Refrigerant Flow systems. Sanyo said it has staffed this division with specially...

Johnson Controls sends dealers to World Series.(contractor news)
April 1, 2007... Johnson Controls awarded three HVAC dealers with an all-expenses-paid trip to St. Louis and tickets to a 2006 World Series game. Mike Cassity of Four Seasons in Chicago, Tommy Croker of Arlington Heating & Air-Conditioning in Arlington,...

Group partners with A.O. Smith.(contractor news)(QSC Power Tool)(Brief article)
April 1, 2007... The Quality Serice Contractors announced that A.O. Smith has become the QSC Power Tool sponsor for 2007. As the QSC Power Tool sponsor, A.O. Smith will be supporting programs for QSC members. "QSC strives to help its members run their...

PHCC names new education chairman.(contractor news)
April 1, 2007... Francis A. "Fran" Williams was named chairman of the board for the Plumbing-Heating-Cooling Contractors Educational Foundation. Williams is president of F.A. Williams Inc. in Belmont, Mass. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Composed of...

Contractors hold first convention; distributors help student win science fair.(Turning back the pages)
April 1, 2007... As part of our continuing celebration of SNIPS' 75th anniversary, we are debuting a "new" department, Turning Back the Pages. Longtime readers may remember an occasional department with the same name when Edward Carter published the magazine. A...

Seminar to tackle dealing with customer stress issues.(meetings & conventions)
April 1, 2007... A seminar from the National Association of Oil Heating Service Managers will aim to help service personnel deal with stressed out customers. "Customer Service Stress: The Enemy Within Us" will be the title of a free seminar offered May 23...

Lochinvar launches 2007 training programs.(meetings & conventions)
April 1, 2007... Lochinvar Corp.'s annual Lochinvar University program got under way in February and will continue through October. This annual education program offers information on boiler applications, water heater sizing and applications, and...

ASHRAE partners with European trade associations.(meetings & conventions)(Federation of European Heating and Air-Conditioning Associations)(Brief article)
April 1, 2007... ASHRAE and the Federation of European Heating and Air-Conditioning Associations have signed a memorandum of understanding calling for increased cooperation between the two associations. The memorandum was signed at the American Society of...

Larson Co. names president and chief operating officer.(people in the news)
April 1, 2007... Scott K. Larson has been named president and chief operating officer of the Gustave A. Larson Co. Scott Larson was named executive vice president and COO in 2005. At that time, he took over most of the daily operations. He will now direct...

Duro Dyne Corp.(people in the news)(Patrick Rossetto promoted)(Brief article)
April 1, 2007... Duro Dyne Corp. promoted Patrick Rossetto to the position of vice president of sales. Rossetto will be responsible for the in-house management of all aspects of sales and sales administration for Duro Dyne, along with the management of its...

Moisture Control Services.(people in the news)
April 1, 2007... Russell Spotten has been appointed as national sales manager of surface preparation and coating applications for Moisture Control Services, a division of Munters AB. Spotten will be responsible for expanding Munters' service offerings to...

Dynamic Air Quality Solutions.(people in the news)
April 1, 2007... Kyle Finch has joined Dynamic Air Quality Solutions as the south-central regional manager for its residential indoor air quality products. With over 10 years of experience in the HVAC industry, Finch most recently served as district sales...

Armacell Insulation Products.(people in the news)(Brief article)
April 1, 2007... Kartik Patel was named general manager for Armacell Insulation Products after serving as national sales manager for the past year. Prior to his sales management position, he was the Armacell technical manager, providing technical support to...

J.F. Ahern Co.(people in the news)(Wisconsin Designer of Engineering Systems license)(Brief article)
April 1, 2007... John Yacukowicz, HVAC sales development and project manager for J. F. Ahern Co., has satisfied the requirements needed to obtain his Wisconsin Designer of Engineering Systems license. Yacukowicz submitted documentation to the state that...

Medical emergency puts life, work in proper focus.(contractor cents)
April 1, 2007... At 4:45 a.m. Dec. 15, my world, as I knew it, stopped. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] My husband woke me up and told me that I had to take him to the hospital. He had chest pains that wouldn't go away. A few days later--the Wednesday...

ASHRAE to study air quality on planes.(indoor air quality)
April 1, 2007... More than 600 million passengers fly U.S. airlines each year, with thousands of crew members spending much of their working time in densely packed airliner cabins. So what does this mean for the indoor air quality on a commercial plane?...

Canada proposes guidelines on mold in indoor spaces.(indoor air quality)
April 1, 2007... Health Canada is proposing guidelines for controlling mold in residential buildings. The guidelines were recently published in the Canada Gazette, and include information on the physical and chemical properties of mold, causes of mold...

Web broadcast to focus on budgets, air quality.(indoor air quality)
April 1, 2007... Tips on balancing budgets and good IAQ will be presented by ASHRAE in an upcoming satellite broadcast. "Indoor Environmental Design: Practical Solutions to Everyday Problems," is sponsored by the American Society of Heating Refrigerating...

10 schools win Fluke instruments.(indoor air quality)
April 1, 2007... Ten educational institutions in Canada and the United States were the recipients of Fluke Corp. air quality test instruments through the company's new grant program. Each winning school was presented with a pair of Fluke 975 AirMeter...

Manufacturing technology up over last year.(wholesaler news)
April 1, 2007... December U.S. manufacturing technology consumption totaled $321.35 million, the Association for Manufacturing Technology and the American Machine Tool Distributors' Association said. This total was down 6.9 percent from November and down...

Spectronics Corp. honors sales representatives.(wholesaler news)
April 1, 2007... Spectronics Corp. presented awards to four of its key sales representatives at the 2007 AHR Expo Jan. 28-31 in Dallas. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The awards recognized an outstanding 2006 sales season in the HVACR market, Spectronics said....

Johnson Controls awards systems.(wholesaler news)
April 1, 2007... Several Johnson Controls customers and distributors were awarded home-theater systems through the manufacturer's Ultimate Movie Night contest. Seven regional grand-prize winners were awarded a $5,000 home-theater system. Seven second-prize...

Air conditioning, heat pump shipments down.(wholesaler news)
April 1, 2007... Combined U.S. factory shipments of central air conditioners and air-source heat pumps for December totaled 393,665, down 33 percent compared with shipments from the same month last year, ARI said. The Air-Conditioning and Refrigeration...

The Sheet Metal and Air Conditioning Contractors' National Association-Arizona chapter elected Kathy Kingsland as board president.(ARIZONA)
April 1, 2007... The Sheet Metal and Air Conditioning Contractors' National Association-Arizona chapter elected Kathy Kingsland as board president. Kingsland, of Kinetics, will serve a one-year term as president. John Sapien of Bel-Aire Mechanical Inc. was...

The California chapter of the Sheet Metal and Air-Conditioning Contractors' National Association testified Jan. 24 to speed up the release of $500 million for career and technical education facilities in the state's public high schools.(CALIFORNIA)
April 1, 2007... The California chapter of the Sheet Metal and Air-Conditioning Contractors' National Association testified Jan. 24 to speed up the release of $500 million for career and technical education facilities in the state's public high schools. ...

Indiana Supply Corp.(INDIANA)(distribution agreement )(Brief article)
April 1, 2007... Indiana Supply Corp. entered into an exclusive distribution agreement with York Unitary Products Group. The agreement makes the Indianapolis-based company the distributor for the full line of York heating and air-conditioning products in...

Michigan Air Products.(MICHIGAN)
April 1, 2007... Troy, Mich.-based Michigan Air Products was named Manufacturer's Representative of the Year by DuctSox. The award was presented Jan. 28 at the 2007 AHR Expo in Dallas. "Reaching their 100 percent sales quota is considered, but more...

Meier Supply Co. Inc.(NEW YORK)(Meier Supply Co. Inc)(Brief article)
April 1, 2007... Meier Supply Co. Inc. in Johnson City, N.Y., was recognized as one of central New York's 50 fastest growing companies. The company was ranked No. 20 with a growth rate of 9.21 percent, as judged by the criteria set by Fast Track 50 and audited...

The Mechanical Contractors Association of Cleveland recently pledged $25,000 to the Mechanical Contracting Education and Research Fund.(OHIO)
April 1, 2007... The Mechanical Contractors Association of Cleveland recently pledged $25,000 to the Mechanical Contracting Education and Research Fund. The Cleveland association also pledged $1,000 to the foundation as a sustaining member. "Support from...

OSHA guide.(books, software & lit)
April 1, 2007... The Arc Welding Safety CD features industry and product news, including information on OSHA standards. The standards include the Occupational Safety and Health Administration's Hexavalent Chromium Standards and Small Entity Compliance for...

Vehicle software.(books, software & lit)
April 1, 2007... This company has released a new 2.0 version of its Weather Guard Vehicle Solutions software. New van models have been added to the software, including the following minivans: Chevrolet Uplander, Ford Freestar and Dodge Caravan Cargo. In...

DVD training.(books, software & lit)
April 1, 2007... The Quality Service Contractors has introduced the Service Fitness DVD training series. The program is provided through contributions from sponsor Grundfos Pumps. The educational DVD features industry educator Kevin Dougherty and was developed...

Inspection tool.(new products)
April 1, 2007... This 1-inch digital, color camera with 7-inch LCD monitor allows technicians to provide customers with free video inspections of their ductwork. According to the manufacturer, the i2CAM marketing video inspection system sells the job and helps...

Electric compressor.(new products)
April 1, 2007... The new Super Air 1.5-horsepower electric compressor is a portable air compressor designed for smaller duct-cleaning projects like apartments, condos, marine, residential and small-commercial projects. The compressor features a 1.5-hp motor and...

Clamp duct.(new products)
April 1, 2007... This expanded line of clamp-together duct now comes with free 3-D design software. Assembled with the lifetime-guaranteed Forever Clamp, the duct is available in galvanized or stainless steel in 1-inch diameter increments from 3 inches to 24...

Nut driver.(new products)
April 1, 2007... Improvements have been made to this industrial magnetic nut driver called the Jiffy Chuck. The company explained that the manufacturing process for the tool has been upgraded to meet ISO: 9000 quality standards. This upgrade provides a new...

Press brake.(new products)
April 1, 2007... This new high-speed Maxform hydraulic press includes a linear-motor drive-back-gauge as an option. The six-axis back-gauge uses linear motor drive to deliver re-positioning speeds of 3,000 inches per minute in X (in/out) and Z (left/right)...

Brackets.(new products)
April 1, 2007... This company's Basset Tab Bracket is now available with preloaded quarter-inch hex head screws. The company reports that this enhancement to the existing product will allow installers to mount the bracket to OSB "I" beam floor joists without...

Calendar of events.(Calendar)
April 1, 2007... APRIL 2-3 The University of Wisconsin-Madison's Department of Engineering Professional Development will present a short course called "Building Mechanical Systems: A Practical Course for Project Managers and Project Engineers Covering...

Wholesalers & Mfr. Reps. Directory.(Directory)
April 1, 2007... The following is a paid directory of distributors, wholesalers and manufacturers representatives, listed by state. To have your company included in this list, please call Sally Fraser at 248-244-6240. We urge our readers to contact these...

Readers continue to send letters on Nick Carter, magazine's 75th anniversary.(editor's page)(Editorial)(Brief article)
April 1, 2007... I'm still recovering from working on our huge 75th anniversary issue last month. The 172-page publication meant a lot of writing for associate editor James J. Siegel and me. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] It was also a lot of work for the rest...

Helped create company's first ad.(Letters)(Letter to the editor)
April 1, 2007... My father, Mark Keymer, founder of Malco Products Inc., was fond of telling how he first met Nick Carter in the early 1950s. Mark had invented a few sheet metal tools and was manufacturing them part-time in the basement of his home. Nick...

Thanks for remembering us.(Letters)(Letter to the editor)
April 1, 2007... On behalf of the Carter family, I would like to thank the people at BNP Media for the time and space you devoted to my father and grandfather in the anniversary issue. The sheet metal industry was an important part of the Carter family's...

Misses 'telephone buddy'.(Letters)(Letter to the editor)
April 1, 2007... I would like to add a few lines about Nick Carter, the former editor-publisher of SNIPS. Nick and me were telephone buddies from 1997-2005. He told me that his passion was a game of bridge, and he kept regular players on tap to keep the...