Air Conditioning, Heating & Refrigeration News articles from December 1990

Air Conditioning, Heating & Refrigeration News archives from December 1990

Contractors: price your service work to make the profit you need to survive. (Mechanical Service Contractors of America's convention)
December 3, 1990... Contractors: Price your service work to make the profit you need to survive PHOENIX -- "The number one reason businesses fail is poor paperwork," according to consultant Thomas Grandy, of Grandy & Associates. "It can take two to four years...

Prefabricating jobs in-house helps contractor save on costs. (Kilgust Mechanical)
December 3, 1990... `Very little waste' Prefabricating jobs in-house helps contractor save on costs MONONA, Wis. -- Last spring, it was obvious that Kilgust Mechanical was going to be extremely busy over the summer. Among its projects, it had to complete...

Multi-use structure opts for Trane. (Bill J. Priest Institute for Economic Development uses Integrated Comfort system from Trane Co.)
December 3, 1990... Multi-use structure opts for Trane DALLAS -- The Bill J. Priest Institute for Economic Development in Dallas houses five unique and separate entities, each with its own comfort requirements. Robert W. Pharr, district energy resources...

Toolbox talk: the hand-held gas detector. (TIF Instruments Inc.'s Model TIF 8800A battery-powered detector)
December 3, 1990... Toolbox talk: The hand-held gas detector The field of detecting harmful gases and vapors in the air is large and growing almost daily, as more substances become suspect health hazards. In this article we will discuss one type of gas detector,...

Taming the computerization beast: an overview for hvacr contractors. (Customer Profile Access)
December 3, 1990... Taming the computerization beast: An overview for hvacr contractors Most profit-oriented contractors are learning that a software package specifically designed for their business can make a sizeable contribution to the bottom line. With...

Atlas Electric finds better profits in retrofit and service work. (Atlas Electric Company Inc.)
December 3, 1990... Atlas Electric finds better profits in retrofit and service work NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C. -- "Eight years ago, we decided the changeout business was where the future would be," says Gorden Timmons, president of Atlas Electric Co., Inc. He...

Piece together the quality improvement puzzle. (trends for contractors)
December 3, 1990... Trends for contractors Piece together the quality improvement puzzle CONTRACTORS who aggressively pursue quality improvement will be following a prescription for survival in the 90s. Buyers of construction services are requiring...

Why you need a policy against moonlighting. (column)
December 3, 1990... Why you need a policy against moonlighting Moonlighting is an activity in which an employee of a company performs the same type of work for which he has been hired during "after-hours" periods or on weekends and without the sanction or...

How the grinch-tech stole Christmas. (contractors describe their experiences working on Christmas Day)
December 10, 1990... How the grinch-tech stole Christmas I am the service manager for a small, 11-person shop. To determine which service technician is on call for the six major holidays, we put all the holidays in a hat and each man draws his own destiny. As...

Dial One contractors ask court to return firm to California.
December 10, 1990... Dial One contractors ask court to return firm to California LOS ANGELES - Two west coast Dial One participants are going to court to return the company to its original California base, following the bankruptcy of its owner. Ohio businessman...

Industry engineer examines govt energy conservation policy. (excerpt from Douglas A. Decker's speech at energy conservation forum held in Washington) (transcript)
December 10, 1990... Industry engineer examines govt energy conservation policy "The federal government's program to conserve energy is in disarray. In spite of legislative and executive guidance, a comprehensive, aggressive energy conservation program for the...

Vapor suppression foams help control ammonia spills. (refrigeration plants)
December 10, 1990... Vapor suppression foams help control ammonia spills Anywhere that anhydrous ammonia is stored or used, there is the potential for a spill. While the amount of ammonia stored in a typical refrigeration plant is miniscule compared to that...

Contractors: secrets to selling residential replacements. (part 2) (column)
December 10, 1990... Contractors: Secrets to selling residential replacements The secret is to process the information you collected from the customer and the site survey. Now present the benefits you've determined the customer wants and needs. Add extra...

Tecumseh readies 'Quadro-Flex,' scroll entries. (Tecumseh Products Co.'s reciprocating compressor for commercial rooftop units)
December 10, 1990... Tecumseh readies `Quadro-Flex,' scroll entries TECUMSEH, Mich. - Responding to the accelerating demand for new technology to resolve the efficiency and ozone depletion needs of original equipment manufacturers, Tecumseh Products Co. is on the...

Japan's challenge to scroll compressor technology lead.
December 10, 1990... Japan's challenge to scroll compressor technology lead BELLEVUE, Wash. - The early commercialization of scroll technology by Japanese conglomerates isn't a reflection of the U.S. air conditioning industry's lack of research and development...

Illinois contractor specializes in big ventilation systems. (Venture Environmental Systems Inc.)
December 10, 1990... Illinois contractor specializes in big ventilation systems ROCKFORD, Ill. - Northern Illinois' economic climate is the worst that Leonard Lotz can remember. Still, he feels secure about the future of his company, Venture Environmental...

Service techs should diagnose failures in the field. (when compressors go bad)
December 10, 1990... Service techs should diagnose failures in the field FRANKENMUTH, Mich. - Service technicians: Don't be afraid to open up a compressor that's gone "bad" in the field, says Dick Snyder, refrigeration training specialist for Young Supply Co., at...

A banker's response to financial distress. (column)
December 10, 1990... A banker's response to financial distress Few businesses grow and prosper without encountering financial problems along the way. A cash flow problem may develop when customers pay more slowly than expected, when major trade creditors respond...

Insulation study shows 1989 Energy Code lowers heating-cooling costs by 25%.
December 10, 1990... Insulation study shows 1989 Energy Code lowers heating-cooling costs by 25% WASHINGTON - If customers ask what they can do to lower their home heating costs - and they already own energy-efficient equipment, with ductwork in good operation -...

Even higher increases due in 1991 for employee insurance coverages.
December 17, 1990... Even higher increases due in 1991 for employee insurance coverages An insurance consultant told hvacr business owners that they could expect annual increases of 18% to 24% in employee health insurance. Increases in general property and...

Wholesaler never closed for key Ocala customers. (Tempaco Inc.)
December 17, 1990... Wholesaler never closed for key Ocala customers OCALA, Fla. -- Tempaco trusts its customers enough to give them the keys to its store. Tempaco, Inc., a 44-year-old, Orlando-based controls and process systems wholesaler, opened its first...

Learn the basics of humidification. (includes glossary of humidity terms) (part 2)
December 17, 1990... Learn the basics of humidification Sizing a humidifier In order for a humidifier to properly service a given area, there are several factors which must be considered: 1. Area, in cubic feet, to be humidified. (Don't forget heated...

Washington state is super 'market' for upgrading heating-cooling systems.
December 17, 1990... Washington state is super `market' for upgrading heating-cooling systems LOS ANGELES -- Thanks to three years of intensive cultivation, the Washington state market has blossomed for high-quality residential home comfort systems. This...

No drugs in the workplace?
December 17, 1990... No drugs in the workplace? A recent study of more than 1,000 companies indicated that 94% reported dealing with cases of substance abuse. Of the 650,000 people who called a cocaine hotline, 75% admitted that they used cocaine on the job, and...

Hunt out 'lazy' money to increase your profits. (heating and ventilation equipment stores)
December 17, 1990... Hunt out `lazy' money to increase your profits Many owners of hvacr supply stores have lazy money -- money which is not contributing to the profitable operation of their businesses. You may find this money hiding in your business, once...

Contractors discuss benefits, hazards of design/build market. (heating and ventilation equipment)
December 17, 1990... Contractors discuss benefits, hazards of design/build market KANSAS CITY -- Contractors who want to tap the design-build market were warned: You must be willing to take full responsibility for the building's hvac system's performance. ...

Design/build capability creates better opportunity for contractors. (heating and ventilation equipment)
December 17, 1990... Design/build capability creates better opportunity for contractors ST. LOUIS -- "Our company made the switch to design/build to help the bottom line," says contractor James J. Murphy, a director of the Mechanical Contractors Association of...

Optimism, few answers, mark international CFC meeting. (includes related information on Clean Air Act and refrigerant recovery device) (1990 International Conference on CFC and Halon Alternatives)
December 17, 1990... Optimism, few answers, mark international CFC meeting BALTIMORE, Md. -- Environmentalists, company presidents, and government policymakers flung themselves into an orgy of self-congratulation at the 1990 International Conference on CFC and...

Service technicians must assume responsibility in CFC phaseout. (includes related information on refrigerant conservation)
December 17, 1990... RSES speaker says Service technicians must assume responsibility in CFC phaseout BALTIMORE -- The service technician is forced to shoulder increasing responsibility for the CFC phaseout, said Dean Lewis, senior director, education and...

Georgia contractor's goal: $40 million in sales. (Shumate Mechanical, Shumate Air Conditioning & Heating Company Inc.)
December 17, 1990... Georgia contractor's goal: $40 million in sales TUCKER, Ga. -- Customers are more knowledgeable, valuing comfort, service, and reliability more than ever. Their needs are changing, too, as energy costs grow and their budgets tighten. ...

Rooftop customer goes to extremes to do it himself. (Blake's Graphics)
December 24, 1990... Rooftop customer goes to extremes to do it himself SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. -- When it comes to getting things done, Richard Blake doesn't let anything stand in his way. When he expanded his printing business, Blake's Graphics here, he needed...

Tracking a silent killer of motors: undervoltage.
December 24, 1990... Tracking a silent killer of motors: Undervoltage Undervoltage is the silent killer of motors. Its silence is due to the fact that an undervoltage condition may not be present continously and may not show itself when the technician is called...

Fabrication isn't enough for Iowa firm's customers. (Metal Specialists)
December 24, 1990... Fabrication isn't enough for lowa firm's customers SIOUX CITY, Iowa -- Customers can decide the direction of a company, no matter what the owners' plans are. Sometimes, that's the best way for both of them. Metal Specialists is a case in...

Industry shipment values, trade balances improve. (air conditioning, refrigeration, and heating manufacturers)
December 24, 1990... Industry shipment values, trade balances improve WASHINGTON -- Factory shipments by air conditioning, refrigeration, and heating manufacturers will increase by 4.3% in 1990 (2.2% in constant 1987 dollars) to $21.839 billion, according to the...

How to avoid joining him when a customer begins to go bankrupt.
December 24, 1990... How to avoid joining him when a customer begins to go bankrupt Personal and business bankruptcy filings are at an all-time high. During the 12 months ending June 1988, nearly 600,000 bankruptcy petitions were filed in the U.S. Although...

1980s trend continues with fewer (but bigger) wholesalers. (The 1980s: Decade in Review)
December 24, 1990... 1980s trend continues with fewer (but bigger) wholesalers Wholesaling has always been a high-risk industry, never more so than during the past decade. Many wholesalers report declining pretax net profits -- often in the 1% range. ...

Heating technology explosion followed decades of doldrums. (The 1980s: Decade in Review)
December 24, 1990... Heating technology explosion followed decades of doldrums TROY, Mich. -- It was a mixed up world when the decade of the 1980s dawned on an hvac industry that was trying to digest the second oil price shock of 1978, the sudden availability of...

Contractor franchises: now you see some, now you don't. (The 1980s: Decade in Review)
December 24, 1990... Contractor franchises: Now you see some, now you don't Contractor franchises -- such as Dial One, Service America, Mr. Build, and Linc -- established early in the decade, started getting their share of the limelight in the mid-80s. Hvac...

Contractors find ways to keep their customers coming back for service. (The 1980s: Decade in Review)
December 24, 1990... Contractors find ways to keep their customer coming back for service Turning old customers into new customers is a key to the continued life of a contractor. During the economic challenges of the 80s, ways to perform this alchemy were...

Refrigerant recovery/recycling turned into a hot topic by the close of the 80s. (The 1980s: Decade in Review)
December 24, 1990... Refrigerant recovery/recycling turned into a hot topic by the close of the 80s A simple procedure, taught in every hvac primer, has become an object of debate in the 1980s, and will be big business in the 1990s. The principles of...

Central cooling turned from a luxury into a bare necessity. (The 1980s: Decade in Review)
December 24, 1990... Central cooling turned from a luxury into a bare necessity TROY, Mich. -- Although central air conditioning was considered a luxury only a generation before, the 1980s proved conclusively that it had become a necessity for most people living...

Training remains the best hope for preparing service technicians for 90s. (The 1980s: Decade in Review)
December 24, 1990... Training remains the best hope for preparing service technicians for 90s What will distinguish hvacr technicians in the 90s? Muscles may not be a determining factor, especially if they grow between the ears. "In the past, employers in...

Large commercial market witnessed major changes. (heating and ventilation equipment) (The 1980s: Decade in Review)
December 24, 1990... Large commercial market witnessed major changes TROY, Mich. -- When the decade of the 1980s began, variable air volume systems in larger commercial and institutional buildings were well established. But related technologies involving...