Managing Going Green

It’s a rare evening that you can read or watch the news and not learn of an event involving the going-green trend. The green movement, for good reason, is upon us and here to stay. A quick search of the internet will provide you with more than enough facts and figures related to the waste produced in our country versus the multitude of benefits that recycling provides.

Recycling is just as vital (and in certain instances, regulated by laws) for contractors and the like as it is for homeowners. Many communities now go so far as to provide recycling benefits to its citizens. Whether you are a homeowner, contractor, business owner, or any combination, recycling is key to ensuring that future generations don’t have to ‘mine’ landfills for the resources that historically, so many have willingly tossed into the garbage with little or no thought to potential consequences.

As a contractor, managing the recycling of waste can be a complex chore in an ever-changing go-green world. It isn’t like at home where you just have to remember what items you can toss into which recycle bin. As a contractor, you must know the laws that govern recycling on a local, state, and federal level as well as what you can recycle, what recycling items can generate income for your organization, and where to deliver or call for pickup of recyclable items.

While doing some research online, I came across an innovative solution to these issues offered by Green Halo Systems. Green Halo Systems can help you create waste management plans for your projects. Comprehensive reports are generated in real time, as well as calculated project carbon, statistics, and more. Green Halo Systems also includes tools to identify recyclable materials as well as assists in locating the nearest recycling facilities. With mobile access and the ability to share data with your clients and subcontractors, the Green Halo system is an attractive and time-saving must-have tool for today’s green centered movement.

Regardless if you are building green, building LEED, or just plain curious as to how much waste is recycled, this is a great tool to track just that. With so many local, state, and federal laws governing recycling, it can be quite confusing. Green Halo Systems provides the necessary tools to transparently comply with such.

We at HVAC Systems Services, Inc. take the environmental issues facing us today quite seriously as it does impact future generations. "Going green" shouldn’t be merely a common term heard by many and practiced by few, rather, it should be a priority. It is easy to see why there are so many complexities for a contractor to recycle and manage their waste plan that we feel Green Halo Systems is certainly worth a look at, and they provide a free demo.

Visit Green Halo Systems online at: http://www.greenhalosystems.com
Visit HVAC Systems Services, Inc. online at: http://www.hvacss.com

Maintenance Plans

The importance of keeping the heating, ventilating, air conditioning and control systems at peak operating efficiency is greater than ever.  It is very easy to lose control of these complex systems.  Up to 30% of wasted energy can be attributed to this loss of control.

A maintenance and inspection program should be designed for individual building and equipment applications.  HVAC Systems Service, Inc. can design a customized program to suit your building equipment and budget.  The dollars you save will help pay for your program in utility savings and a reduction in downtime.

We offer several plans and all are customized to suit your equipment, needs, and budget:

Full Coverage Service Agreement:
This agreement is similar to an insurance policy whereas it includes Premium Inspections, new filters per each scheduled inspection and new belts once per year. HVAC Systems Service, Inc. covers most parts for replacement on this agreement at no further cost to our clients (includes labor).

Premium Inspection Agreement:
A 113 point inspection which does include filter changes per each scheduled inspection and one new belt per unit per year. This inspection process is designed to catch a potential problem area BEFORE major costs are involved in repair or even replacement.

Economy Inspection Agreement:
This is our basic 41 point inspection, major moving parts and visual inspection of filters and belts. A better alternative than going without a preventive maintenance program if a Premium Inspection just isn’t in the budget.

Not all buildings and systems are alike.  In this respect, the client should not utilize a contractor just because they are the lowest bidder.  It may cost the owner more money in the long run through increased energy usage, shortened equipment life span, excessive replacement parts costs, undue downtime and continuing service calls.  Caveat emptor - let the buyer beware.

For more information about our maintenance plans and other services we offer, please visit our website at http://www.hvacss.com

Mobile Chemical Power Washing System

For many years, HVAC Systems Service, Inc. has offered a chemical cleaning of the condensing coils and evaporator coils along with our inspection plans to contract customers. Due to the overwhelming response we have received from our customers as to the quality of this service, we have decided to offer the same cleaning to non-contract customers at this time. Our mobile system is a state-of-the-art washer that uses a concentrated cleaner along with a hot water system to remove grime and sludge from almost any surface. If you would like to learn more about this service, please contact our office for more information.

Tele. (260) 484.5293 · Email: rjones1@hvacss.com

Go Green with Preventative Maintenance

Experience has clearly shown that some confusion does exist over just what people mean when they use the term "preventive maintenance." One significant factor stems from the evidence that a vast majority of our industrial plants and facilities have been operating for extended periods, years in many cases, in a reactive maintenance mode (fix it when it breaks.) That is to say that the maintenance resources have been almost totally committed to responding to unexpected equipment failures. This leaves very little time for preventive maintenance, changing filters, and verifying the systems are working at top efficiency. The effect of constantly fighting emergency problems can take a toll on the maintenance department and the equipment. The lack of proper preventive maintenance can be measured in downtime and loss of production. That turns into dollars lost that can never be recovered.

Preventive maintenance is the combination of inspections and/or servicing tasks that have been preplanned or scheduled for accomplishment at specific points in time to retain the functional capabilities of operating equipment or systems. The word "preplanned" is the key element in developing a proactive maintenance mode and culture. Properly performed preventive maintenance on your air conditioning equipment not only prolongs the life of the equipment, but if performed correctly, will save energy and downtime. These savings will help pay to implement a program for your equipment. The use of a preventive maintenance program and check list will help the service technician discover the small problems before they grow into monsters that steal your time and money.

Even if your systems seem to be heating and cooling correctly, are they? Is the heat and cooling coming on at the same time? Is the system shutting down at night? Is the compressor short cycling? Is the thermostat calling for the right temperature? Is the unit running as efficiently as possible?

CALL US TO CHECK OUT YOUR SYSTEMS
WE ARE THE EXPERTS IN PREVENTIVE MAINTENANCE OF YOUR HEATING AND COOLING EQUIPMENT.

Compressor Failures

Why the lowest bid can be so costly! When a compressor fails in a system there are two major causes:

1. Mechanical failure
2. Electrical failure

In a mechanical failure there are broken components, or bent and even damaged pieces inside the compressor. If a component breaks it could cause an electrical failure. The broken piece could lodge itself into the compressor windings and cause them to short out and cause a burnout. So a burnout could have been started by a mechanical failure. Now instead of only having one cause to troubleshoot, the job just got harder and more difficult to diagnose. When pricing out a replacement for a compressor failure, you would base it on what type of failure it was. In a mechanical failure the minimum parts are:

• New or rebuilt compressor
• Liquid line dryer shell and core
• Suction line drier shell
• Compressor contactor
• New or properly check refrigerant

Every Contractor has his own way of quoting the cost for parts and labor. The unanswered and hardest question to each contractor is, "WHY DID IT FAIL?" This question is the key to the whole process, but the answer will determine their bid price and the quality of the replacement installation. Just installing a new compressor but not troubleshooting the cause is the cheapest in the short term and may work. However, if the original cause of the failure is not diagnosed and repaired, within weeks or months the new compressor could be out once again. So going with the lowest bid may not be the best decision to make. Determining what originally caused the failure can be difficult. Reports from Copeland Compressor Company and several other companies indicate that approximately 40% of the compressors returned for warranty are not a defect from the manufacturer. Most of the problems were cause by some off the following issues:

• Lack of oil
• Liquid slugging
• Overheating
• Electrical problems

So answering the question, "What Happened?" only can be determined properly after the new compressor is installed and running. This may show up immediately or may take a few hours of running time to troubleshoot. The extra time to troubleshoot is what separates the low bid from the best bid. So don't just look at the lowest guy out there. Read the bids and determine who is giving you the best price for the work performed to keep your problems from reoccurring. Contact Us today and we can make sure you get the most for your money!