This website requires certain cookies to work and uses other cookies to help you have the best experience. By visiting this website, certain cookies have already been set, which you may delete and block. By closing this message or continuing to use our site, you agree to the use of cookies. Visit our updated privacy and cookie policy to learn more.
This Website Uses Cookies
By closing this message or continuing to use our site, you agree to our cookie policy. Learn More
This website requires certain cookies to work and uses other cookies to help you have the best experience. By visiting this website, certain cookies have already been set, which you may delete and block. By closing this message or continuing to use our site, you agree to the use of cookies. Visit our updated privacy and cookie policy to learn more.
ACHRNews logo
search
cart
facebook twitter linkedin youtube
  • Sign In
  • Subscribe
  • Sign Out
  • My Account
ACHRNews logo
  • Magazine
    • Subscribe
    • Current Issue
    • Digital Edition
    • Archives
    • The NEWS eNewsletter
  • News
    • Breaking News
    • Newsline
    • FYI
    • Distribution Trends
    • Standards & Legislation
    • Manufacturer Reports
  • Products
    • HVACR Industry Store
    • Top 20 Products of 2018
    • Interactive Product Spotlights
  • Multimedia
    • Videos
    • AHR 2019 Videos
    • Podcasts
    • Infographic
    • Photo Galleries
    • Webinars
    • eBooks
    • The NEWS HVACR Quiz
    • Online Poll
  • Refrigeration
    • Refrigerants
    • Refrigerant Regulations
    • Reclaim
    • FROSTlines
  • Service
    • Testing, Monitoring, Tools
    • Duct Dynasty
    • Service 101
    • Components & Accessories
  • Business 101
    • Training & Education
    • Service, Apps & Software
    • Opinions
    • Guest Column
    • The Coach's Blog
  • Residential
    • Home Automation
    • Residential Ductless
    • Residential Geothermal
    • Residential IAQ
    • Residential Cooling Showcase
    • Residential Heating Showcase
  • Commercial
    • Internet of Things
    • Commercial Ductless
    • Commercial Geothermal
    • Commercial IAQ
    • Commercial Cooling Showcase
    • Commercial Heating Showcase
    • Marijuana Market
  • Directory
    • Manufacturers
    • Wholesalers
    • Consultants/Services
    • Manufacturers Reps
    • Associations
    • Parts & Equipment Exporters
    • List/Update Your Company
  • More
    • Editorial Calendar & Editor Assignments
    • Calendar of Events
    • Classifieds
    • Custom Content & Marketing Services
    • Continuing Education
    • Market Research
    • Sponsor Insights
    • eProduct Info
    • White Papers
    • Contests
  • Contact
    • Advertise
    • Submit a Letter
Home » Wholesaler's Countermen Use Their Experience to Boost Confidence in New Products
Extra EditionTechnical

Wholesaler's Countermen Use Their Experience to Boost Confidence in New Products

February 8, 2010
Reprints
No Comments
Ray Carlyle (left), counterman, and Rob Fraley, branch manager, both use their personal experiences with products to help customers. (Click on the image for an enlarged view.)

PORTLAND, Ore. - One of the greatest challenges HVACR wholesalers face daily is convincing service technicians to try new products or tools, but two Johnstone Supply countermen have discovered a solution - use it themselves to help skeptics become believers.

Whether its new wrench styles, multimeters, or refrigeration sealants, selling new products is easier for both Rob Fraley, branch manager, and Ray Carlyle, counterman, because service techs respond to the fact that they’ve already tried products they’re promoting at their Portland, Ore., location, which is one of 13 branches in Oregon, Washington, and northern California for the Tigard, Ore.-based Johnstone Supply franchise. “There’s a big difference between someone who simply says, ‘It’s supposed to work,’ versus someone who says, ‘I’ve used this product myself and I know it works,” said Fraley, who spent 12 years as a service tech before joining Johnstone Supply.

A case-in-point is vacuum-packed refrigeration sealants, which have become more popular in the HVAC industry during this recession as consumers opt for leak repair versus more expensive equipment replacements. However, the problem sometimes arises where service techs can’t find the leaks economically or get accessibility to repair them. That’s when sealants are apropos, but many wary service techs wrongly associate them with automotive industry a/c sealants, which have formulas and applications that work vastly different than HVAC refrigeration sealants. Or the worst myth yet, according to Carlyle, is any similarity to automotive radiator plug leak products. Instead, an HVAC refrigeration sealant is a unique liquid formula of organisilanes that flows indefinitely with the refrigerant/oil and reacts only when exposed to atmospheric moisture at the point of leakage while exiting the system with the refrigerant. Additionally, vacuum-packed HVAC sealants maintain system purity because they use the system’s refrigerant to charge the can, versus automotive-type sealants, many of which use system contaminating, flammable hydrocarbons as propellants.

The Portland, Ore., branch of Johnstone Supply.

Skeptical techs need only to hear Carlyle’s personal account of using Super Seal Classic by Cliplight Mfg., Toronto, which the company says now has more than 1 million successful applications worldwide. Carlyle, currently the president of the Multnomah Chapter of the Refrigeration Service Engineers Society (RSES), Portland, simply recalls his favorite tale as a former owner of HVAC contractor A Beatitudes. An independently-owned restaurant’s 5-ton, 10-year-old ice machine/remote condenser had an R-22 leak that Carlyle couldn’t find regardless of electronic sniffer tests, soap bubble testing, a 400-psi nitrogen test, several dye applications, plus Schrader valve replacements. “I spent many hours checking the machine, its condenser, ice plates, not to mention a few hours crawling in the attic with the line set,” said Carlyle, “but each time we thought the leak stopped, we were called back in a few weeks.”

Meanwhile after nearly two months and four unbilled follow-up service calls, Carlyle was losing money and his longtime customer’s confidence. With no other option than an $8,000 replacement, Carlyle put in one 3-ounce can of Super Seal HVACR™ at a materials and installation cost of less than $400. Four years later the ice machine is still fully charged and working perfectly.

Rob Fraley spent 12 years as a service tech before joining Johnstone Supply.

Fraley’s former service experience has also converted skeptics to believers. For example, Alligator Pliers by Knipex, an all-in-one type of wrench that minimizes the number of conventional pipe wrenches inventoried on service trucks, is a top selling product as well, but few service techs opt to switch until Fraley recommends and/or demonstrates it.

Another recommended product Fraley used in the field is the all-in-one series of multimeters by Fieldpiece that test for amps, volts, microfarads, temperature, and other performance specifications. Fraley says the line of multimeters eliminates the need for multiple individual test instruments, but it’s a tough sell for service techs that are loyal to other brands. However, Fraley’s use in the field and expertise on the product eventually sway customers. “Trying to get service techs to switch test instrument brands they’re familiar and loyal with is the most difficult, but having past experiences generally wins them over,” said Fraley.

Like Carlyle, Fraley uses his own Super Seal HVACR tale of sealing his own 2.5-ton, R-22 residential central air conditioner that he had just installed four years ago. Fraley spent many unsuccessful hours searching for the slow nuisance leak with soap bubbles and/or electronic detection on several occasions over the first 1-1/2-years of operation. He stopped short of system evacuation and nitrogen testing because he would have needed to borrow or rent the equipment.

When a manufacturer representative left a sample can of Super Seal HVACR on his desk, Fraley felt he had nothing to lose because he was faced with replacing out-of-warranty components. The unit is still working perfectly five years after the sealant application and Fraley suspects the residual sealant in the system may have stopped other leaks as they occurred without incident.

Fraley and Carlyle both preach the sealant instructions to service techs, such as prepping with a triple evacuation to boil off moisture in a deep vacuum of 500 microns, followed by filter/drier change-outs. Another tip is to use the connecting hose that comes with every can to avoid any contamination.

While many service techs are hesitant to try new products capable of advancing the profession, it’s the trustworthy experiences of counter people such as Fraley and Carlyle that help new techniques penetrate the HVACR market.

Publication date: 02/08/2010
Subscribe to The NEWS

Related Articles

Distributor Product Training Boosts Confidence

Data Centers Proliferate in US, but Their Energy Use Plateaus

Using Barter to Boost HVAC Sales

May 3, 2002: New Technology To Boost Energy Production At Geothermal Plant

Related Products

Using Schematic Diagrams to Troubleshoot HVAC/R Electrical Circuits

Lessons Learned in a Boiler Room: A common sense approach to servicing and installing commercial boilers

ACHR News November 4, 2019, Issue

Related Directories

Wholesale Heating Supply Co.

You must login or register in order to post a comment.

Report Abusive Comment

Subscription Center
  • Subscribe
  • Renew
  • Create Account
  • Change My Address
  • Pay My Bill
  • Free eNewsletters
  • About News Network
  • Customer Care

More Videos

Sponsored Content What Is Sponsored Content

Sponsored Content is a special paid section where industry companies provide high quality, objective, non-commercial content around topics of interest to the ACHR News audience. All Sponsored Content is supplied by the advertising company. Interested in participating in our Sponsored Content section? Contact your local rep.

Close
Trane-indoor-air-quality-product-01
Sponsored By
Trane Residential

Protecting Your Customers’ Indoor Air Quality Is More Important Than Ever

From seasonal maintenance to a system upgrade, your business is actually centered around providing the best indoor air experience, with quality at the core.

Popular Stories

R-22 Phaseout

Using (or Abusing) the R-22 Phaseout as a Sales Tool

Senate HFC Phasedown Bill

Senate HFC Phasedown Plan Debuts With Broad Support

Breaking News - The ACHR News

Lennox Industries Inc. Announces Price Increase

Goodman employees work to manufacture highend equipment.

The HVAC Contractor’s Guide to High-End Trends Coming in 2020

Manufacturers Meet Demand for More Intelligent Building Controls

Manufacturers Meet Demand for More Intelligent Building Controls

The ACHR News Airpod Giveaway

Events

September 16, 2020

2020 World Congress for Solar Cooling

IASC seeks submissions that represent the best contemporary and innovative technology and thinking about Solar Cooling from a global and diverse range of designers, consultants, practitioners, engineers, architects, educators, thought-leaders, students and other professionals concerned with cooling, people, buildings and energy.
December 30, 2030

Webinar Sponsorship Information

For webinar sponsorship information, visit www.bnpevents.com/webinars or email webinars@bnpmedia.com.

View All Submit An Event

Poll

Holiday Appreciation

What is your preferred way to show employees your appreciation during the holiday season?
View Results Poll Archive

Products

"More & New" HVAC Spells Wealth - book

"More & New" HVAC Spells Wealth - book

See More Products
The NEWS - ACHR - Logo The NEWS - ACHR - Digital Edition
Digital Edition

ACHRNEWS

The ACHR News - December 2, 2019

2019 December 2

Week 1: December 2
In this issue of The ACHR NEWS, we look at unique applications of HVAC technology, and new markets contractors should consider expanding into.

Week 2: December 9
We also examine Variable Refrigerant Flow (VRF) technology, and the benefits that contractors can pass along to their customers through the equipment.

View More Subscribe
  • Resources
    • Submit a Letter
    • Submit a Press Release
    • Mechanical Group
    • List Rental
    • Ad Specs
    • Reprints
    • eProduct Info
    • Survey And Sample
    • Privacy Policy
  • Want More?
    • Subscribe
    • Connect
  • Subscribe
    • Subscribe
    • Renew
    • Create Account
    • Change Address
    • Pay My Bill
    • Free eNewsletters
    • Customer Care

Copyright ©2019. All Rights Reserved BNP Media.

Design, CMS, Hosting & Web Development :: ePublishing