In an effort to make it easier for technicians to install, service, diagnose, and troubleshoot HVACR equipment, ACCA’s Board of Directors recently unanimously adopted a motion “to implore the manufacturers of HVAC equipment to develop and implement open [nonproprietary], universal, onboard diagnostic [OBD] communication protocols for HVAC equipment self-commissioning and ongoing diagnoses.” The board then asked the motion be presented to Air-Conditioning, Heating, and Refrigeration Institute’s (AHRI’s) Board of Directors for consideration at its November meeting.
“The HVACR industry does not have a universal system,” said Paul Stalknecht, president and CEO of ACCA. “We have individual proprietary systems offered by manufacturers, which makes it challenging for a contractor to diagnose and service equipment, especially when he goes to a new customer’s establishment. He doesn’t know, walking in, what equipment he will find from which manufacturer. The contractor today is looking for the tools to help in both field installation as well as the diagnostics to make sure they’re narrowing down precisely what the issue may be.”