In general, there is “more misdiagnosing than there should be,” he said. “Of all the second opinions we are called for, half of the compressors we see have no problem.”

He hasn’t been to a Copeland teardown yet, but is very much interested in them. In-house training at Jerry Kelly Heating and A/C comes mainly from weekly service meetings, which Miles calls “training du jour” because they cover problems creeping up in the field that week.

A lot of the training is designed to remind technicians of the basics, he said. “Every time the season changes, we need to review the basics.”

The company will be installing the Copeland “Comfort Alert,” an onboard diagnostics system, on unitary systems for preferred service agreement customers. Miles believes that this will lend still more credibility to their diagnoses.

Old, Expensive Problem

“Sometimes compressors are replaced because the service person detected noise — it might be due to vibration — and they pull the compressor,” he said. Or, the problem might be other controls in the system that prevent the compressor from starting. For one memorable system that went through several consecutive compressors, the problem actually was a stuck expansion valve.

It’s a huge expense for manufacturers, he said, which includes not only the warranty but also shipping.

What if NDF returns were reduced by half? For example, Barbour said, an original equipment manufacturer could reduce internal processing costs. The money could be applied elsewhere — R&D, contractor programs, the bottom line, and the cost of products. “If you could decrease your warranty costs, you could offer something like Comfort Alert at no additional cost,” he said.

Contractors would see the benefits of solving problems right the first time, as well as making sure new systems are installed correctly. “A contractor’s reputation is the best asset he has,” said Barbour.

Credibility

With that information, “The technician is directed to the root cause of the problem,” said Copeland’s Residential Marketing Manager John Schneider. It helps them get to the true cause faster, and therefore can improve productivity as well as accuracy.

For the homeowner, Schneider said, it offers better quality service. “They can be more confident of the contractor’s diagnosis.”

That brings up the issue of credibility. With all of the HVAC contractor stings that have been televised, contractors can use the tool to support their recommendations to skeptical homeowners.

The system is being tested for wiring to a White-Rodgers thermostat, where a flashing light can make the need for service visible to the homeowner — “like a check engine light in the car,” said Schneider. Information from Comfort Alert is tracked in the system over time; if system problems are detected, the control sends a series of flashing codes. An advanced troubleshooting guide that accompanies the system was developed with feedback from Copeland engineers and service schools.

Future developments for the technology might include an interface with contractors’ offices, Barbour and Schneider indicated. The system has been accepted by Lennox and Nordyne for their top lines.

Table 1. With Comfort Alert, a diagnostic code tells the technician what the system problems are. This feature can help the technician get to the true cause faster, and therefore can improve his productivity as well as accuracy.

Table 2. Using a troubleshooting guide, technicians can determine which areas they should look at specifically. For example, Yellow "Alert" Flash Code 3 indicates that the compressor is running only briefly.

RETS Tested

Various failure modes were set up for the HVAC students to troubleshoot. Their accuracy without Comfort Alert was 17 percent, Schneider said. With Comfort Alert it improved to 92 percent. “With guys from the field, there was 63 percent accuracy without Comfort Alert,” he continued. “With Comfort Alert, it improved to 100 percent.” These figures are consistent with Copeland’s 30 percent NDF return rate.

“That was an eye-opener for us,” Barbour said.

Could the insidious NDF problem finally start to decline? That remains to be seen, but the indicators are good. More importantly, the outlook is bright for improved consumer trust.

“I think this is a way to sell peace of mind,” Barbour said.

Publication date: 05/19/2003