New Plant Churns Out Healthy Solutions
Only a year later, customer demand prompted ADP to construct a 54,000-square-foot addition to the distribution center. Today, the ADP plant manufactures air conditioning coils, as well as a complete line of residential air handlers and unit heaters.
One of those air conditioning coils is the brand-new Healthy Solutions Premium Evaporator Coil, which just started shipping in January of this year. ADP is proud of its new residential coil, and the company is eager to educate contractors about all the features included in its latest product line. “We are proud to provide our customers with what we believe is the most advanced-featured evaporator coil in the marketplace,” said Bob Moody, vice president and general manager.
Calling All Homeowners
The new Healthy Solutions evaporator is available in sizes ranging from 1 to 5 tons and is being sold through wholesale distributors for all residential markets. “We are targeting all homeowners, whether it’s a retrofit or new installation. We want the contractor to become aware of the fact that there is no other product with all of these features available,” said Joe Bush, manager of marketing and business development.Some of those features were included to help promote better indoor air quality (IAQ). One of those features is an antimicrobial additive in all A-coil residential drain pans. According to the company, this additive, made from a proprietary polymer, resists growth of mold and mildew on the drain pan, which also reduces the likelihood of drain line blockage. “We believe coil design is part of the overall indoor air quality, and that the design of our new coil should raise the bar,” said Drew Cooper, director of sales and marketing.
The specially engineered polymer also has a 450ÞF temperature rating, which prevents the pan from melting if the furnace ever malfunctions. And, since it’s plastic, the pan will never rust. The ultraviolet (UV) resistance in the pan material also makes the coil suitable for UV coil cleaning lights, the company states.
In addition, minimal water sitting in the pan means less moisture reintroduced into the ductwork when the system is off. This is especially important when the system environment is a hot attic space or the system fan is run continuously.
The cabinets in the Healthy Solutions line contain cleanable foil-faced insulation. This insulation reduces mold and mildew growth on the surface and can easily be wiped clean, the company says. The foil also improves the efficiency of a UV light if installed in the cabinet or duct above the coil, states ADP.
“We are the only manufacturer that offers antimicrobial and the least water retention in the industry. Also, there are less than a handful with foil insulation,” noted Bush.
What They’re Made Of
The Healthy Solutions coils are manufactured with inner grooved copper tubing, which helps increase the tubing heat transfer, the company states. In order to improve efficiency, the coils also use a special, patented, raised-lance fin design.There are a variety of different colors and configurations available in the Healthy Solutions line. “We currently offer cabinets in popular colors to match most OEM furnaces. Coil configurations available are uncased, cased, multiposition, horizontal slabs, and horizontal A coils. We also offer dual-circuit and other light commercial coils,” said Bush.
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While ADP stocks the top 150 models that it sells, the company will specially design coils for a wholesaler’s particular customer base. Factors that may determine the wholesaler’s exact models are: Is it a cased coil market or uncased market? What brand of equipment do they sell? This will determine specific internal coil size and cabinet color to match the furnace.
“Other factors that determine the exact models are: Are the wholesalers in a high-SEER market? TXV or no TXV? R-22 or R-410A? The list of options adds up to many millions of models available. In a year, we will probably sell about 2,000 different part numbers. We enter the summer season with approximately 100,000 pieces in inventory, so we can bill and ship the others in 10 days or less,” noted Bush.
Turning out this huge number of products is one of the reasons why ADP needed a new facility. The company also wanted to ensure that the new plant would maintain its high quality standards.
Air handlers and unit heaters are 100-percent run tested using state-of-the-art, computer-controlled testing equipment to ensure quality. This equipment includes an ETL-certified test chamber, which allows ADP to verify coil and air-handler performance according to ARI conditions.
“When manufacturers come out with new condensing units and heat pumps, they are often brought into the laboratory for tests. This way, our customers are assured of performance and accurate ratings given with the coils and air handlers,” said Bush.
The Healthy Solutions line is just the latest offering to come from ADP. The company is continually designing new products that use the latest technologies available for heat transfer surfaces.
“And when we design new products, we always keep the installing contractor in mind. After all, these are the people who use our product. During our new product design process, we normally go through numerous prototype stages. These prototypes are taken out to contractors for their evaluation and feedback. This assures us that the products have the features that are valuable to them,” said Bush.
For more information on ADP Healthy Solutions Premium Evaporator Coil, contact Alicia Wiggleton at 800-848-2270, ext. 5566, or visit www.adpnow.com.
Publication date: 02/24/2003
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