If and when contractors step up their commitment to reclamation, they will find plenty of places ready to perform the process that brings questionable refrigerant back to ARI-700 purity standards. And contractors will also find plenty of incentives to do so.
What will it take to jump-start more use of reclaimed HCFC-22 to service the huge inventory of equipment running on that refrigerant? The EPA and the dozens of companies offering reclamation services are hoping the most recent announcement of a potential 45 percent reduction in virgin R-22 coming to market.
How ready are contractors to embrace refrigerant reclamation? The answer depends on who you talk to. But some contractors are already plugged into the reclamation option — and hoping their colleagues, who might not be doing so, will soon join them.
At 34 inches wide, the PACSlim-12 air-cooled portable air conditioner can roll through a standard doorway. The unit provides 12 tons (144,000 Btuh) of cooling. High-efficiency radial blowers with built-in variable-speed motors provide uniform airflow across the evaporator coil of the portable cooler.
As one of the latest concepts to emerge from the trend toward sustainability, high-performance (HP) buildings are generating a lot of buzz. And the role of HVAC equipment and those who install it is rapidly developing in response to this construction trend.
The NEWS interviewed three contractors from around the country who are involved in high-performance building projects to find out more about their experiences.
Grooved mechanical piping has been changing the way contractors do business for more than 85 years, but this method of pipe joining is still unknown or misunderstood in some areas of the commercial building industry.
For use with the gas-fired boiler products — KC 1000, all Benchmark, and Modulex boilers — the AERCO Control System (ACS) provides the contractor with the key component to sell a complete combination system consisting of AERCO boilers, SmartPlate, and Buffer Tank, said the manufacturer.
Producing 700,000 Btuh of heat, the Safe-Heat IDF-700 indirect-fired temporary heater can operate on diesel, natural gas, or propane fuel for maximum convenience. According to the manufacturer, the unique recirculation design of the temporary heater offers users the ability to pull return air, increasing its efficiency.