List of HVAC Manuals and Books For Kindle

The Kindle and ipad are quickly becoming the norm when it comes to reading books and magazines instead of prior print editions. Well, the same goes for those bulky HVAC manuals that you have in your truck or office that you reference for data regularly.  

Good news!....Some of those same books are in convenient digital form for your Kindle or e-reader device so you can keep more of them on hand without the stacks and mess of heavy print books. Now you can take them on the go when you need them on a job, a quote or to and from the office daily without breaking your back. Here is a list of some of the more popular HVAC manuals and books for your Kindle or e-reader.
 
HVAC Equations, Data, and Rules of Thumb presents a wealth of state-of-the-art HVAC design information and guidance, ranging from air distribution to piping systems to plant equipment. This popular reference has now been fully updated to reflect the construction industry's new single body of codes and standards. Featuring an outline format for ease of use, the Second Edition of this all-in-one sourcebook contains: * Updated HVAC codes and standards, including the 2006 International Building Code * Over 200 equations for everything from ductwork to air-handling systems * ASME and ASHRAE code specifications * Over 350 rules of thumb for cooling, heating, ventilation, and more * New material including: coverage of the new single body of construction codes now used throughout the country    IDENTIFY AND SOLVE EVEN THE MOST COMPLEX HVAC OPERATING PROBLEM IN SECONDS! Here's a single-source reference that provides quick accurate answers to even the toughest HVAC questions! Portable, simple, well-illustrated and with just enough text to get the job done, HVAC Instant Answers provides fingertip access to the HVAC solutions needed to solve even the most difficult problem – in a flash. Packed with schematic diagrams, system layouts, flowcharts, and graphics for the quickest, most understandable solution possible, HVAC Instant Answers is both a great learning tool for those entering the field as well as a reliable reference from which even experienced pros will learn something. You'll find crystal-clear descriptions of common symptoms, controls, and problems – along with the best solution. HVAC Instant Answers will tell you exactly what to do when problems occur with: * Air distribution systems * Central cooling plants * Compressors * Condensers and cooling towers * Converters * Fans and Pumps * Rooftop units * Steam distribution * Thermal energy storage systems * Valves and dampers * Water loops * Zones You'll also find a handy list of tools, sensor specification charts, and just about everything else you need to get the job done right.   THE MOST COMPREHENSIVE GUIDE TO INDOOR AIR QUALITY AVAILABLE This handbook brings you solutions to virtually any problem in the field. Leading U.S. and international experts help you to create and maintain safe and healthy environments in structures from hospitals to residences, and handle a range of questions from health and comfort effects and physiologic thresholds to ventilation measurement and employee programs. For answers on instrumentation, contaminants, codes, and guidelines--for the solutions you need to assess, design, and maintain healthy and productive indoor environments, Indoor Air Quality Handbook is the one source to have. Assess Indoor Air Quality Complaints-Evaluation Methods-Risk Management and Communication Strategies-Critical Review of Sick Building Investigations -Indoor Concentration Data for Microbiologicals, Chemical Compounds, Particles, and Fibers *Understand Critical Issues-Health and Productivity Costs of Poor IAQ-Filtration, Air Cleaning, and the New ASHRAE Standards Design Healthy, Comfortable, and Functional Buildings-Application of Models and Advanced Techniques-Commissioning Buildings to Perform as Designed-IAQ in Schools, Hospitals, Sports Facilities, Office Buildings Apartments, and Transportation Vehicles  Keep it cool or heat things up This third volume of Audel’s HVAC Library gives you a comprehensive, hands-on guide to installing, servicing, and repairing all basic air-conditioning systems in both new and older construction. You’ll also find complete coverage of specialized heating units–radiators, radiant heating systems, stoves, fireplaces, heat pumps, and indoor/outdoor pool heaters, plus fans, exhaust systems, air filters, and more. It’s what you need to complete your HVAC reference library. * Make accurate calculations for AC system output * Tailor AC systems for older construction * Learn to install and service today’s popular electronic air cleaners and filters * Service less common heating systems such as coal-fired furnaces * Install, maintain, and repair humidifiers and dehumidifers * Handle radiators, convectors, and baseboard heating units   

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When Business is Slow, Take What You Can Get

Sometimes when business is slow, you find yourself taking jobs that aren't really your M.O. Well, lately business has been slower, so we took one of those jobs this morning. Now, to be clear, the job was hooking up the duct work to the ventilation system for a paint booth. This, in a sense is exacactly what we do and should be no problem. The issues for us were that the application was more commericail, with 18" spiral duct and a system (i.e. ventilation for a paint booth) that we were unfamiliar with. However, we knocked it out in a few hours, the job came out great and we went home paid and happy. All in all a good day for K & E Sheet Metal and a lesson that sometimes doing something you never tried can bring new business opportunities.

Here's a few pics!

Top of The Paint Booth

Connection to Outside Exhaust

Total Project

Articles of Interest

Here are some of the blogs and articles I have found interesting over the last few days. Today was a slower day, so I got some time to catch up on some reading I had missed.

• Cash For Caulkers - Leaky Air Duct Work |  Air Duct Cleaning Blog
• Cash for appliances: More cash in RI, more appliances in CA | Consumer Reports
• JP Morgan Continues Commercial HVAC Optimism |  Wholesale Observations
• Recycling Your Air Conditioning Units | NYC Air Conditioning
• Credit Cards Take From Poor, Give to the Rich | Wall Street Journal
• Apartment Rentals Surge in U.S. on Home Foreclosures, Job Gains | Bloomberg

Duct Tips: Sealing Your Ductwork For Efficiency

Tips for anything are a dime a dozen. This tip is no different, except that it can save that dime over and over again.

If you have an older duct system in your home, chances are the joints of the trunk duct and pipe aren't sealed properly. This can make your heating and cooling systems run less than efficient over the long run. Costing you money.

The good news is that simple things can be done to help the efficiency of your heating and air conditioning system. One of the most important is the previously mentioned, sealing of the duct joints. This is an extremely cost effective way to save on heating cooling costs over time. Plus, it's an easy job for anyone and can be accomplished in a relatively short amount of time.

First, I am providing a PDF link for the recommended best practices when sealing your ductwork. The document provides a great overview of the process and reasons for sealing your heating and air conditioning systems. Pictures accompany much of the descriptions for a better understanding of what is being explained.

Best Practice - Duct Sealing Overview

Now for some visual stimulation. Since I am no video making genius, like many of us I went to youtube and found a simple video to help illustrate my point. Enjoy!

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• Leaking ductwork can require costly repairs (seattletimes.nwsource.com)
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The Week Of The Locusts!

Our fabrication shop has apparently become some sort of breeding ground for insanely sized locusts and maybe bees. I'm no insect expert, both could be locust, I don't know. The first one looks like a bee to me. However, I haven't seen a bee this big and I live upstate in the mountains. All I know is, I feel like I've been disposing of insects more than fabricating sheet metal these days. If this continues I may be in the market for a Geiger counter to check radiation levels.

I don't know if this is a wasp or a locust. All I know is that it's giant.

This one died because a bird attacked it just inside our overhead door

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• Swarming 'swells' locusts' brains (news.bbc.co.uk)

Local Markets Will Continue To Suffer

Being in the business of heating & air conditioning for residential applications is challenging when the housing market continues to decline. Today's news won't help the situation. New York was not one of the hardest hit housing markets by far and there was news recently that the Glens Falls job situation was improving, if not stable. But that doesn't change the fact that, if the country continues to decline, then the news will focus on problems and that will hurt the confidence of buyers in any market.

When people turn on the evening news in Glens Falls they see that housing is bad, the markets are bad, BP oil spill, you name it. Even if they are in a good place financially, this weighs on there conscience when it comes to buying a new dish washer or putting in a new furnace. This is bad for local business as a whole. Whether your a local restaurant, corner shop or sheet metal fabricator. Micro-businesses like mine and others suffer from the problems of the masses, even if the town is stable financially and employment is good.

The bottom line is that the countries problems aren't getting any better. I follow the markets on a daily basis and things aren't looking great. Is there progress? Some, but not enough to create more jobs and make people optimistic about the future. Even if people in Glens Falls, Queensbury and Saratoga Springs have solid jobs and aren't as bad off as the rest of the country. That doesn't mean they won't hoard every last penny and find ways to save just as much as someone with less. Which means that local businesses will continue to suffer and so will the housing market, job market etc.. If people can't buy a new dishwasher, they're surely not going to be buying or building a new house.

No Break In The Heat Or The Slump

The heat here in the Glens Falls, Queensbury area has been scorching for the last two weeks. Not just dry heat either, it's been humid. Which usually means that our phones ring off the hook with people wanting air conditioning as soon as they can get it. This however has not been the case.

In the past when the heat has been this intense, we would be working what seemed like around the clock. People would call in the morning and want air conditioning by evening. Oh how times have changed. The recession has brought new rules to how the game is played. People are accepting the heat more, keeping there finances more in check(which they should) and maybe buying a window unit at Home Depot for $150. In fact, I heard a story from a colleague the other day about a women buying a few of these same units. She actually had central air conditioning, but it wasn't working. She received a couple of shady quotes and decided to buy three new window units, rather than research someone better to fix her already existing air system. This type of attitude does not bode well for business. She was willing to pay upwards of $500 for supplemental air conditioning instead of paying a reputable service man. She went with the guys working on the side who have basic knowledge, but not full knowledge. You know, the ones who are doing $3000 jobs for $1000. Undercutting guys like us. It makes business very challenging and hard to keep alive.

Heat or no heat, business has changed and so have the customers. I have learned a lot from the last two years of recession. Most of which is not to under appreciate the boom times, like they'll be there forever. Times are still a bit rocky but there is light at the end of the tunnel.  Those same people getting work done for 1/4 of a fair price will be calling when their systems break down from faulty installation. When they call, we'll be ready. Business is business and you have to adapt to everything daily. Now we must make a more concerted effort to search out consistent business. Get our name out there and show that we do a great job, for a great price and we stand behind our work.

Don't forget to check out the new website  
kesheetmetal.com

K & E Sheet Metal Now On Facebook

A slow Monday has persuaded me to start a page on Facebook for the company. With business being slow and Facebook becoming an ever increasing source of networking, I decided to start the page and see what happens. Many businesses are turning to social networking as a way to connect with customers and friends. If we can do the same it can only benefit us. I hope that anyone reading this will look below and "Like" us on Facebook. If Facebook isn't your thing you can follow us on Twitter as well.
K & E Sheet Metal LLC

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A Full Day Of Custom Fabrication

Thought that I would post a couple pictures of what I worked on today. It isn't everyday that I get to make all custom fittings. Most days are filled with stock duct and maybe a few easy custom things. I enjoy a day that sees a custom fitting go from mind to metal.

The top photos are of a custom condenser cover. They are very basic because the customer wanted something less expensive. The bottom photos are a custom U-shaped elbow for running the duct under a support beam. The customer didn't want to fool around with cutting and fitting stock elbows on the job.

Customers Declining, Input Costs Rising

Our input costs are rising. Gas prices are hovering around the $3 level again and metal prices have been rising albeit slowly. Then today I read the AK Steel (AKS) quarterly earnings report and find that they are warning against inflation in the manufacturing sector due to a rise in iron ore prices. Hence, prices will continue to rise throughout the year.

From MarketWatch

AK Steel said it assumes global iron ore prices to rise 30% over the January to March period. If prices go beyond that, the company said it would hurt its financial performance for the second quarter.

At the start of the year, iron ore suppliers Vale SA and BHP Billiton changed the way they structure iron ore contracts, setting prices on a short-term rather than annual basis.

This week, Credit Suisse analysts upped their average 2010 price target on iron ore by 56% to $129 per ton. Prices for raw materials are rising as the world economy slowly recovers and consumer spending on cars and appliances picks up.

The main problem with our business lately has been customers. People are hoarding their money in this area and unless the summer temperatures are sweltering, I don't feel like business will pickup significantly. The rise in input costs is just another punch to the gut. You can only cut so many costs and find ways to save money until everyday fixed costs (Rent, phones, gas, metal etc.) begin to weigh on any profits. Profits by the way that will solely contribute to a debt that was incurred during the hardest times over the last two years.

I'm crossing my fingers for an air conditioning boom summer. Something that we didn't have last year.

Is The Stock Market Telling Us Home Building Will Soon Pickup?

The stock market is a leading indicator for the future economy. The rally in the markets is a confidence in the future profits of companies and the economy as a whole.

The SPDR S&P Homebuilders Index ETF (XHB) is an index of home building, consumer durables, capital goods and retailing stocks. Some examples of stocks in the index are Toll Brothers Builders, Owens Corning, Sherwin Williams, Home Depot etc. Here is the link to the index website.

The XHB index has rallied for the majority of the year, while the physical housing market has yet to really pickup. Is this telling us that the housing market and home building markets are about to turn around? Will things in the home building industry get better soon? Being that we are in the residential heating and cooling industry, I hope so. There is a saying that the stock markets predict what will happen six months from now. If this saying holds any weight. We should see a pickup in the 4th quarter of this year.

Being a micro-business, sometimes it's hard to gauge what's going on in the local markets. You can learn a lot at the supply houses and on job sites, but you need to take that information with a grain of salt. The builders that we do business with are too small to really gauge the markets as a whole. Using as much market data as possible can help to give a time line of when things may be looking up. It may not be specific to your local market, but you can be sure that it will affect it at some point.

Receivables, Receivables, Receivables

The frustration for any micro or small business is being paid. This is our current dilemma. The slowdown in business has made us tighten on everything from driving less to not eating out with family. I feel like this would be the case for any company we deal with, if in the same dilemma. Not true.

Being a micro-business can be very tough when customers don't pay their bills. We can't afford to get a court involved and our receivables aren't large enough to pay fees for a receivables loan or something similar. You can send letters and make phone calls until your blue in the face, but you will always get the same answer...the check is in the mail. 

Our business is very small and we count on every dollar....literally! We will track down a single dollar if necessary. We as a company continue to pay our bills. We cut costs and use credit cards if possible, but we always pay or we call our vendors and are honest. They will usually be very forgiving and take whatever we can give at the time. We rarely get this courtesy. 

It can be frustrating on many levels. You provide a needed service that isn't compensated. Chasing money is not our business. Our business is metal fabrication. We fabricate, you pay...that's the deal.

The Snow Has Finally Moved North

Finally, the snow has actually come north. We were getting spoiled with all the snow staying south for so long. Although, this area is only supposed to get 3 - 5 inches. 

This looks more like a February day in Upstate New York

Always Take Measurements Directly Off The Furnace

I have been fabricating sheet metal for the HVAC industry for 11 years. I feel that over that time I have learned a few things about the business. Especially when it comes to residential installations. One thing I tell my customers is to always measure off the actual unit that you are installing. It has become a major pet peeve of mine over the years because it continues to happen.

What happens, you may ask. Well it's simple. An installer will typically give me measurements off the provided secifications sheet of the unit to be installed. Problem is, these sheets can be confusing and measurments are almost always given wrong. Which means that the installer will call me again and need a transition or plenum ASAP. This affects my time and the installers as well. Not to mention the added cost for the contractor and potentially the customer. This can prove very costly for jobs with tight profit margins.

Why do you care? You get double the business.

Although this is true, it isn't the way I want to make my money and you shouldn't either. Mistakes will happen over the course of any job. Will I make money on those mistakes, yes. However, I will make more money over time if my customers are getting jobs done faster and properly. They will be able to provide more word of mouth business for K & E Sheet Metal. The more jobs they are on and complete in a timely fashion, the more work that comes my way. Homeowners and customers can be very loyal. If you show them the respect they deserve, they will do the same for you.

The specefication sheet is helpful for many things when intstalling a furnace or air handler. Plenum sizes are not one of them. Do your fabricator a favor. Take your measurements directly from the unit. You'll save money and time in the long run.

Who Needs To Feed And Educate, When You Can Kill

From Information Is Beautiful
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Phone Ringing Less And Less

Over the last few weeks, business has leveled out. After my last post, the phone has not been ringing as much and it is getting frustrating. Because the company is small, we are able to get by when things aren't going gangbusters. However, I have been hearing rumblings from others that things are slowing for them as well.

Most of the smaller contractors I fabricate for are looking for a decent summer season. The winter has been busy, but mild when compared to other winters. Upstate New York has seen low levels of snowfall this season. Philly, Washington, New York City are all getting clobbered with snow and nothing up this way, strange. The temperatures have been in the 20's and 30's, which is mild for this time of year. February is usually bitter cold.

In order to have a positive year after catching up from 2008 and 2009, we will need to have a quality air conditioning season, along with continued strength through the rest of the winter

The Floor Is Filling Up Again

When the floor is full. Things are getting better. For the past couple weeks, the floor has been full. Meaning that orders are coming in on a more consistent basis.

For the size shop that we have, this is a good start to the week. A couple full size duct orders coupled with some plenum's and transitions. Some stuff was picked up this morning. If I had taken the picture earlier, this would look even better.

Hopefully this will continue through the rest of the winter and into spring. If air conditioning season in the north east is anything like last year. We're gonna need a good winter to offset the losses. 

Fingers Crossed