Chicks dig the V, or so I heard a few years ago. In other words, a slim waist with big shoulders is nearly the equivalent of a good “gun show.” Across the years, my V has turned into more of a U, and the guns have always been a bit on the scrawny side. You might call the current economic condition a bit scrawny, which also calls to mind the shape of economic recoveries.
As we all know, the final three months of last year sent the economy into its worst downhill slide in a quarter-century. But, I’m not here to repeat all the bad news from the dark side. Instead, I’m here to look at the positives. In my estimation, it’s the best solution for contractor owners everywhere.
In smaller refrigeration applications in Europe, the refrigerant isobutane is commonly used. That is not the case in the United States because the refrigerant has an A3 safety rating due to flammability issues. But now a major manufacturer of refrigeration equipment is attempting to change the equation in the U.S. And that could make the already complex refrigerant marketplace even more interesting.
Up until recently, everyone thought the R-22 to R-410A transition generally meant that newly manufactured units would cease using HCFCs at the end of this year and that a gradual phaseout would continue through the year 2030. Unfortunately, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) may have other ideas.
If we are going to attract the best and brightest into our industry, we have to improve the image of our workers. I believe that we have greatly improved the image of the HVAC contractor. But while we have improved the image of the contractor, I’m not sure that we have sufficiently improved the image of those actually performing the work.
According to the Chinese calendar, the Year of the Earth Ox begins Jan. 26. Ironically, that is the first day of the 2009 AHR Expo. I know of more than a few contractors who said they were debating on going to the expo because they had to cut back somewhere. It may be that kind of year for one and all. This year may be as slow as an ox.
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R410A Service components
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Hi, Rod -- I asked the wonderful folks...