12 minute read
Indoor Air Improvements
from April 2022
Indoor air quality experts should look at the building like a doctor looks at a patient. We are responsible for making sure its healthy.
Improving indoor air quality begins by looking at the building as a unit in itself and finding ways to improve ventilation efficiencies. By Glenn Mellors
I have to admit that I have never been a fan of the acronym I.A.Q. It stands for “Indoor Air Quality”, but to me, this should be a kind of measurement. We are in the business of indoor air improvement; we educate, sell, supply, and install indoor air improvement (IAI) products. To me, that takes the confusion out of what we do.
When consumers think about HVAC contracting businesses, they immediately relate us to furnaces, air conditioners, service, and installation. It is no surprise that they think that way
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— that’s what we all talk about, advertise, and sell. What happened to the “V” in HVAC? Ventilation!
My passion has always been in sales, training, and coaching sales professionals. Therefore, I study as much as I can about the art of selling. One of my fellow trainers challenges companies to allow his trained
sales professionals to follow behind your salesperson. He claims that his professional will come out of the same home with an additional $3,500 in products, 65 per cent of the time. As a bit of a numbers guy by heart, I follow trends in closing rates, average ticket price, and missed opportunities. I have done this for well over twenty years. Many companies feel that they are on top of the world by selling $4,000 furnaces or air conditioners with a 50 per cent closing rate.
If you want a stretch goal for your salespeople, strive for $10,000 plus the average ticket price and a closing rate of 65 per cent. How? Raise my prices? No! It starts by looking at the house as a system rather than just the basement. Residential or commercial, we need to be looking at the building as our patient, and we are the people that can make it healthy and comfortable.
This month, we will be focusing on looking at the home as a system and what we can provide as a product and service that will add to our average ticket price, be a wise choice for consumers, and be a step to IAI.
Strong improvements
We need to start looking up more often when assessing a home while improving the HVAC system. We need to put the “V” back into the system. So, what are you going to see when looking up? You may even hear it before you see it. If you haven’t figured it out yet, it is ceiling exhaust fans! Next time you are in a building, whether it be your home, your neighbour’s home, a friend’s, a restaurant, or a business washroom, turn on the exhaust fan. Does it run or rattle? Is it rusty or filthy? Probably. Can consumers go out and buy a new fan? Yes. Will they? Not likely.
Personally, I have one sitting on the floor to install. Shameful as it is, it has been there for at least two years! Lavatory exhaust fans were introduced in 1946 as a mandatory ventilation requirement to remove the moisture-laden air and deposit it outside the building envelope. The attic was considered outside the envelope. Lavatory exhaust fans were often overlooked when designing a home’s ventilation system. Their function is not only to eliminate odours but improve indoor air quality, and remove
It’s time to start talking more about the “V” in HVAC.
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moisture that can lead to structural damage or mildew and mould growth. An improperly ventilated lavatory will allow the moisture from a shower to penetrate drywall, attic insulation, and structural joists. If a mirror is steamed after a shower, or there is a build-up of condensation on bathroom walls, it may be time to service or upgrade the bathroom fan. Visible signs of bathroom exhaust upgrade would be mould in the ceiling corners, curling wallpaper, vanities delaminating, and strong lingering odours. To meet code, small CFM fans were used, in hopes that they did not create a negative pressure in homes with natural draft gas appliances.
Homes today have been modified with seal combustion appliances allowing for proper ventilation products to be used. CFM fans can be bumped to provide proper ventilation. They work well with homes that have been retrofitted with short circuit HRV units.
Low cost, high value
There are several manufacturers that are producing bathroom fans specifically for retrofits. They are relatively easy to install (under two hours) and can dramatically improve the air within the home. Buildergrade bath fans cost under $50. I remember paying less than $20, but that dates me.
These bathroom fans for retrofits typically require very little alterations and often come with vent adapters to increase or decrease discharge outlets. Wiring is typically 120V and is as simple as changing a light fixture. Speaking of lights, many fans have optional lighting or popular heat lamps for additional comfort when drying off after a shower or bath.
The grilles are far more cosmetically pleasing and come in a variety of finishes. Lavatory ventilation is an easy upsell and a great way to fill out your install to utilize the day better while doing something good for the customer. With an install price ranging from $700 to $4,000, it is a great way to increase your average ticket price without raising your prices!
Additionally, there are air purifiers available in a ceiling mount that look just like a lavatory fan too! Great for spot ventilation issues. So, next time you are invited into a home to present a retrofit upgrade, don’t forget to look up and offer up another solution for indoor air improvement. :
Glenn Mellors was born into a plumbing family and started in the industry in 1973. He entered the HVAC side of the business in the 80s, working in wholesale, and then joined Lennox in 1992. In 2008 he joined the ClimateCare Cooperative Corporation, an Ontario contractor group, where he is director of training and implementation. Glenn can be reached at
gmellors@climatecare.com.
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The global fire protection system market was valued at $72.72 billion in 2021 and is expected to grow an additional 6.7 per cent by 2030. By Francesco Lo Presti
Businesses are anticipating a year of growth in 2022. The world is starting to move on from the lockdown era of COVID-19. This past year was a relatively good year for the global fire protection system market as it was valued at $72.72 billion (USD) in 2021, according to the “Fire Protection System Market Share, Size, Trends, Industry Analysis Report, By Product, By Service, By Application, By Region; Segment Forecast, 2021— 2028” report. The pandemic presented a number of problems worth noting, reports Andre Floriddia, a fire protection specialist at Westinghouse Electric Canada, Inc. “The supply chain was heavily affected and slowed down by the pandemic, which slowed down the process for new construction, retrofit and general repairs.” She also adds that, “The pandemic has potentially affected the frequency of inspection, maintenance and testing procedures to businesses. These are required to ensure the functionality of a fire protection system.”
Despite the pandemic, the report suggests that the fire stopping industry is expected to grow another 6.7 per cent from now until 2030.
According to David Succurro, chief executive officer at Reliance Worldwide Corporation (RWC), there has been several improvements made to products in the fire stopping market. “The industry has come a long way. In the past year, architects and engineers struggled with a balanced approach to complete fire protection, including detection, containment and fire suppression. These are all very important but I believe that fire containment is most important of all, as we’re dealing with the human element.”
Currently, the focus has been on complete fire solutions in the fire stopping industry. Succurro adds, “Complete fire solutions seem to be the way of the future, and when we say complete, we
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mean an engineering solution.” Engineering solutions are something that all manufacturers have been focusing on, with Sameer Agrawal, general manager of global fire software and services at Honeywell, adding, “Today’s global environment requires the fire and life safety industry to innovate with solutions that enable facility managers and system integrators to monitor their systems and diagnose issues anytime, from anywhere.”
Engineered solution
As the industry moves towards complete engineered solutions, this allows for more effective fire containment. “Proper fire containment limits the movement of smoke and toxic gases, thereby containing the damage to property and human life,” said Succurro.
There are two categories related to fire stopping products — conventional products (such as fire stop sealant, packing materials, coffee collars, fire stopping wrap strips, paddy pads, and so on) and then there is engineered products (this includes products such as fire scuff devices).
Like so many other aspects of the industry, fire stopping systems have gone smart. They now have the ability to collect data, which will indicate potential adverse system conditions such as freezing pipes, pressure imbalances or pipe leaks.
Looking forward
One innovation that the industry is seeing more of is the use of cross laminated timber (CLT). CLT is a wood panel construction material that is manufactured through the gluing of layers of solid-sawn lumber together. It is a relatively light building material and it is “used in floors, walls, roofing and core construction. It offers great strength and design flexibility that allow longer spans to be created with fewer supports,” said Succurro. CLT has been around for some time but the adoption of the material has been slow, adds Succurro. He does acknowledge that the next iteration of the building code is expected to cover requirements for emerging technologies such as CLT.
In addition, the industry may see an increase in the use of video analytics. As explained by Floriddia, “Video analytics are an alternative technology that detects smoke and flame at the early stages of fire development by analyzing livestream video through a software based detection system.” She adds that the use of this technology may become more available to the general public in the future.
Reducing greenhouse gas emissions has been a driving force behind recent innovations in the fire stopping industry. “Looking ahead to the future, there could be a push for fire stop products to be produced without VOC’s (volatile organic compounds). These products can be made with more environmentally friendly materials which also won’t contain health risks upon short-term exposure,” said Floriddia.
The Connected Life Safety Services (CLSS) from Honeywell is an all-in-one cloud platform for fire safety systems.
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Eliminating human error
Tried, true and tested engineering solutions are critical in the fire prevention and fire stopping industry as it helps maintain a level of consistency and safety. Succurro highlights that several people are using makeshift methods, which aren’t entirely correct or ideal in the industry. “When we mention makeshift methods, we refer to people using a tin can to cast in place so they can pour the concrete that leaves the hole and then they just stuff it with rock solid, a fireproof insulation, and then they caulk and grout and it’s all legit but it leaves room for human error.”
A common mistake made by contractors is to leave the tin can in a conventional firestop method. This is only allowed if the tin can is a part of the UL list system, explains Succurro. He adds that “One example is someone using caulking that’s not UL approved and some might not know any better because caulking is caulking, right? So all they are doing is sealing up the hole, but you can’t use window caulking or exterior caulking because it is not fire rated.”
Understanding fire rating
When it comes to fire rating, this means the time in hours or fraction of time material will withstand flame and the transmission of heat. This is determined using specified conditions of tests and performance criteria. There are two types of fire stopping ratings. F-rating is the duration of time the system remains in the opening during the fire test. The FT-rating refers to a measure of thermal conductivity of fire stopping system. “Everything about fire rating is not about stopping it completely. It’s about slowing it down and giving people an opportunity to get out,” explains Succurro.
Floriddia also adds that when working in the residential and commercial sectors, each are categorized as a separate occupancy classification which drives different requirements across the building code.
Contractors are required to follow the building code requirements for fire stopping. Yet, there isn’t just one solution that will result in a safe building that meets the building code requirements. “You may go to 10 different buildings in Toronto, and every hole is fire stop different, and it’s left to the individual’s decision to do something,” said Succurro. :
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