Keith Glasch's Blog

Working with the best: Price Industries

Price Industries is amazing at commercial HVAC applications

Price Industries is a leading manufacturer and supplier of commercial HVAC equipment and systems, known for their innovative GRD, Chilled Beam and noise control designs and high-quality products. However, what truly sets them apart from their competitors, like Titus, Nailor, or Greenheck, is their outstanding engineering support team, which provides unparalleled technical assistance to their customers. I see it firsthand in every interaction we have with Price Industries!

The engineering support team at Price Industries is comprised of experienced and knowledgeable professionals who are dedicated to helping our customers find the best possible solutions for their Air Distribution, Sound Control, Custom AHUs and ERVs and Operating Room systems. They ensure that every project is successful, from design to installation notes and beyond. The labs (Winnipeg is show above) are full of real world examples of HVAC equipment, many fully operational, providing great hands-on training.

One of the key strengths of Price Industries’ engineering support team is their ability to provide customized solutions that meet the unique needs of each project. They use advanced software like Price Predict (CFD Modeling) and basis of design tools to simulate and analyze different scenarios, allowing them to develop solutions that are both efficient and effective. This level of customization ensures that each HVAC system is tailored to the specific needs of the building and its occupants, resulting in optimal performance and energy efficiency. For real. We just taught another consulting engineer how to layout diffusers automatically with Ripple, a REVIT plug-in. How cool is that feature! Bonus: The Price people become your friends, they really care about you and others.

ACI Mechanical won the Price Cup in November 2022. We only won because Price Industries understands, and lives by one of our Core Values: Thrive Together. Thank you Gerry Price and the Price Industries family!

Long lead times won’t last forever, will they?

Pre-Covid lead-times for applied HVAC equipment used to be easy. 6 to 8 weeks for some rooftops, a few weeks longer for AHUs and complex fan systems. COVID and supply chain craziness wrecked all that reliable supply. Now, a large HVAC supplier has lead times on products that look like elephant gestation periods! (18 months, google it)

Our Yaskawa line of drives has improving delivery dates, but still out from what they used to be, the reason? Tiny components! Chip makers have been catching up on demand that frankly caught them by surprise.

We recently helped a chocolate factory with a drive problem, and sourcing a drive was trickier than usual, but we solved the problem. Thanks Yaskawa!

I hear from our suppliers in general that supply chain problems are getting better, and a year from now we won’t be talking about lead time problems. Until then plan ahead and expect the unexpected!

3 easy tips to solve HVAC air distribution problems

We at ACI Mechanical solve cold office worker problems for our contractor and owners all the time. Here are 3 tips to make a difference for cold work spaces.

Change the airflow patterns of diffusers and grilles

Many ceiling diffusers or grilles have the ability to be adjusted or closed down. Many designs have maximum airflow rates that are over designed for actual building usage. Facility engineers (or you with a ladder) can reduce the total airflow directed toward occupants. Change the diffuser from a fixed style to adjustable to have a choice.

Price Industries diffusers have adjustable controllers

2. Install VAV Diffusers to control local zones without extra wiring

We installed a 10″ neck Acutherm Thermafuser in a small conference room at ACI Mechanical in Seattle, changing the room from freezing cold to a perfect 72 degrees. It took a ladder, a new Panduit strap to connect the existing flex duct to the new diffuser, and an Thermafuser to solve the problem. It was a 10 minute installation, before picture shown:

A ladder and a simple diffuser replacement

Acutherm by Price Industries Thermafusers

3. Use Preheat strategies on thermostats and building controls for morning warm-up

We use our Verasys building control system by Johnson Controls to preheat the building at 5am, before the first worker arrives at 5:30am in Seattle. This gives the three rooftops the ability to “catch-up” from a weekend of unoccupied setpoints.

Verasys smart building hub connects to JCI equipment, smartphone image superimposed

Changing the way air flows in a building can make a difference for occupant comfort all year long. It is worth the time and effort!

Baby, it’s cold outside

“Baby, It’s Cold Outside” is a popular song written by Frank Loesser in 1944 and popularized in the 1949 film Neptune’s Daughter, says Wikipedia. Dean Martin made it great, and now John Legend makes it modern. I love this old school image below.

Dean Martin film image Courtesy of Genius.com

But that’s not the point, I am talking about staying warm inside with air distribution and how we make buildings feel great. We have Price Industries linear slot diffusers to separate cold windows from work spaces; smart, high performance heat pumps that far outperform electric heaters, like 3 to 1 better, and big fans that push warm air down from the ceiling in a large building. It is fascinating stuff, how a machine can effectively make you quietly comfortable. Take Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle for example:

Look closely for one of the three Big Ass Fans at Climate Pledge Arena

Zoomed in view of the PowerFoil fan that is 26 feet in diameter!

Heat rises, the air molecules are lighter than cold air because they are farther apart from each other. When you get the warm air circulating with cold air, life gets better for the occupant. Even though it’s cold outside we at ACI Mechanical and HVAC Sales know how to use science to make people comfortable!

Why trade shows and trade meetings matter

I am always learning new things from others in the HVAC business. For example, at the SMACNA Annual Convention this week I learned a lot from Steve Taylor. He is probably one of the smartest engineers in our business. He balances practicality and energy savings with high building performance. Here is a slide from the conference where he aggregates the real causes of COVID transmission:

The words are smaller related to their actual transmission effectiveness, from Steve Taylor PE, Taylor Engineers

The summary: Vaccines work, and keep your distance if you can. Also, adding lots of outside air to a building really does not have any effect on transmission! This was a surprise to me, but his explanation of the science proved it.

My point of this blog is two fold,

1. If you don’t go, you don’t know. I was not expecting to learn what I did from Steve Taylor.

2. Relationships matter, we all know it, but going and talking with others in our commercial HVAC business helped all in attendance. Thanks SMACNA for an outstanding event.

Bob and Keith in their ACI Mechanical uniforms!

#smacna #hvac #taylorengineers #acimechanical

Core Values come up again – No Excuses

Core values at ACI Mechanical and HVAC Sales

Jay Rifenbary, 2017 Vistage Speaker of the Year, gave his 695th presentation to my Chief Executive group at a retreat this past weekend. His focus was on Core Values, and having no excuses for accountability and balance in your life and your career.

Good stuff!

Positive review on growth in PNW, despite costs

Growth is happening at a quick rate in the Pacific Northwest. Natural beauty is all over the place. It costs more to live here, but people want to be around the mountains and water.

Microsoft, Amazon, Google, Boeing, and a host of others want to be where high quality employees can be found. We have seen high costs in construction, yet the work keeps coming.

Hermanson Commercial Construction Cost Index Q3 2021

Supply chain disruptions and steel prices contribute to the higher prices here, and expectations are the increase level off. My friend who leads a large retailer supply chain group says it might not get better until 2023!

At least I get to work through these problems in a beautiful place.

Noise Control in action

ACI had an application where a four ton horizontal discharge heat pump was creating too much noise in a densely populated neighborhood. We engaged Price Industries noise control, and they delivered!

The Price team used aluminum panels with weatherproof insulation and perforated panels, the “AP” series, combined with a bill-nosed “RH” panel. The contractor installed the silencer in 90 minutes. All dimensions and colors custom, including an access panel for servicing the CDU. @priceindustries #scienceofcomfort @acimechsales

The silencer reduced the sound so much that the homeowner and nearby neighbor were thrilled with the outcome, “I can barely hear it run”, said the neighbor who had previously complained, particularly during cold spells where high speed compressor and fan noise were frankly loud.

What if OPEN.AI wrote my blog posts?

I asked ChatBGT to “tell me about HVAC in Seattle”, here is what it wrote:

HVAC stands for heating, ventilation, and air conditioning. In Seattle, the climate is generally mild, with cool and rainy winters, and mild summers. However, in the summer months, temperatures can sometimes rise to the high 80s or even 90s, which can make air conditioning a necessity for many buildings and homes.

As Seattle is located in the Pacific Northwest, it has a moderate climate, with mild winters and cool summers, which means that HVAC systems in Seattle are primarily used for heating rather than cooling. Many buildings in Seattle use electric heating systems, which can be more efficient and cost-effective than traditional fossil fuel-burning systems.

However, there are also buildings that require cooling systems, especially in commercial and industrial buildings, where the internal heat generated by machinery and computers can raise the temperature inside. In those cases, buildings typically use central air conditioning systems that use refrigerant to cool the air and circulate it throughout the building.

In general, HVAC systems in Seattle must be designed to handle the region’s rainy and humid weather, which can cause issues with mold, mildew, and corrosion if not properly maintained. Building owners and managers should make sure to schedule regular maintenance and inspections to ensure that their HVAC systems are operating efficiently and effectively.

While not amazing or exciting, this description is right on! I can see what schools might ban open.ai for students, but I am trying to find a way for it to help our business.

Team building is fun, especially Skydiving

The energy and team excitement was amazing. Everyone said “can you believe we are doing this”?!

Sometimes simple control is better

The KISS method is one of my favorite acronyms, keep it simple stupid. It is not about insulting a contractor about their knowledge, it’s about making things easy. Decades ago the PENN electric switch company, bought by Johnson Controls in the 1980s, made a line voltage thermostat that required no outside power to operate. No internet of things, no calibration or BSME required to operate it.

We needed an thermostat to operate a Loren Cook Gemini exhaust fan to remove hot air in a lobby where we installed a condensing unit. The VRF unit is inside for demonstration purposes and when the training room need a lot of cooling we need to exhaust the heat outside. The Penn thermostat simply turns on the fan when the room gets above 78F. Simple 120V one wire current interruption when room temp is OK, engages when the room gets hot. So simple!

Gree Condensing unit with Price Industries exhaust grille connected to Loren Cook exhaust fan

Recognition for a job well done

Engineered Systems magazine article photo

Congrats to the ACI Mechanical and HVAC team for their recognition as an Ambassador of Energy Efficiency. The award comes from engineers and contractors recognizing the contribution that our team has made. Recognition is my love language, just ask my wife Margaret!

We love helping building owners save energy, and our mission statement “Helping Building Thrive” says it in three words.

Selling products from stock works

Reznor unit heaters in Portland on our shelves

“You can’t sell from an empty wagon”, said Bob Nichols, the owner of Allied Refrigeration in Long Beach, CA told me when I was a young sales engineer at Johnson Controls. It was 1989 and I was blown away with this distributor’s high value, high service model. Bob passed in 2012, but his words stuck with me.

Part of the 40,000 square foot warehouse in Seattle

Thirty years later, as I get to make decisions with our leadership team about how to service customers, it is clear to me that being a hybrid manufactures rep and commercial HVAC distributor works. We increased our on-hand inventory over $1M as supply chain disruptions ran up the lead-times for products. It turned out to be a great idea to buffer longer lead-times with real on-hand products. We are selling more of nearly all of our products because we actually have it.

Thanks for the tip 33 years ago Bob!

#hvac #supplychain #customerservice