Future of HVAC and industry supply issues.

[2manyrocks]

Image what the world would be like if every business used standardized billing codes for every procedure.

 

[ultrarunner]

I guess that's why medical providers sock it to the paying customers.

For elective or out patient procedures always ask the cash price payable at time of service… often the savings will be substantial.

I don’t like medical billing because some could care less what it costs as insurance is paying and others don’t have a clear understanding of the component parts to a procedure which may include a facility fee, surgeon fee, anesthesia fee, lab fee, etc.

 

[ultrarunner]

Image what the world would be like if every business used standardized billing codes for every procedure.

Mechanics use the Book Rate… city government often have massive fee schedules requiring thousands of dollars up front only to later learn the permit is denied.

Thank the government for coding… plus the in and out of network reimbursements from payers.

 

[ultrarunner]

Image what the world would be like if every business used standardized billing codes for every procedure.

Did you happen to glance at the July 1 fee schedule posted above?

This is what my reality is when a simple service call is $1200 to $1500… 4 hour minimum plus truck charge.

 

[milkman636]

Here are a few pictures from today of one building rooftop HVAC

That coil pictured is what I would call human induced failure, exactly the kind of damage I mentioned earlier from improper coil care and cleaning.

 

[ultrarunner]

That coil pictured is what I would call human induced failure, exactly the kind of damage I mentioned earlier from improper coil care and cleaning.

Although the coils have never been chemically cleaned…

But Salt water is within sight and aluminum and saltwater environment not good…

Coil leak at the copper 180 has been the source of all refrigerant leakage.

70k quote this week to replace coils with refrigerant recovery, leak check, etc and to put back operational…

January 2020 it was 65k to replace all of it… coils, compressors, 4 fan motors, relays, etc.

That option no longer exists due to R22 refrigerant system…

Contingency is to rent a trailer with standby air at 4K per week not counting staging.

33 years on the job has been a good run for me so time will tell.

 

[milkman636]

I wouldn’t be afraid of buying equipment with 410a either. Its very widely used and going to be available for a long time. With good maintenance the need for recharging is very minimal too. There’s inexpensive systems that i installed in the 1990s that are still operating on the original charge.

VRF would be an awful hard sell to retrofit onto an existing building with ductwork already in place. I’ll echo what Sig said about them being a good option for new construction. If you have a system that needs added humidity VRF can be a challenge though.

 

[ultrarunner]

Plus this is 100% outside air with 12 exchanges per hour through 3 filter banks…

Docs demand 66-68F in the 6 operating rooms

Today are 66.5-67F

 

[KennyG]

I'm currently managing the replacement of a 10 ton rooftop unit at my church. We got a bid for a Trane unit but the cost was over $30K and the lead time was over 6 months meaning we wouldn't have it until after heating season started. We're getting a Daikin for $25K. Same specs but 2 month lead time, twice the HX warranty. I was somewhat hesitant to look at Trane anyway because the failed unit is a 12 year old Trane and has been very troublesome.

I manage the physical aspects of the church and costs on everything are way up, lead times are very long and contractors are all overbooked. We have a few contractors we have good relationships with and we are looking more and more at single source procurement because we need to avoid the delays in bidding and finding contractors.

 

[milkman636]

I'm currently managing the replacement of a 10 ton rooftop unit at my church. We got a bid for a Trane unit but the cost was over $30K and the lead time was over 6 months meaning we wouldn't have it until after heating season started. We're getting a Daikin for $25K. Same specs but 2 month lead time, twice the HX warranty. I was somewhat hesitant to look at Trane anyway because the failed unit is a 12 year old Trane and has been very troublesome.

I manage the physical aspects of the church and costs on everything are way up, lead times are very long and contractors are all overbooked. We have a few contractors we have good relationships with and we are looking more and more at single source procurement because we need to avoid the delays in bidding and finding contractors.

My most recent experience with Trane equipment was installing a 250 ton air-cooled screw chiller in June that was supposed to be delivered in January. Fortunately the summer weather held off here until then. In two months it’s had two software driven hard failures that required revised software to be downloaded. Mechanically the unit is solid, but their internal software that operates the equipment is less than robust.