Greetings everyone out there in Radio-land, and welcome to our show, Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Air-To-Water Heat Pumps* (*but were afraid to ask). Our hosts John Barba, Director, Sales Training NA, Taco, and Dave Holdorf, Product & Application Instructor – East, Taco, both of whom have a face for radio, are here Read more
heating and cooling
Greetings everyone out there in Radio-land, and welcome to our show, Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Air-To-Water Heat Pumps* (*but were afraid to ask).
Our hosts John Barba, Director, Sales Training NA, Taco, and Dave Holdorf, Product & Application Instructor – East, Taco, both of whom have a face for radio, are here to take your questions and, if a miracle occurs, provide you with coherent answers.
And now, here are your hosts, direct via satellite from Cranston, Rhode Island – John and Dave!
John: Thank you everybody, and welcome to our show. I’m John and on the other microphone is Dave. Say hello, Dave.
Dave: Hello Dave.
John: Yep, those 11 semesters at the Connecticut School of Broadcasting are really paying off, aren’t they? Let’s get right to your calls and tackle some questions on Air to Water Heat Pumps. Dave, who’s our first caller?
Dave: First up JB, we have Elliot from Kansas City. Elliot, you’re up. What’s your question?
Caller: Hi, this is Elliot from Kansas City. Am I on?
John: Hi Elliot, you’re live, coast to coast. There are literally tens of people waiting on your question.
Caller: Wow. Tens, huh?
Dave: Okay, maybe dozens. So . . . what’s cookin’ Elliot?
Caller: Well, it’s pretty basic, but – how many BTU’s? What size house can I do with an air to water heat pump?
John: That’s a great question, Elliot. We get more calls about that than anything else. First, understand that any air-based heat pump extracts heat from the air using a refrigeration cycle. And it stands to reason that the colder it gets outside, the less heat there is in the air to, you know, extract.
Dave: That’s correct, JB. So as it gets colder out, the actual output of an air-to-air or an air-to-water heat pump goes down. So when you need more heat, the heat pump is actually producing less heat.
System M output chart:
Taco System M, air to water heat pump, heat pumps, heat pump technology, electrification, heating and cooling, plumbing HVAC
John: As you can see from this output chart for the Taco System M, as the outdoor temperature drops, so does the heat pump’s ability to produce BTUs for heating…
Dave: Uhhh, boss . . .
John: It drops off pretty sharply, as you can clearly see from this chart I’m showing you. When you hit 0o F, the output of the heat pump unit itself is about 21,000 BTUH . . .
Dave: Boss . . .
John: And when it hits its low limit of -7o F, its output is only around 17,000. It’s right there, plain as day.
Dave: Boss . . .
John: WHAT?!
Dave: It’s radio, they can’t see the chart.
John: Oh, right. Sorry. Anyway, that’s the case with any air-source heat pump. That’s why System M also includes a 6kW immersion heater in the buffer tank in its companion indoor unit, the HydroBox. That heater adds another 20,478 worth of potential output to the unit, for a total of just under 38,000 at -7o F.
And don’t fret about the immersion heater coming on willy-nilly. It’s intelligently controlled.
Dave: Willy-nilly?
John: It’s an industry term. Who’s our next caller?
Dave: We have Kyle on the line from the alliterative metropolis of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan.
Caller: Greetings, eh? It can get pretty frosty up here in Saskatoon. Can we hook up some backup heat for when it hits 40 below?
John: Gotta tell ya, my favorite Guess Who song ever is “Runnin’ Back to Saskatoon.” I love how it mentions all those great Saskatchewan towns, like Red Deer, Hanna and Medicine Hat.
John Barba
Caller: Uh, those towns’re in Alberta. Maybe I could talk to Dave instead?
Dave: I got ya, Kyle. It’s very easy to incorporate a backup or auxiliary heat source with an air-to-water heat pump. If the heat produced by the 37,000-plus BTUH System M at -7o F isn’t enough to heat the home, you can have the auxiliary heat come on at -8. Or, let’s say the heat pump/immersion heater combo comfortably heats a home at 10oF above with a total output of 46,000 BTUH, but it can’t take care of the load once it gets colder than 10oF. Then you can set up an auxiliary heat source – like a gas-fired mod-con – or, if the area isn’t allowing any new fossil fuel burning equipment, an electric boiler could meet that need. It’s actually a simple, single pole-double throw switch activated by outdoor temperature. It turns the heat pump off and turns the boiler on.
John: Great answer Dave. That’s exactly what I was going to say.
Dave: Yeah, but you were still runnin’ back to Saskatoon like the McKenzie Brothers. Let’s go to our next caller, Eric in Minnesota. Go ahead Eric:
Caller: (silence)
John: Eric, what’s your question?
Caller: (silence)
Dave: Welp, Eric’s not here. Let’s move on to Pete from Colorado. What’s up, Pete?
Caller: Hi guys. Long time listener, first time caller. Simple question: how does an air-to-water heat pump switch from heating to cooling?
John: Excellent question Pete. There are lots of ways to do it, ranging from a manual switch combined with turning a bunch of valves on and off, to a simpler, control-based solution.
Dave: That’s right, Boss. An integrated control, like the one with the Taco’s System M, uses an outdoor sensor. Based on the type of home, the climate and the level of insulation in the house, you can program an outdoor temperature at which the system goes into heating mode. Let’s say it’s 53 degrees. You can also program in the temperature at which the system goes into cooling mode. Let’s say that’s 63 degrees.
John: Remember gang, these are just examples. But Dave, if you go into heating mode at 53 oF and cooling mode at 63 oF, wouldn’t that leave a sizable dead band between the two?
Dave: Right you are, Sunshine. In that dead band, System M doesn’t do anything except maybe make domestic hot water if you need it to. If you need cooling and it’s 62 or 63 degrees, you can cool with the reserve of chilled water in the buffer tank. By the same token, if you need heating when it’s 54 or 55 degrees, you’ll have heated water in the buffer tank.
And if you have a houseful of people over for a spring holiday and you’re in the dead band, you can go into a forced cooling mode if you want to.
John: Awesomeness! We have two callers on the line now Dave, and both have the same question. Drake from Idaho and Tom from New Hampshire both want to know how an air-to-water heat pump can make domestic hot water when the heat pump itself is in cooling mode.
Caller: Yeah, this is Drake. I’m with that Tom guy. It doesn’t make sense that an air-to-water heat pump can make heated water for the indirect hot water tank and chilled water for cooling at the same time.
Dave: Great observations guys, and you’re correct. An air-to-water heat pump can’t make heated and chilled water at the same time.
Caller: Yeah, this is Tom. That Drake fellah is wicked smaht to ask that question. How can you make the watah hawtt when the freakin’ heat pump is making cold?
Dave: That’s where a buffer tank becomes really important. Let’s say the heat pump is in cooling made. With System M you’ll have a 30 gallon buffer tank filled with chilled water. When the indirect domestic water heater calls to make more hot water, the heat pump immediately jumps into heating mode.
Since you want to make hot water as quickly as you can, you can’t really wait for the 30 gallons of chilled water to be used up. And we don’t want the heat pump to turn all that chilled water into hot water. It would take forever and it’s not exactly what you’d call “green.”
John: Right you are, Dave. That’s where the piping in the System M indoor unit – what we lovingly refer to as the “HydroBox” – comes in. The piping arrangement in the HydroBox is called – are you ready? – a dual differential pressureless manifold. Its job is to hydraulically separate the heating and cooling piping circuits from the buffer tank-heat pump piping circuits. In addition, it also isolates the indirect DHW tank piping from both the heating and cooling circuits.
Dave: Exactamundo, my man. So when the indirect calls to make DHW, the heat pump itself goes right into heating mode, and the hot water from the heat pump bypasses the buffer tank altogether and goes direct to the indirect. The cooling circuit, meanwhile, can still run using the 30 gallons of chilled water that’s still in the buffer tank.
Caller: But won’t that water heat up quickly?
John: It’ll heat up over time, which means two things. First, the best applications for air-to-water heat pumps are very well insulated homes (think steroidal insulation) that don’t heat up or cool down quickly. That buys you time.
Dave: Additionally, you can program the unit to regenerate the hot water tank at specific times. Maybe the best time to do it during cooling season is at night when you’re asleep. You’ll be less likely to notice any temperature creep.
John: Wow, will you look at that. The old clock on the wall says time is up for this week’s edition of Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Heat Pumps* (*But Were Afraid to Ask). Thanks for being with us.
Dave: And if you enjoyed this show, make sure to join John and myself online during the spring and summer on Taco After Dark, our weekly nighttime program dedicated to all things hydronic, plumbing and heat pumps.
The fun starts once the sun goes down!
As we move into the first quarter of 2023, the trade show circuit is in full effect, and the Mechanical Hub team will be present at all of the events, starting with World of Concrete next week. The buzz is strong moving from the post-COVID drag to in-person connection again that includes all shows from Read more
As we move into the first quarter of 2023, the trade show circuit is in full effect, and the Mechanical Hub team will be present at all of the events, starting with World of Concrete next week. The buzz is strong moving from the post-COVID drag to in-person connection again that includes all shows from January through March.
World of Concrete (January 17-19, Las Vegas) — This show has been serving the concrete and masonry construction industries for nearly 50 years. Why does Mechanical Hub attend? Tools baby! The leaders in the tool industry—that delve into the concrete side of things—are all there and great conversations and connections can be made there. And, it’s Vegas. I’m sure you can find something fun to do there, right?
KBIS/IBS (January 31-February 2, Las Vegas) — Since co-locating back in 2014, this really is a can’t-miss show. Combing the Kitchen & Bath Industry Show (KBIS) and The International Builders’ Show (IBS) was a huge boon to both of these prior individual shows. Combing forces is like watching Hanna-Barbara’s Wonder Twins “activate” in the form of a leading national trade show every year. Finding the latest in kitchen and bath trends with the latest and greatest from the building world? Um, yes please.
AHR Expo (February 6-8, Atlanta) — If I could count the amount of steps I have amassed over the years walking this show floor, I probably would have worn more comfortable shoes from the beginning. This is the largest annual U.S. HVACR trade show and you will not be disappointed with how much there is to see and do at this event—from seeing the latest technology and products visiting with manufacturers at their booths to the educational tracks offered. BTW, Mechanical Hub’s two podcasts will be broadcasting from the AHR Podcast Pavilions, so if you’re at the show, be sure to stop by and say hello. (Appetite for Construction Podcast Monday, Feb. 6 at 5:00 pm, pavilion 2; Tuesday, Feb. 7 at 4:00 pm, pavilion 1. Make Trades Great Again Podcast Monday, Feb. 6 at 2:00 pm, pavilion 2; Tuesday, Feb. 7 at 11:00 am, pavilion 1; Tuesday, Feb. 7 at 1:00 pm, pavilion 2.)
WWETT Show (February 20-23, Indianapolis) — Man, we love going to this show as well. So many connections made, such a great time. The Water & Wastewater Equipment, Treatment & Transport Show—a mouthful so let’s just call it WWETT—is the world’s largest annual trade show for wastewater and environmental service professionals. This show offers educational programs, live demos, the latest in drain cleaning technology, and the opportunity to connect with fellow industry showgoers. For those that can remember that far back, this was the old pumper and dumper show.
ISH Messe Frankfurt (March 13-17, Frankfurt, Germany)—Guten tag from Deutschland! The Mechanical Hub team will be making the jump over the pond to attend one of the world’s largest biennial (every two years) PHVACR trade show. The focus of this year’s ISH is marketable solutions for a sustainable future. Currently, the organizers are expecting around 2,000 companies to present their solutions for renewable sources of energy, sustainable water usage and clean air at the leading international trade event for the HVAC and water sector.
ISH 2023 will offer the ISH digital extension, a virtual presence that will open in parallel to the live event in Frankfurt and will also remain open for one week longer until March 24, 2023.
Pre-COVID, ISH was so popular, more space was allotted to the already mammoth 12 building campus. According to the ISH website, the show is the largest exhibition venue in the world for product innovations, and it occupies an area equal to approximately 39 football pitches. Thank goodness for Ted Lasso, because we now know that pitches mean soccer fields. We’ll need to brush up on our German for sure as the MH team will be traveling the countryside after the show, visiting with some key clients.
Hope to see you on the road!
Central Florida plumbing and HVAC company to celebrate rapid expansion, company culture. Mechanical One, a leading HVAC, gas and plumbing services provider, will change lives when it awards mortgage-free homes to two employees this holiday season. The winners will be picked in a lottery during an event on December 3 at the Hard Rock Live Read more
Central Florida plumbing and HVAC company to celebrate rapid expansion, company culture.
Mechanical One, a leading HVAC, gas and plumbing services provider, will change lives when it awards mortgage-free homes to two employees this holiday season. The winners will be picked in a lottery during an event on December 3 at the Hard Rock Live at Universal Orlando Resort. More than a thousand people are expected at the event, which will include a speech from Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings.
At the time of the home giveaway announcement in December 2021, there were 65 employees working at the company. That number has grown more than 500% in just the past nine months. With demand for HVAC, gas and plumbing services growing to meet housing needs in Central Florida, Mechanical One is meeting builders’ needs with its expanding workforce.
“We build communities at work, but we want to better communities during that time outside of work. Investing in our employees has been one of our top priorities. We see each employee as a family that our company is supporting, rather than an individual who is coming to work each day,” said Mechanical One President Jason James.
The company offers day one health insurance options that also include coverage for mental health. Mechanical One also gives employees access to free financial education tools. In order to qualify for the free home giveaway, employees must be employed at Mechanical One for a year, take a financial education course and complete 20 hours of community service.
Mechanical One first opened its doors in July 2021. The company serves top homebuilders, such as Pulte, Lennar and Taylor Morrison. With a presence throughout Central Florida and the Treasure Coast, employees work on HVAC, plumbing and gas for thousands of homes each year.
To learn more about Mechanical One, visit their website.
Milwaukee Valve has announced the retirement of President and CEO Rick Giannini, effective January 20, 2023. John Labellarte, the company’s current COO, will succeed Giannini in leading the commercial, industrial and marine valve manufacturer. Giannini joined Milwaukee Valve in 1998 and successfully guided the business through challenging market conditions. His leadership transformed Milwaukee Valve into Read more
John Lebellarte
Milwaukee Valve has announced the retirement of President and CEO Rick Giannini, effective January 20, 2023. John Labellarte, the company’s current COO, will succeed Giannini in leading the commercial, industrial and marine valve manufacturer.
Giannini joined Milwaukee Valve in 1998 and successfully guided the business through challenging market conditions. His leadership transformed Milwaukee Valve into a service leader and global manufacturer. He guided the transformation of the sales organization, reinvested in manufacturing processes and equipment, and assembled the company’s overseas manufacturing operations. Giannini greatly expanded the development and growth of Milwaukee Valve’s product offering and presence in the Navy Marine market.
Giannini also developed and maintained the management team which will continue to lead the company. He dedicated time and energy to industry-leading organizations, serving as Chairman of the Aircraft Carrier Industrial Base Coalition (ACIBC) since its inception in 2004. He also sat on The American Supply Association’s (ASA) Industrial Piping Division Steering Committee and served on ASA’s Board of Directors.
New president and COO John Labellarte started with Milwaukee Valve in 1999 as General Manager. He was promoted to Vice President and COO in 2006. During his tenure, Labellarte has been instrumental in driving the company’s global manufacturing initiatives, strategic planning, product development and operational performance. His focus on continual improvement and the utilization and development of new technologies will continue to build brand value and value proposition for the company. Prior to joining Milwaukee Valve, Labellarte worked for 12 years with the Marpac & McCANNA Valve companies, serving in operations and management roles. He is extremely qualified to lead Milwaukee Valve, with 35 years of executive and operations management experience in the valve industry.
In its 121st year of business, Milwaukee Valve Company is internationally recognized for state-of-the-art manufacturing facilities and innovative new products covering a wide range of commercial and industrial applications.
Two historic companies are joining forces to serve San Antonio San Antonio, Texas — Two of San Antonio’s oldest home services companies— Shafer Services Plus and Steve’s Plumbing—are joining forces to become one of the area’s largest and most experienced plumbing and HVAC businesses. The catalyst for this partnership is the upcoming retirement of Steve’s Plumbing founder Read more
Two historic companies are joining forces to serve San Antonio
San Antonio, Texas — Two of San Antonio’s oldest home services companies— Shafer Services Plus and Steve’s Plumbing—are joining forces to become one of the area’s largest and most experienced plumbing and HVAC businesses. The catalyst for this partnership is the upcoming retirement of Steve’s Plumbing founder, Robi Jalnos, who has served San Antonio for more than 40 years. Robi started Steve’s Plumbing out of his mother’s garage in 1978, naming the business after his father, Stephan Jalnos, a Holocaust survivor and plumber who passed away when Robi was a young man.
Robi and Eileen Jalnos
Since then, Steve’s Plumbing has grown to become one of San Antonio’s premier plumbing contractors currently serving some 4,500 customers throughout the area. Robi has become a plumbing leader, not just locally but regionally, serving on the Texas State Board of Plumbing Examiners where he was of Chairman of the Examination, Medical Gas, Water Supply Protection Specialists, and Personnel Committees for seven years. Robi also serves as an expert witness on plumbing-related matters across the country. He’s considered a national plumbing expert in all aspects of plumbing installation and products, holding a Green Plumbers Certification and is an expert in solar water heating.
“For decades, our teams have had a mutual respect for one another’s history, skills, and dedication to putting customers first—so you can imagine our delight in uniting to become San Antonio’s preferred option in plumbing and HVAC services,” said Chase Anderson, President and CEO of Shafer Services Plus.
Shafer Services Plus is San Antonio’s oldest plumbing company. They added HVAC services to their offerings upon the invention of air conditioning in the early 1900s. Since then, the Shafer team has built much of San Antonio’s residential and commercial infrastructure including installing the first commercial air conditioning in a high-rise office building in the United States at San Antonio’s own Milam Building in the heart of downtown. Today, Shafer serves more than 6,000 residential and commercial customers, and is consistently rated among San Antonio’s best plumbing and HVAC contractors.
Chase Anderson (l) and Jimmy Shafer
In searching for a compatible plumbing partner, Robi Jalnos selected Shafer Services Plus because of the organization’s knowledgeable team and commitment to putting customers first. Robi will be working with the united Steve’s Plumbing and Shafer Services Plus teams for the next three years to assist in the transition.
“It has been my honor to serve San Antonio for the past 40 years,” said Robi Jalnos, founder of Steve’s Plumbing. “This has been more than a job for me. It’s my life’s work. That’s why I wanted to partner with the Shafer Services Plus team to ensure that my employees and customers will continue to be cared for like family for generations to come.”
Both Shafer Services Plus and Steve’s Plumbing attribute their longevity to top-quality workmanship and a customer-focused business model. Through their union, they will operate under five core values: treat people like family; do the right thing, even when no one is watching; be easy to do business with; exceed expectations; and provide mutual respect for all.
“The Shafer and Steve’s Plumbing teams are not satisfied with marginal service,” added Chase Anderson. “We are committed to bringing value and world class service to everything we do because it is an honor to be invited to work in someone’s home, an honor that we will continue to earn for generations to come.”