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Archive for April, 2010

Employee Spotlight – John-Paul Caputo

Friday, April 9th, 2010

Employee Spotlight

Getting to Know John-Paul

mary  demyonJohn-Paul Caputo was born and raised in Los Angeles California, Graduating from Cal State Northridge with 2 Engineering Degrees, then moved to Las Vegas 6 months ago.

He came to Air-Care two months ago and has been working on R&D & manufacturing troubleshooting under the wing of Mike Stanovich.

When not working at Air-Care he enjoys Snowboarding, Mountain Biking, and Model Railroading.

Maintaining Your Equipment

Wednesday, April 7th, 2010

Wayne’s Service Tips

Maintaining Your Equipment
by Wayne Tracy

wayneYou or the owner of your company has invested a substantial amount of money in the equipment and tools you need to provide air duct cleaning services.  Below is a brief summary of care and use instructions for different pieces of equipment.

Occasionally equipment is returned to us for repairs or service and we are truly amazed at times of the poor condition some of this equipment is in.  It’s not because of equipment failure; it’s due to poor care of equipment.  We find plugged filters, missing wheels, severely damaged cabinets.  Sometimes it’s strictly cosmetic issues that could easily be resolved with a little elbow grease and touch-up paint.  If the cabinet is looking bad, just call us and you can purchase new decals, take a door or part of the metal cabinet to a local paint center, they can scan and match the paint color to repaint or touch up the cabinet.

Turbojet Negative Air Machines and 4×4 Vent Vac Systems
a. Care should be taken when loading and unloading this equipment from your vehicle.  You don’t want to scratch or dent the cabinet or damage internal components.
b. Be careful that wheels are clean and dry prior to entering the customers home; pebbles, rocks and other debris can cause damage to flooring.
c. You are selling a cleaning service and our equipment must always look clean and presentable.
d. Filters should be cleaned and replaced on a regular basis.
e. Clean the outside and inside of the turbojet cabinet.
f. Be sure your 12” hose is cleaned frequently.  If it has duct tape patches sealing holes; order a new hose and discard it.  A patched up hose is very unprofessional looking and customers will notice.  We stock low cost 12” Mylar hose that’s very lightweight and easy to handle.

Cobra Power Brush Systems
a.   Be sure cables that require oiling are oiled on a regular basis.
b.   Keep the drive box clean and free of dents and scratches.  Like our negative air machines, paint and decals are available.
c.   Follow operating instructions so unnecessary damage can be prevented.
d.   Keep cables stored properly so they do not become kinked or damaged.

Foggers
a.   Keep exterior and hose clean
b.   Drain and rinse frequently.
c.   Keep hose from kinking.
d.   Be sure power switch is not turned on or off unless the valve on the nozzle end is fully closed.

Pogo Pole Assembly
a.   Inspect the rubber foot frequently and replace when necessary.  There’s pressure on this foot when you set it up and you don’t want to damage someone’s floor.
b.   Replace the ceiling pad when it becomes tattered or full of dust.
c.   Keep the poles from being bent and scratched.

Air Hoses
a.   Inspect frequently for leaks and weakened fittings.  Bad fittings can break free under pressure and injure someone or damage property.
b.   Keep them looking clean.
c.   Replace them when severely kinked or damaged.

Air Compressors
a.   Like all other equipment customers see this in your truck and it needs to be kept clean.
b.   Change Motor Oil and Compressor Oil on a regular basis – According to Manufacturer Specifications.
c.   Check fluid levels on a regular basis between changes, leaks can develop anytime.
d.   Check for air leaks in fittings – this can create added operating costs by the unit running at full speed more often than necessary.

Sidewinder and Forward/Reverse Air Whisk Systems
a.   Keep these hoses coiled properly to prevent kinking or other permanent damage.
b.   Keep them clean.
c.   When in use keep the cable coiled so it does not get stepped on or run over by wheeled equipment.
d.   Be careful on flooring since these products have brass fittings and valves that could damage tile, hardwood, or linoleum flooring.

In addition to the above products, all tools, vacuums and other equipment has to be maintained in clean condition.  You are selling a “Cleaning Service”, customers cannot see the quality of work you do inside ducting.  You have to portray an image of cleanliness so they will be comfortable with the work you are doing they can’t see.

The Importance of the Arrestance Factor

Tuesday, April 6th, 2010
The Importance of the Arrestance Factor
by Samantha Rector

AnaIt is very important to ensure that when you are selling an electrostatic filter to a homeowner that you sell them the correct level of arrestance.  Failure to sell your customer the correct arrestance filter could lead to costly problems down the road. Here’s a quick and easy way to determine if a 94% arrestance filter is too restrictive for the system you will be installing it in.

Air conditioning is measured in tons, and typical residential units are from 2 tons to 5 tons. Each ton moves 400 cfm (cubic feet per minute) of air through the home. A filter with an initial resistance of .12 inches of water column (94%) should have at least 1 square foot for every ton of capacity.

For example, let’s say a customer has a 2 ton unit and the filter size is 20” x 15”. Multiply 2 tons by 144 square inches, and this total equals 288 square inches of filter area needed to support a 94% filter. Now let’s calculate if the filter meets said criteria.

Since the filter is 15” wide, divide the amount of square inches of needed filter area (288) by the width of the filter (15”). This equals 19.2, which represents the minimum required filter length in order to use a 94% arrestance filter. Since our example filter is 20” long, it fits the test and can be 94%. Anything shorter than 19.2” and we recommend that you sell an 82% (initial resistance of .06 inches of water column) arrestance filter to avoid problems.

Additionally, I would like to leave you with some marketing tips that you can use when selling our electrostatic filters to the homeowner.

1) The first feature is the frame. Our silver frames are made of rigid galvanized steel, and our gold filters are made of anodized extruded aluminum. Compare this with a standard cardboard frame which can distort and leak particles around the edges of the return.

2) The second selling feature is replacement cost. Our permanent, washable filters have a lifetime guarantee that will save them money and time compared to a throw away filter. Many filter manufacturers state that it is rare that their filters will last 3 months, and that in a normal environment with children, pets, the opening of windows and doors, they recommend a 30 day replacement.

3) The third and final selling feature is that our filters are permanent and washable, so they stay out of landfills. Encourage your customers to go green!

Important note: It is important that the filter be washed every 30 to 60 days to keep it performing at its peak level.

NADCA Conference 2010

Sunday, April 4th, 2010
NADCA Conference 2010
by Mary Dziak

maryI just returned from the NADCA Convention in Tucson.  The reaction to the conference was very good.  Wayne and I worked our booth during the Exhibit Hall hours.

One thing that was discussed while I was there, was the use of the NADCA logo in ads.  Unless you are a NADCA member, you cannot use their logo.  This is reserved for the companies that are current certified members.

When you come to our training at Air-Care, we do use the NADCA standards to train you, but that does not give you permission to use the NADCA logo.  We give you a certificate from Air-Care.

nadca logoThis can become very serious because NADCA watches this very closely.  It can lead to huge fines from NADCA.  You can become a member of NADCA by going to their website (www.NADCA.com) and filling out an application.  Of course, application fees and annual membership fees apply.

Please keep this in mind when placing ads.  You really shouldn’t use any logos of companies that you are not affiliated with.  In the next newsletter, I will discuss the use of the Air-Care logo in ads.

April Specials

Saturday, April 3rd, 2010

April Specials

This Month’s Special Discounts

Back Pack Vac
Save $100

TruckMaster
Save $200

Electrostatic Filters
Big discount if you purchase 10 or more. Call for price.

CleanBreeze
15% Off

Win a FREE Netbook – Give us Your Idea and Win a Laptop

Friday, April 2nd, 2010

Give us Your Idea and Win a Laptop

by Buddy Rigotti

laptopWe have a new contest for you to participate in. Air-Care is looking to improve the way the Y-adapter fits onto a dryer duct vent and attaches to the Vent Vac or DuctMaster.

If you have your own method that works well or if you can come up with a method to make this product even better, you can win a laptop from Air-Care.

We’ll choose the best idea and feature you and your idea in an upcoming issue of our newsletter.

Learning and Growing Together

Thursday, April 1st, 2010

Learning and Growing Together
by Richard Papaleo, President

One thing I’d like to highlight this month is our new online Air Care Forum. This is a great vehicle for all of you to communicate with each other. It was set up for you so that you can share your experiences in the air system cleaning industry and most of all learn from each other – anything that makes your business work better.

Synergy is a great way to gain knowledge and learn from each other. This forum is closed to the public and is only for Air Care authorized dealers which requires a password to gain access. You will be surprised how much talent is available to all of you. It is free; it only requires you and your questions or comments, so jump in!

Visit the Forum