OPTIMISM IS UP Economic outlook among exhibiting HVAC/R manufacturers is on the upswing, according to an annual survey conducted by AHR Expo and ASHRAE. Among survey respondents, 89 per cent forecasted excellent or good growth – up 15 per cent…
Blazed trails and broken barriers mark the journey into the trades industry for women. When Siân Smith presented the top nine most influential moments of her life and career, she was met eye-to-eye with 130 women – cellphones off, side…
Interior Design Show (IDS) Toronto celebrated its 20th year with a look to the future. The showcase theme Future Forward focused on elements of design that have contributed to an evolution of the architectural and design industry. In the plumbing…
In the fall of 1992, a self-employed colleague of mine rented a single family, two-story, detached house in Scarborough. He had been victimized by the severe recession wrought, in part, by the collapse of the Canadian housing market bubble in…
Over the last four years I have been reviewing submittals for proposed heating systems using pellet boilers. They come from heating professionals ranging from contractors to professional engineers. These submittals are required to participate in an incentive program that offers…
Equipment change out impacted by space, venting and timing issues. Friends of mine were recently faced with a decision when their combination boiler/DHW heater refused to provide either. Now this should not have come as a complete surprise as the…
In today’s modern world, maintaining the supply of safe, clean drinking water can be challenging with so many potential chemical contaminants. In addition, there are many different ways that potable water systems can be cross connected with other systems. Regulated…
Currently, the HVAC/R industry is undergoing a third paradigm shift in regulating refrigerants–this time the transition is specifically aimed at addressing climate change and greenhouse gas emissions. The earlier two transitions from CFCs to HCFCs, then from HCFCs to HFCs,…
Over the course of your career you have probably used a number of strategies to compete for projects. Maybe your choice de jour was to do battle using a lowest price model. Maybe you got tired of dealing with headaches…
How many times have you heard someone say “Who let the smoke out?” in a mechanical room. You see the infamous “black smoke” come out of a piece of electronics and everyone starts pointing fingers. We have all done it.…
