Tips for the Season

Here are a few simple tips that can make all the difference. The residents will really appreciate it when you go the extra mile, especially during the hectic and often stressful holiday season.
• Extend office hours so residents can pick up packages

• Give residents a small bag of ice melt or leave one with each service request so they can sprinkle it in front of their doorway if needed

• Get the frost warning bootleg signs ready

• Send residents a notice that there is a package in the office (many times they are pleasantly surprised someone sent a package and the sticky note left by the delivery company is blown off the door)

• Have a little gathering where everyone can meet their neighbor, drink some egg nog, and possibly give them a roll of wrapping paper. They can usually be found at the dollar store and are inexpensive

• Schedule an adult or children’s movie night. Offer residents popcorn and hot chocolate. After all, who doesn’t like a good cup of hot chocolate when it is cold outside?

• If your property is in an area where there is enough snow have a snowman building contest for the residents. This has been a huge success in many areas where there is enough snowfall.

• Judges can be elected and the teams get a time period to build the best snowman. Keep the residents warm with hot chocolate and enjoy the area that is transformed into a hang out for the neighborhood Frosty.

For the company

• Help reduce vacant electric - Turn the vacant unit thermostat settings to 55-60 degrees in heat mode and leave cabinet doors open

• Be sure to order enough Ice Melt for at least one snowfall before any forecast for snow. There is nothing worse than being unprepared and inventories for ice melt are often low or it can be unavailable for several days.

• If your property has fireplaces send the residents a friendly reminder about what logs should be used and why fuel logs are not a good idea.

• Don’t forget to check those smoke detector batteries! When I worked on site it was not uncommon to experience at least one kitchen fire during the Holiday Season. Be as prepared as possible!

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Hello everyone, Dallas and Atlanta recently had a similiar problem and now here is another in Ohio.

Although this is considered an uncommon occurence it is happening more and more often. This is one of the few times you really have to shut down the pool.

Columbus orders chlorine blasts to kill tiny parasite

Thursday, August 14, 2008 7:32 PM
By Robert Vitale

THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH
Columbus will shut down seven city-run swimming pools Friday for an extra shot of chlorine, the result of a summertime increase of cryptosporidium cases being tracked by local health officials.

Columbus Public Health spokesman Jose Rodriguez said his department also will order all operators of large pools licensed by the city - public and private - to step up chlorination because of the water-borne parasite.

Health officials still are tabulating the number of cryptosporidium cases they’ve seen recently and are “not calling it an outbreak yet,” Rodriguez said.

Cryptosporidium causes diarrhea, vomiting and stomach pain in people who ingest the parasite.

Rodriguez said last night that he was unsure whether central Ohio cases have been traced to a specific source, although he said drinking water is highly unlikely.

Cryptosporidium is found in the feces of contaminated people or animals. According to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, it can be spread through drinking water, swimming pools and rivers and other natural waters.

Regular chlorination doesn’t necessarily kill cryptosporidium, the CDC says. The Columbus Public Health order, though, will tell pool operators to “hyper-chlorinate,” a longer process that involves larger concentrations of chlorine and higher temperatures during treatment.

The seven city-run pools that will close Friday are: Dodge, 545 Sullivant Ave.; Fairwood, 1392 Fairwood Ave.; Lincoln, 1700 Ann St.; Marion-Franklin, 2699 Lockbourne Rd.; Maryland, 1380 Atcheson St.; Tuttle, 240 W. Oakland Ave.; and Windsor, 1300 Windsor Ave.

All will open again on Saturday, Recreation and Parks Department officials said.

The department also will shut down a swimming pool at Indian Village Day Camp at Griggs Reservoir and the sprayground in Barnett Park, 1184 Barnett Rd., for treatment on Saturday. The sprayground will reopen on Sunday; the Indian Village pool on Monday.

Rodriguez said the city order is going out because children are prone to gulp a mouthful of pool water as they play. With so many heading back to school over the coming weeks, an outbreak would have the potential to multiply quickly.

“We’re trying to be proactive,” he said.

Central Ohio already has battled two other outbreaks of illness with similar symptoms this summer. Since June, Columbus Public Health has tallied more than 200 cases of shigellosis, a bacterial infection that also can be transmitted through swimming pools.

An E. coli outbreak in May and June sickened dozens in Ohio and Michigan. That illness was traced to tainted beef.

The three aren’t related, Rodriguez said.

Fore more information visit the CDC web site

R-410A should never be used in a system designed for use with R-22.

Equipment originally designed for use with R22 is not constructed or tested to withstand the higher operating pressures of R-410A.

System components including the compressor, condenser, system piping, etc., must withstand not only the higher operating pressures of R-410A, but much higher burst test requirements as well.

Many other operational and performance characteristics are substantially different between these two refrigerants. Use of R-410A in any system not specifically designed for R-410A will result in system and/or component malfunction, and will void regulatory approval of the equipment.

A “retrofit” with R-410A or R-22 equipment should therefore never be considered, as it is a potentially dangerous and negligent act.

Source. R 410a certification Study Guide

Nope. Not at all. This is wishful thinking on the part of many technicians and companies. This is not going away and R-22 is being phased out globally and the manufacturing plants that make R-22 in Europe, North America and other regions of the world will eventually be shut down or convert to making other chemicals. Just this past year, the 3rd largest R-22 manufacturer in the U.S. closed its facility.
In 2003 the U.S. EPA implemented an allocation program which limits the companies that can make and import R-22, including the amounts that they can make or import. This essentially “capped” the supply of R-22 in the U.S.
In order to meet the reduction in use of ozone-depleting chemicals that Congress laid out in the Clean Air Act of 1990, the U.S. EPA expects to pass further laws before 2010 to reduce allocations of R-22 and other ozone-depleting chemicals.
By 2015, the cap on R-22 and other ozone-depleting HCFC refrigerants will be reduced to allow a maximum of about 60 million pounds of virgin (new) R-22 to be produced in or imported into the U.S. Currently, the U.S. uses over 160 million pounds each year!

Well for many of us we have just finished getting bombarded with the first wave of A/C calls and corrected more than our share of undercharged units. Whew!

Historically what happens next when the A/C systems are up and running is condensation leaks. Condensation leaks can wreak havoc in your ceilings, on the carpet, and really make a mess while frustrating a resident.

Cleaning out drain pans and adding something as simple as a Sludge preventing drain tablet can save a fortune in time and frustration and prevent you from making a return trip. Let’s face it the last thing a technician wants to do is make several trips to the same home for the same or similar problem.

Keep in mind that condensation water is absolutely filthy and should be treated whenever it leaks. It has been known as a source to cause legionnaires disease so please be sure to disinfect any area that has come in contact with condensation. Many reports show that is carries more harmful bacteria than raw sewage.

An ounce of prevention will save you a pound of work so install the tablets and they will make a difference. Clean coils whenever you get a chance, and of course, the best time to install the drain tablets is during the turn process. If you make it a habit I guarantee you’ll get fewer condensation leaks.

The cliché “out of sight, out of mind” is often the reason for neglected maintenance on an HVAC system which often results in replacing systems that really could have been saved..

When HVAC systems are installed they are usually located where they aren’t easily seen, such as behind a building, surrounded by shrubs, on rooftops, making them easy to ignore.

The systems are simply taken for granted, until they fail resulting in Decreased efficiency, utility overpayment, discomfort, loss of productivity, premature replacement, and higher repair costs.

Getting your HVAC system to run with a correct refrigerant “Freon” charge and clean coils is just as important as changing the oil in your car every 3,000 miles! If you want the systems to last longer incorporate it in your service program.

Check the refrigerant charge in every make ready and it will save you time and money.

Saving time and money and having cool residents what we all want! So, prevent a problem before it can become a problem.

Before you buy a new air conditioner, you need to learn some of the industry language. It will help you find an efficient model that does not waste energy and saves money on monthly utility bills.

Look for the SEER rating on new air conditioners. SEER stands for Seasonal Energy Efficiency Rating. The higher the rating, the more efficiently the air conditioner operates.

The federal government requires a minimum SEER of 13 out of a maximum rating of 20. Why does the government set standards? Higher-efficiency air conditioners save energy and cause less pollution.

Background:

Ban on Production and Imports of Ozone-Depleting Refrigerant
In 1987 the Montreal Protocol, an international environmental agreement, established requirements that began the worldwide phaseout of ozone-depleting CFCs (chlorofluorocarbons).

These requirements were later modified, leading to the phase out in 1996 of CFC production in all developed nations. In addition, a 1992 amendment to the Montreal Protocol established a schedule for the phaseout of HCFCs (hydrochlorofluorocarbons). HCFCs are substantially less damaging to the ozone layer than CFCs, but still contain ozone-destroying chlorine. The Montreal Protocol as amended is carried out in the U.S. through Title VI of the Clean Air Act, which is implemented by EPA.

An HCFC known as R-22 has been the refrigerant of choice for residential heat pump and air-conditioning systems for more than four decades. Unfortunately for the environment, releases of R-22 that result from system leaks contribute to ozone depletion. In addition, the manufacturer of R-22 results in a by-product that contributes significantly to global warming.

As the manufacture of R-22 is phased out over the coming years as part of the agreement to end prouction of HCFCs, manufacturers of residential air conditioning systems are beginning to offer equipment that uses ozone-friendly refrigerants.

Many homewners may be misinformed about how much longer R-22 will be available to service their central A/C systems and heat pumps. This fact sheet provides information about the transition away from R-22, the future availability of R-22, and the new refrigerants that are replacing R-22. This document also assists consumers in deciding what to consider when purchasing a new A/C system or heat pump, or when having an existing system repaired.

Phaseout Schedule for HCFCs Including R-22
Under the terms of the Montreal Protocol, the U.S. agreed to meet certain obligations by specific dates that will affect the residential heat pump and air-conditioning industry:

January 1, 2004:
In accordance with the terms of the Montreal Protocol, the amount of all HCFCs that can be produced nationwide must be reduced by 35% by 2004. In order to achieve this goal, the U.S. is ceasing production of HCFC-141b, the most ozone-damaging of this class of chemicals, on January 1, 2003. This production ban will greatly reduce nationwide use of HCFCs as a group, making it likely that the 2004 deadline will have a minimal effect on R-22 supplies.

January 1, 2010:
After 2010, chemical manufacturers may still produce R-22 to service existing equipment, but not for use in new equipment. As a result, heating, ventilation and air-conditioning (HVAC) system manufacturers will only be able to use pre-existing supplies of R-22 to produce new air conditioners and heat pumps. These existing supplies would include R-22 recovered from existing equipment and recycled.

January 1, 2020:
Use of existing refrigerant, including refrigerant that has been recovered and recycled, will be allowed beyond 2020 to service existing systems, but chemical manufacturers will no longer be able to produce R-22 to service existing air conditioners and heat pumps.

What Does the R-22 Phaseout Mean for Consumers?
Availability of R-22

The Clean Air Act does not allow any refrigerant to be vented into the atmosphere during installation, service, or retirement of equipment. Therefore, R-22 must be recovered and recycled (for reuse in the same system), reclaimed (reprocessed to the same purity levels as new R-22), or destroyed. After 2020, the servicing of R-22-based systems will rely on recycled refrigerants.

It is expected that reclamation and recycling will ensure that existing supplies of R-22 will last longer and be available to service a greater number of systems. As noted above, chemical manufacturers will be able to produce R-22 for use in new A/C equipment until 2010, and they can continue production of R-22 until 2020 for use in servicing that equipment. Given this schedule, the transition away from R-22 to the use of ozone-friendly refrigerants should be smooth. For the next 20 years or more, R-22 should continue to be available for all systems that require R-22 for servicing.

Cost of R-22
While consumers should be aware that prices of R-22 may increase as supplies dwindle over the next 20 or 30 years, EPA believes that consumers are not likely to be subjected to major price increases within a short time period. Although there is no guarantee that service costs of R-22 will not increase, the lengthy phaseout period for R-22 means that market conditions should not be greatly affected by the volatility and resulting refrigerant price hikes that have characterized the phaseout of R-12, the refrigerant used in automotive air-conditioning systems.

Alternatives to R-22 in Residential Air Conditioning
As R-22 is gradually phased out, non-ozone-depleting alternative refrigerants are being introduced. Under the Clean Air Act, EPA reviews alternatives to ozone-depleting substances like R-22 in order to evaluate their effects on human health and the environment. EPA has reviewed several of these alternatives to R-22 and has compiled a list of substitutes that EPA has determined are acceptable.

One of these substitutes is R-410A, a blend of hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), substances that do not contribute to depletion of the ozone layer, but, like R-22, contribute to global warming. R-410A is manufactured and sold under various trade names, including GENETRON AZ-20®, SUVA 410A®, and Puron®. Additional refrigerants on the list of acceptable substitutes include R-134a and R-407C. These two refrigerants are not yet available for residential applications in the U.S., but are commonly found in residential A/C systems and heat pumps in Europe. EPA will continue to review new non-ozone-depleting refrigerants as they are developed.

Servicing existing units

Existing units using R-22 can continue to be serviced with R-22. There is no EPA requirement to change or convert R-22 units for use with a non-ozone-depleting substitute refrigerant. In addition, the new substitute refrigerants cannot be used without making some changes to system components. As a result, service technicians who repair leaks to the system will continue to charge R-22 into the system as part of that repair.

Installing new units
The transition away from ozone-depleting R-22 to systems that rely on replacement refrigerants like R-410A has required redesign of heat pump and air conditioning systems. New systems incorporate compressors and other components specifically designed for use with specific replacement refrigerants. With these significant product and production process changes, testing and training must also change. Consumers should be aware that dealers of systems that use substitute refrigerants should be schooled in installation and service techniques required for use of that substitute refrigerant.

A Common Sense Approach To Servicing Your System

Along with prohibiting the production of ozone-depleting refrigerants, the Clean Air Act also mandates the use of common sense in handling refrigerants. By containing and using refrigerants responsibly — that is, by recovering, recycling, and reclaiming, and by reducing leaks — their ozone depletion and global warming consequences are minimized. The Clean Air Act outlines specific refrigerant containment and management practices for HVAC manufacturers, distributors, dealers and technicians. Properly installed home comfort systems rarely develop refrigerant leaks, and with proper servicing, a system using R-22, R-410A or another refrigerant will minimize its impact on the environment. While EPA does not mandate repairing or replacing small systems because of leaks, system leaks can not only harm the environment, but also result in increased maintenance costs.

One important thing a homeowner can do for the environment, regardless of the refrigerant used, is to select a reputable dealer that employs service technicians who are EPA-certified to handle refrigerants. Technicians often call this certification “Section 608 certification,” referring to the part of the Clean Air Act that requires minimizing releases of ozone-depleting chemicals from HVAC equipment.

A Common Sense Approach To Purchasing New Systems

Another important thing a homeowner can do for the environment is to purchase a highly energy-efficient system. Energy-efficient systems result in cost savings for the homeowner. Today’s best air conditioners use much less energy to produce the same amount of cooling as air conditioners made in the mid-1970s. Even if your air conditioner is only 10 years old, you may save significantly on your cooling energy costs by replacing it with a newer, more efficient model.

Products with EPA’s Energy Star® label can save homeowners 10% to 40% on their heating and cooling bills every year. These products are made by most major manufacturers and have the same features as standard products but also incorporate energy saving technology. Both R-22 and R-410A systems may have the Energy Star® label. Equipment that displays the Energy Star® label must have a minimum seasonal energy efficiency ratio (SEER). The higher the SEER specification, the more efficient the equipment.

You should consider energy efficiency, along with performance, reliability and cost, in making your decision. And don’t forget that when purchasing a new system, you can also speed the transition away from ozone-depleting R-22 by choosing a system that uses ozone-friendly refrigerants.

For More Information Visit www.epa.gov

National News Release 07-1774-NAT
Nov. 14, 2007
Contact: Sharon Worthy
Phone: (202) 693-4679

OSHA announces employer-paid personal protective equipment final rule

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) today announced a final rule on employer-paid personal protective equipment (PPE). Under the rule, all PPE, with a few exceptions, will be provided at no cost to the employee. OSHA anticipates that this rule will have substantial safety benefits that will result in more than 21,000 fewer occupational injuries per year. The rule will be published in the Federal Register on November 15, 2007.

“Employees exposed to safety and health hazards may need to wear personal protective equipment to be protected from injury, illness and death caused by exposure to those hazards,” said Assistant Secretary of Labor for OSHA Edwin G. Foulke Jr. “This final rule will clarify who is responsible for paying for PPE, which OSHA anticipates will lead to greater compliance and potential avoidance of thousands of workplace injuries each year.”

The final rule contains a few exceptions for ordinary safety-toed footwear, ordinary prescription safety eyewear, logging boots, and ordinary clothing and weather-related gear. The final rule also clarifies OSHA’s requirements regarding payment for employee-owned PPE and replacement PPE. While these clarifications have added several paragraphs to the regulatory text, the final rule provides employees no less protection than they would have received under the 1999 proposed standard.

The rule also provides an enforcement deadline of six months from the date of publication to allow employers time to change their existing PPE payment policies to accommodate the final rule.

Under the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970, employers are responsible for providing safe and healthful workplaces for their employees. OSHA’s role is to assure the safety and health of America’s working men and women by setting and enforcing standards; providing training, outreach and education; establishing partnerships; and encouraging continual process improvement in workplace safety and health. For more information, visit www.osha.gov.

Just wanted to take a second to introduce myself. I am Jason Outlaw with Service Team Training. I am one of the instructors available throught this company for a wide range of classes. I would like to ask everyone to log in and let us know what are some topics you would like to see in future classes, also, what are your top three things you would like to see in discussion on the blog. You are in charge here, so let us know what you want to know. Remember, “Never expect what you don’t inspect” Hope to see you all real soon in upcoming classes and in discussions here on the blog. Have a great week!

Jason T. Outlaw
Trainer, Service Team Training