Special Episode – The SpeedClean Story

Mike Hardy from SpeedClean joins us to talk about how SpeedClean got started. He also explains why all contractors should consider engineered solutions.

SpeedClean emerged from the need to make coil-cleaning a better experience. Mike's philosophy is to look at the “pain points” of common tasks so that his company can develop engineered solutions to reduce the issues of those “pain points.” The goal of companies like SpeedClean is to make an HVAC job more efficient to boost technician productivity and provide good value. However, Mike also believes in consumer education to promote user adoption, and he wants to make sure he conveys the benefits of SpeedClean equipment.

In the past, pressure washers were some of the only technologies available to clean coils well enough, but they often damaged the fins and led to unhappy customers. There also weren't many pump sprayers, and hoses weren't always long enough to reach the equipment. So, the CoilJet came into existence in 2007 and had a mostly positive reception on the US West Coast. Customer feedback helped Mike improve his product, and he continues to accept and integrate user feedback today.

As mini-split systems began to emerge, a need to revolutionize indoor cleaning emerged. So, SpeedClean released the Mini-Split Bib Kit to make indoor ductless cleaning easy and mess-free.

SpeedClean makes all of its products in the USA, and its company culture places a high amount of value on the employees and respects their life outside of work. There is an assembly-line-type methodology in place, and the company consistently meets demand.

Mike and Bryan also discuss:

Battery issues with the CoilJet
Negotiating labor and product costs
CoilShot evolution
User adoption and “laggards”
Systems thinking
Cleaning efficiency best practices

Learn more about SpeedClean HERE. You can check out the HVAC School and SpeedClean mini-split cleaning guide HERE.

If you have an iPhone, subscribe to the podcast HERE, and if you have an Android phone, subscribe HERE.

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Q&A – Evap Placement – Short #221

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Author:

Bryan Orr

Company: HVAC School

Position: Founder

Mike Hardy

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HVAC School – For Techs, By Techs

Real training for HVAC ( Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning and Refrigeration) Technicians. Including recorded tech training, interviews, diagnostics and general conversations about the trade.

In today’s podcast, Bryan talks with legendary Hydronics author and trainer Dan Holohan about the history of steam heating and some practical applications of old ideas. Recently, Dan has been working on more novels, having published two of them over the past few months.

Steam heating is a “lost art” nowadays; it has become increasingly uncommon and has been disappearing since the Vietnam War. Many people who understood steam heating either retired or died after the Vietnam War. Many elements of steam heating are difficult to understand or surprising. (For example, steam pressure has a surprising relationship with velocity: low-pressure steam moves through piping much more quickly than high-pressure steam.) So, Dan Holohan is on a mission to revive that knowledge and teach the newer generations about the lost art.

There are many older steam heating systems still operating today, especially in the older large buildings in New York. Dan learned a lot about steam heating when working on these old systems and optimizing them. Most of the time, he optimized those systems by removing unnecessary accessories, not by adding components like steam traps.

Many old boilers used coal as a heat source. Nowadays, many old boilers have been fitted with conversion oil burners with thermostats, but they are still piped for coal. Some systems now have multiple risers or massive vents on the main riser to prevent the thermostats from getting too hot too early and satisfying the thermostat too early. We call that master venting, which reduces pressure and allows steam to move very quickly and efficiently.

Dan also discusses:

The 2-PSI standard
Transportation metaphors for BTUs in steam
Harmful renovations for old boilers
Replacement vs. restoration mindsets
Gaps in steam boiler education
Monopolizing the market if you HAVE the education
Boiler piping and venting
Two-pipe vs one-pipe steam

Find out more about Dan and hydronic heating at HeatingHelp.com.

Have a question that you want us to answer on the podcast? Submit your questions at https://www.speakpipe.com/hvacschool.

Purchase your tickets or learn more about the 6th Annual HVACR Training Symposium at https://hvacrschool.com/symposium. Subscribe to our podcast on your iPhone or Android. Subscribe to our YouTube channel. Check out our handy calculators here or on the HVAC School Mobile App for Apple and Android.