Everything You Need To Know About Heat Pumps

In Newsletter By Jay Torres On

This post originally appeared as an issue on my newsletter. If you’d like to get early access to my posts, please consider subscribing.

It’s no secret that I love heat pumps. Not only do I think they’re an amazing piece of technology, I also get paid to sell them! It’s kind of a great gig when I’m a huge fan and proponent of the thing I’m selling.

I started this newsletter and YouTube channel to help people learn about the benefits of heat pumps. Heatmap recently put together about as great of a definitive guide to heat pumps that I’ve seen. You can read the entire guide here:

Everything You Need to Know About Heat Pumps

Forward that, and this newsletter, to everyone you know!

If You Watch One Thing

One of the most controversial topics when it comes to sizing your air conditioning equipment is how to size your equipment. Technology Connections (again) has a great video on the importance of sizing your equipment properly, and most importantly, how properly insulating your home can affect the sizing of your equipment.

Finally

I just wanted to share a photo from our vacation over the summer. Even though I took time off, I can’t help but look up at ductwork or try to see what equipment is on a roof top. While we were at the Warner Brothers studio tour, we came to the point of the tour where we had a view of the famous Warner Brothers water tower. I couldn’t help but notice that the building next to it had VRF outdoor units in plain sight. While everyone was taking pictures of the water tower, I framed my shot to include the outdoor units. When you’ve been in the industry long enough and you enjoy what you do, you can’t help but see things others won’t even notice.

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Why This Window Heat Pump Is Genius

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Matt Ferrell runs a great engineering focused YouTube channel called Undecided. He recently covered a uniquely designed window heat pump.

Well, there’s a new type of heat pump hitting the market that’s a little more accessible: easy to install heat pumps that sit on your window just like an AC unit. It seems so obvious when you look at it that I can’t help but wonder…why didn’t we do this earlier? And how well do they actually work and at what cost?

For markets such as New York or other applications where a centralized system or split system isn’t feasible, a window unit makes sense.

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How Do Heat Pumps Work?

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Wired with another great piece on heat pumps.

And here’s a crucial fact: According to the second law of thermodynamics, thermal energy only transfers from hot things to cold things; it doesn’t go the other way. So despite what you might think, the ice cubes in your drink aren’t “cooling” the liquid; the liquid is heating the ice cubes—which means it’s losing energy and getting colder, while the ice gains energy and melts.

If you really want to bend people’s brains, just share this law of physics and you will start to see the wheels turn as they try to figure that out.

Send this article whenever someone you know is curious about heat pumps and how they work.

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Why Cleaning and Servicing Your Cooling Tower is Better Than Replacing It

In Cooling Towers By Jay Torres On

Cooling towers are essential components in many industrial and commercial systems. When these towers show signs of wear, the question often come up: Do we have to replace it with a new one or is there a way to extend the life of our existing towers. While replacing might seem like a straightforward solution, maintaining and servicing your current cooling tower often proves to be the better option. Here’s why:

Cost-Effective Solution

Replacing a cooling tower can be a significant investment, not just in terms of purchasing a new unit but also in the costs of installation, downtime, and potential modifications to your existing system. Cleaning and servicing your current cooling tower is a far more cost-effective approach, allowing you to extend the life of your equipment at a fraction of the cost of replacement.

Minimizes Downtime

Installing a new cooling tower requires a substantial amount of time—from the planning and procurement stages to the actual installation. This process can lead to considerable downtime, affecting your operations and potentially leading to lost revenue. Regular cleaning and servicing, on the other hand, can be done with minimal disruption, keeping your systems running smoothly without extended interruptions.

Environmental Benefits

Opting to clean and service your existing cooling tower is also a more environmentally friendly choice. Manufacturing new cooling towers involves consuming raw materials and energy, which contributes to your carbon footprint. By maintaining your current system, you reduce waste and lower the environmental impact associated with producing and disposing of equipment.

Enhanced Efficiency

Over time, cooling towers can accumulate scale, biofilm, and other contaminants that reduce their efficiency. Regular cleaning and maintenance remove these buildups, allowing your tower to operate at peak efficiency. This not only helps in reducing energy costs but also ensures that your system is running as effectively as possible, prolonging its overall lifespan.

Maintaining System Compatibility

When you replace a cooling tower, there’s always the risk that the new unit may not be fully compatible with your existing system. This could necessitate additional modifications, further driving up costs and complicating the installation process. By servicing and cleaning your current cooling tower, you avoid these issues and maintain the integrity of your system as a whole.

While replacing a cooling tower may seem like a quick fix, cleaning and servicing your existing unit is often the more prudent choice. It’s cost-effective, minimizes downtime, is better for the environment, enhances efficiency, and ensures continued compatibility with your current system. Regular maintenance can breathe new life into your cooling tower, keeping it running efficiently for years to come.

Why Renting a Cooling Tower Makes Sense for Your Facility

In Cooling Towers By Jay Torres On

Cooling towers are vital components in many commercial and industrial processes. There are many situations where renting a cooling tower becomes an option. Here’s why renting a cooling tower might make sense for your facility.

Flexibility and Convenience

One of the primary advantages of renting a cooling tower is the flexibility it offers. Whether you need a temporary solution during peak seasons, a backup during maintenance, or additional capacity for a special project, renting allows you to tailor your cooling needs to your current demands. Once the need is met, you can simply return the equipment, avoiding the long-term commitment of ownership.

Cost-Effective

Renting a cooling tower can be more cost-effective than purchasing one, especially for short-term needs. Buying a cooling tower involves a significant upfront investment. Renting gives you to access equipment without the large upfront cost, making it easier to manage your construction budget. Additionally, rental agreements often include maintenance and service, reducing unexpected expenses and ensuring the equipment remains in top condition.

Minimized Downtime

This is one of the biggest advantages in renting a cooling tower. In the event of a cooling tower failure, renting a unit can significantly reduce downtime. Instead of purchasing a replacement, and then dealing with potentially long lead times, a rental can be quickly installed to keep your operation up and running. This rapid response helps prevent costly delays and ensures that your facility maintains its productivity, even during unexpected equipment failures.

Emergencies

For towers serving essential operations such as hospitals, data centers, or around the clock facilities, having a cooling tower fail can be disastrous, even life threatening. Renting a cooling tower can have your facility back up and running in a day or less.

Conclusion

Renting a cooling tower offers numerous advantages, from cost savings, flexibility, and reduced downtime. I am working with CJS Cooling Tower Services and we can provide rental solutions quickly as we have rental towers available and on hand. Please reach out or call 949–981–0343, if and when a rental tower makes sense for your facility.

Another Tool in the Toolbox

In Newsletter By Jay Torres On
Another Tool in the Toolbox

This post originally appeared as an issue on my newsletter. If you’d like to get early access to my posts, please consider subscribing.

I was catching up with an old colleague of mine who works in the cooling tower business and knowing that I was in the heat pump and VRF world, he asked, “Are these heat pumps really going to take over?”

His question was both surprising and unsurprising.

Surprising in that he asked that question in the first place. Unsurprising since his livelihood was based off the hydronic side of the HVAC business.

I know the stereotypical salesperson answer would be “Of course they are!These things are more efficient, take up less space, they’re less complex. You don’t have to deal with huge chillers, cooling towers, pumps, and piping!”

My answer?

I said no.

In reality, heat pumps and VRF are just another tool in the tool box for addressing building comfort. Some applications make sense for heat pumps and VRF. Dorms, hotels, office buildings, retrofits would all make good applications for heat pumps and VRF.

But some applications make sense to go with another method, whether its simple RTUs, evap coolers, or a traditional chiller/boiler/AHU/cooling tower set up. It really depends on the application.

In today’s world, I think honesty vs. the hard sell goes further. Sometimes the hard sell is necessary to get to the finish line, but I think you get a lot closer to that line with a more nuanced approach. I think customers appreciate the honesty even if it doesn’t work in your favor. Even if you don’t get that job now, your customer will remember your honesty on future projects.

California Grid Breezes Through Heat Wave due to Renewables, Batteries

In Linked By Jay Torres On

From This Is Not Cool with Peter Sinclair:

In fact, California seems to have reached a level of storage that is creating some kind of a phase-change in the grid, yielding benefits that are surprising even expert observers. More and more days where renewables supply greater-than 100 percent of California’s power – enabling exports even under these challenging conditions.

Critics have long downplayed the benefits of EVs, heat pumps, induction stoves, and heat pump water heaters. They argue that our electrical grid can’t handle all of these new cars and appliances. Which is true! But that doesn’t mean we can’t do anything about it!

This is the most frustrating thing about this argument. This mostly comes up with EVs since they have been around longer and are becoming more accessible. They say there isn’t enough charging infrastructure. To that I say, do you think all these gas stations popped up overnight?!

This news that California’s electrical grid was able to withstand these recent heat waves due to the availability of more clean energy and energy storage through batteries is our best argument against naysayers who say the grid cannot support it.

More of this please.

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Trane Mitsubishi Launches New Light Commercial Heat Pumps

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Introducing the expansion of the S-Series (PUMY) outdoor unit lineup to include Hyper-Heating INVERTER® (H2i®) technology.Part of the CITY MULTI® family, the H2i® PUMY is a single-phase heat pump ideal for light commercial applications including banks, churches, schools, server rooms, retail centers and more.

I think the HVAC industry would benefit from proper marketing departments. Not sure when these launched but I saw these in an industry trade magazine. An actual physical magazine that our office received in the mail. I searched on the web for these and all I got was the block quote above which links to the engineering submittal site. No mention of the small footprint, tonnages, and ideal applications.

As far as I know, LG and Mitsubishi are the only manufacturers who make this style heat pump. I would be shouting this from the mountaintops.

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Gen Z Plumbers and Construction Workers Are Making #BlueCollar Cool

In Linked By Jay Torres On

Many posts tout the wages blue-collar workers can make. Pay for new hires in construction now outstrips pay for new hires in professional services like accounting, according to ADP data. Skilled-trade influencers say they’re also trying to combat decades of stereotypes in which practitioners were seen as grease monkeys or stuck in low-end careers. 

I appreciate what these folks do out in the field. No shame in earning a pretty decent living in the trades. Also grateful for my knowledge worker job in this industry.

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