ControlTrends

The Data Driven Approach to  Making Money in HVAC and Smart Building Controls.

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The data driven approach to making Money, or more Money in HVAC and Smart Building Controls.

 
The ever informative Ron Zimmer is at it again. He gives us his unique perspectives, based on his years in the Industry and new research data from CABA.
 
CABA – the Continental Automated Buildings Association is the go to source for data driven competitive intelligence. They have the world’s largest research library, and help influence Industry trends.
 
We caught up with Ron at IBcon 2019. Ron shares his thoughts on the IBcon conference and how it relates to the research data from CABA.
 
Ron makes a very generous offer to our ControlTrends Community, if you want to make more money then watch this video and reach out to Ron.
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Having Trouble Discovering BACnet Points on Your Trane Voyager System?

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In the field with HVAC Control Pro Brent Burrows

A special thanks to HVAC Pro, ControlTrends Affiliate, Master Sytems Integrator, Young Gun, and all around cool dude, Brent Burrows as he takes us with him on a service call.

The Problem: BACnet points from a Trane Voyager system are unable to be discovered.

The Solution: Watch as one of Entek’s finest HVAC and Smartt Building Control Techs, diagnoses and fixes the problem.

Great stuff Brent! If you agree, let him know in comments by typing “Well Done.”

Be sure to check Brent out on the Next Generation Innovation Podcast with his co-host Aaron Gorka.

What does the Next Generation Have to Say About HVAC and Smart Building Controls?

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Episode 10:Next Generation Innovation

Next Generation Innovation HVAC Controls Young Gun Style

I am so excited to be sharing Episode 10 of Next Generation Innovation with you.

The Next Generation Innovation is a podcast and video-cast for the younger HVAC Control Pros.

Aaron introduces his new co-host Brent Burrows.  Brent is Building Automation Specialist at  Entek in Atlanta. Entek is one of the premier systems integrators in Georgia and Brent is a big part of their success.
Brent knows his stuff!
He works in the field everyday with HVAC and building automation controls and brings this knowledge to the Next Generation Podcast and to ControlTrends with his Tech Tip series.

Your hosts Aaron Gorka and Brent Burrows bring a fresh perspective to all things HVAC and Smart Building Controls.

 In this episode they give you their thoughts on Controls Con.

 Often Irreverent but never boring…

check out Aaron and Brent in Episode 10 of Next Generation Innovation.

Mechanical Systems and Control Systems How to Avoid The Blame Game

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How many times have you been on the job, and the customer is not happy: the Mechanical Contractor and Controls Contractor are red-faced, pointing fingers at each other and it has the look and feel of an MMA Fight gone wrong?

It happens more than you think. So how can this scenorio  be avoided? 

Young Gun Aaron Gorka goes back to school (literally back to school) to find solutions to the age old awkward  dance of mechnical vs. controls.

Aaron goes to one of Canada’s top technical colleges, Conestoga College Institute of Technology and Advanced Learning. He sits down with Jim Bechard and John Loncar two of the brightest professors in the HVAC and Smart Buildings controls field.

On this episode of Next Generation Innovation, you will hear an insightful conversation about how the different systems in a building are supposed to work. You will also get practical tips on everything from managing expectations to evaluating performance.

Thanks to Aaron, Jim, and John for passing on such excellent knowledge.

Episode 313 ControlTalk Now The Smart Buildings Podcast: The Power of Your People Network: Use it or Lose It!

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On Episode 313 of Controltalk Now the HVAC and Smart Building Controls Podcast we explore your most important asset: Your Network.

 
Most of us in HVAC and Smart Buildings are well versed in HVAC and Smart Building Controls Networks. How many of us have studied or understand our people and social networks?
 
 They call it the networked economy for a reason.And yes connecting smart building and HVAC control systems is a big part of the networked economy. But what about connecting people? You can have the greatest control networks in the world but if you don’t have any people in your network to buy, sell, and help support your great technology, then you are just another broke smart person.
 
One of my brothers definition of a consultant is someone who knows 9,999,997 different ways to make love but doesn’t know any women. Don’t be that person! More than ever it is more about who you know versus what you know. So how do you maximize your people networks?
 
As a teacher of mine once said, ” Effort plus Correct Theory equals Profound Results”. 
 
On this episode of ControlTalk Now , Ken Sinclair, owner-editor of automatedbuildings.com, helps us understand three theories to maximize our people networks:
 
1. separate and define your networks as different creative communities
 
2. Connect these different creative communities into strategic alliances
 
3. turn these communities into communities of practice.
 
Ken, who is filling in for Ken Smyers,  also helps me break down  the HVAC and Smart Buildings Controls of the Week, as only Ken Sinclair can.
 
 

Lot's more great content after the video, so please come back after watching...

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The Best New Product From Siemens…

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The best new product from Siemens...

that is a very difficult question to answer given all the new products and solutions Siemens is bringing into the HVAC and Smart Building Controls Space. 

  The Siemens new line of Variable Frequency Drives, their integration of Comfy and J2 Innovations into their suite of building automation controls, and Desigo are just a few that come to mind..You can click here and find out more from our interview with Siemens senior sales manager, Josh Felperin.

As cool and innovative as all those products are, I want to feature a product that might not be recognized  for just how special it is ….

The Siemens POL 220 is a carefully thought out, elegant new version of the economizer control. Siemens has reimagined, and redesigned the classic economizer controller.

Some of the things I really like about the Siemens POL:

  1. You don’t need any software to configure it. I am still old school at heart , so dip switches and potentiometers work for me. They make me feel young again! And the fact that Siemens made sure not to skimp on the pots and dip swiches, makes them feel good in the hand and easy to see.
  2.  I can select three free cooling strategies:  temperature, humidity , and even Demand Control ventilation based on CO2 sensors.
  3. The plug and Play Feature will automatically determine which configuration you need once you have your sensors wired and power up the controller for the first time.
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Let’s Get Trained on Indoor Air Quality

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Get the 411 on Indoor Air Quality

Is your building sick?

Are you liable if someone becomes ill from contaminants in a building you are servicing?

What are the most harmful pollutants and how can you get rid of them? 

These and many other IAQ questions will be answered in this five part Indoor Air Quality Training course taught by HVAC ControlPro Tim Chamblee and held at HVAC and Smart Building Controls Distributor Stromquist & Company.

Indoor Air Pollution and Health

I pulled this off the the EPA website:

Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) refers to the air quality within and around buildings and structures, especially as it relates to the health and comfort of building occupants. Understanding and controlling common pollutants indoors can help reduce your risk of indoor health concerns.

Health effects from indoor air pollutants may be experienced soon after exposure or, possibly, years later.

Immediate Effects

Some health effects may show up shortly after a single exposure or repeated exposures to a pollutant. These include irritation of the eyes, nose, and throat, headaches, dizziness, and fatigue. Such immediate effects are usually short-term and treatable. Sometimes the treatment is simply eliminating the person’s exposure to the source of the pollution, if it can be identified. Soon after exposure to some indoor air pollutants, symptoms of some diseases such as asthma may show up, be aggravated or worsened.

The likelihood of immediate reactions to indoor air pollutants depends on several factors including age and preexisting medical conditions. In some cases, whether a person reacts to a pollutant depends on individual sensitivity, which varies tremendously from person to person. Some people can become sensitized to biological or chemical pollutants after repeated or high level exposures.

Certain immediate effects are similar to those from colds or other viral diseases, so it is often difficult to determine if the symptoms are a result of exposure to indoor air pollution. For this reason, it is important to pay attention to the time and place symptoms occur. If the symptoms fade or go away when a person is away from the area, for example, an effort should be made to identify indoor air sources that may be possible causes. Some effects may be made worse by an inadequate supply of outdoor air coming indoors or from the heating, cooling or humidity conditions prevalent indoors.

Long-Term Effects

Other health effects may show up either years after exposure has occurred or only after long or repeated periods of exposure. These effects, which include some respiratory diseases, heart disease and cancer, can be severely debilitating or fatal. It is prudent to try to improve the indoor air quality in your home even if symptoms are not noticeable.

While pollutants commonly found in indoor air can cause many harmful effects, there is considerable uncertainty about what concentrations or periods of exposure are necessary to produce specific health problems. People also react very differently to exposure to indoor air pollutants. Further research is needed to better understand which health effects occur after exposure to the average pollutant concentrations found in homes and which occurs from the higher concentrations that occur for short periods of time.

Click Here to Get All 5 Episodes 

HVAC Tech Tip: How to Do A Build Out and Not Get Burned

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If you are in the HVAC and Mechnical Business you know closing out a Build Out project can sometimes get very confrontational. If something doe not got right on the job there can be lot’s of finger pointing, and these situations can get expensive.

So how can the HVAC Pro avoid these situations?

Meet Brent Burrows from Entek in Atlanta. Brent gives us a simple, effective three step process that will have your HVAC Build Outs go very smoothly.

If you are an HVAC Pro who has a Tech Tip to share, but you don’r want to spend time editing videos, I have an offer for you. How about you record your tip, send it to me, I will do the edits and post it on my YouTube Channel and give you full credit and any of your contact information you would like to share.

Many of our guests and contributors have gotten jobs, just because they were seen on one of our videos. Just last month a Systems Integrator got a huge job doing the controls on five buildings, so sharing your knowledge can be very profitable.

So if you are interested please type” YES” in comments.

Using PID Constants to Tune an HVAC Control Loop

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PID tuning constants can be one of the most confusing concepts in HVAC and Industrial Controls

but it doesn’t have to be.

II have had a lot of requests to create a video explaining PID control and how to tune a control loop.

PID stands for Proportional, Integral, Derivative. These are calculus concepts that have to do with the rate at which variables change in relation to each other.

Tuning a PID loop can be very complicated and is much an art as it is a science.

For the HVAC control pro, and for most HVAC control loop tuning applications the process is usually pretty simple and straight forward, especially if you understand the theory.

Hopefully, this video is helpful! Please let me know in comments if it helped, and what other HVAC controls videos you would like us to create for you.

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