2019 AHR Expo

Just returned from attending the Air Conditioning, Heating, and Refrigeration Expo held in Atlanta Georgia.  Some of the biggest names in the HVAC industry, such as Carrier, Trane, and York, were in attendance.  Along with cooling and heating equipment, those manufacturers that make specialty items such as boilers, compressors, piping, controls, motors and refrigerants were also in attendance.  Visitors, as well as vendors, came from all over the world to see new product lines as well as to showcase their products.  The trend, as has been the case for several years now, is to make machines more energy efficient.  Incorporating electronics to measure different parameters such as temperature and pressure, is now routinely done.  Depending on the type of equipment, manufacturers are also offering options on how the equipment is monitored.  Some owners prefer to let their on-site personnel keep up with the operation of their equipment while others are connected by internet to a servicing agency.

No matter how efficient or how well built a machine is, it will eventually fail.  Hopefully, when it does, there won’t be any property damage or personal injury.  But if there is,  the information collected during the Expo on various products will be invaluable in helping to determine the cause of failure and subsequent damage.  More specifically, the literature can be used to help identify a machine by model number, determine the pressure limitations, or establish the power requirements.

Beware of Acucraft Wood-Burning Fireplaces

Not many people know that Underwriters Laboratories certifies manufactured fireplaces.  Underwriters Laboratories is a testing organization that tests and certifies many products for use in residential, commercial and industrial applications.  The UL label is a consumer’s indication that a product has been tested and found safe for use by the consumer.  Specifically, manufactured fireplaces have to meet the requirements of UL 127 before certification is approved by Underwriters Laboratories.  In an effort to safeguard life and property, codes organizations, such as the International Mechanical Code, have incorporated the standard.  Municipalities that adopt the International Mechanical Code use the code as a means to determine if a mechanical installation is safe.

A situation was recently brought to our attention involving an Acucraft manufactured wood-burning fireplace.  The fireplace was purchased for $9000.00 for use in a renovated bonus room.  During the renovation, a structural issue arose that required a building inspector to visit the property.  Upon doing so, it was discovered that a permit for the installation of the fireplace had not been issued by the city.  Upon further inspection, the mechanical code inspector discovered that the fireplace did not meet the code requirement for the fireplace to have been certified according to UL 127.  As a result, work on the project was halted.  The useless fireplace is shown below.

 

Acucraft Uncertified Wood-Burning Fireplace

 

Acucraft was later contacted and verified that their wood-burning fireplaces were NOT subjected to any testing protocol such as UL standard 127.  As a result, the homeowners are left with an expensive fireplace that the local codes department will not approve and therefore cannot be used.  Acucraft wood-burning fireplaces can be seen on their website at www.acucraft.com.  It is understood that Acucraft does not sell its products through a retail network but instead, sells directly to the customer.  Before buying a product, be sure that the product meets applicable code requirements in the local area where it will be installed and that the installing contractor obtains the necessary permit for the installation.