It’s hard to believe Christmas is just around the corner and 2015 is almost over. 2016 will be here soon. Time marches on so quickly. It seems like it’s time for breakfast every five minutes!
2015 was a challenging year for many. News coverage seemed to elevate social hate rather than just report it and help improve the situation. Terrorists and shooters continued to flash across the screen so many times our minds will be forced to remember those vivid images. Rather than identifying these losers as the cowards they truly are, they gained notoriety. That’s unfortunate.
At the same time, many good things happened in 2015. It’s more fun and healthier to concentrate on the positives. Our community moved forward in so many areas. Lincoln received recognition nationally as a great place to live. There were fewer violent crimes. Overall our community was blessed.
On a personal note, 2015 was more relaxing for Deb and me because we took a little more time off work so we could be at our cabin by the Platte River. We are learning to relax more and appreciate the finer things in life like fishing. We also enjoyed feeding the hummingbirds, wild birds, and squirrels. Fishing was high on my list. We had many special moments.
It’s important to enjoy life more each year. One way to do that is to eliminate things that are not working well and concentrate on what works best.
They do a great job of that in the heating, air conditioning, and ventilation (HVAC) world, as they get rid of what is not working well and then continue to make improvements. The result is the quality of the air we breathe is so much better and more affordable.
Improvements require extensive research. A great example is the Trane equipment-testing lab in Tyler, Texas. The commercial that “it’s hard to stop a Trane” is more than words. They test equipment at various extreme temperatures to learn a variety of things like how to ruin a compressor, which is the “heart” of a heat pump or cooling unit.
One of the best well-known tests was with Snowball, which was a Climatuff® compressor that was used in Trane units. Snowball began its life in late 1972 and ran for nearly 28 years under the same lab standards and encasing itself in a ball of ice. I saw Snowball before it “died”. The ice was thick.
Snowball ran at an estimated 3500 rpm, equaling an automobile running between
60 and 70 miles per hour, covering 14.8 million miles without stopping or starting. That’s a lot of miles! Snowball passed the resiliency test, but Trane also was after efficiency and quietness.
Trane also has a noise-testing lab that has made a difference. It was impressive to stand next to a heat pump unit and carry on a normal conversation.
The HVAC equipment industry has struggled through the years to find the right combination of metals that will withstand constant temperature changes and stress. The evaporator coils that typically sit above the furnaces have caused the industry grief. Often the chemicals such as hair sprays can reduce evaporator coil life. There have been substantial improvements in the HVAC industry to improve evaporator coil materials.
The same can be said for furnace heat exchangers that are constantly faced with metal fatigue from heating up and cooling down. Trane has a new shorter style furnace with a stainless steel and aluminum U-tube design. It looks promising.
The HVAC industry continues to make incredible strides in the development of new equipment. It’s surprising how much more comfortable the air is from the newer HVAC equipment that is maintained properly.
The HVAC industry has concentrated well on clean air improvements. This comes at a time our environmental air quality is worse than ever and threatens our health.
Even though our lungs are somewhat resilient and even seem to respond OK when they are forced to breathe in dirty air, the reality is they are similar to an air filter and eventually will fail to some degree. Some fail after breathing dirty air. Would your health improve if the quality of the air you breathe were better?
It’s all more affordable at John Henry's Plumbing, Heating, Air, and Electrical with 0% interest on service and equipment over $500. Please call for details!
It’s up to us to improve the quality of our lives. Our health and comfort can be better in 2016!
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
