Free Republic

Aaron Rice has two logos tattooed on his left leg: one from the plumbing business he co-founded more than a decade ago, and another from the private-equity-backed company that recently bought it. “The trades are hard work. A lot of today’s society, picking up a shovel is foreign to them,” The wave of investment is minting a new class of millionaires across the country, one that small-business owners say is helping add more shine to working with a tool belt. Rice continues to work as a sewer department manager at Rite Way, and plans to stay with the company until...

A Chicago man has been arrested in connection to the stabbing death of an HVAC worker — and authorities fear he could be responsible for other crimes after they uncovered a teen girl’s remains in his fridge. Brandon Sanders, 33, was arrested on June 29 in connection with the grisly May 12 killing of 69-year-old HVAC contractor Rasim Katanic in the West Ridge neighborhood, Chicago police records show. When police searched the suspect’s apartment, they also discovered the body of Iman Al-Sarraj, 18, in his refrigerator, the Chicago Sun-Times reported.

July 12 (UPI) -- The Biden administration has announced plans to continue its reduction of hydrofluorocarbons, releasing a new rule that aims to cut the United States' use of the greenhouse gases by almost half starting next year. Hydrofluorocarbon is a category of greenhouse gases used for refrigeration and air-conditioning as well as in a number of other applications, but is linked to global warming. The final rule announced Tuesday by the Environmental Protection Agency will reduce HFC consumption in the United States based on historic levels by 40% between 2024 and 2028. The reduction will be on top of...

Decoldest Crawford has one of the best names in college football history. Maybe sports history. Thanks to the NIL rules that were implemented last season, he can now profit off his great name. A few weeks ago SOS Heating & Cooling in Omaha, Nebraska announced that it had signed the incoming Nebraska freshman wide receiver as a spokesperson and everyone agreed that made perfect sense. Now we have the actual ad and it is delightful. Perfect. Just a straightforward ad read by a young man with a thick Lousiana accent. And this is sure to be the most famous regional...

Demand for HVAC work rises amid pandemic With so many people staying home more than ever during the coronavirus pandemic, the demand for better functioning heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) systems has risen significantly. Flame Heating and Cooling out of Warren say they’ve seen a 20% jump in business since the pandemic.

About two or three weeks ago I was thinking about all the absurd regulations in place to reopen businesses. In my thinking I came up with a idea that might work very well. Back in March I had to put in new HVAC unit for my upstairs, I had put in a a new downstairs unit in four years earlier. Well the HVAC guy told me that included with my new unit was a UV Light Filtering system. Since I am downstairs more than up I had him put UV system on the downstairs unit. According to the HVAC guy...

As we all continue to co-exist in a One World environment I am finding it virtually impossible to find country of origin on many items. Does any freeper know of any search tools or sites where a consumer can easily see in a table, country of manuf ? Currently looking for a 12000 BTU ductless split a/c system. I see loads of them, no way to identify the China made ones vs. Taiwan, Japan, Korea, etc. Pain to have to ask each source. These one world outfit, google, amazon, etc DON'T want to let us distinguish.

Qatar, the world's leading exporter of liquefied natural gas, may be able to cool its stadiums, but it cannot cool the entire country. Fears that the hundreds of thousands of soccer fans might wilt or even die while shuttling between stadiums and metros and hotels in the unforgiving summer heat prompted the decision to delay the World Cup by five months. It is now scheduled for November, during Qatar's milder winter.

Gov. Phil Bryant and officials from Mueller Industries cut the ribbon on the company’s new warehousing and distribution operations in Fulton, Miss. The project is a $3.83 million corporate investment which adds 60 new jobs. “Mueller’s location in Northeast Mississippi provides numerous benefits, including exceptional access to a well-integrated transportation system so the company can quickly and efficiently reach its customers. The region’s workforce is highly skilled in the manufacturing and distribution industries and will also play a critical role in Mueller’s continued success in Itawamba County,” Gov. Phil Bryant said. Mueller manufactures and distributes plumbing, HVAC, refrigeration and industrial...

To those who heard it, the sound was described variously as being a shrill squeal, a flute-like blare, the screeching of car brakes, a steam whistle, a mechanical scream, metal scraping against metal, an off-kilter siren, or a banshee like moan, but it was agreed by all that no matter what exactly it sounded like it was a truly intense and nerve-wracking racket which purportedly kept people awake and was said to drive pets nuts. The weird noise was also described as coming from the trees, from backyards, and even from the middle of the street, and no one could...

With President-elect Donald Trump now in office, the HVAC industry remains hopeful and optimistic about its future under a Republican-led government. Takeshi Ebisu, president and CEO, Goodman Mfg. Co., suggested a unified federal government was a good thing for the HVAC industry. “The federal government has been experiencing an extended period of gridlock where no major pro-business legislation has been passed or deregulation has occurred. It’s a good thing for the HVAC industry when you have a government that is action-oriented.” However, Ebisu also noted it was too early to tell how the new administration and Congress will impact the...

"But the new federal HVAC regulations 2015 are a big deal! For the first time, the DOE is implementing minimum federal efficiency standards – by region. And NEW water heater energy requirements, effective 4/16/2015!"...Seer ratings increased by region and a 1-800 hotline to Feds to report your contractor....

One organization is working to not only honor the achievements and legacy of the late Michael Brown, but to also help his younger siblings achieve what he didn't have the chance to. Brown, the unarmed black teen who was shot and killed by a police officer in Ferguson, Missouri, earlier this month, was a recent high school graduate. He was scheduled to start classes at Vatterott College on Aug. 11, according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, but was killed two days prior. The Wisconsin Hope Lab -- a program that researches ways to minimize barriers for students of all backgrounds...

Question for you all, since you're always knowledgeable about these things. I want to put a ceiling fan in a room. The room is on one of the ends or "wings" of the house, has an HVAC "out" register in the near-middle of the ceiling, and is always always always scorching hot or freezing cold. I know this is caused by a lack of cross ventilation where the cold/hot air would be exchanged for hot/cold. The attic goes across the top of the main part of the house, then sort of squishes down to a lower roof where you can't...

FULL TITLE: New approach using nanoparticle alloys allows heat to be focused or reflected just like electromagnetic waves An MIT researcher has developed a technique that provides a new way of manipulating heat, allowing it to be controlled much as light waves can be manipulated by lenses and mirrors. The approach relies on engineered materials consisting of nanostructured semiconductor alloy crystals. Heat is a vibration of matter—technically, a vibration of the atomic lattice of a material—just as sound is. Such vibrations can also be thought of as a stream of phonons—a kind of "virtual particle" that is analogous to the...

From the article: "The Justice Department last week presented the Newland family of Colorado--who own Hercules Industries, a heating, ventilation and air-conditioning business--with what amounted to an ultimatum: Give up your religion or your business."

It is summer for sure. Colorado is experiencing 90-100 degree F days in the north east plains. Forest fires, high winds and dust complicate the time we can have the windows open as even at 80Deg in the house, the low humidity makes it comfy. The Carrier AC unit for this house (3,500+sq ft, 4BR, high ceilings) has had issues since I moved in. Refrigerant leaks and an electrical issue. Now, with the heat of the summer coming back, the AC unit can't keep up again. I've cleaned the unit outside, replaced the inside filter and am still getting some...

First off, sorry for the vanity. Second, thanks for reading. Here's the situation, a relative in NJ just retrofitted her home with central A/C, the house did not have duct work so new flexible ducts were installed in the attic. The house is about 50 years old. The insulation is double layered pink fiberglass, lower layer is probably 35 years old, second layer is probably 25 years old. Both still have decent loft and R value. Since the A/C was installed, the "attic smell" of fiberglass and environmental dust has been pushing through the vents into the living quarters. It's...

This was a tough one to figure out what category this should go in! Well .. Anyway .. I need some advice from an expert on electrical use. Been out of work for over two years now and I am 'squeezing' every dime to survive! Here is my question: I live in a two story, vinyl sided home. I have an electric fireplace downstairs (12.5 amps +120 volts= 1500 watts) and the same upstairs. I also have .. what I think is a 2.5 ton 'Heat Pump'. I have No Clue, (being from Florida) What or how a heat pump...

Proving that there is no folly fallacious enough that it can't be written down, both in a book and in an oped in the Washington Post, Stan Cox, an agricultural scientist, has proposed to ban or greatly restrict air conditioning.