ProTech HVAC

The ProTech HVAC, LLC & The HVAC Guru, LLC Blog

Mechanical (HVAC) Code Compliance
Why Inspectors, Builders & HVAC Installers Don’t Comply
By John Rocheleau
www.thehvacguru.com
I am writing to inform you of how builders and their subcontractors are circumnavigating New Hampshire Energy Codes and International Mechanical Codes, and why local code enforcement officials (building and mechanical inspectors) turn a blind eye. New Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC) [...]

Ernie Has a ‘Brush’ with the Painter
(Non-fiction by John Rocheleau)

Ever the social planner and eager to make new friends in small town New Hampshire, my girlfriend arranged for us to meet a mix of other couples we knew and ones we didn’t. The only Indian restaurant in town would be the venue. One of the [...]

Ernie “Sawzall” – Preamble
by John Rocheleau

Because his ‘favorite’ tool was a Sawzall and this tool was his solution for a range of repairs that demanded a gentler touch, the nickname stuck. Even Ernie’s coworkers at the plumbing and heating company that lacked a respectable reputation thought Ernie was a hack. The name is fitting and [...]

This category of my blog posts deals with my personal stories of my experiences in the Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning (HVAC) business, since 1980.
My objectives with telling these stories are three-fold, for starters, as other objectives will surely arise. The first is to give you, the reader, an eye-opening into this vastly misunderstood field of [...]

The importance of having your HVACR systems designed, installed and serviced correctly to provide the most economic fuel and electricity consumption, as well as be safe to operate.

Here is a recent experience that I had with a sign/graphics company that installs vehicle wraps – vinyl covering over an entire or partial car, truck, or van in order to display a graphic advertising design. I’ve changed the names of the wrap installing company, to be fair, as they removed the defective wrap that [...]

Hello Dick,
I met Lea Aechlimin last week after she called me seeking ways to improve the fuel efficiency of her 3 properties in Portsmouth. When I gave her several low-cost suggestions that, if implemented, would save her as much as 30% on her heating bills, she was very interested and surprised [...]

These days there’s much ado about wall-hung, cast aluminum, high-efficiency, condensing, gas-fired boilers. The awareness of the technology has reached the buying public, the HVAC consumer. The majority of boiler manufacturers have added these high-tech models to their list of product offerings. It’s well known that these installation friendly, often esthetically pleasing, appliances have replaced [...]

With all the hype and stimulus money thrown in the direction of energy consumption, you’d think that conserving energy is a novel concept. All of a sudden we must create new technology to save precious Mideast oil, natural gas and electricity? Is the American consumer so forgetful and out of the loop that we are [...]

In these times of unstable fuel prices, I find it compelling to inform the consumer of fossil fuels that which your fuel supplier is not ready or prepared to tell you. Did you know that the average heating system is consuming up to 50% more fuel than is necessary? Well, I will explain here how [...]

On 8/17/08, Protech HVAC <protechhvac@comcast.net> wrote:
Dear Tom,
In HVACR, “Green” Begins with Conservation
And conservation begins at the design phase of any HVACR system, with installation (of efficient equipment) and service completing the energy conservation triangle. With 28 years in HVACR design, installation, and service, I can credibly assure the reader that I have witnessed the reality [...]

…Keep in mind that the state plumbing license does not include specific training for fuel gas systems or fire code, just for wastewater, and the current program for fuel gas is only VOLUNTARY. That means there are over 10,000 people in the state working on our fuel gas systems and appliances without demonstrated ability. [...]

By ANNMARIE TIMMINS
Monitor staff
A Canterbury couple who bought a house for $377,500 in 2005 to find a faulty driveway, a leaky roof, a dry well and no central air as advertised have won $185,000 from a Merrimack County jury to remedy [...]

Got Flat Rate?
By John Rocheleau
The Advertising
You’ve probably seen them: six-wheel box vans with billboard-size ads on the sides, sometimes displaying a blown up picture of a white-toothed smiley-faced middle class woman on the phone, suggesting everything in life is better for her, now that she’s found a disposable-booties-wearing plumbing & HVAC company. Or [...]

In 1998 and 1999, I licensed 5 invention designs (flanges and valves for use as accessories to hot water circulators) to Taco, Inc., a manufacturer of heating components located in Rhode Island. (See, “Lessons in Invention Development” blog post, and links below.) Shortly thereafter, I discovered what appeared to be a production run [...]

In August of 2005 I was asked by the buyer of a recently built house to evaluate the heating and cooling systems, which did not seem to be working. I obliged, and my evaluation of the systems turned up many issues. Among them, the furnace in the attic was vented into the sewer pipe; [...]

On Monday, July 14th, 2008, I will be addressing the Inventors Association of New England-IANE- (http://www.inventne.org), which meets at the Massachusettes Institute of Technology. The topic of discussion will be:
“John Rocheleau will discuss his 10-year experience as an independent inventor, starting with his first invention idea and culminating with his recent settlement with a Licensee [...]

Lessons In Invention Development
(The Naïve Years – 1997-1999)
By John Rocheleau

Inventing is a precarious process, to say the least, but it can also be an educational experience of a lifetime. For me, the invention development process began with a problem and the thought that its solution lay with one tool design. I [...]

The following is a letter I sent out to General Contractors in April that offers a simple way for them to ensure their HVAC subs perform fully on their contracts.

Dear Building Contractor:
Avoid costly litigation with HVACR subcontractors by hiring me, John Rocheleau, to inspect your sub’s work… before you pay his final invoice. For only [...]

In these times of high-energy prices, it’s a natural to think about your heating and cooling systems’ operational efficiency. Most home and business owners understand the basics – change air filters regularly, have the oil burner cleaned annually, etc., but few understand how systemic – incorporated into the design and installation – issues affect the [...]