Podcasts about hvacs

In this episode of the WGAN Forum Podcast, host Eric Marquette and the digital twin of We Get Around Network Founder and Managing Editor Dan Smigrod take a deep dive into how the Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) is leveraging cutting-edge technology, including 1,500+ Matterport scans, to enhance operations, sustainability, and efficiency. Recorded after Geo Week 2025 in Denver, this discussion explores how DFW is integrating digital twins, IoT sensors, and GIS mapping systems to streamline asset management and predictive maintenance. Geo Week 2025: A Firsthand Perspective Dan shares his experience at Geo Week, where three key sessions focused on DFW's digital transformation. As the fifth busiest airport in the world, handling millions of passengers and nearly 2,000 aircraft daily, DFW has embraced advanced technologies to maintain and improve operational efficiency. Matterport scans play a critical role in documenting infrastructure, integrating with digital twin platforms, and enhancing data-driven decision-making. Matterport's Role in DFW's Digital Twin Ecosystem The conversation highlights how Matterport is a cornerstone of DFW's approach to creating dynamic digital twins. These scans help: Document terminal spaces and key infrastructure Enhance predictive maintenance for assets like passenger boarding bridges and HVAC systems Provide technicians with unique URLs for scanned spaces, allowing direct visual access to rooms and assets Integrate IoT sensor data for real-time monitoring Dan speculates that DFW could potentially enhance these efforts by integrating SIMLAB SIM-ON, allowing Matterport scans to overlay additional datasets like BIM models, IoT sensor data, and maintenance records via IBM Maximo. Operational Benefits and Predictive Maintenance Matterport is revolutionizing asset management at DFW, eliminating the inefficiencies of traditional paper-based systems. The airport's digital twin ecosystem allows teams to visually inspect assets before on-site visits, reducing downtime and ensuring maintenance teams are equipped with the right tools. By integrating predictive analytics, DFW can foresee potential failures in critical systems like HVACs and boarding bridges before they happen, optimizing resources and reducing costs. Environmental Sustainability & Efficiency Gains A standout segment focuses on how DFW is leveraging digital tools, including Matterport, to enhance sustainability: Reducing aircraft fuel consumption: By optimizing gate docking procedures, ensuring proper ground connections, and minimizing auxiliary power use, American Airlines alone is projected to save up to $15 million annually in fuel costs. Stormwater management: Matterport scans help track stormwater outflows, ensuring contaminant-free water sources and integrating real-time IoT monitoring to prevent environmental damage. Optimizing landscape management: The scans provide a visual framework for monitoring airport surroundings, enabling proactive environmental protection. Looking Ahead: The Future of Digital Twins at DFW Dan and Eric discuss how DFW's integration of Matterport, GIS, and predictive analytics sets a precedent for airports worldwide. With potential advancements like SIMLAB SIM-ON and wearable mobile mapping (NavVis VLX 3), DFW is pushing the boundaries of infrastructure management. Final Thoughts & Call-to-Action DFW's approach demonstrates that digital transformation isn't just about convenience—it's about solving real-world challenges at scale. Listeners interested in learning more can visit: We Get Around Network Forum: www.WeGetAroundNetworkForum.com (search “Geo Week 2025”) Geo Week 2025: www.Geo-Week.com Dallas Fort Worth International Airport: www.DFWairport.com SIMLAB SIM-ON & SIMLAB STAGES: www.SIMLABinc.com The episode wraps up with a surprising AI twist: Dan reveals that his voice in this podcast is actually his digital twin, generated using three AI platforms—one for transcription, another for identifying Matterport-specific insights, and a third for outlining and scripting the show. As Eric sums it up: "Three different AI tools—and a human in the loop—to create this podcast. The future is here." --- For more on the AI tech and workflows for creating this podcast, go to: WGAN.INFO/DanSmigrod  

In this episode of the WGAN Forum Podcast, host Eric Marquette and the digital twin of We Get Around Network Founder and Managing Editor Dan Smigrod take a deep dive into how the Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) is leveraging cutting-edge technology, including 1,500+ Matterport scans, to enhance operations, sustainability, and efficiency. Recorded after Geo Week 2025 in Denver, this discussion explores how DFW is integrating digital twins, IoT sensors, and GIS mapping systems to streamline asset management and predictive maintenance. Geo Week 2025: A Firsthand Perspective Dan shares his experience at Geo Week, where three key sessions focused on DFW's digital transformation. As the fifth busiest airport in the world, handling millions of passengers and nearly 2,000 aircraft daily, DFW has embraced advanced technologies to maintain and improve operational efficiency. Matterport scans play a critical role in documenting infrastructure, integrating with digital twin platforms, and enhancing data-driven decision-making. Matterport's Role in DFW's Digital Twin Ecosystem The conversation highlights how Matterport is a cornerstone of DFW's approach to creating dynamic digital twins. These scans help: Document terminal spaces and key infrastructure Enhance predictive maintenance for assets like passenger boarding bridges and HVAC systems Provide technicians with unique URLs for scanned spaces, allowing direct visual access to rooms and assets Integrate IoT sensor data for real-time monitoring Dan speculates that DFW could potentially enhance these efforts by integrating SIMLAB SIM-ON, allowing Matterport scans to overlay additional datasets like BIM models, IoT sensor data, and maintenance records via IBM Maximo. Operational Benefits and Predictive Maintenance Matterport is revolutionizing asset management at DFW, eliminating the inefficiencies of traditional paper-based systems. The airport's digital twin ecosystem allows teams to visually inspect assets before on-site visits, reducing downtime and ensuring maintenance teams are equipped with the right tools. By integrating predictive analytics, DFW can foresee potential failures in critical systems like HVACs and boarding bridges before they happen, optimizing resources and reducing costs. Environmental Sustainability & Efficiency Gains A standout segment focuses on how DFW is leveraging digital tools, including Matterport, to enhance sustainability: Reducing aircraft fuel consumption: By optimizing gate docking procedures, ensuring proper ground connections, and minimizing auxiliary power use, American Airlines alone is projected to save up to $15 million annually in fuel costs. Stormwater management: Matterport scans help track stormwater outflows, ensuring contaminant-free water sources and integrating real-time IoT monitoring to prevent environmental damage. Optimizing landscape management: The scans provide a visual framework for monitoring airport surroundings, enabling proactive environmental protection. Looking Ahead: The Future of Digital Twins at DFW Dan and Eric discuss how DFW's integration of Matterport, GIS, and predictive analytics sets a precedent for airports worldwide. With potential advancements like SIMLAB SIM-ON and wearable mobile mapping (NavVis VLX 3), DFW is pushing the boundaries of infrastructure management. Final Thoughts & Call-to-Action DFW's approach demonstrates that digital transformation isn't just about convenience—it's about solving real-world challenges at scale. Listeners interested in learning more can visit: We Get Around Network Forum: www.WeGetAroundNetworkForum.com (search “Geo Week 2025”) Geo Week 2025: www.Geo-Week.com Dallas Fort Worth International Airport: www.DFWairport.com SIMLAB SIM-ON & SIMLAB STAGES: www.SIMLABinc.com The episode wraps up with a surprising AI twist: Dan reveals that his voice in this podcast is actually his digital twin, generated using three AI platforms—one for transcription, another for identifying Matterport-specific insights, and a third for outlining and scripting the show. As Eric sums it up: "Three different AI tools—and a human in the loop—to create this podcast. The future is here." --- For more on the AI tech and workflows for creating this podcast, go to: WGAN.INFO/DanSmigrod

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In this insightful podcast episode, the host delves into the crucial aspects of positive and productive client communication, drawing from his extensive experience in the residential air conditioning industry. He emphasizes the importance of setting the right tone, bringing energy, building trust, and adapting to different customer personalities when interacting with clients. The host highlights the key elements of positive communication, such as maintaining a consistently upbeat and enthusiastic demeanor, while also being mindful of the client's preferences. He stresses the importance of active listening, to truly understand the customer's needs and concerns, rather than simply waiting for your turn to speak. The host also touches on the challenges of dealing with difficult customers, such as those who are overly focused on price or technical details, and provides strategies for navigating these situations with patience and professionalism. The discussion then shifts to the productive side of client communication, emphasizing the importance of being clear, precise, and solution-oriented. The host delves into the pitfalls of being a "yes-man" and making promises that are difficult to follow through on, and instead encourages a more assertive and responsible approach. He emphasizes the need to take ownership of one's words and actions, ensuring that any commitments made to the client are followed through with diligence and care. The podcast also touches on the significance of situational awareness, wherein the host encourages technicians and salespeople to adapt their communication style based on the client's background and personality. Whether it's an aerospace engineer, a computer programmer, or a contractor, the host provides insights into how to tailor your approach to best serve each individual client. Key Topics Covered: Positive communication: Setting the tone, bringing energy, building trust, and adapting to customer personalities Productive communication: Importance of being clear, precise, and solution-oriented Avoiding the "yes-man" trap and taking responsibility for one's words and actions Situational awareness: Adapting communication style based on client background and personality Dealing with difficult customers and navigating challenging conversations The value of honesty and truthfulness in client interactions Importance of initial conversations and following up on commitments made to clients Balancing empathy and professionalism when addressing clients' personal issues or concerns By addressing these critical aspects of client communication, the podcast provides invaluable insights for professionals in the HVAC industry and beyond, highlighting the key strategies for fostering positive and productive relationships with customers. Have a question that you want us to answer on the podcast? Submit your questions at https://www.speakpipe.com/hvacschool.  Learn more about the 5th Annual HVACR Training Symposium at https://hvacrschool.com/Symposium24. If you have an iPhone, subscribe to the podcast HERE, and if you have an Android phone, subscribe HERE.” Subscribe to our YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/@HVACS.  Check out our handy calculators HERE or on the HVAC School Mobile App (Google Play Store or App Store).

Roman Baugh, Matthew Condron, and Luke Peterson discuss the importance of proper condensate drain installation and maintenance, particularly in commercial applications. The conversation begins with the hosts examining the typical drain configurations seen in different regional markets, highlighting the significant variations in practices across the country. Sizing and configuration of condensate drains can have a significant impact on system performance, especially in high-static pressure systems. He emphasizes that the "one-size-fits-all" approach of using a 2-inch trap is often insufficient, as the static pressure within the system can overcome the trap's ability to prevent air from being sucked into the drain line. The hosts discuss the chart Roman presents, which provides guidance on selecting the appropriate trap depth based on the static pressure of the system. The discussion then delves into the challenges associated with maintaining condensate drains, including the buildup of debris and the potential for double traps or airlock issues. The hosts share their experiences and best practices for cleaning and troubleshooting drain lines, with a particular focus on the importance of understanding the system's airflow and static pressure characteristics. The conversation also touches on the use of condensate pumps, with the hosts expressing mixed opinions on their effectiveness and the potential for issues, particularly in high-humidity environments. The importance of proper insulation and support for drain lines is also highlighted, as sagging or improper installation can lead to further problems over time. Key Topics Covered: Typical drain configurations in different regional markets The impact of static pressure on condensate drain performance Proper trap sizing and depth based on system static pressure Challenges with drain line maintenance and troubleshooting The use of condensate pumps and their potential drawbacks Importance of proper insulation and support for drain lines Strategies for cleaning and maintaining condensate drains Relationship between airflow, static pressure, and drain issues Redundant protection methods, such as secondary drain pans and switches Techniques for identifying and addressing air turbulence issues   Have a question that you want us to answer on the podcast? Submit your questions at https://www.speakpipe.com/hvacschool.  Learn more about the 5th Annual HVACR Training Symposium at https://hvacrschool.com/Symposium24. If you have an iPhone, subscribe to the podcast HERE, and if you have an Android phone, subscribe HERE.” Subscribe to our YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/@HVACS.  Check out our handy calculators HERE or on the HVAC School Mobile App (Google Play Store or App Store).

In this short podcast episode, Bryan explains electronic expansion valve (EEV) types. EEVs perform the same function as TXVs, but they operate electronically, not mechanically. The EEV makes sure that the evaporator is full of the right amount of refrigerant at saturation; it doesn't just affect evaporator pressure. We don't want high superheat (due to inefficiency), and we don't want zero superheat (due to the risk of compressor failure). EEVs commonly have a stepper motor with a set of discrete settings depending on how many rotations the motor has made. It can be fully open or fully closed, and the number of rotations can set the valve at any value between fully open and fully closed; it's open or closed by a specific percentage. Instead of a bulb and external equalizer, a pressure transducer and temperature sensor report to the controller and give the controller the data it needs to open or close the EEV to maintain a specific superheat. Pulse-width modulation (PWM) allows an EEV to open and close rapidly. Unlike a stepper motor, PWM solenoids make an EEV stay fully open or fully closed for a specific percentage of time. It receives pressure information from a pressure transducer and temperature information from a thermistor or thermocouple.  As with a TXV, you would look at superheat and pressures to make sure the EEVs are operating correctly.   Have a question that you want us to answer on the podcast? Submit your questions at https://www.speakpipe.com/hvacschool.  Learn more about the 5th Annual HVACR Training Symposium at https://hvacrschool.com/Symposium24. If you have an iPhone, subscribe to the podcast HERE, and if you have an Android phone, subscribe HERE.” Subscribe to our YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/@HVACS.  Check out our handy calculators HERE or on the HVAC School Mobile App (Google Play Store or App Store).

This episode of the HVAC School Live Stream covers the key concepts around heat pump efficiency and understanding the coefficient of performance (COP). Eric Kaiser from TruTech Tools and Jim Fultz from White-Rodgers provide valuable insights into how heat pumps operate and how to optimize their performance, especially in colder weather conditions. The discussion begins by exploring the COP of heat pumps and how it compares to the efficiency of electric resistance heat. A COP above 1 means the heat pump is delivering more heat for the same amount of energy input compared to electric resistance heat. Many homeowners mistakenly believe they should switch to emergency heat once the outdoor temperature drops, thinking the heat pump is no longer efficient. However, even at very low outdoor temperatures, a well-designed heat pump can still operate with a COP above 1, making it a more cost-effective heating option than emergency heat. The conversation then delves into the concept of the thermal balance point, which is the outdoor temperature at which the heat pump can no longer meet the heating load of the home. The guests discuss how to calculate this balance point and how to set up controls to optimize the use of the heat pump and any supplemental heating sources, such as electric resistance heat or a gas furnace in a dual-fuel system. They emphasize the importance of proper air distribution and avoiding blowing cold air directly on the occupants, which can be a common complaint with heat pumps. Key Topics Covered: Coefficient of Performance (COP) and how it compares to electric resistance heat Efficiency of heat pumps at low outdoor temperatures Thermal balance point and how to calculate it Optimizing control settings to balance heat pump and auxiliary heat usage Importance of proper air distribution and avoiding blowing cold air directly on occupants Considerations for dual-fuel systems with both a heat pump and a gas furnace Best practices for programming thermostats and control systems to ensure optimal performance and comfort   Have a question that you want us to answer on the podcast? Submit your questions at https://www.speakpipe.com/hvacschool.  Learn more about the 5th Annual HVACR Training Symposium at https://hvacrschool.com/Symposium24. If you have an iPhone, subscribe to the podcast HERE, and if you have an Android phone, subscribe HERE.” Subscribe to our YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/@HVACS.  Check out our handy calculators HERE or on the HVAC School Mobile App (Google Play Store or App Store).  

In this short podcast episode, Bryan talks about motor protection types, including overloads. The most common overload we see in residential HVAC is a built-in thermal overload, which is usually a bimetallic disk that flexes in response to heat (such as from a locked condition, electrical problem, or simply running hot) and opens the circuit. The two metals have different expansion and contraction rates, which causes the flexing; they will return to their original position once the motor cools down. In some cases, these can fail when they open and close too often; they are not designed for switching duty. Many circuit breakers have a similar thermal design and may be prone to nuisance tripping in the summer. A lot of commercial motors rely on external overloads; some are even built into the electrical box rather than the compressor. These external magnetic overloads are often integrated into the contactor, which turns the motor on and off; this type of contactor is called a starter. These starters may have adjustable overload settings based on current, not just temperature (which may also respond to nuisance sources of heat and require a cooldown period). Some circuit breakers also trip magnetically and are less likely to be affected by temperature. Thermistor-based overloads usually consist of a PTC (positive temperature coefficient) resistor; as temperature goes up, resistance goes up, which can take a motor winding out of the circuit. NTCs are in separate parallel circuits with relays; as the resistance decreases, it pulls in a coil that opens the circuit.   Have a question that you want us to answer on the podcast? Submit your questions at https://www.speakpipe.com/hvacschool.  Learn more about the 5th Annual HVACR Training Symposium at https://hvacrschool.com/Symposium24. If you have an iPhone, subscribe to the podcast HERE, and if you have an Android phone, subscribe HERE.” Subscribe to our YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/@HVACS.  Check out our handy calculators HERE or on the HVAC School Mobile App (Google Play Store or App Store).

This podcast features a lively discussion on expansion valves, particularly thermostatic expansion valves (TXVs or TEVs), with a panel of expert guests - Corey Cruz (a market refrigeration tech), Matthew Taylor (head of refrigeration service at Kalos), and Joe Shearer (with Precision Air Conditioning). The conversation kicks off by busting some common myths surrounding expansion valves. The guests agree that minutiae like the precise clocking (rotational orientation) of the sensing bulb or whether it's mounted horizontally or vertically tend to be overemphasized. The key is ensuring good thermal contact between the bulb and refrigerant line. They dive into the operating principles of an expansion valve, explaining how it's essentially a balanced system of forces between the inlet (liquid) pressure, the outlet (suction) pressure, the pressure in the sensing bulb corresponding to superheat, and the adjustable spring force. Getting the superheat dialed in properly is crucial for efficient system operation. The experts share valuable insights on best practices like avoiding heat damage during brazing, using the right valve for the application, not adjusting the valve unnecessarily, allowing stable operation before making adjustments, and considerations like external equalizers. Real-world examples and demonstrations with failed valve components illustrate the importance of proper installation and maintenance. Topics covered include: Common expansion valve myths and overemphasized factors How an expansion valve works and the balanced forces involved Superheat, hunting, and minimum stable superheat Recommended bulb insulation practices for different applications Proper bulb mounting, clamping techniques, and thermal contact When and how to adjust the valve (or not) Effects of plugged external equalizers and pressure drops Selecting the right valve size and type (bleed vs hard shutoff) Common installation errors like reverse flow direction Troubleshooting tips for various systems and scenarios Importance of airflow, load conditions, and other system factors   Have a question that you want us to answer on the podcast? Submit your questions at https://www.speakpipe.com/hvacschool.  Learn more about the 5th Annual HVACR Training Symposium at https://hvacrschool.com/Symposium24. If you have an iPhone, subscribe to the podcast HERE, and if you have an Android phone, subscribe HERE.” Subscribe to our YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/@HVACS.  Check out our handy calculators HERE or on the HVAC School Mobile App (Google Play Store or App Store).

In this episode of the HVAC School Podcast, Bryan Orr and Trevor Matthews delve into the importance of setting goals, focusing on them, and taking actionable steps to achieve them. They emphasize that goal-setting is crucial for personal and professional growth and that it requires introspection, prioritization, and sacrifice. Trevor shares his experience of setting a goal to buy his first house and how writing down the specifics, such as the number of bedrooms and bathrooms, helped him achieve that goal within a few years. He stresses the need to start small, with easily achievable goals, and then gradually build up to larger, more ambitious ones. Bryan and Trevor also discuss the importance of finding your "why" – the deeper motivation behind your goals – as it provides the drive and determination to stay focused and overcome obstacles. They suggest techniques like the "five levels of why" and creating vision boards to help clarify and visualize your goals. Here are some key topics covered in the podcast: ·        The importance of assessing what you truly want and setting clear goals ·        Techniques for finding your "why" and staying motivated ·        Prioritizing tasks and managing distractions to maintain focus ·        Setting short-term and long-term goals, both personal and professional ·        The power of small wins and positive reinforcement ·        Investing in yourself and taking ownership of your career growth ·        Managing expectations and aligning your goals with your employer's ·        Overcoming the mindset of waiting for the "right" time to start ·        Practical strategies like scheduling, time-blocking, and budgeting to achieve financial goals Overall, the podcast encourages listeners to take control of their lives, continuously learn and grow, and make consistent progress toward their goals, no matter how small the steps may seem.   Check out Trevor's Refrigeration Mentor program at https://refrigerationmentor.com/.   Learn more about the 5th Annual HVACR Training Symposium at https://hvacrschool.com/Symposium24. If you have an iPhone, subscribe to the podcast HERE, and if you have an Android phone, subscribe HERE.” Subscribe to our YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/@HVACS.  Check out our handy calculators HERE or on the HVAC School Mobile App (Google Play Store or App Store).

In this short podcast episode, Bryan talks about when to switch to emergency heat. He talks about coefficient of performance (COP) and how it's a deciding factor when to run emergency heat, which is when a system ONLY runs the backup heat; it doesn't use it as supplementary heat. When we have a heat pump with backup electric heat, we shouldn't ever rely just on emergency heat; we want the heat pump to run. Electric heat is just designed to supplement the heat pump's heating because it's inefficient. Hybrid or dual-fuel systems can use gas or hydronic fuel-based heat, and they work well on their own (such as if the heat pump is broken). You can't usually run the fuel-based emergency heat at the same time as your heat pump, so it makes sense to run just the emergency heat if it is fuel-based. The thermal balance point is the point at which the heat pump can no longer keep up with the heating load by itself; the temperature in the space will start to drop, but the heat pump will still produce heat. The thermal balance point can give us a clue about client comfort, not efficiency. COP is a measure of efficiency, and an electric heater has a COP of 1. A heat pump with a COP above 1 saves energy (compared to using just electric heat). COP is the heat delivered in BTUs divided by the energy supplied; it's a ratio.   You can read the "Good COP - Bad COP" tech tip at https://hvacrschool.com/good-cop-bad-cop/.  Learn more about the 5th Annual HVACR Training Symposium at https://hvacrschool.com/Symposium24. If you have an iPhone, subscribe to the podcast HERE, and if you have an Android phone, subscribe HERE.” Subscribe to our YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/@HVACS.  Check out our handy calculators HERE or on the HVAC School Mobile App (Google Play Store or App Store).

Shelby Breger, co-founder of Conduit Tech, joins Bryan Orr on the HVAC School Podcast to discuss her company's innovative lidar-enabled design and sales software tool for HVAC contractors. Conduit Tech's software utilizes lidar sensors in iPads and iPhones to scan homes and create 3D models and 2D floor plans. It overlays load calculations factoring in property data, orientation, cooling/heating degree days, and building materials. This allows contractors to perform detailed load calculations on-site in just 15 minutes or less while engaging homeowners visually. Breger explains that the core goal is to empower contractors to deliver better-designed systems more efficiently while enhancing the customer experience. Homeowners get to see the level of work and customization involved, building appreciation for the contractor's services. The visuals help communicate potential comfort issues and how the proposed solution uniquely addresses their home's needs. Breger emphasizes that Conduit Tech is focused on solving fundamental industry pain points identified through continuous feedback from their contractor user base. The software has evolved to provide more flexibility to adapt to the realities of home visits. New features like augmented reality equipment visualization further enhance the customer engagement capabilities. Topics covered include: How Conduit Tech's lidar scanning and modeling works Using the software for room-by-room or whole home load calculations Integrating data sources like property records, ASHRAE design conditions, etc. Aligning with ACCA Manual J methodologies and certifications Improving load calculation accuracy through real-world monitoring Leveraging technology to streamline processes across sales, design, and installation The value proposition for contractors and homeowners Roadmap for adding features based on user feedback How contractors can get started with Conduit Tech's software   Contractors interested in trying out Conduit Tech can visit https://www.getconduit.com/, or they can email shelby@getconduit.com or info@getconduit.com to learn more and schedule a demo. Learn more about the 5th Annual HVACR Training Symposium at https://hvacrschool.com/Symposium24. If you have an iPhone, subscribe to the podcast HERE, and if you have an Android phone, subscribe HERE.” Subscribe to our YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/@HVACS.  Check out our handy calculators HERE or on the HVAC School Mobile App (Google Play Store or App Store).

In this short podcast episode, Bryan talks about the four different combustion venting categories for gas appliances as set by ASHRAE and where you'll see them. He also shares some notes about pressurization. These categories deal with the pressurization and temperature ranges of the vents. Category 1 venting is used for old-school open-combustion gas furnaces; they have high flue gas temperatures and are considered low or mid-efficiency furnaces. This venting category is not positively pressurized, and it has a single-wall flue and operates more like chimneys, as the appliance is usually under negative pressure; a draft is created and draws the flue gas out. It's non-condensing, negative-pressure venting. Category 2 venting is not common anymore; they operate with negative pressure in the vent, and condensation is still likely. Category 3 venting is non-condensing positive-pressure venting. These are more common in older through-the-wall appliances. Category 4 venting is condensing, positive-pressure venting for high-efficiency or condensing gas appliances with lower-temperature flues and sealed combustion. PVC is the most common venting material for these furnaces. We can recover some energy from the condensation process.    Learn more about the 5th Annual HVACR Training Symposium at https://hvacrschool.com/Symposium24. If you have an iPhone, subscribe to the podcast HERE, and if you have an Android phone, subscribe HERE.” Subscribe to our YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/@HVACS.  Check out our handy calculators HERE or on the HVAC School Mobile App (Google Play Store or App Store).

In this episode of the HVAC School Podcast, host Bryan Orr speaks with Jennifer Manzo, founder of HVA-Chicks Coalition. Jennifer shares her unique background as a longtime teacher and homeschooler who stumbled into the HVAC trade while researching vocational options for her homeschooling students. They discuss the inspiration behind HVA-Chicks, a free training coalition offering technical, career, and personal support to women in HVAC. This includes customized training plans, connecting members with childcare assistance, legal support for discrimination issues, job search help, and more. Jennifer also manages a free 24/7 tech support phone line with several experienced volunteers. She explains why she dedicates endless hours to serving others in the industry at no cost - to provide the help and community she wished for when first starting out. Jennifer actively works to build women up by first offering them psychological safety and security. When women feel unconditionally cared for, they gain the internal strength and courage needed to push past obstacles in this male-dominated field.  Key topics covered: ·        Jennifer's journey from teaching to HVAC ·        Lifelong learning ·        Overview of HVA-Chicks Coalition offerings ·        Managing a free 24/7 tech support phone line ·        Motivations for serving the industry with no payment ·        Providing psychological safety/security for women technicians   You can learn more about the great resources HVA-Chicks has to offer at https://hvachicks.com/, visit Skillcat to check out the blog where Jennifer writes, and find Jennifer on social media as Hvachicks Jennifer. You may contact Jennifer by her public email at jennifer@skillcatapp.com.   Learn more about the 5th Annual HVACR Training Symposium at https://hvacrschool.com/Symposium24. If you have an iPhone, subscribe to the podcast HERE, and if you have an Android phone, subscribe HERE.” Subscribe to our YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/@HVACS.  Check out our handy calculators HERE or on the HVAC School Mobile App (Google Play Store or App Store).

In this short podcast episode, Bryan dives into some belt talk, including some bits about pulleys and sheaves. He also shares some belt tensioning tips for your next commercial HVAC job. Belts are less common than they used to be, but we find them in ventilation fans, RTUs, and AHUs. Squealing belts indicate slippage, which indicates fan inefficiency and energy losses. Belts transmit energy from the motor (pulley) to the fan or blower wheel being driven by it. Motor mounts may be adjustable, but there will be a means of adjusting the tension of the belt. Before we change or replace a belt, we need to make sure the belt is properly aligned (centers should have the proper distance and pitch). Common sense and good observation skills will be your best tools. Adjustable sheaves shouldn't be touched when you're changing the belt; the adjustment of the sheave is for airflow based on the RPM of the fan motor, not tensioning or setting amperage. We set belt tension by tensioning with a specific tool: a belt tensioner. Belts should be as loose as possible without slipping, but belts will loosen a bit over time and with everyday use, and they may slip eventually. Wear on the pulleys may also cause belts to slip. Cogged belts, also called notch belts, may bend more easily, last longer, and be more efficient due to reduced resistance (compared to non-cogged belts). Belt efficiency can also be affected by alignment and tightness (being too tight).   Learn more about the 5th Annual HVACR Training Symposium at https://hvacrschool.com/Symposium24. If you have an iPhone, subscribe to the podcast HERE, and if you have an Android phone, subscribe HERE.” Subscribe to our YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/@HVACS.  Check out our handy calculators HERE or on the HVAC School Mobile App (Google Play Store or App Store).

Looking for reliable heating and cooling solutions? All Service Heating and Conditioning Inc. (631-254-HEAT, 631-581-COOL) offers their expert repair and installation services for HVACs, water heaters, and furnaces throughout the Long Island area. Visit https://allserviceli.com for more details. All Service Heating and Conditioning Inc. City: Islip Terrace Address: 2975 Sunrise Highway Website: https://allserviceli.com/ Phone: +1-631-254-4328

In this episode of the HVAC School Podcast, host Bryan Orr speaks with Chris Hughes of The Energy Conservatory (TEC) about using the Roomulator card and DG-8 manometer for room pressurization testing. Chris provides background on how he came up with the idea for the Roomulator. He wanted an easy way for technicians to properly size passive returns to relieve pressure imbalances between bedrooms and the main body of a home. The Roomulator card enables technicians to quickly measure door undercuts and size transfer ducts, grilles, etc., to reduce room pressures to 3 Pascals or less per ENERGY STAR guidelines. When paired with the DG-8 micromanometer, the system provides precision room pressurization measurement. They discuss reasons why excessive room pressures can cause comfort, efficiency, and indoor air quality issues. Removing positive pressure helps reduce airflow through leaks in exterior walls, lighting fixtures, etc. Chris also talks about how the Roomulator is an affordable “gateway tool” for technicians to get started with building science and air pressure dynamics. DG-8 allows technicians to perform several other tests beyond room pressurization as they advance their skills. Key topics covered: TrueFlow grid and DG-8 manometer Origins and purpose of the Roomulator card The step-by-step process for using Roomulator and DG-8 Impacts of room pressurization on comfort, efficiency, IAQ Role as an introductory tool for building science testing The collaboration of NCI and TEC   You can learn more about the Roomulator and purchase a few at https://store.energyconservatory.com/roomulator.html.  Learn more about the 5th Annual HVACR Training Symposium at https://hvacrschool.com/Symposium24. If you have an iPhone, subscribe to the podcast HERE, and if you have an Android phone, subscribe HERE.” Subscribe to our YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/@HVACS.  Check out our handy calculators HERE or on the HVAC School Mobile App (Google Play Store or App Store).

In this short podcast, Bryan dives into a gas heating topic: primary & secondary air in combustion. Primary air is the air and oxygen content that enters the furnace BEFORE combustion. In older furnaces, prior to induced combustion, air was drawn in through the front. These older furnaces had adjustable shutters that we could modify to bring in more or less primary air based on our combustion analysis readings. We could also use flame color to get an idea of the CO content (yellow tips on the flames indicate higher carbon monoxide content). In systems like those, air is drawn in via Bernoulli's principle; there are areas of low pressure around areas of high velocity. There is pressure associated with the natural gas, which draws air into the burner. Nowadays, we have induced draft systems (not to be confused with power-vented systems) to draw air in at a fixed rate for more consistent combustion. These inducer fan blowers are necessary for the more complicated heat exchangers we see in more recent furnaces. Secondary air is the air after combustion. We only want to adjust primary air if we have the correct gas pressure, so we will want to make sure we perform combustion analysis. We can also clock the meter (if applicable), but you will not always have a meter, and you will want it to be informed by combustion analysis.   Learn more about the 5th Annual HVACR Training Symposium at https://hvacrschool.com/Symposium24. If you have an iPhone, subscribe to the podcast HERE, and if you have an Android phone, subscribe HERE.” Subscribe to our YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/@HVACS.  Check out our handy calculators HERE or on the HVAC School Mobile App (Google Play Store or App Store).

This podcast episode is a live rebroadcast of a livestream with Craig Migliaccio (AC Service Tech) and Ty Branaman (love2hvac). It focuses on different types of learning and how to make the most out of learning experiences. The hosts discuss the differences between random learning, goal-driven learning, and forced learning. Random learning involves casually exposing yourself to new information without a specific end goal. It can be useful for sparking curiosity. Goal-driven learning is focused on achieving mastery of a particular topic in order to solve a problem or accomplish something concrete. This type of learning requires effort but tends to be the most effective. Forced learning is when someone else compels you to learn certain material, often for compliance reasons; this type lacks intrinsic motivation. They emphasize surrounding yourself with a community of curious people who can provide encouragement, accountability, and inspiration. Events like the HVACR Symposium and AHR Expo facilitate making these connections. Building personal relationships and enjoying the humanity in the field sustains interest and passion. Key topics covered: The role of books, podcasts, conferences, and interpersonal interactions in learning Differences between propositional, procedural, perspectival, and participatory knowledge Using the Socratic teaching method of asking leading questions Understanding real-world applications of Ohm's Law Distinctions between random, goal-driven, and forced learning Finding joy and connection through education and community Networking with people across the industry at trade events   Learn more about the 5th Annual HVACR Training Symposium at https://hvacrschool.com/Symposium24. If you have an iPhone, subscribe to the podcast HERE, and if you have an Android phone, subscribe HERE.” Subscribe to our YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/@HVACS.  Check out our handy calculators HERE or on the HVAC School Mobile App (Google Play Store or App Store).

The clinic officially opened its 1,000-square-foot dental care expansion this week, adding two new dental exam chairs to its facility. It also added a new behavioral health room where telehealth services will be available to patients.

In this podcast episode, Bryan has an enjoyable conversation with his wife Leilani about navigating family relationships while building a business. They discuss the challenges and benefits of mixing family and work, setting boundaries, and maintaining perspective. Bryan starts by admitting he felt intimidated to have Leilani on the podcast before, joking about her “big muscles and dominating presence.” Leilani jokes back, saying Bryan seems less intimidated now that they've been together so long. They then dive into the topic of starting their family business, Kalos, back in 2005. Leilani remembers feeling excited but also some “pain” around Bryan turning down a big raise to go out on his own instead. She was impressed he felt so confident to leave the security of a paycheck, which made her believe Kalos would succeed. However, as a young couple they were already not making much money, so the pay cut hurt. Other topics they discuss: Holding morning meetings with employees in their small home when Kalos was just starting out The awkwardness Leilani felt sometimes hearing family members complain about each other or the business How they've generally had good boundaries between family issues and personal relationships Funny stories about occasionally discussing business at improper times around non-family friends Taking on jobs outside Bryan's wheelhouse (like painting) in the early days out of necessity The importance of being willing to do work others may see as "below them" to make a small business succeed How Bryan easily gets bored doing repetitive tasks, and prefers to delegate Leilani's appreciation that Bryan respects her contributions to the family and doesn't compete with her for time The need for humility and perspective when running a family business   Learn more about the 5th Annual HVACR Training Symposium at https://hvacrschool.com/Symposium24. If you have an iPhone, subscribe to the podcast HERE, and if you have an Android phone, subscribe HERE.” Subscribe to our YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/@HVACS.  Check out our handy calculators HERE or on the HVAC School Mobile App (Google Play Store or App Store).

In this solo podcast, Bryan provides an introduction to heat pumps, explaining the basics of how they work and key considerations in a way that is easy for anyone to understand. He starts by reviewing some core HVAC principles - that heat moves from higher temperatures to lower temperatures, the three main methods of heat transfer, and the concept that temperature is really just a measure of molecular movement. He then explains that a heat pump works by taking heat from a place that doesn't matter, like the outdoors, and putting it where it is wanted, like inside a home. This is the opposite of an air conditioner. The only difference in the actual equipment is the addition of a reversing valve to change the direction of refrigerant flow and a defrost control board. He talks about the need to defrost the outdoor coil when ice builds up and what happens in that mode. Some key challenges and design considerations he covers when using heat pumps include: dealing with defrost and where the melt water will go, keeping the outdoor unit free of snow, supplemental heating systems for when the unit can't keep up, increased electrical load, and factors like the climate zone, home efficiency, electricity prices, and infrastructure. He emphasizes that with good design focused around heat pumps, they can work efficiently even in cold climates. Topics covered: ·        Basics of heat transfer ·        How heat pumps move heat ·        Reversing valve and defrost board ·        Defrost challenges ·        Supplemental heat ·        Sizing and design considerations ·        Use in cold climates   Learn more about the 5th Annual HVACR Training Symposium at https://hvacrschool.com/Symposium24. If you have an iPhone, subscribe to the podcast HERE, and if you have an Android phone, subscribe HERE.” Subscribe to our YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/@HVACS.  Check out our handy calculators HERE or on the HVAC School Mobile App (Google Play Store or App Store).

This podcast brought together several women working in the HVAC industry to discuss their experiences and offer advice. The conversation focused on the positives of working in HVAC as a woman, the importance of community, and the resources available. The women talked extensively about how welcoming and supportive the HVAC community, and particularly HVAC men, have been towards them. Several got into the industry because of their husbands' work. They agreed the perception that it's difficult for women to break into HVAC does not match their largely positive realities. The biggest challenges they identified related more to things like clothing and bathroom options rather than discrimination or harassment. Advice offered for companies looking to hire more women focused not on targeting women specifically, which could cause resentment, but on ensuring good benefits, upholding anti-discrimination standards, and facilitating connections with other women in the industry. Several mentioned the value of groups like Women in HVAC and the Society of Women Engineers for networking and support. Attending conferences to connect with the HVAC community was also repeatedly recommended. Overall, the positive tone revealed that with the right connections, women can thrive in HVAC careers. All expressed passion for their work and eagerness to encourage more women to explore the industry. Topics covered: Getting into HVAC Challenges for women in HVAC Advice for attracting/supporting women Importance of community Groups like Women in HVAC Conferences/events   Learn more about the 5th Annual HVACR Training Symposium at https://hvacrschool.com/Symposium24. If you have an iPhone, subscribe to the podcast HERE, and if you have an Android phone, subscribe HERE.” Subscribe to our YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/@HVACS.  Check out our handy calculators HERE or on the HVAC School Mobile App (Google Play Store or App Store).

In this short podcast, Bryan explains the history of AWG, or American wire gauge, which is the sizing system we use for conductors in the United States. Wires weren't standardized before the 18th century (1700s). As fencing, telegraph, and electrical wires started coming out, there was a need for a standardized system. In England, a standardized system called the Birmingham wire gauge (BWG) was developed in the 1800s. The American Telegraph Company developed the American equivalent, the AWG, shortly afterward. These systems standardized wiring diameters, and the AWG's wire sizes get bigger as they get lower (including NOT wires, which are noted by the number 0 on the gauge, like 2/0). The AWG scale is a logarithmic scale, meaning that the wire sizes don't vary by a fixed amount; there is a 20% variation between diameter sizes. Our brains are programmed to understand proportionality (i.e., logarithmic values and patterns) better than discrete values. This sizing system based on a logarithmic scale makes it easier for us to observe differences between the diameters. The metric system for wire sizing is NOT logarithmic; there is a root-10 progression between sizes; this standard is called IEC 60228.   Learn more about the 5th Annual HVACR Training Symposium at https://hvacrschool.com/Symposium24. If you have an iPhone, subscribe to the podcast HERE, and if you have an Android phone, subscribe HERE.” Subscribe to our YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/@HVACS.  Check out our handy calculators HERE or on the HVAC School Mobile App (Google Play Store or App Store).

Don Gillis and Dr. Chuck Allgood from Chemours join the show to discuss their new easy as "1,2,3" branding around the A2L refrigerants R454A, R454B, and R454C. They explain that A2Ls are not actually flammable like hydrocarbons; they are just mildly combustible with much lower burning velocity and energy than propane or butane. The key is that A2L refrigerants can only be used in equipment specifically designed and tested for them. They outline several equipment changes, like the inclusion of sensors that detect leaks and mitigate risks by shutting down systems. Service ports will be red to denote flammability. Refrigerant cylinders will move away from colors and instead use red bands/markings to signal A2L, along with left-handed threads and updated pressure relief valves. Best practices like nitrogen purging, confined space protocols, and leak repairs will become outright requirements. Tools like recovery machines and leak detectors will need A2L ratings, but most from the past 2 years likely already have them. In closing, the guests emphasize that A2Ls contain no propane or hydrocarbons and cannot be retrofitted into existing A1 equipment. Contractors should get trained, adopt the solutions coming, and not fear progress. But they should spread the word that A2Ls are not simply being dropped into old equipment. Topics Covered: Differences between A2Ls and flammable refrigerants Required safety features in A2L equipment Changes to refrigerant cylinders Updating tools and practices for A2Ls Retrofitting existing systems with A2Ls (not allowed) Spreading proper understanding about A2Ls   Learn more about the 5th Annual HVACR Training Symposium at https://hvacrschool.com/Symposium24. If you have an iPhone, subscribe to the podcast HERE, and if you have an Android phone, subscribe HERE.” Subscribe to our YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/@HVACS.  Check out our handy calculators HERE or on the HVAC School Mobile App (Google Play Store or App Store).

In this short podcast episode, Bryan tackles the following question: What is DX?  In short, DX stands for "direct expansion," which means that you cool the end product via the refrigeration cycle. We blow air over an evaporator coil, which allows the refrigerant to take up heat from the air and directly expand. Chillers, boilers, and chilled water systems are NOT direct expansion systems; they use a secondary fluid like water or glycol to move the heat throughout the structure, not an evaporator to take up heat directly. They also have heat exchangers to move heat from the refrigerant to the secondary fluid. DX systems tend to be smaller, and chillers and boilers tend to be larger. Chillers are advantageous in cases where we're working with toxic or flammable refrigerants or large refrigerant charges; we can keep the refrigerant charge away from the structure and space or product(s) needing to be heated or cooled.    Learn more about the 5th Annual HVACR Training Symposium at https://hvacrschool.com/Symposium24. If you have an iPhone, subscribe to the podcast HERE, and if you have an Android phone, subscribe HERE.” Subscribe to our YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/@HVACS.  Check out our handy calculators HERE or on the HVAC School Mobile App (Google Play Store or App Store).

This podcast covers refrigeration technologies' growth and focus on providing safe, high-performing chemicals for HVAC technicians without hazardous ingredients. Mike Pastorello discusses the 2017 rebranding that gave their products a more modern, cohesive look. He also talks about bringing on new marketing talent like Ashley and Becca to amp up refrigeration technologies' social media presence and connect more directly with end users. Throughout, Mike emphasizes enabling the marketing experts to drive strategy rather than micromanaging. Regarding products, Mike highlights their priority of keeping technicians safe while effectively doing their jobs. He mentions constantly improving formulas to eliminate skin burns, bad odors, and other issues with traditional chemicals. Bryan shares an example from his contracting company where lax safety practices led to an emergency room visit and realigned his team's commitment to using safer alternatives like Viper products. They also overview popular refrigeration technologies offerings like Nylog thread sealant and the Venom Packs compact container system. Mike states the Venom Packs will avoid upcoming taxes on traditional gallon jugs. Bryan praises the durable, flexible packaging and smaller nozzle. Bullet points: 2017 rebrand and modernizing refrigeration technologies' visual identity Bringing on new marketing talent to expand social media reach Empowering new hires to take the lead rather than micromanaging Keeping technicians safe while effectively doing their jobs Continually improving chemical formulas to reduce hazards An emergency room visit underscoring the need for safety focus Overview of Nylog refrigerant thread sealant Benefits of the durable and flexible Venom Packs   Check out all Refrigeration Technologies products at https://www.refrigtech.com/.  Learn more about the 5th Annual HVACR Training Symposium at https://hvacrschool.com/Symposium24. If you have an iPhone, subscribe to the podcast HERE, and if you have an Android phone, subscribe HERE.” Subscribe to our YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/@HVACS.  Check out our handy calculators HERE or on the HVAC School Mobile App (Google Play Store or App Store).

In this podcast, Bryan Orr interviews Jesse Stewart from NAVAC about A2L refrigerants and compatible tools and safety procedures. They discuss how NAVAC has a full line of A2L-compatible tools for evacuation and recovery, including the new NR7 and upgraded models of the NRDDF and NRDD. Jesse explains key features that make tools A2L compatible, like DC motors, sparkless designs, insulated electrical terminations, soft power switches, and fans. He notes that NAVAC has been designing tools this way in preparation for wider A2L adoption. The conversation covers some evolving questions around A2L systems, like requirements for strike plates to protect line sets and whether existing line sets can still be used. They agree that ongoing questions need to be directed to organizations like ASHRAE to get definitive guidance. Overall, Jesse emphasizes that best practices are now required, not just recommended, when working with A2Ls. He details several examples, like nitrogen purging while brazing, the "10-foot rule" for checking potential ignition sources, and proper confined space protocols. Topics covered: NAVAC's line of A2L-compatible tools Key safety features for A2L tools Evolving regulations and best practices around A2L systems Using nitrogen while brazing The "10 foot rule" before A2L installations Working in confined spaces with A2Ls Adapting outdated practices to meet new safety needs   Explore NAVAC's A2L-compatible tools at https://navacglobal.com/a2l-compatible-tools/ or general products at https://navacglobal.com/. You can also ask the experts for help by emailing training@navacglobal.com.    Learn more about the 5th Annual HVACR Training Symposium at https://hvacrschool.com/Symposium24. If you have an iPhone, subscribe to the podcast HERE, and if you have an Android phone, subscribe HERE.” Subscribe to our YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/@HVACS.  Check out our handy calculators HERE or on the HVAC School Mobile App (Google Play Store or App Store).

This live podcast from AHR Expo 2024 discusses the costs of truck rolls for HVAC technicians and how technicians and companies can reduce those costs. Jim and Bryan highlight that every time a tech has to go to the supply house to get parts, the company loses money in potential service calls that could have been completed. They emphasize stocking trucks properly so that technicians can complete repairs efficiently without leaving jobsites. Jim talks about the White Rogers 50M56X8-43 universal control board, which auto-configures itself to different furnace models. He explains how it simplifies installations and troubleshooting, allowing techs to solve problems faster. Bryan adds that having universal parts encourages techs to thoroughly diagnose issues before replacing components. They also discuss the display showing flame current in microamps, which helps techs benchmark flame rod cleanliness over time. Later, Jim stresses the importance of techs understanding all the individual components in heating systems rather than seeing units as intimidating beasts with complex wiring. Bryan shares how new controls with better interfaces and indicators help guide techs to increase their skills and knowledge. They agree that improvements allowing faster on-site repairs provide a better, more rewarding experience for both techs and customers. Throughout, Jim and Bryan sprinkle in jokes, stories, and food references while emphasizing the overarching goal of giving techs what they need to enjoy their work and provide the best service possible. Topics covered: Costs of truck rolls and supply house trips Stocking trucks for same-day repairs New universal control simplifying installations Diagnosing issues thoroughly before replacing parts Display showing useful flame current readings Understanding all components in heating systems Improved interfaces and indicators enhancing skills Faster on-site repairs benefiting techs and customers Loving your work and helping people   Check out Copeland's trusted products and brands at https://copeland.com. Learn more about the 5th Annual HVACR Training Symposium at https://hvacrschool.com/Symposium24. If you have an iPhone, subscribe to the podcast HERE, and if you have an Android phone, subscribe HERE.” Subscribe to our YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/@HVACS.  Check out our handy calculators HERE or on the HVAC School Mobile App (Google Play Store or App Store).

In this podcast, Bryan chats with Tony Gonzalez of Fieldpiece about their latest innovations for service tools, including the redesigned VCRT, as well as the training resources they offer. They start off discussing Fieldpiece's philosophy of developing solutions for technicians' real pain points, not just making products. Understanding workflows and obstacles lets them design better tools. Tony then reveals their new line of valve core removal tools aimed at faster, easier access to system ports. Features include integrated ball valves to isolate gauges, sight glasses to confirm capture of the core, and improved ergonomics for gripping. Next they touch on Fieldpiece University, their free online learning platform for HVAC best practices. It contains individual courses as well as guided "training tracks" on full applications like combustion analysis. With quality content being critical, Tony aims to continue expanding their offerings this year. They also briefly discuss A2L refrigerants - while tool compatibility questions persist in the field, most quality equipment made in recent years carries approvals. Technicians mainly need to verify the manufacturer's guidance and adhere to existing best practices. Key topics: New valve core removal tools Enhanced sight glass and isolation Continual improvement of Fieldpiece University Clarifying tools and A2Ls The overarching theme is providing solutions - both through innovative tools and readily accessible education for the industry. You can learn more about Fieldpiece at https://www.fieldpiece.com/.   Learn more about the 5th Annual HVACR Training Symposium at https://hvacrschool.com/Symposium24. If you have an iPhone, subscribe to the podcast HERE, and if you have an Android phone, subscribe HERE.” Subscribe to our YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/@HVACS.  Check out our handy calculators HERE or on the HVAC School Mobile App (Google Play Store or App Store).

In this short podcast episode, Bryan covers the differences between absolute and gauge pressure, as well as measuring pressure with a micron gauge or a manometer. Compression ratio deals with absolute suction and absolute discharge pressures. Absolute pressure requires us to add atmospheric pressure to the gauge pressure. We usually measure gauge pressure in pounds per square inch (PSI). PSIG is the gauge pressure (zeroed to atmospheric pressure), and PSIA is the gauge pressure plus the atmospheric pressure (usually around 14.7 PSI).  When we measure vacuum pressure, we have "negative pressure" with respect to the atmosphere. We're not measuring less than zero pressure; we are in a positively pressurized environment, but the pressure is negative relative to the atmosphere (not absolutely). We use microns to measure deep vacuums; they are tiny pressure units equivalent to a millionth of a meter of mercury column. Since microns measure absolute pressure, they always dip below atmospheric pressure and approach 0 (but never reach it because we're not in a perfect vacuum). We don't have to zero the micron gauge because it automatically measures with respect to zero. Manometers measure pressure differentials; they measure pressure in reference to something else, whether that's the room around you (whatever you've zeroed it to) or another point on the system (measured at the other port). In any case, we're not referencing 0 PSIA. Many manometers may pick up readings in the inches of water column scale, and some even measure very small scales like Pascals.    Learn more about the 5th Annual HVACR Training Symposium at https://hvacrschool.com/Symposium24. If you have an iPhone, subscribe to the podcast HERE, and if you have an Android phone, subscribe HERE.” Subscribe to our YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/@HVACS.  Check out our handy calculators HERE or on the HVAC School Mobile App (Google Play Store or App Store).

If you need fast, reliable plumbing or electrical assistance, Alpine Home Experts (801-849-3139) - previously Hot & Soft Home Services - provides HVAC and boiler repair services for your property. Visit https://alpinehomeexperts.com for more details. Alpine Home Experts City: Sandy Address: 9690 S 300 W Website https://alpinehomeexperts.com/ Phone +1 801 849 3139 Email jerik@alpinehomeexperts.com

In this HVAC School podcast, Bryan and Tom Buescher with Copeland discuss dual-fuel heat pump systems as an intermediate step towards more sustainable heating solutions. They talk about the overall goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions from residential heating and cooling, which accounts for over half of home energy use. While heat pumps can provide higher efficiency, simply switching everyone to electric isn't realistic in the short term. Factors like grid capacity, infrastructure, and consumer comfort have to be considered. Dual fuel systems allow for a hybrid approach - utilizing heat pumps to provide the bulk of heating, with gas heating as a backup for the coldest stretches. This arrangement allows more heat pumps to be adopted now while still ensuring warmth and meeting consumer expectations. It bridges the gap during this transitional period as grids adapt to more renewable generation. Key topics covered: Tom's industry background The role of location - dual-fuel makes the most sense in northern climates zones 3-5 currently Electrical factors - service capacity, indoor air temp, wiring Existing home challenges - ductwork, insulation Staged operation of dual fuel systems Role of hybrid approaches during transitions New universal controls and thermostats enabling these dual-fuel setups Overall, Bryan and Tom have a nuanced discussion about creating real progress incrementally, meeting consumer needs alongside policy goals. Considering both environmental and practical perspectives is key.   Visit Copeland's website at https://www.copeland.com/en-us and Sensi at https://sensi.copeland.com/en-us. You can also watch our new install video featuring the Sensi Touch 2 at https://hvacrschool.com/videos/sensi-touch-2-install/.   Learn more about the 5th Annual HVACR Training Symposium at https://hvacrschool.com/Symposium24. If you have an iPhone, subscribe to the podcast HERE, and if you have an Android phone, subscribe HERE.” Subscribe to our YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/@HVACS.  Check out our handy calculators HERE or on the HVAC School Mobile App (Google Play Store or App Store).

In this short podcast episode, Bryan dives into NTC, PTC, and thermocouples. NTC and PTC are two types of thermistors, and all three tools are used to sense temperature. Thermistors are resistors that change their resistance based on a change in temperature. They must be powered, and the resistance changes the amperage. You can test a thermistor with an ohmmeter at a fixed temperature. The best temperature for testing is the thermistor's rated temperature, typically 77 degrees Fahrenheit.  NTC thermistors are negative temperature coefficient thermistors; as the temperature decreases, the resistance increases, and vice versa. Temperature and resistance are inversely proportional. PTC thermistors are positive temperature coefficient thermistors, and the temperature and resistance are directly proportional. These types of thermistors are usually quite accurate, and they are common in thermostats. PTCs are common in certain types of hard start kits, in which they help take the start capacitor or start winding out of the circuit. They have the same function as a potential relay. The resistance increases with temperature, meaning the PTC gets hotter and raises its resistance until the circuit opens, but it takes a while to reset because it needs to cool down. Thermocouples work because they generate a voltage in response to a temperature difference between two dissimilar metals. This phenomenon is called the Seebeck effect. Thermocouples are hardy devices used in temperature-sensing equipment, and they measure over a wider range than thermistors. However, thermocouples tend to be less accurate than thermistors.   Learn more about the 5th Annual HVACR Training Symposium at https://hvacrschool.com/Symposium24. If you have an iPhone, subscribe to the podcast HERE, and if you have an Android phone, subscribe HERE.” Subscribe to our YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/@HVACS.  Check out our handy calculators HERE or on the HVAC School Mobile App (Google Play Store or App Store).

This podcast episode focuses on practical ways to save energy with grocery store refrigeration systems, with Matthew Taylor from Kalos Services sharing insights from both a technician and business owner perspective. The hosts emphasize that proper, consistent operation and preventing short cycling of compressors can have a major impact as the largest power consumers. Proper control strategies, like ensuring evaporator pressure regulators (EPRs) are working, maintaining subcooling, and preventing excessive compressor staging and rapid on/off cycling, are critical for reducing energy consumption. Often, technicians troubleshooting issues bypass these controls when they could be tuned and optimized instead. Matthew stresses the financial benefit for owners when technicians understand the original design intent and how to optimize performance, not just apply a band-aid fix to problems. He advises business owners to track power bill anomalies to catch inefficiencies. Other key factors covered: ensuring clean evaporator coils, properly functioning doors/curtains, humidity control, condensed maintenance, addressing core issues like suction pressure rather than quick fixes, compression ratio impacts, and coordinating refrigeration with HVAC equipment. Implementing complex new networked equipment has trade-offs as well - while offering more data, it requires different skill sets to leverage. Topics covered: Optimizing EPRs and refrigeration controls Preventing short cycling and improper staging Following the original system design intent Tracking power bills to catch system drift The impacts of evaporator coil cleanliness Building envelope considerations Humidity control relationship with refrigeration Compression ratio and suction pressure optimization Evaluating networked controls vs. ease of maintenance Recommissioning   Learn more about the 5th Annual HVACR Training Symposium at https://hvacrschool.com/Symposium24. If you have an iPhone, subscribe to the podcast HERE, and if you have an Android phone, subscribe HERE.” Subscribe to our YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/@HVACS.  Check out our handy calculators HERE or on the HVAC School Mobile App (Google Play Store or App Store).

The podcast is a conversation between Ed and Bryan about using the ACCA Residential Plans Examiner Review Form, an ACCA form you probably never heard of, to demonstrate that proper HVAC system design procedures were followed based on the Manual J, Manual S, and Manual D guidelines. Ed introduces the Residential Plans Examiner Review Form as a one-page document that allows contractors to show they gathered the minimum necessary information to complete a proper HVAC system design. The form doesn't teach how to actually do the design calculations but can help explain the design to others not familiar with it, like code officials asking for documentation. The form is meant as a bridge to facilitate communication between contractors and authorities having jurisdiction (AHJs). Ed shares stories of using the form successfully to work with code officials and gain approval. Bryan asks clarifying questions about the intended audience for the form - whether for residential new construction only or also replacement - since it references the duct design Manual D procedures. Ed explains the full manuals would likely only apply to new construction and add-ons, but elements could apply to replacements if load calculations are required locally. The details depend on the specific project and jurisdiction. Topics covered: Purpose and use of ACCA Residential Plans Examiner Review Form Information that the form documents from Manual J, Manual S, and Manual D The form's audience (primarily code officials/AHJs, but it's also helpful for contractors) Applicability for residential new construction, add-ons, and some replacements Stories of working with local code officials using the standard form Where to access online - ACCA website and search by full name   Access the document information and examples online HERE and learn more about ACCA at https://acca.org/home.  Learn more about the 5th Annual HVACR Training Symposium at https://hvacrschool.com/Symposium24. If you have an iPhone, subscribe to the podcast HERE, and if you have an Android phone, subscribe HERE.” Subscribe to our YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/@HVACS.  Check out our handy calculators HERE or on the HVAC School Mobile App (Google Play Store or App Store).

In this HVAC podcast episode, hosts Bryan Orr and Matthew Taylor (refrigeration leader and trainer at Kalos Services) discuss oil management and considerations in supermarket refrigeration systems, with a focus on solving & preventing oil issues. They talk about the importance of stable system operation and how oil flows through both active and passive systems in these larger built-up racks. Matthew explains that in a rack system, oil is actively separated and returned to the compressors through a dedicated system. However, not all oil gets captured this way, so the passive system of oil returning through the refrigeration cycle still occurs. Problems can arise in either system, leading to compressors locking out. Matthew stresses properly setting and regulating EPR valves to minimize load fluctuations that impact system stability. Common issues covered include clogged oil separators, misadjusted or damaged oil controls, changes in suction pressure affecting oil flow, the impact of floating suction pressures, and troubleshooting overfilled compressors. Matthew offers tips like feeling the oil separator line temperature and using working racks as a guide when unsure of proper settings. The discussion highlights how poor defrost performance can indicate oil trapping issues. Matthew and Bryan also cover: Active vs passive oil management in racks Setting EPR valves for stable operation Clogged oil separators and failed floats Suction pressure fluctuations disrupting oil flow Strategies for floating suction pressures Steps for readjusting oil controls Signs of oil trapping issues in the refrigeration cycle Using working racks to guide troubleshooting   Learn more about the 5th Annual HVACR Training Symposium at https://hvacrschool.com/Symposium24. If you have an iPhone, subscribe to the podcast HERE, and if you have an Android phone, subscribe HERE.” Subscribe to our YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/@HVACS.  Check out our handy calculators HERE or on the HVAC School Mobile App (Google Play Store or App Store).

In this podcast, Bryan and Clifton discuss the upcoming transition to A2L refrigerants, like R-32 and R-454B, and what A2L mitigation is going to look like. These mildly flammable refrigerants will be used in place of R-410A for residential air conditioning systems due to an HFC phase-down driven by legislation and international agreements. They explain what mitigation means with A2L systems - sensors will detect refrigerant leaks, and the system will shut off and turn on the blower fan to dissipate any leaked refrigerant. The mitigation helps minimize flammability risk. They note the new A2L refrigerants contain no propane despite some misconceptions. The fundamentals of safe installation, service, and repair remain similar but will be absolutely required for A2Ls versus more loosely followed with previous refrigerants. Taking proper time and care is crucial. Bryan and Clifton then discuss the education, training, and resources available from ESCO Group to help contractors prepare for this transition. Key topics covered: Upcoming transition to A2L refrigerants R-32 and R-454B Phase down of R-410A driven by legislation and international agreements Definition and purpose of mitigation used with A2L air conditioners Misconception that new refrigerants contain propane Fundamentals of safe installation and service remain similar but even more vital Taking the proper time and avoiding rushing is crucial for safety Education, training, and resources available from ESCO Group Preparing the HVAC industry for the refrigerant transition The yearly AHR Expo and HVAC Excellence Conference   You can learn more about ESCO Institute at https://www.escogroup.org/ and explore the HVACR Learning Network at https://hvacr.elearn.network/. Learn more about the 5th Annual HVACR Training Symposium at https://hvacrschool.com/Symposium24. If you have an iPhone, subscribe to the podcast HERE, and if you have an Android phone, subscribe HERE.” Subscribe to our YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/@HVACS.  Check out our handy calculators HERE or on the HVAC School Mobile App (Google Play Store or App Store).

Bryan and Kevin discuss indoor air quality solutions in terms of healthy air supplements vs. pillars of IAQ, drawing an analogy between IAQ supplements like electronic air cleaners and fitness supplements. They talk about why discussing these supplemental products can be controversial since many companies profit from selling them. However, the fundamentals of good IAQ - ventilation, filtration, and humidity control - are proven to work well, just as diet, exercise, and hydration promote good health. Most contractors focus more conversations and training around supplemental IAQ products versus the fundamentals, which parallels how society embraces fitness supplements over proper diet and exercise. However, a growing group of homeowners want real solutions, and the fundamentals often solve problems better and with less risk than just adding devices. Measuring IAQ and using data-driven diagnoses lead to more targeted solutions, too. The fitness analogy applies well - you don't jump to supplements first, and adding more supplements isn't always better or healthier. Dosage and application really matter. Contractors should consider focusing 80% on IAQ fundamentals over supplemental products to best serve customers. Topics covered: Why discussing IAQ supplements is controversial Fundamentals of good IAQ: ventilation, filtration, humidity control Parallels between IAQ supplements and fitness supplements Reliance on and training around supplemental products versus fundamentals Growing consumer demand for real IAQ solutions Using IAQ monitoring and measurement for better solutions How having more supplements or devices isn't always better Dosage and proper application really matter Shifting contractor focus to 80% on IAQ fundamentals versus supplemental products   You can learn more about HAVEN products at https://haveniaq.com/ or become a HAVEN pro at https://pro.haveniaq.com/.  Learn more about the 5th Annual HVACR Training Symposium at https://hvacrschool.com/Symposium24. If you have an iPhone, subscribe to the podcast HERE, and if you have an Android phone, subscribe HERE.” Subscribe to our YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/@HVACS.  Check out our handy calculators HERE or on the HVAC School Mobile App (Google Play Store or App Store).

In this short episode, Bryan discusses the unique features of hot deck, cold deck systems. These systems have separate heating and cooling components (if not entire systems). Older systems may have completely separate duct systems: one for heating and one for cooling. These ducts would go to each space, and you'd essentially have twice the ductwork you'd expect nowadays. Some systems also have a separate hot deck and cold deck in a single appliance (a bit like gas furnaces with case coils). We also use the term "hot deck, cold deck" to refer to systems with secondary fluid in a single appliance that produces heating and cooling. Heat recovery or heat-pump chillers use secondary fluids to carry heat around (these fluids don't expand and change state like refrigerant). A traditional chiller is often used in combination with a boiler system, and both can be shut on or off; this configuration can be tricky in shoulder seasons, and a hot deck, cold deck system could be beneficial instead.  Buffer tanks also allow energy to be stored in a hot deck, cold deck configuration. Hot deck, cold deck systems may also be beneficial in humid climates if the cooling component is before the heating component; the system could provide heating, cooling, and dehumidification. You could also use hot deck, cold deck systems for domestic hot water (via a heat exchanger) and cold plunges. It's even possible to use flammable refrigerants in heat recovery chillers that use this configuration.   Learn more about the 5th Annual HVACR Training Symposium at https://hvacrschool.com/Symposium24. If you have an iPhone, subscribe to the podcast HERE, and if you have an Android phone, subscribe HERE.” Subscribe to our YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/@HVACS.  Check out our handy calculators HERE or on the HVAC School Mobile App (Google Play Store or App Store).

In this episode of HVAC School, hosts Bryan Orr and Bert discuss practical tips for preventing callbacks and failed inspections in residential HVAC installs and maintenance. Bryan and Bert stress the importance of getting the basics right, like properly cleaning condensate drains, ensuring proper drain pitch, and sealing ducts completely before relying on tapes and mastic to cover gaps. They emphasize verifying full system operation at the end of a job, from checking that drains flow freely to testing float switches and pressure testing for leaks. Bryan and Bert also cover wire and breaker sizing for equipment changes, securing disconnects, proper thermostat wall seals, inspecting joints with bubbles to find microscopic leaks, and more thorough evacuations and leak checks. Throughout the casual, conversational show, the hosts inject colorful commentary on doing quality work with a little sarcasm, including praising the merits of duct board and flex ducts. The tone is partly tongue-in-cheek but drives home the point that shortcuts lead to callbacks and leave clients dissatisfied. Bert and Bryan also discuss: Becoming masters of the obvious Common condensate line issues The issues with double traps Ensuring adequate filter access for the customer Wiring float switches in series vs. in parallel Sealing ductwork effectively Using your senses to find airflow leaks in the ductwork Pressure testing for refrigerant leaks Common leak points in systems and their causes Correct electrical setup and markings Securing outdoor unit placement Sealing thermostat wall penetrations Thorough evacuation and leak checks   Learn more about the 5th Annual HVACR Training Symposium at https://hvacrschool.com/Symposium24. If you have an iPhone, subscribe to the podcast HERE, and if you have an Android phone, subscribe HERE.” Subscribe to our YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/@HVACS.  Check out our handy calculators HERE or on the HVAC School Mobile App (Google Play Store or App Store).

In this podcast, Bryan Orr and Bert discuss various aspects of pool heaters, focusing on issues that make them different from typical HVAC systems. They cover the basics of pool heaters - the main types (heat pumps and gas heaters) and how they operate similarly or differently from things HVAC techs work on regularly. The bulk of the 45-minute podcast looks at common service and troubleshooting situations with pool heaters, which are usually installed by pool contractors initially and not HVAC contractors. Bryan and Bert talk through typical causes of common error codes and problems like units frequently going out on high pressure. They cover water flow issues and the role of pressure versus flow switches, the sizing and limitations of heat pumps, low ambient operation challenges, freeze protection, and proper refrigerant charging. There is also a good amount of discussion on gas pool heaters - frequent component failures due to heat and corrosion issues, piping considerations due to their large BTU capacity, and combustion troubleshooting basics. Throughout the casual discussion, both hosts interject humor and personal stories related to their dealings with pool heater equipment, clients, and installations over the years. The overall message is that while heat pumps and gas pool heaters have some specialized considerations, much of the core knowledge needed to service them comes from foundational HVAC systems understanding combined with an awareness of the unique aspects covered in detail during this episode. Topics Covered: Types of pool heaters How heat pump and gas pool heater operation compare to HVAC Typical installation and service providers Key components and design aspects Common high-pressure issues and troubleshooting water flow problems Low ambient operation challenges Refrigerant charging considerations Gas piping sizing for large BTU appliances Corrosion issues and component failures Combustion testing basics   Learn more about the 5th Annual HVACR Training Symposium at https://hvacrschool.com/Symposium24. If you have an iPhone, subscribe to the podcast HERE, and if you have an Android phone, subscribe HERE.” Subscribe to our YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/@HVACS.  Check out our handy calculators HERE or on the HVAC School Mobile App (Google Play Store or App Store).

In this short episode, Bryan explains the fundamentals of capacitance, focusing on the unit of measure: farads, including micro and pico. Farads are named after scientist Michael Faraday and measure capacitance; one farad represents the capacitance of a capacitor in which one coulomb of charge causes a potential difference of one volt across the plates. Farads measure the storage of electrical energy and indicate the capacitor's ability to create a phase shift. Since farads are large units, our capacitors are rated in microfarads (1/1,000,000 farads). Bigger capacitors have higher microfarad ratings and store more charge. Capacitors create a phase shift and limit current on the start or auxiliary winding. (You'll read less current across the start winding than the run winding or common when a run capacitor is in the circuit.) The start winding helps get a single-phase motor up and running (but it isn't present on all motors). Three-phase power has three windings, and it has three sine waves 120 degrees out of phase with each other, all of which can apply directional force. A single-phase motor has two windings and only one sine wave, so it doesn't have that phase difference, making it difficult to start a motor. Capacitors charge and discharge at a different point of the sine wave, causing a phase shift. A picofarad is 1/1,000,000,000 farad, which is smaller than the microfarads we use. However, our meters can auto-range into the picofarad scale if they read a very weak capacitor. You'll have to make sure your meter is reading in the microfarad scale, not the picofarad scale.   Learn more about the 5th Annual HVACR Training Symposium at https://hvacrschool.com/Symposium24. If you have an iPhone, subscribe to the podcast HERE, and if you have an Android phone, subscribe HERE.” Subscribe to our YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/@HVACS.  Check out our handy calculators HERE or on the HVAC School Mobile App (Google Play Store or App Store).

Bryan Orr hosted a live podcast discussion all about 90% efficient furnaces with HVAC professionals Ty Branaman, Adam Mufich, and Matthew Bruner. They covered the basics of how 90% furnaces work compared to traditional 80% furnaces, troubleshooting tips, and best practices for installation and service. A key difference with 90% furnaces is the addition of a secondary heat exchanger that extracts more heat from the exhaust gases before they go out the flue. This allows the furnace to achieve at least 90% efficiency. The condensing of water vapor in the exhaust also releases latent heat. However, the acidic condensate must be properly drained, and pipes must be corrosion-resistant. Proper airflow is also critical. The experts emphasized starting any service job by carefully looking over the furnace and venting. Check for any signs of problems like leaks, debris buildup, or animals/pests blocking vents. Verify gas supply and use combustion analysis to optimize performance. When troubleshooting, methodically trace through the sequence of operations. Pressure switches, flame sensors, and airflow issues are common culprits. The podcast concludes with a reminder that extensive training content on HVAC topics like this is available through HVAC School and other industry experts. Continuing education and an open, collaborative mindset are important for professional growth. Key topics covered: How 90% furnaces achieve higher efficiency with a secondary heat exchanger Water condensation and corrosion concerns - importance of drainage and pipe material Verifying gas supply, venting, airflow, and using combustion analysis Troubleshooting tips - visually inspecting, tracing sequence of operations, checking pressure switches and flame sensor Proper installation positioning and intake/exhaust vent sizing per manufacturer specifications   View the entire livestream with Ty on our YouTube channel HERE. Learn more about the 5th Annual HVACR Training Symposium at https://hvacrschool.com/Symposium24. If you have an iPhone, subscribe to the podcast HERE, and if you have an Android phone, subscribe HERE.” Subscribe to our YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/@HVACS.  Check out our handy calculators HERE or on the HVAC School Mobile App (Google Play Store or App Store).

In this short podcast, Bryan breaks down the differences between analog and digital sine waves. Analog readings deal with an unlimited number of values; they are very precise and can have any number of decimals. As a result, the alternating current (AC) analog sine readings have very smooth curves when we read them on an oscilloscope (in the US, we see 60 peak-and-valley cycles per second because the frequency is 60 hertz).  Variable frequency drives (VFDs) and ECMs work with digital outputs instead. The alternating current (AC) input is flattened out and then replicated as a direct current (DC) digital output that mimics an analog sine wave using technologies like pulse-width modulation (PWM). Digital outputs appear as a series of steps on an oscilloscope, but PWM doesn't output different "steps" of voltage. PWM just changes the length and frequency according to the duty cycle (percentage of the time energized or unenergized). Digital scrolls turn on and off very often, and the time they spend "on" is the duty cycle, which determines how it stages up and down. While ECM motor modules usually won't work with regular motors, VFDs can run with typical motors and modify sine waves. These sine waves don't have a smooth curve, but the digital waves can be smoothed out while voltage and current are modified. If VFD-driven motors aren't designed or shaft-grounded properly, electrical discharge machining (EDM) can happen with high-frequency voltage spikes, which can damage the shaft and bearings.   Learn more about the 5th Annual HVACR Training Symposium at https://hvacrschool.com/Symposium24. If you have an iPhone, subscribe to the podcast HERE, and if you have an Android phone, subscribe HERE.” Subscribe to our YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/@HVACS.  “Check out our handy calculators HERE or on the HVAC School Mobile App (Google Play Store or App Store).

Bryan Orr interviews Tyler Nelson, an HVAC expert with over 20 years of experience as a contractor. They have an in-depth discussion about combustion analysis and why it is becoming increasingly important for HVAC technicians to utilize this process. The conversation provides an overview of combustion analysis benefits and why HVAC pros should incorporate it into their standard operating procedures. Tyler offers insightful perspectives from his decades of contracting experience, including his knowledge of how field conditions vary and factory settings may not translate perfectly. Carbon monoxide poses several dangers to customers and HVAC technicians. Tyler talks about CO poisoning risks and how analyzers can help detect issues. He also covers AHRI Guideline X for cracked heat exchanger testing and emphasizes the need to use combustion analyzers, not just visual inspection, to reliably detect cracks. Tyler also demonstrates the use of the Sauermann combustion analyzer and mobile app. He highlights key features like replaceable sensors, app control and reporting, and programming for optimum CO sensor protection. He details how combustion analysis allows you to optimize setup, monitor equipment health, and troubleshoot issues. Tyler and Bryan also discuss: Why combustion analysis is critical for proper HVAC system installation, maintenance, and diagnostics CO poisoning and risks to HVAC technicians AHRI Guideline X The role of combustion analysis in system commissioning, maintenance, and diagnostics Sauermann combustion analyzer and mobile app Advice for technicians to embrace innovations like analyzers while retaining old-school skills and knowledge   Read AHRI Guideline X in its entirety at https://www.ahrinet.org/search-standards/ahri-guideline-x-induced-draft-furnace-heat-exchanger-inspection.  Learn more about Sauermann tools at https://sauermanngroup.com/en-INT, and you can connect with Tyler on LinkedIn HERE. Learn more about the 5th Annual HVACR Training Symposium at https://hvacrschool.com/Symposium24. If you have an iPhone, subscribe to the podcast HERE, and if you have an Android phone, subscribe HERE.” Subscribe to our YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/@HVACS.  “Check out our handy calculators HERE or on the HVAC School Mobile App (Google Play Store or App Store).

Vlad Arakcheyev is a seasoned real estate investor with a wealth of knowledge and experiences to share. In this episode, he emphasizes the importance of networking and connections in finding great real estate deals. He discusses attending webinars to learn from successful individuals who have achieved success in winning deals. Vlad also shares how implementing certain strategies in business plans can lead to generating more income and paying higher prices. As we dive deeper into the conversation, Vlad provides valuable insights on various topics within the real estate realm. From his expertise in contracts, HVACs, and piping, to his recommendations on maintenance and painting, Vlad's tips and suggestions truly add value to our discussion. He even shares his own journey in the real estate market, including his first deal and how he attracted additional investors. Join us as we delve into Vlad's extensive networking resources, his experiences with syndicators, and his suggestions for finding the right partners and markets to invest in. He sheds light on the transparency and reporting methods in real estate partnerships and discusses his involvement in LP work. For links and resources discussed in this episode, please visit our show notes at https://darinbatchelder.com/networking-connections  

Watch It Live - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sIdOV5FKQJA In this session we dive into additional cooling methods for refrigerant cooled compressors. Let's Connect on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/refrigerationmentor/ Upcoming Programs - Learn More Here Refrigeration Mentor - https://refrigerationmentor.com/ Free Compressor Guide - Access Here Topics Discussed Compression Ratio Compressor Operation Limits  Compressor Operation Envelops Overheat Performance Charts Demand Cooling Refrigeration Confidential Demand Cooling Video Demand Cooling Wiring Demand Cooling Temperature Sensor  Sporlan Temperature Responsive Expansion Valve  Sporlan DTC valve  Check out these amazing Educational Resources: Refrigeration Confidential - https://www.youtube.com/@refrigerationconfidential4376 HVAC School - https://youtube.com/@HVACS love2hvac - https://www.youtube.com/@love2hvac HVACR Videos - https://www.youtube.com/@hvacrvideos Advanced Refrigeration Podcast - https://www.youtube.com/@advancedrefrigerationpodca9389 AC Service Tech - https://www.youtube.com/@acservicetechchannel NASRC - https://www.youtube.com/@NASRC HVAC Know it all - https://www.youtube.com/@HVACKnowItAll  

Want to know how to use your home equity to buy your next rental? You could be sitting on tens of thousands in potential funds that'll make saving for the down payment MUCH easier. But first, you'll need to know how much equity you have, the amount you can pull out, and whether or not a HELOC (home equity line of credit) is even worth it. So, if you're itching to get your next deal faster, stick around! Ashley and Tony will give you the info you need to take your money and multiply it! Welcome back to this week's Rookie Reply, where Tony wears a hat! Aside from covering up that beautiful bald head, Tony and Ashley have some solid tips for anyone looking to buy a property with tenants in place, debating the value of a whole house HVAC system (heating, ventilation, and air conditioning), or putting up the pros and cons of private lenders vs. bank loans. You'll learn the many ways to cool your house, how to confirm rent payments before you buy a home with inherited tenants, and how to make passive income by private lending! If you want Ashley and Tony to answer a real estate question, you can submit a question here, post in the Real Estate Rookie Facebook Group, or call us at the Rookie Request Line (1-888-5-ROOKIE). In This Episode We Cover HELOCs (home equity lines of credit) and using one to buy your next property HVAC systems vs. window units and which demand higher rent prices  How to make completely passive income by becoming a private money lender Raising capital vs. taking a bank loan and why big investors ALWAYS raise money How to confirm rent payments BEFORE you buy a property with tenants in place And So Much More! Links from the Show Find an Agent Find a Lender Ashley's BiggerPockets Profile Ashley's Instagram Tony's BiggerPockets Profile Tony's Instagram Real Estate Rookie Facebook Group Join BiggerPockets for FREE Sign Up for BiggerPockets Pro to Get Lawyer-Approved Lease Agreements: BP Pro Lease Agreements Connect with Other Investors on the BiggerPockets Forums Submit Your Real Estate Rookie Question! How to Buy a Rental Property with NO Money OR Credit w/Pace Morby Follow Rachel Richards (MoneyHoneyRachel) on Instagram Check the full show notes here: https://www.biggerpockets.com/blog/rookie-290 Interested in learning more about today's sponsors or becoming a BiggerPockets partner yourself? Email: advertise@biggerpockets.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“There's a few reasons why a building owner might want to electrify their building and get heat pumps. One is that it is a better experience for the people who are living in those units. It's really, really quiet. it's healthier, it's safer…and then secondly, there should be less maintenance cost over time. Just having one system that's really efficient.” Lauren Salz on Electric Ladies Podcast Heat pumps are suddenly getting a spotlight. Between big financial incentives for them in the new U.S. Inflation Reduction Act's climate provisions, Germany's ramp up of these pumps to help manage the cold winter as Germany stops using Russian oil and gas, and even Consumer Reports doing a "heat pumps buying guide," you might wonder what heat pumps are and how they can help mitigate climate change. Enter Lauren Salz, Co-Founder and CEO of Sealed, an innovative heat pump company that helps homeowners reduce their energy bills. Listen to Lauren explain how these work and more in this engaging conversation with host Joan Michelson on Electric Ladies Podcast. You'll hear: How heat pumps work, including how they reduce energy bills. What financial incentives are out there to reduce the cost of installing heat pumps in your home or apartment building or commercial building. How Sealed works to help homeowners and property managers find the right heat and air conditioning systems for their budget and buildings (HVACs), including questions to ask. Plus, insightful career advice …. “Career women who are looking to progress in their career (should) really be raising your hand for opportunities and letting people know at work that here's where you want to be heading and you're looking for help and advice on how to get there.…Because…sometimes people can kind of get stuck a little bit in middle management, and the way to progress is to let people know that you are ambitious and you want to keep on progressing in your career and you want to know specifically how you can go and do that.” Lauren Salz on Electric Ladies podcast   You'll also want to listen to: (some might be recorded under our previous name, Green Connections Radio) Jennifer Gerbi, Ph.D., Deputy Director and Acting Director, ARPA-E of the U.S. Dept. of Energy (Advanced Projects Research Agency, for Energy), on innovating energy solutions Halla Hrund Logadottir, Head of Iceland's National Energy Authority, on how that country achieved 85% renewable energy. Meredyth Crichton, head of the Dominion Energy Innovation Center at Clemson University, on wind power. Rasha Hasaneen, head of Innovation at what is now Trane Technologies, formerly Ingersoll Rand, on innovation HVAC systems and related products Katie Pavlovsky, head of Energy, Resources and Industrials at Deloitte Subscribe to our newsletter to receive our podcasts, blog, events and special coaching offers.. Thanks for subscribing on Apple Podcasts or iHeartRadio and leaving us a review! Reach us on Twitter @joanmichelson  

Obama has Covid, China has Covid, and school HVACs have Covid.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The guy's first episode goes through a brief Christmas and New Year's  backlash, HVACs, Russia and Nord Stream II and the fate of Novak Djokovic in Australia. Jim's recommendation regarding the russia conflict:From Cold War to Hot Peace: An American Ambassador in Putin's RussiaBook by Michael McFaulHis us up with a mailpodcast@germany-vs-usa.com 

As the demand for processed foods continues to grow, manufacturers feel the strain, and so does their equipment. As a result, ancillary equipment like HVACs and ventilation systems must keep up, too. However, many food processors run into issues here regarding climate control and air quality. Talking about how facilities can mitigate these risks, Polygon's Nick Kline, director of client development, and Mart Wicker, business development specialist, joined Ideal Conditions host Tyler Kern. “Manufacturers are under pressure, and that means adding equipment and infrastructure,” Kline said. Wicker, who spent over a decade working in food processing facilities, concurred: “They need the plant to run at optimal performance, which means reengineer facilities for greater output. Over time, HVAC systems will struggle to keep up, and these smaller impacts, like increased temperatures and condensation, can cause problems.”Wicker noted that such issues could extend sanitation time, delay starts, cause unsafe working conditions and lead to shutdowns due to unsanitary conditions. Kline advised that Polygon works with its partners to evaluate the problems. “We're a second set of eyes, making sure the equipment is working as it should without impacting the plant envelope.”One of the best ways for plants to stay proactive and have greater input is leveraging the power of data from sensors to deliver insights. Wicker shared a story to demonstrate how data drives optimization: “A customer had high gas levels, causing line stoppages. We installed a monitor to detect these, and they receive notifications when it goes outside their limits. They can then turn on exhaust fans to mitigate the high levels, keeping employees safe and avoiding downtime.”

David Boyd Janes // Drove Me CountrySometimes, clichés prove weirdly true. Take that one about dark clouds having silver linings. Turns out, that stuff can happen for real. Just ask David Boyd Janes.  Were it not for a brutal breakup in 2017, which tore up the floorboards of his life, the fast-rising country music singer/songwriter might still be living the contemporary urban dream, successfully selling heating and air conditioning units and living in a nice condo with a girlfriend beside him and a bunch of suits hanging in his closet. Yet that breakup — precipitated in part by Janes' rekindled romance with music via, of all things, singing karaoke in bars — yanked the Toronto-based performer out of his comfort zone and into a suddenly dreary world where the only thing worth doing was making music. All of which sounds like something you might hear in a country song. Enter Janes' dazzling debut, Drove Me Country, so named for his experience (as in, she drove him out of the condo and into country music) and delivered in a distinctive voice alternately conjuring honey and sandpaper.Yet despite Janes' back story, the EP's eight original compositions are decidedly not sad-sack ballads steeped in gloom and swimming in whisky. Rather, Drove Me Countryis an affirmation of what can happen when somebody who has been kicked to curb gets up, dusts himself off, says… well… screw it. Then follows his dream. “My main objective as an artist is to inspire people to follow their own dreams,” Janes says. “Four years ago, I was a broken man sitting alone in my condo thinking, ‘Why did this happen to me?' Now I have this mindset where I can push past things and live my life. Turning my thoughts into reality is not schtick. It's how I live my life now.”Evidence of that transformation is scribbled all over the vivid and diverse Drove Me Country, often in surprising ways. Take lead single “Behind Bars,” a gargantuan roadhouse corker propelled by wailing pedal steel, B3 organ, and Janes' breathtakingly candid (and frankly amusing) lyrics about the aftermath of his split as surveyed from a barstool. At the other end of the spectrum but no less compelling is the super-melodic, soaring, and anthemic ballad “Fools Gold,” in which our man takes stock of what really matters in this life as an ace group of players garland the background with gleaming steel and guitars. “The song ‘Fools Gold' is who I am,” Janes says, adding it's one of his favourites on the album. “If you want to get to know me in three minutes, listen to that song. As for ‘Behind Bars,' I'm not a big drinker and this song isn't about blowing off steam in a bar; it's about playing in bars, getting back into music and brushing off the bad news. Sometimes you just have to move on.” He continues: “I went through a lot when that girl up and left. I don't mean to sound overly dramatic, but it took me four years to rebuild my confidence. I finally realized I couldn't hold myself down any longer.”Ironically, had it not been for the abovementioned girlfriend, Janes might still be wearing neckties and slinging HVACs. Though Janes “had been doing music his whole life” and grew up immersed in country music courtesy his mom and dad — smalltown Newfoundland transplants to Toronto — he started out playing rock and roll. When that experience soured, “I turned my back on music for, like 10 years. “Years later, my girlfriend and I, just for kicks, went to a karaoke bar. I sang a few songs and the reaction I got was amazing. People asked if I was in a band. This happened a bunch of times, and soon enough I was entering karaoke competitions. This was around 2016. “One night, I said to my girlfriend, ‘I think I should get back into music.'  She looked at me and said, ‘That is not what I signed up for.' I

Nick Haraden and his wife started investing in real estate in early 2020. They quickly acquired multiple homes and hopped directly into a on a 24-unit apartment syndication, all while continuing to add to their single-family portfolio.  In this episode, Nick tells us about his journey, from starting out to where he is now.  Learn more about Nick's company on his website: www.hudsonhallproperties.com   --- Transcript   Before we jump into the episode, here's a quick disclaimer about our content. The Remote Real Estate Investor podcast is for informational purposes only, and is not intended as investment advice. The views, opinions and strategies of both the hosts and the guests are their own and should not be considered as guidance from Roofstock. Make sure to always run your own numbers, make your own independent decisions and seek investment advice from licensed professionals.   Michael: What's up everyone? Welcome to another episode of The Remote Real Estate Investor. I'm Michael Albaum and today I'm joined by an actual old high school buddy of mine, Nick Haraden. And Nick got his start investing in single family homes with Roofstock and is now grown to do some pretty incredible things that he's going to share with all of us today. So without further ado, let's jump into it.   Nick Haraden, man, thank you so much for taking the time and hanging out with me today. I really appreciate it.   Nick: Yeah, absolutely. I'm really happy to be here. I'm really excited.   Michael: I'm, dude me too. And for anyone that doesn't know, and I'm sure most people don't know, Nick and I are actually old buddies from high school. That went our own separate ways for about a decade and now are reconvening talking about real estate.   Nick: Yeah, it's pretty crazy. You know, it's quite a story. So happy to jump into it soon here.   Michael: Yeah, yeah. So So tell everyone cuz I know a little bit more about your background. I think most of our listeners do. So give everybody listening a little bit of idea of what it is that you're doing in real estate now, but also how you got your start?   Nick: Yeah. Well, I'll start kind of from not from the very beginning, but from, you know, a couple years ago,   Michael: I graduated Agora High School.   Nick: Yeah, well, Michael and I, we go back to high school, like Michael said, and super random, we got reconnected through Roofstock, which, you know, we saw we started, you know, our real estate journey about, you know, just right at the start of the pandemic, so two years ago almost and…   Michael: Perfect time to get into real estate.   Nick: Yeah, really. Yeah, it really was, we've grown, you know, so much, which is, you know, just, I'll get to that later. But, you know, my, my wife and I, Molly, you know, we have two kids, Hudson and Dakota, and we work and, you know, we, you know, my wife's a nurse, and you know, I work for Northrop Grumman, and I do contracts for them. And, you know, we didn't want to work our whole lives, right?   We wanted more time with our family, and, you know, everybody that we kind of knew growing up, and, you know, even my family, and everybody's always been in real estate, and, you know, never really clicked in my head, I was just like, Oh, I'm just gonna keep getting promoted, you know, just gonna keep on working harder and working more. And it's like, yeah, well, you know, I don't want to work more I want more time with with my family and travel and go to, you know, plays and sporting events with with my kids. And you know, so it kind of kind of started with that.   And we randomly Molly found Roofstock, through like a friend at work. And she's in there, like, Hey, have you ever looked at Roofstock? And we were like, No, we don't even know what that is, you know, like, well, you know, we bought a property on there. It's really great. They have like, a ton of listings, and you can look at different areas. And she's like, Hey, Nick, you know, we should look into this. I'm like, oh, yeah, this is this is awesome. Like, I could just slide through this and like, try to figure out like, what I like the different areas and like, you know, what the rent potential is and neighborhood ratings and everything like that. And I remember jumping on a call with first time, and we're like, oh, we're scheduling a call with someone to learn more about real estate. And that it's Michael.   It's like, I'm like, Oh, my God, this is Michael from high school. Like, I've no idea. She's like, Okay, I'm just like, do you understand this crazy?   Michael: Wht don't you get it? It's wild.   Nick: Yeah, it's wild. And then, you know, then it clicked in her head, like, Oh, okay. Well, but you know, she doesn't know she didn't. She went to she grew up in San Luis Obispo, which I know,   Michael: Right, right, right.   Nick: Anyways, so, you know, randomly to how we got to like right now. But, you know, I looked through our notes the other day, like randomly, and it was from our first call, and it's like, you should look into bigger pockets. And I'm like, Oh, my God. We really were at day one. And, and then that's how I had to send you a note saying, Oh, my God, you wouldn't even believe like where we're at now.   Michael: I know it's amazing.   Nick: Yeah, it really is crazy. But you know, I was telling you earlier, when we talked last week, I was like, you know, roofstock really made it so we can have our jump off point. I mean, we bought our first two properties on roofstock. And now we have six, six single family rentals. And we have a 24 unit apartment complex, which we syndicated and it's just crazy the steps that we took to get from that point to now. And you know, you were our first contact in that space.   Michael: For better for worse.   Nick: No, it really was for better, I mean, it's like, you know, you're like, This is your rent potential. This is your, you know, you're like explaining, you know, the every step, and it was like, the note the notes were just so funny, and then, you know, we expanded on that and, you know, really, really grew, you know, our business point, you know, I made my own spreadsheet, I, you know, found we, you know, we did a ton of research on different markets, and we use the Roofstock really to kind of get going, because we'd said, oh, yeah, you know, this is the neighborhood rating, this is why it's rated that way. You know, this is the class a little area.   So, you know, we use, like, a lot of people's data, essentially, to make better decisions for ourselves, you know, at one point we're looking at, where's the next Whole Foods going? You know, you know, we were researching all these different, like big companies saying, Oh, where are people moving? where are people going?   And we had, you know, access to some capital at the time from, you know, savings and, you know, different, you know, different vehicles or investing through stock markets that were able to diversify. So we were like saying, Well, do we want to do one one house and just do a big downpayment? Or do we want to spread it around? And at the time, we were like, Oh, we don't really know. But now it's like, yeah, well, you definitely want to, you know, get as many as you can.   So that's kind of like how we started, that's how that's how we ended, you know, today, and the kind of like, the basics of how we started. But, yeah, I mean, it really came down to, you know, finding Roofstock and kind of gone with it, which was, which was awesome. And we still recommend it to the day that people Hey, you want to buy your first property, go on Roofstock see what they got. Do some research that way, you know, just learn the areas and then and then get into more research, you know, but it's, it's, you know, it's so funny how it all kind of comes full circle. So   Michael: It really has, and I definitely remember that conversation too. And I was chatting with Molly and she goes, Oh, my husband's from Agora. And I said, Oh, cool. Where in Agora?. And like, Canaan, I was like, oh, cool, did you go to Agora High. Yeah, when you graduate 2008. I was like, Holy crap, me too! like, it's Michael Albaum I'm like, it's Nick Haraden! It's such a funny throwback.   But talk to me about what that mindset shift was from pre finding roofstock to post, you know, post knowing about rootstock and then to buying that first property. Because I think so many people have the tools, but never end up making the jump. So what allowed you to make that leap?   Nick: Yeah, I think, you know, so like, it's not rocket science, right? You just got to know, you got to know your numbers, you got to have you got to build a little bit of a network, you know, you got to, you got to reach out to people like I, the biggest thing for me was, yes, the mindset was, like, hey, we could do this, it's not that hard. A house isn't scary, you know, like, there's it you know, you have your inspection reports you have, you have all these contingencies that help you, you know, later on the road, you know, you can get more creative, but at the start, I mean, you have a lot of things that protect you.   So, the mindset is really just to get out of your comfort level. And for us, we were very comfortable, you know, we had, we had a, you know, W2 jobs, which I still have, and so she, you know, we're getting or, you know, pay stubs, and but it wasn't enough, you know, you we want to get to the point where we were stopped working, and we can have more time. So, the biggest mindset was saying, you know, let's, let's grow out of this mindset of just saying, you know, next paycheck next paycheck, and get into the fact of saying, you know, let's let's put our money to work and put it to work the best way possible, which we felt was was real estate, you know, the stock market, you have, which has been doing great, but you know, you can't really control it.   Real Estate, you can really control there's so many benefits, but taxes, you know, rental income, someone paying your mortgage leverage, I mean, is on unlimited things that you can do with with real estate, and there's so many outs. And to get to our first one, it was a little scary, because we didn't know we had we hadn't done it yet. But the second that we did the first one, it was like all downhill. I mean, we're just going okay, let's get the next one. Let's get the next one. But we did it in a smart way, you know, like we, you know, the first I think the first one we use the Roofstock calculator, which is great. I then kind of transformed it into something a little bit bigger on my own Excel sheet Excel sheet that could I really used to like dig into, you know, hey, take out you know, first month's rent for your your PM, you know, the different you know, all different types of things, depending on what the house you know, was and how much repairs or whatever it needed.   So the mindset was really just being prepared and being able to, like take that next step and not be too scared to do it. So, you know, we talked to people you know, I talk to people every day because I I'm always trying to help people I'm on these like Facebook boards and messengers and all this stuff saying, you know, people saying like, how did you get, you know, five, six properties in two years and apartment? Well, it just was taking that first step and knowing your numbers, you know, running your numbers, and then taking the time to learn your market and You know, we weren't spread out too too wide, you know, we really focused on, we're focused on St. Louis, Missouri is where all our properties are. Now, we did do like a ton of research on different markets, and I'm open to going to different markets. But now we know our market. And the second something comes up and like a good deal or, you know, we get off market deals. And you know, it just pays so much to just be in one market and be an expert in that that area.   So yes, to go on your first deal. Long story short, was just yeah, you got to just take the leap and have faith and the different processes that are built in for for someone buying a home, it's all you're all there to be protected. You know, you just got to you got to take that next step.   Michael: Yeah, not so good. And if you could think back, turn back the clock, two years to that first property, Nick and Molly, did you have a roadmap that led you to then syndicate apartments? Or were you just like, You know what, let's figure it out. Let's get this one done. And just figure it out as we go.   Michael: Yeah. No, syndications was not even close to my mind. I mean, syndications is brand new to us to be honest, like six months, and at the time, you know, there's so many different podcasts, you know, I listened to The Remote Real Estate Investor podcast, I listened to, you know, bigger pockets, a lot of these other ones that I found, and anytime syndications came up at the beginning, I was like, ah, you know, Skip, wait till the next one. Yeah, it's just like it was it was so complex to me, right, I'll just like, I'm just focused on single family right now. And then you kind of learn that, you know, the bigger the place, the more the more you have protections in place, you have more tenants paying your rent, you have built in vacancies, you have, you know, less roofs, less, HVACs, less front, you know, everything is kind of makes more sense as you grow, which we figured out down the road. And,   Michael: Of course,   Nick: You know, our first property, you know, we were just, you know, the second I remember, you know, sitting outside in my backyard saying, and we did like a little cheers for buying your first property, or, like, you know, this is for, at the time, we only had one kid, we're like, this is gonna be Hudson's either choice to go to college, or he can, you know, I have this property when he gets to that point. So we're, like, you know, this is for this is properties for him,essentially, you know, as we get the cash flow as we go, you know.   So it's, that's kind of how we started with that. And then we grew pretty fast. Because we, you know, I took the time to really just call so many different people in St. Louis, and we met so many awesome people right off the bat. I mean, the property management, property manager that we met was off of Roofstock is one of your guys recommendations. And he's been, they have been awesome, you know, we, the the first person we called was was him. And I went right to the, the guy that owns the company. And he was like, he took the time to talk to us for like, a half hour and without even without even meeting us, you know, like, never met us before anything, and just like, hey, this is what we're doing. You know, we probably asked like, the most basic questions, and he just had so much like, you know, he just gave us the time of day.   And then from that point, we talked to like insurance brokers, we talked to people that were on the ground there that we met through different people, different contractors, and we just like, you know, we learned the area so well, but it just came from just talking to people and picking up the phone and calling you know, it can't descend an email, you can't just send a text, you got to like, actually connect video chat with people as much as I could, to just get like that, that connection going a little bit more. And then from that point, we met a rockstar agent to move after Roofstock We acquired some properties on the MLS and some off off market stuff, but we really found an awesome agent who was able to just, you know, go into these different homes and do video calls with us. He's an investor as well.   So it was really the, you know, the perfect combo with that he's extremely busy, but oh, he's kind of gave us the time. Now, you know, I bought him a golf club. And, you know, like, we're, you know, I know his kids names. He's like, he wants to come out to you know, California and go play 18 holes. You know, and he he gets a ton of off market stuff and he and he brings it to us first he's like, you know, here I have a package which we funny stories I you know, he brought us the package or like 15 homes, which we were like this close to closing on, probably about six months ago.   Michael: Okay.   Nick: And at the last second, the the owners pulled out and there's three owners and they had to all agree and one didn't. But anyways, like the more people we met, the more like opportunities we have, or like off market deals and all this stuff and then to get the syndications finally now, so our newest and greatest baby Dakota, she was born in May and that's that's pretty much the time that we were like, hey, I need another mindset change is I need to I want to be able to grow to the point where you know, we don't have to put in you know, so much money to keep growing you know, we want to syndicate right so we want to raise Capital. We want to find these awesome deals we want to be very active in it on on general partner side. And it's like what can we do to get more creative? Right? We felt like we really had a handle on the single family stuff. I really wanted to get into multifamily, but I couldn't find any decent deals like it's just crazy everywhere for multifamily, you know, duplex, it tries quads. So we found a 24 unit.   And I met a awesome partner, my business partner, his name is Michael as well. And he's from San Diego. Great name a news gray at the time I met him right. We actually met on on Facebook randomly were part of the a couple of like syndication groups, I really want to learn like everything I could about it's like, bought a few books, Joe Fairless, his book, a couple raising capital books, we had never done it.   Michael: Did you go back and listen to all those syndication podcasts?   Nick: I did. Yeah. I went back to all of them. And I was like, oh my god, now I gotta go listen to him. But the thing is, like when when I find something I really want to do I just dive in. And it it really just went really fast. I mean, we start we did our on a website, we started talking to investors, we met our business partner, talk to syndication lawyers, attorneys like everything. And then we found the deal. I mean, we found us and we found an apartment complex that was just it made the most sense, because I already knew the market. It's in St. Louis, we already had people on the ground that we built over two years. And it has some awesome points to this to this apartment complex that I knew would be a great buy for St. Louis because it was very special. It had their own basements, I mean, stuff that you don't really see in a lot of apartments that if you live in St. Louis and Missouri, you know, people love their basements there for storage, extra extra sleeping space. That's not technically legal.   But you know, people use their stores for a lot of different things. And that's what their basement is for. But this this had it it was like the perfect property. And it we found the property so fast. We just we just had the run so hard. I mean, I was up till 2am most nights like cranking away while we have a newborn while Molly just like wants to kill me come down and help with the kids. I'm like, I'm trying I want to you know, try to do this work, kids, syndications. I'm like, trust me, this is gonna be good for us.   Michael: A couple years from now,   Nick: Yeah, I had to I had to treat her to like a nice massage after that. But we really just like dove in, and we raised our capital. And like we did a webinar, we talked to all these investors, we had like 40 people on the call or something. And we raised the capital and under, like, 30 minutes after the call, and people were like, on board, I had friends, family investors, because you know, a lot of people, they just don't they, they want to invest, but they don't know how right? I mean, that's the whole point of Roofstock and your pockets. Like there's so many people out there that just don't know how to do it. And sometimes you need that person that can be like, Hey, I have this awesome deal is a great return for you. Which you know, in apartment complexes, you get the pretty, pretty awesome returns.   And, you know, we had so many people that were like, okay, like, I trust you guys, you know, you guys are seeing like, you know, awesome people, people that already knew already knew that. But you know, it just, it just went from there. And then yeah, we closed on that syndication literally four weeks ago. So yeah, so that's, that's the long long story. Kind of a long story there. That kind of leads us to where we are today with that.   Michael: So and and so did your business partner Michael have any syndication experience?   Nick: Yeah, he did. Definitely more than I did, I was coming from you know, zero. But I was bringing all the contacts all the you know, people on the ground that contractors, the property manager, so he was bringing the business more of the business background so he had a few he went through a few like cycle not cycle the syndication but through, went through a few things with a couple operators that didn't end up closing on the deal. But he went out and like did due diligence and like underwrote a bunch of deals for a couple of different operators. So he had a lot of the background like this is how we do syndication. You know, we need to do a syndication lawyer, we need to, you know, we need to, you know, these are the steps to get the syndication done. And then I had the contacts in St. Louis, that was actually pretty much like a perfect marriage. In that sense.   You know, we we connected I reached out to him and saying, hey, you know, it looks like you know a lot about syndications. I'd love to actually learn more at the time. I was just trying to learn a little bit more about it. And he said, Yeah, well this is the deal where I'm currently working on I can send you the OM for I'm like, Okay, awesome. And then like literally a week later, It's just like stuck in my head. I'm like, oh my god, I could do this. Like, I know I can do it. I love real estate. I love working out issues. I love working out problems. I already know that my market so well, I just sent a message like, hey, if I can find something in St. Louis, like, can we team up? And let's see what we can do.   And he's like, yeah, absolutely. The person I'm working with isn't responding and all this stuff, right? So it was like, it's just our paths crossed at the perfect time, I was on paternity leave. So I was like, I have a little bit more time, but I still have a newborn. So like, kind of not really more time. But, you know, so luckily, it was our second kid and not our first. So you know, we went through the motions a little bit more.   So it just like we crossed paths at the perfect time. And we just it just went so fast. Like I said before, like over the course of literally like two months, we were in the process of like, flying out the St. Louis doing walkthroughs and are like, Oh my God, here we go.   Michael: Off to the races.   Nick: Off to the races. Man.   Michael: That's so cool. So for recommendations for people who are looking to get started syndicating, would you say that they should wait till they have some maternity leave it to take advantage of the opportunity?   Nick: Man, Yeah, it probably is. There's so much work involved is is you really, I mean, I don't think I'd be able to do it if I was working in the office, because right now I'm working remotely, I'm able to flex my time to where I can get more stuff done. I mean, I can, you know, I can do my work, you know, crunch my workout, get that done, and then jump on and do do real estate and fill in meetings as I go. And like my downtimes, I can jump on and do more real estate in this, like, when I'm in the office, I don't think that I could have that time. And I'd probably be still kind of stuck in the rat race.   And I think the pandemic has really, you know, showed us that, hey, first of all, you can work remotely, and you can still do a good job and do everything you want with your regular job and still have time to be with your family or, you know, start a business like we did. And you know, I'm doing better at my, my W2 job than I ever have. Because I know I need to get that done to do real estate.   Michael: Gotta eat your vegetables before you can have dessert.   Nick: Yeah, exactly. And, you know, our goal is to, you know, we want to we want to stop working, you know, stop stop with our W twos. And in the next you know, maybe three, four years, and just, you know, focus on real estate and focus on growing and doing stuff that, you know, I love real estate. So I want to focus on doing something I love and have more time, I know I could I could do this real estate, you know, work from from wherever and you know, make my own time for it. So that's pretty much the goal, the end goal, at least right is to have more time, not necessarily more money, but more time. But we want to get to a point where we do have, you know, the capital coming or the you know, the income coming in, but the goal is ever since the very beginning is to have more time. So that's that's what we're we're focused on.   Michael: Love it. So with that being the goal, what's next for you? And Michael and Molly?   Nick: You know, right now, the single families are just they're easy to get. You know, we get it we have a really good pipeline now in St. Louis. And people are, you know, people in the Midwest, think of California people as people that are make like strong offers, but don't don't capitalize it, right? They say oh, yeah, buy all these properties. And then, you know, it's just like kicking the tire down the road. So now that we've kind of made ourselves known in St. Louis, and the syndication world is very small. And, you know, brokers, you know, we're meeting with brokers meeting, you know, people that can bring us more deals, but they know now like, hey, you know, you have a portfolio here, you have a 24 unit apartment complex, we know that you can close on deals, you know, that really goes a long ways not to mention it goes a ton always with your lender, you know, we use local lender for for lending on the apartment building. But once you've kind of, you know, made yourself known out there, you can really get more access to better deals, more deals, and more qualified deals.   So the next what we want to do next, and I say like, you know, single families are easy to come by right now. It's because, you know, we get a handful of deals that are just, you know, off market stuff that people know like, hey, they can close and whatever days they have the capital for they know what they're doing. They have this track record. So you know, we were still buying single family homes.   Michael: Low hanging fruit   Nick: We Yeah, it's you know, we have a great return. I mean, we shoot for at least a minimum about $350 cash flow, pure cash flow and about an 18 to 20% return. And we're getting that in the markets that were that we're in. Now homes have gone up 35 40% in our market, which makes it tougher, but now we're not finding a ton of stuff on the MLS but like I said, you know, we're getting a lot of off market stuff. So it's hard to say no to the deal while we're waiting for another one, you know, the best time to buy real estate is yesterday, right? So, right. You know, we're trying to like, you know, build and build and still have the capital to get something along or something a little bit bigger.   But with syndications, the beauty of syndications, right is that you can really grow quickly because you have capital from investors that you know, really want a great return as well. So, we're, you know, we're in talks of, you know, talking to people that are pure capital raisers, KPs, which is people that can, like you know, have the bankroll essentially for bigger deals, because in syndications, you know, when you're a general partner, you have to have the, you know, you have to have the bankroll to support the loan. So eventually, you know, I don't have that bankroll.   You know, not a lot of people do. So there's people out there, it's actually quite interesting that just purely as their job is to, like, banker, all these properties. So it's quite interesting. So, you know, we're just learning, we're still learning more, you know, we're trying to get this deal off the ground as well, this first indication, you know, would you you know, we do the all the asset management behind it, everything.   So, you know, I think we're just really trying to make ourselves the best product that we can be as we move forward. We know we don't want to jump into something just to jump into, you know, single family stuff. Yes, we're trying to get stuff as they can. Because we know what a good deal is, we know our market really well. With syndications. It's a little bit different, you know, we don't want to just jump into a deal just for the fee that we're going to get, that's not our goal, right. So we want to actually get a great deal for investors. Not to mention a lot of them in this past deal. Were friends and family, you know, so, you know, we want to make sure we're getting their returns and that's the most important part in syndications is paying out your investors. So yeah, a lot, a lot more, a lot more, you know, a lot more work on the syndication side, a lot more stress, you know, constantly thinking about what's gonna go wrong next.   You know, there's always something you're like, I'm like, going through my mind like, Okay, what's, who's not going to pay next? What's gonna break next, you know, all this stuff. But, you know, we we underwrite really conservatively, and we make sure that we have the reserves, we make sure we have the capex account, kind of everything that goes into it. So that's kind of where we're going next. I mean, we're, you know, we briefly talked about short term rentals.   Another crazy story, we're using the same agent out in the Smokies…   Michael:   I rememver that conversation too, I am chatting with this agent, her their husbands and property managers, like, is it Jen, like, holy crap, it is.   Nick: Yeah, so, so the short term rental side not to get too sidetracked on that, but you know, we're, we want to get to the point, right, where we have enough monthly income coming in where we can kind of you know, break away from our job and short term rental right now, just popping in the Smokies is probably the best place in the whole world for short term rentals. I mean, it's just absolutely amazing. Molly did some did some studying in Tennessee, so she kind of grew up there a little bit gone to the smoky so we have some background in the Smokies. I've never actually personally been but yeah, we're trying to find a short term rental and Smokies you know, just, you know, to be diversified. For one, one thing, and also to just capitalize on this crazy Airbnb market right now. I mean, it's just absolutely exploding. There's so many benefits in the Smokies of the driving distance that we've talked about, you know, it's just, there's a lot of awesome things.   And, yeah, we want to get to that point where, like I said, we have that monthly income coming in, where we can start stepping away from other things and have more time. And, you know, we're, you know, underwriting there. And we really, you know, it's hard to get properties out there. So we want to make sure we do it the right way. So that's, that's kind of what we're, we're kind of focused on right now. That's so exciting.   Michael: So you have done a lot of things, you've got a lot more things on the horizon. What do you turn back? Kind of looking over your shoulder in a rearview mirror? What do you say to people who are just getting started? Who couldn't fathom doing any of the things that you're doing? I mean, what do you say to somebody who's trying to just get started?   Nick: I think that for someone that's just getting started, and we were actually helping a few people right now that are just getting started. One of them is you know, Molly's best friend,   Michael: Trying to put me out of a job at the Roofstock Academy man, take over my coaching role?   Nick: Honestly, she, she's finding properties on Roofstock, I said, look on Roofstock, because you can get so much done there. Like, you know, a lot of people you know, they, they need, you know, they need to learn all this stuff, like cash on cash returns, right, just like you taught us, right. And honestly, like, you know, you taught us a lot of that stuff and and, you know, sure, we probably would have learned it at some point, but you know, it really, you know, you're able to give us that info like right off the bat and then we can really analyze property the right way.   But you know, just telling people like, you know, make sure that you know your numbers, and then don't be scared to just jump in, you know, you have to be able to find a market. That makes sense. So, you know, we, we really do refer people on Roofstock quite a bit, because you guys have so much data on there, and it solves a lot of questions of, is this a good area? Well, you know, Roofstock gives you a pretty good idea. And then, you know, go on all these, you know, Zillow go on, you know, realtor.com, and you can see like, the crime rates, and you can see, you know, the, what the housing markets done there, how much is supposed to go up what the rent potential is, but also, you know, you need to call people, you know, you find your market and call a property manager and find out all the good and bad areas, you know, just like, you know, you got to put in some sweat equity in this deal, because you can't just find a deal. And then hopefully it makes it happen, real estate's active, right. So you got to as passive as people want it to be, you still got to be there, and you got to make sure you got to manage your property managers, I mean.   So, so first starting off, I think people need to be able to, one, be able to find your resources like Roofstock, or, you know, something that can help people kind of get going, and then have the time and the ability to say, Okay, this is a good deal, not a good deal on your numbers, and then find someone in your market and confirm those things. And then once you do that, you can try to find a good deal.   You know, I think that my background, so I, I recently started in hospitality for you know, right out of college, I was senior sales manager, I was sales managers that a lot of different hotels, I just wanted to keep on getting promoted in Santa Monica and I got a lot of customer service background, though. And then I transitioned to aerospace defense, very random, but I think   Michael: Those seem related.   Nick: Very different, right, right before you know, a couple of like, maybe six months before the pandemic, thankfully, because you know, hotels had a huge downturn during the pandemic. And then now I do contracts for, for for Northrop Grumman. So I do negotiating contracts on behalf of Northrop Grumman with the government. So I think all those things have helped me become a better landlord, because it's a people business, you know, you really have to put in your time with the people to make sure you have the best experience and best best returns possible. I mean, for all our tenants, we write them, you know, not not Christmas cards, but we send them you know, happy New Year cards with like a $20 gift card. Not necessarily saying like, Hey, call us, but just saying like, Hey, thanks for being you know, a great tenant. And, you know, we take care of our agent who's brought us a ton of deals like bottom, a golf club,   Michael: That's great,   Nick: You know, stuff, stuff like that, you know, I stay in contact with a lot of people that have helped us and just say, Thank you, you know, just talk to these people. And, you know, really put in the time to be more people oriented. And I think having my background of customer service that really got me to the point of where I've been able to make all these awesome connections and have the, you know, the network around me to say, like, hey, I can go out and check out your property for you, like, you know, don't worry about it, you know   We flew out to St. Louis, for our inspections for due diligence for this apartment complex. And like three of our property managers showed up to walk through every single unit with us, and we had a contractor come out that I've worked with, and it's like, these people would just came out at 8am on a Thursday with very little notice, and was like, I'm going to walk every apartment with you, I'm going to tell you the rent potential and all of it and it just, you know, they gave, they gave us so much. So much back, that was awesome. And it's just by building these, these relationships, you know, I, I don't treat it as like a transactional feature for all these people. I treat them as people. And   Michael: A novel concept.   Nick: And yeah, and it's, it's, it's interesting, because not everybody does think that way. But I think if you have that mentality of thinking, like, Hey, this is like people that are going to help you grow, you got to treat them, like like your family. And then you got you know, sometimes you got to treat them. Like it's more of like a business, of course. But to get going, you know, you need to make sure that, you know, hey, you're on the right track, you know, you're you're meeting these people, and they're going to help you out a lot more than you think. When you're first meeting them. So, you know, treat them well.   Michael: That's such a good point, Nick. And it's something that I try to tout too, and that relationships matter. This is not an individual or siloed business. And I love the example of those property managers and contractor coming out to meet you because you've you've poured in today. And so now it's coming back to you.   Nick: Yeah, yeah. Mike, my business partner, Michael is like, oh my gosh, this is crazy. I'm just like, Yeah, I mean, you know, this is what happens when you build good relationships. And he has his properties in Wisconsin, so he's not in St. Louis. So he he didn't have the same contacts, obviously. But I was like, Look, you know, I have some awesome people that I've met and I think we can do a great job and that was just you know, at one example,   Michael: So that is awesome, Nick. Well, dude, I'm gonna let you get out of here. But before I do if somebody is interested in investing with you in your syndication, learning more about you, what, what, where should they go? How can we get in touch with you?   Nick: Yeah, you can go or people can reach us a number of different ways. But the best ways to really just jump on our website, it's www.HudsonHallproperties.com. Or they can email email me at homes@HudsonHall properties.com. Either one of those works. And you know, there's a ton of, you know, information about syndications and real estate in general on our website, we really took the time to go through it. And people can get a lot more information just through that and then sign up to be on our message board essentially, like for, you know, different deals that are coming out or if they want to schedule a call, whatever it may be happy to jump on a call with anybody as well. So…   Michael: Right on, we'll do thank you so much for coming on and sharing your wisdom and past experience of this. Really appreciate you.   Nick: Yeah, thanks, Michael. Thanks for having me.   Michael: Of course. My pleasure, man. Talk to you soon.   Already, everybody. That was our episode, a big thank you to Nick for coming on the show. Definitely check out his website if you're interested in learning more about him and the syndications that he's working on. As always, if you liked the episode, feel free to leave us a rating or review. They are super helpful for us, and we look forward to seeing the next one. Happy investing  

Should you buy a portfolio of homes instead of one at a time? What are the benefits of this? What are the downsides? Why would anyone want to do this and how do you go about doing it? In this episode Tom, with his experience with portfolio acquisitions, leads this weekend wisdom episode to get to the bottom of these questions.  --- Transcript Before we jump into the episode, here's a quick disclaimer about our content. The Remote Real Estate Investor podcast is for informational purposes only, and is not intended as investment advice. The views, opinions and strategies of both the hosts and the guests are their own and should not be considered as guidance from Roofstock. Make sure to always run your own numbers, make your own independent decisions and seek investment advice from licensed professionals.   Tom: Greetings, and welcome to The Remote Real Estate Investor. On this episode, I'm joined by   Emil: Emil Shour   Michael: and Michael Abaum.   Tom: And on today's episode, we're gonna be talking about portfolio acquisitions as well as portfolio management now, you know, obviously, with a portfolio, it's a little bit more money to get into the game and to buy multiple properties at once. But there are a ton of advantage. So within this episode, we're going to talk a little bit about reasons why some tips and different phases and acquisitions and management, and a little bit in between. Alright, let's get going.   All right, excellent weekend wisdom today. So we're going to be talking about portfolios. And for the conversation, I think I'm going to be really leading a bunch of it and Michael and Emil are going to be peppering some stuff in, but I'm going to talk about my experience in going through a portfolio acquisitions.   I'm going to start by talking about the benefits, and then we're going to go into the specific process some different ways to go about it. So Michael and Emil, I'm gonna I'll start but you guys can feel free to pepper in. So I'll start on the acquisition side, there's some benefit in buying portfolios in that you can deploy more money at once,   Emil: What is a portfolio for people who don't know what a portfolio is   Tom: Excellent hosting Emil. So a portfolio would be considered buying multiple properties at once from the same seller. So Roofstock has some cool features around buying portfolios, just a quick plug for the marketplace. But you know, these what we're going to…   Michael: And selling!   Tom: That's right, and selling so you know, but this, this episode is going to be agnostic to where you do your buying and selling as all of our advice is. But we're gonna be talking about Yeah, specific portfolio related stuff. So any other clarifying questions there for me Emil?   Emil: No, that was it. Continue, I'm sorry to interrupt.   Tom: Okay, so we're gonna start with benefits. So one of them as I was getting going, is the ability to deploy more money at once. Oftentimes, when I'm in acquisition mode, I have a target amount of dollar that I'm trying to spend. And it's much easier to get to a bigger dollar amount in buying multiple homes, right? Pretty, pretty straightforward. But there is for sure, some real benefit to that. The other benefit is, this is somewhat intuitive, it's kind of like going to Costco where you're, you can get a little bit of a discount, I'd say versus just buying individual properties. Oftentimes, when I'm submitting my offer on a property on a portfolio, I'll just sort of put a blanket dollar amount for both of them. And when I'm underwriting them, you know, I'll put in the specific individual numbers. But at a, generally speaking, in making that portfolio acquisition, you're usually to get able to get a little bit more of a discount to the marketplace.   The benefits on the operation side is typically portfolios are in the same market. So I love being able to scale a little bit quicker. In a market, perhaps this could lead to some discounts from the local property manager, because they're managing properties, perhaps even discounts related to the lender, or the lender, and maybe the lender, but the insurance as well. But generally speaking, you're OPEX can could see a benefit or a boon by doing things in a little bit of scale, just because you're able to get a little bit of economies of scales from the vendors, perhaps if you're able to negotiate that.   Michael: And what is OPEX Tom?   Tom: OPEX would be operational expenditure. So perhaps your property management fees all basically blanket for that right. Am I articulating that correctly? Michael?   Michael: Yeah, totally.   Tom: Any other benefits you guys see on the acquisition operation side that I may not have touched? Oh, I see Emil's is raising his hand. Emil!   Emil: I think one benefit to buying a portfolio is that you have less competition. I don't think people are as attracted to portfolios because you know, you have to you have to put more money down you're buying multiple you know, the seller may choose to only sell the portfolio right? I have these three properties. I will not sell them individually. You have to buy all three. So that will create less buyers I think. So if you play that right, you know you're doing I think that can be an advantage to you as the buyer.   Michael: I'm gonna I'm gonna push on you both a little bit. You both now have mentioned needing more money or the portfolio being more expensive but is it always?   Tom: Not necessarily, I think that like the cost per unit should be less, because you're in practice, you're getting a little bit of a discount. So but I mean, if I'm going to buy a super expensive house somewhere, right, I'll be deploying more money doing that, Michael, but yes, Michael.   Emil: Yeah Michael.   Michael: You can't just say my name and then assume you are  making your point.   Tom: That tone, it kind of works. It kind of worked   Emil: You're wrong. Here's why. Michael.   Michael: That's exactly the point that I was hoping to tease out of you guys that, too, by the same type of asset? Yes, of course, with more with more properties in a portfolio, that will be more expensive. But to your exact point, Tom, if you were looking to go buy a $500,000 single family home, or a $300,000 portfolio, I mean, you could do that. So the fact that it's a portfolio doesn't intuitively mean that it will be more expensive, even on $1 per unit basis, or on a just total dollar amount base.   Tom: Yep. Great point. Michael. See, I said your name that time.   Michael: It's not what you say but how you say it.   Emil: Inflection,   Tom: How you say it. So great point, Emil, great point Michael. barrier to entry less buyers. And Michael, you know, there's different ways to spend more capital, anything left here on the benefit side, or she would jump into some kind of tips and tricks along the way?   Michael: When it comes to the financing of portfolios, it can often be done a little bit differently. And so it can be really advantageous, depending on how you're going to finance it, there's something called Portfolio loans, they kind of have a double meaning people refer to them and use them in slightly different capacities, some people will refer to a portfolio loan that remains on the books of the lender, it's held in their own portfolio. And so that's technically a portfolio loan.   But then there are also Portfolio loans that actually spread across a portfolio, a single note across multiple properties inside someone's portfolio, that's also referred to as a portfolio loan. So you just want to understand who's using the term and what and how they're referencing it. But if you go get a portfolio loan, let's say across five properties, you get a single note that encompasses all five properties. That's only one loan. And that's not going to be a Fannie Freddie traditional or conventional loan. So that's not going to use up one of your 10, verses, you go finance those properties individually, if they're all single families, you're going to go use five, five loans of your 10 loan limit.   And so from just a ease of financing perspective, portfolios can be great. And then they also can be easier to cash out refi of or get a line of credit against, because they will often be looking at the total equity as opposed to individual properties. And then you can also Tom, as you mentioned, get savings when it comes to the actual financing costs, because you may only be originating one loan as opposed to five separate individual loans.   Tom: That makes sense, I'll walk through a little bit of my my use case, and then tease out some specific tips and stuff that I thought was effective along the way. So I bought a portfolio out of it Atlanta, it wasn't a big portfolio, it was three homes, but they were all in, you know, fairly nice neighborhoods, I within the offering process, I you know, offered on the three of them and got a little bit of a discount. And the seller was kind enough to let me set them up into unique transactions. So even though I like made the offer negotiation on as of the three of them at once, we are able to close the three of them separately, because I hadn't filled out my 10 loan loan limit. So I had individual loans and individual transactions.   Normally with a portfolio transaction, it would be just, you know, the single transaction to close all three. But in this particular use case that I had, I broke it up just because I wanted to take advantage of that cheaper financing that I had available.   Let's see in so I acquired them three separate transactions after the negotiating on them as individual, excuse me three individual transactions after negotiating them as a portfolio transaction. And then just load them all up with a property management that a company that I'd worked with before that I had a lot of trust in and was just able to kind of quickly scale that group up a little bit more with some more properties.   Some tips in in doing it I had alluded to this a little bit before but you know, really rigorously underwrite each individual property and come up with an appropriate discount. And, you know, with the sort of portfolio transaction, there definitely is something to getting a little bit more of a discount. So I had underwrote, each of them kind of came at a price and then added it all together and then like hair, cut it off another five or 10%. So in use that sort of as a starting place from it, and from the sellers point of view, like you know, who cares on where the dollar amount is going towards each one. I guess in this case, it did matter because we ended up doing individual transactions, but you know, thinking of it all kind of holistically together. The three properties that make up the whole of the portfolio.   Michael: Tom, I'm curious, in that transaction for a due diligence perspective, did you just look at one of the properties and kind of say, Oh, well, it's the same owner. So they're likely going to be in similar condition? Or did you do inspections on all of them? Talk to us about how you did that.   Tom: Yeah, so I did inspections on all of them. And the way that portfolio transactions are set up, there's a lot of flexibility. I've seen portfolio transactions where someone would have maybe, you know, 20 properties, and they're allowed a certain number of kick outs. So depending on the size of the deal you're doing, you can get kind of creative with that. And when I say kick outs, it means, okay, I'm planning to go buy, you know, 18 properties, I'm going to make an offer on these 20. And if two of them don't look very good, I can say, Nope, take that out of the portfolio transaction.   So there's really some flexibility in the way that these contracts can be structured, of doing these portfolio deals, and it's, it's like, oftentimes very much kind of creativity of the buyer and the seller on how they want to get comfortable to make the deal happen.   Michael: That's great.   Tom: What are some other kind of fun portfolio stuff. So I'd mentioned Roofstock has some really cool tools for for buying portfolios, go ahead Emil.   Emil: I keep raising my hand, I'm being very polite today.   Tom: Throw some elbows, Emil,   Michael: Class is in session.   Emil; In trying to remain neutral and unbiased on our podcast, what would you say are the disadvantages of buying a portfolio?   Tom: So downsides of a portfolio would be perhaps you you know, don't do the same rigor and underwriting property and individual property as you would in a portfolio, I could say that could be mitigated by by doing the work right by doing the same level of rigor, but you know, perhaps if it's like a bigger portfolio, maybe 20, homes, 50, homes, whatever, it can be hard to apply the same sort of, you know, level of diligence.   The other one is perhaps if it's in a market that's newer to you, or the property manager, is someone you know, you haven't really established that trust with yet, there could be an issue. And instead of just having, you know, one bad apple, that's going to be two bad apples, that you're managing with that with that property managers. But again, that can be mitigated by being really thorough in the way that you're evaluating your vendors. And, in doing that,   Michael: Another risk to think about is your aggregate risk from a natural catastrophe standpoint. And this is something we looked a lot at in the insurance world is if we have too many properties that we're insuring in this one general area, and there's a fire or a hurricane or a flood, it's going to damage all of those properties. So same thing, same risk to you as an owner operator, if there's a catastrophe in the area, that could affect all of your properties unilaterally. And so that can be problematic. So you just want to be sure that you have kicked butt insurance, sound type policies with great carriers.   Because what we saw happen in 911, to use as an extreme example, is a lot of insurance companies actually went out of business, because they had taken on too much risk in the area. And they just were paying out all these claims. And so after post 911, there are a lot of carriers that just went out of business. And so people think, Oh, I have insurance, that's great. But if the insurance company has taken on too much risk in an area, you could go out of business, which is a pretty scary thing to think about. So highly unlikely to happen. And I don't want people running to their insurance carriers, like Oh, my God, you know, I want to make sure you're still gonna be in business. But just something to think about as an operator getting heavily involved in a particular or singular geographic area.   Tom: Natural disasters, and other ones perhaps or something, if you're buying in a smaller area in something major happens the economy, you know, by by getting more concentrated in an area, there's there's a little more risk of a single point of failure. I would say I mean, that that doesn't keep me up at night. But in in the under the guise of coming up with more reasons why getting geographically dense with the portfolio would be a bad idea. That could be another reason   Michael: Something else is just systematic and habitual issues. So if the owner never cleaned the filters for any of the HVAC or HVACs properties like that might not come up in inspection, but you might start losing all of your furnaces simultaneously across the portfolio. So deferred maintenance, how one property is maintained in a portfolio is likely going to be indicative of how the other properties are maintained. Hence the reason for my prior question, Tom, about the due diligence, I think it is important to evaluate kind of each and every property to verify or nullify that, that assumption.   Tom: 100%. And to piggyback off of that point, perhaps the the seller, the properties are occupied and the tenants weren't screened properly, or perhaps the the previous property manager did a bad job and you're inheriting a hornet's nest of angry tenants. So, again, did I sort of single point of failure in doing that? But like I said, like I think in going through the proper diligence process those risks are can be mitigated quite a bit.   Tom: Awesome. All right, guys. Well, I hope you enjoyed the episode if you could, like subscribe, all that good stuff we always appreciate that. And as always, Happy investing.   Emil: Happy investing.   Michael: Happy investing.

James:. Hi, audience and listeners, this is James Kandasamy from Achieved Wealth through Value Add Real Estate Investing podcast. Today we have a special session with Rama Krishna from Zovest Company from California. Hey Rama, you want to say hi to our audience and listeners?    Rama: Yeah. Hi James. Thank you for inviting me on this special session. I know definitely the primary reason is we are attending so many webinars on this COVID19 impact for multifamily, a lot of other groups that we're discussing. I wanted to just compile all that strategies that I have compile and also mine as well. What I'm actually going through right now with my properties, compiling the blog posts and whatever you wanted to talk about it.    James: Yeah. Today's a special session. I'm trying to make all this podcast release. I'm actually rearranging all my podcast releases to make it really timely. So all of you guys, listeners, can we take action from whatever you're listening from this podcast and listening to podcast that was recorded one or two months ago, which is like super boring because all that is pre-Corona. I'm sure all of you guys are wondering what is this guy talking about. 3% rent growth at that time, so this is timely. We're going to release as soon as possible. Rama has done a really good job compiling fifty strategies for multifamily operators and asset managers to tackle Covid19 and we're going to go to each one of those quickly and also in detail so that each one of you can take a pencil and paper and write down what are some of the things that you can use right now. Rama, let's get started.    Rama: Yup.    James: What's the first one?   Rama: I think before even getting there, I'm reading the primary thing that we need to do here is, people lost jobs in the sense that we need to become passionate about the way how things are going. I think we are actually suffering as operators. We also have to put ourselves in the tenant's shoes and they got impacted. Some of these strategies to also have to work with them to see how they can weather the storm, including us, have to weather the storm here. Another thing is, I mean, there are federal regulations right now that we cannot evict tenants. So in a sense, even though, we can do some of these things, but the strategy is what we have before we cannot do it because of the regulations in place and then also shelter in place right now.    The first primary thing that we wanted to do to alleviate the problems of tenants is the late fee waiver. We actually wanted to not to communicate this thing until the fifth, but we did communicate before that itself, just wanted to give some assurance to the tenants saying that you're not going to charge late fee for the month of April and May. That's the first strategy you want to do. Also they cannot; they are impacted. The primary thing we wanted to do, James is when you're working with the tenant that they have an issue, you want to get a proof from them that they got laid off from their job and then put it into your resources, your folders so that in case if you're applying for any other benefits in the future, any ADL program or a PPP program, or maybe a forbearance or forgiveness, you can have all these things noted in your documentation.    The second thing is some of the tenants are not misusing this thing. There is a late fee waiver. There's a flexible payment plan, but if you're not impacted, you're not eligible for that. That's the reason. The second point where we wanted to put them into a payment plan, if they are impacted and then they can continue catching up these payments. The second thing again and then typical guidelines to the tenants saying that you need to do the shelter in place and follow the state or CDC guidelines to make sure that there are protected. The last thing that you need is a Covid19 patient in your properties and then they're spreading and they don't know what, and God forbid there's a death. There are lot of things that you need to do to make sure and also fundamentally you want your tenants and everyone to be safe. Then follow the state guidelines and what you have to do or they have to do somebody tested positive in your property. How they can do self quarantine and how you can help them also.    I know maybe there is one more point in here is to, for us as an operative to disinfect the common areas and especially, I think we'll come back to those points again in the later strategies is to disinfect the common laundry mailboxes and other things, leasing office and other things. The other thing from a financial standpoint was security deposits. When we found out about this program called [05:15unclear] there other insurance programs, even not just for this one later also the operators can use this strategy to actually use in lieu of security deposit. They can actually get into some of these insurance programs like the Rhino or like Nash tag, Lemonade, where in this strategy, James, I think you might already know. Let's say the security deposit is thousand dollars. They need to pay $5 per month as insurance and they don't need to deposit this thousand dollars. So somebody coming in new as a tenant instead of paying first month's rent plus a security deposit of say $2,000. Now the need to only pay $1,000 and an insurance program for $5 a month. If it is $2,000, it will be $10 a month. It covers both security deposits and also any damages that they do, including they haven't officially confirmed but when I talked to rhinos representative, they're saying even wear and tear. Say if we want to do and make ready and there is damage that you have under the unit it covers that. So the way how it works is, so let's say if the tenant vacates and you go and do the move out inspection and you saw overall to make ready of this is twelve hundred dollars, and you do it claim to rhino and then they pay you within 48 hours and they collect from the tenant later because it's still learning deposit. There is wear and tear or some damage happened to the unit.    James: So that is a sayrhino.com, that's what you're saying?   Rama: Yeah.    James: And there are a few other people as providers?    Rama: Providers, yeah.   James: Let me get a bit more structured here. We are on that line item number five, which is basically the first one, is look at late fee waiver. Second is look at payment plans for your residents who are impacted, make sure they are impacted. Third one is a make sure that you communicate to residents and make sure they follow the shelter in place and follow the State and CDC guidelines. Fourth is basically if they are exposed to Covid19 patients who are tested positive you want to do a self-quarantine as well. If you as a property manager knows about whether any residence has been impacted, usually a lot of property management software have given us access to additional fields in the tenant information to mark them as Covid19 quarantined and all that. I do have it recently on my property management software. So check with your property management company, so they can mark it as someone was impacted or quarantined or what's the status.    The fifth one is basically using some of the security deposit for some of the two months rents using some companies like sayrhino.com where you can use it as an insurance for evictions and if they evict out or if for any make ready, if the tenant cannot pay.    Rama: If you collected the security deposit, you can convert to a sayrhino agreement.    James: Okay.    Rama: The minimum is at least they need to have six months more left in the lease because at least whether the new person coming in or maybe like another two months are done in the...   James: But this program already existed before Covid19? Rama: No, sayrhino has 700,000 units insured.    James: So they already existed right now. So you can just use this at this stage, I guess. Use some of the current security deposit and convert it to this insurance program, I guess.    Rama: Exactly.    James: Okay, got it. So sayrhino.com and REIG insurance, call home, [08:59unclear] king.com and these are the some of the providers?    Rama: Yes, there are some other insurance providers in lieu of a security deposit.    James: Okay. Let's go to number six.    Rama: Okay. Let's say from an operator perspective you feel that there is one more point here that we can come back to this. I think I haven't ordered this in the right format, right numbering. The first thing before doing that is to privately segregate our profile tenants. Go each lease by lease and profile your tenants how exposed are they with this Covid19 impacted businesses. Are they in restaurants, are they in travel tourism industry or whatever it is to see what would be the impact of it. Say if you have 50% of your tenants are in medical profession or maybe some other which are not really impacted into that. So at least you will know yourself if you own [09:55unclear] unit, Hey, like, I'm 50% of my tenants are restaurants, maybe. Then you can actually be really alert and also do go to these programs, what we're talking about here. Talk to your Fannie/Freddie lender and see if they have any mortgage forbearance or relief. No, they already have it. Fannie and Freddie already rolled it out, for 90 days you can forbear your mortgage not to pay that. Then how the payment plan of twelve months to catch up on this 90 day payment.    But make sure that there will be some negative remark or agency loan history and to see, make sure you go through all the agreement before actually signing up. But yeah, if you're really impacted, definitely if you're going on water with not being able to make mortgage payments, for sure you should consider this mortgage forbearance.    James: Okay, good. Let's go to the next one.    Rama: Yeah. And then so that is one aspect of it. The other aspect of it is the SBA disaster loans. There is an EIDL emergency loan...   James: I think it’s called Economic Injury...   Rama: Economic Injury Disaster Loan. So that's the loan that SBA is giving up to $2 million for small businesses including rental apartment owners, there is 3.75% interest and then there is some times that you need to pay. The idea here is based on your situation you can actually apply for this a disaster loan for EIDL program so that you can weather the storm for the next three to six months or nine months. There's another loan for a payroll protection program, PPP, which I can update this as well. If you have a payroll that you're running by yourself, you can actually apply for this PPP program to get two and a half months of payroll from the government or if your property management company actually runs the payroll, you can ask them to apply for this PPP loan so that they cannot bill you for the next three months for the property management personally. James: Yeah. I think the caveat is anybody who's applying for it to be having less than 500 employees.    Rama: Exactly. I think they figured out some more than 500, but overall, yeah, up to 500. Yes. And then also thing from I think from a tenant perspective some of this one's four or five points series. If they are actually having some hardships right now how they can use some of these federal programs. They're actually sending a $1,200 to $3,400 checks every person who actually filed their taxes. Also they can apply, if they are a small business, they can apply SBA loan or they can apply a PPP loan and they can weather the storm and actually use that money and then if they get referred, they can file the taxes immediately and use that money to pay rents. Some of these aspects that you can think on their shoes and see how these federal programs can help them as a tenant. Maybe one of your tenant is a restaurant owner, then you can see how the federal programs can help them so that they maybe they can file an employment benefits and then you can tell information about that or you can find local companies which are hiring and then see if some of these tenants that actually wants to find a job right now. Then you can ask them to continue pay the rent.    James: Yeah. Let me add some more things. Some of the apartment association in many big cities have given renters resources, which includes how to file unemployment. What are the resources for them to get different types of help from different organizations. Rama: Yeah. So again, two aspects of our operations, one is income and the other is expenses? Right now we've talked a lot of stuff from income perspective and some are expenses perspective. The other aspect that we kind of brought in is with all these people talking about are expenses. So in the non-essential expenses, even send email like a message to all the tenants, memo the tenants saying that, if you have any emergency only like create a service request, non-emergency service request will be done once the things settle down. Now if you are a light bulb vendor where you can fix it yourself or you leave the light bulb at the doorstep, let them fix it. Instead of you exposing your maintenance staff to more people, either they can fix it themselves or we can drop the light bulb there or they can wait for a few weeks until these things settle down so that you can cut your non-essential expenses and other controllable expenses that you can eliminate and you can close all the amenities, pool, the common amenities so there is no need to continue maintaining them.    James: I think also you do not want to people to use that and spread the virus more.    Rama: Exactly. Those are shelter in place, not using the common amenities, throw a party in a club house then you will have 50 people infected there. Primary thing is the common amenities. You have laundry room, everybody's coming in there to do the laundry, how they can sanitize this thing or maybe one person at a time or have a roster, Hey, this building one to ten people using Monday to Monday 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM some roster so that not everybody coming in Saturday morning to do the laundry. Or maybe some mailbox to see if somebody is there at the mailboxes, have some instructions that say wait for them to leave and then you go, wait for a minute and then you can go and pick up your mail.    Some of this stuff that you can instructions at the mailing and laundry, or in any common areas. The other thing is aspect of income perspective is primarily focused on the leasing aspect. Can you put some deals on renewals or lease modifications or if you already gave notices and then maybe cancel the notices and then pause the rent increases right now to make sure that you're at least a hundred percent physically occupied and then later on 100% how it can be economically awkward as well. At least at this point right now if you can make this a hundred percent thing, James, both physical and economically, you can weather the storm for the three to six months and come back and again go back to your typical asset management strategies to increase the valuation of the property. Right now it's more a fight or flight mode right now. Let's see how to make it smoother for the next 90 days to 120 days is the strategy here.    James: Yeah. So what you're saying is rather than pushing for rent, try to keep people in the units, whether they're paying or not.   Rama: If you renew it, we're going to not increase it, let's say if you renew it in April, May, we're not going to do any rent increases. The last thing for you to do is make this unit empty right now and then we don't know what the situation of leasing activity in that building. So continue withholding rent increases, especially if you renew it in the next two months, we will not increase the rent, for example and the things that were discussed already, it'd be sympathetic and then also profile your tenants, see what jobs they do. Another strategy on this is, you don't need to pay April or maybe May but that rent will be amortized in the next 12 months. That's another strategy they're doing. Hey, you know, you're affected. We're not going to charge you for April or maybe half of May as well, but that $1,500 will it be amortized for the next twelve months. James: Okay, so you'll give them a break for one month and you take that money and amortize over 12. Rama: Yeah. Just like forbearance from a mortgage, same thing. That is amortized for the next 12 months. Same thing that you can do here, but some of these are lease modifications and see how painful it is, but whatever that is kind of, it takes it to get this thing done right and extending the leases. One more thing in the leases we can come back to later on is usually when you do a short term rentals at the three months lease, six months lease, you have a premium. You can actually reduce the premium, no premium for short term rentals. Say, hey, like, we are leasing right now. Hey, you want a six months, and then it will be same as the 12 months’ rent. So at least you can fill up your units by doing that. James: Yeah, even on a month to month. I think they can usually we charge premium for month to month, but you can either reduce it or don't charge that for now. Rama: Exactly. So I think maybe for them also they also wanted to try for month to month, three months, and then they can do an annual release after two to three months.  So you can at least fill them in coming in, let them pay, and then you can think about this after three months. The same topic we discussed before is the go to a local; even though there are jobs lost, some are trying to hire. Amazon is hiring for the warehouses, grocery chains, hospitals; some of them, they're not able to have enough staff. So you can find these in your market, in your sub-market and see and take those information and then send you to your people who actually came, Hey, I lost my job. Hey, why don't you try to go to Amazon warehouse five miles from here, they're actually hiring. That you can help to see if they can come back to the employment at least for temporary for the 90 days until this thing comes back.    A lot of these people are furloughed right now just because they can get unemployment benefits, but if they can get some other job for the next 90 days, because what if just delays more, they can get some job for the next six months and come back to the workforce later. Another thing is something similar is lot of charities and churches and they pay the rent and if they're part of the local church or a charity program now there are so many people paying rent and also their utility payments.  James: To help our residents and one good resource that you guys can use, all the listeners can use. It's findhelp.org, that has all the completion of all the organizations which are helping people in terms of money, housing all kinds of things there, so use that resource. Rama: Yeah.  And like this is the first step. So whatever that's happening for us or for them, the message to tenants is the rent is due, just because we have to have utility payments, we have to have mortgage payments, we have to pay salaries for employees. This is a laser thin business. This is not; we're making 50% as profits here. So we had to send that message properly that we also have expenses. We cannot  just not forego this thing, not paying rent. That's the message that I might not be putting into the right way here, but you have to [21:24unclear] because some of these articles in some of these markets saying, Hey, don't pay rent for three months. So it's just showing a wrong message, but they're not thinking about the operators. James: Yeah and the government or our mortgage providers did not give us a break on our mortgage. The rent is still due, we do sympathize with all the residents. Let's work out some plan. But rent is rent and it still needs to be paid in some way. So we have to figure that out and see. Rama: Then another thing is if you're doing renovations, if you have draw requests, it's already competitor immediately do the draw request because there might be some delays right now because of this demo here, the inspector might not come in to verify that renovations that you did to approve the draw request. Submit your draw request as soon as possible so that your money, you had to pay your vendors. James: So this is the capital or replacement reserve, what we're talking about here?  Rama: Exactly. So you renovated like say five, ten units and usually the bridge loans, other loans which we have escrow money. Get the draw request and then get the money at least and then you can pause. The idea here is to release what you did to now, get the money, pay your vendors and pause your renovations for some time until this is done. Another aspect is until it is utilities, because now everybody's at home. They're going to use all their deliveries for the maximum, the water, the electricity, the heaters, the air conditions, and the internet, everybody utility company is right now maxed to the capacity. So just keep it down on the utilities and see how things are going on that. All bills paid or you're doing the reps program. Do you need to increase the reps? Like whatever it is, just keep an eye on it. It'll definitely be a much higher. James: Yeah. I think because everybody's staying at home right now and the one or two months when the utility bill hits to everyone is going to be much higher and now I appreciate why all this spend people go to work, somebody else is paying for their utilities when they are at work. Now operators do feel the heavy load here, but it is what it is.   Rama: And also the load on this, if you're continuously using something like your HVACs maybe break broken, or your water, something that issues that you need to make sure that you do the regular maintenance of these stuff and then make sure that you have ducks in row. Like, hey, we're talking to the Water Company, talking to your Plummer, talking to your electrician or HVAC Company, making sure they're ready for any service request that comes in. Because if the HVAC broken or some water broken, last thing is that the tenants are not happy.    James: Correct. Correct.    Rama: So I think we discussed it the month to month of high risk tenants, rental increases on this. Yes. Pausing all upgrades and the distribution side. Another thing is we've talked about lenders, talked about the tenants but you did not think about the investors. If you're syndicating this deal or if you have the private money that you raised or whatever that you have investors in your deal, make sure that you inform them about what's going on and how well your assets are performing and what are the things that you are doing as an operator to get some of these strategies are what your strategies that you're already applying to whether this storm and maybe there are some other great topics, uncomfortable things that you need to talk to them. Say there might be some pause on distributions because we don't know what's going on here. We need to preserve the cash, preserve our reserves right now, what if this goes beyond 90 days. So maybe pause or reduce your distributions or pause it for now and then you can catch back once everything kind of settles down. That's one of the conversations you should have. James: Yeah. Make sure, I mean, just a caution to everyone who's listening. Make sure that any operators are communicating to the passive investors more frequently than what they used to know. This is very important right now. Just because everyone knows Covid19 is happening, the whole country is in a lockdown, doesn't mean that you can't communicate. So make sure you communicate all your plans and what are you doing to your passive investors? Rama: I think we kind of came through this reprint reserves. We need to make sure that you're are person maintenance; so make sure that now is the time that you have a pause. So you can actually flag kind have all your depreciated items, have HVACs these other things. Make sure that you have all of them done properly. Also, again, the same thing, use audit, full use audit to categorize your employers. So their dependents are at risk or not. James: Yeah, I mean, you can do a general lease audit as well because most of the time, right now our offices are closed for public. Most of the apartment office. So in my company, most of my staff are doing lease audits. Just as part of the normal thing, but to keep them busy.    Rama: So this is the right time, everybody give it time we are running, now is the best time to profile your tenants lease audits and make sure that what strategies that you can employ to make them in place and again, same thing as utility, like just how you can do savings of utilities. Is it a new water leaks that are happening. Let's see your old bills in the last six months or one year. See any patterns that you can identify or any other measures that you can save utilities because the utilities will be stressed in the next a few months. Again from the expenses side, completely renegotiating all your contracts and [27:30unclear] every insurance, everything that you spend, your controllable expenses like non-controllable, property taxes and mortgage. You cannot do anything. Maybe yes, if you can refinance now if you have ability you can do that, if the rates are low. But if the controllable expenses you have the negotiating ability, your pool vendor, hey, pause for a few months or maybe renegotiate the contracts, go through every line expenses that you have and try to get renegotiate these things.    There are even companies it seems, which can do like this, that can help you go through all your bills and then find anything that you can renegotiate the contract. The thing is noise notices because now everybody's home. There will be a lot of complaints. Hey, like my neighbor is making a lot of noise. Make sure that you again send it across back to the tenant notification saying after nine o'clock it is a quiet time for what it is like in the night. Any of the notices that you want to do, the courtesy notices to make sure that everybody's people are working from home. Whatever it is and again, so a lot of people kind of saying maybe on the section eight, what's yours? Maybe this is a time to think about rethink...   James: It's the best time to get section eight vouchers because that's guaranteed income for now.        Rama: Exactly. So if your property is already approved and you have a few tenants in section eight now go through, go to your city and say, hey, do you want any more? We have vacancies right now. Hey, absolutely we have so many people are looking at it and we are already approved as section eight for your property, they'll let them send your way. And you can fill up easily and these are at least for the next one to two years, it'll be like in a way standard and then not all section eight is bad, just make sure that you profile your tenant properly and then...   James: Yeah. And I also heard that the government provided a lot more funding for housing people so there could be a lot more section eight vouchers coming in and what you're saying, they're not bad people. I mean they are definitely a lot of good people there you just have to make sure that you screen them properly and make sure you get the good ones.    Rama: Yes. I think we kind of briefly touched based on this too about the [29:57unclear] and all the forgivable loans or the loans and then property managers can use some of these loans. Each LLC, that own asset can use this. Check with your lending terms to see that it's not violating any terms. There are a couple of things, I got it from the CVRE webinar, make sure that you have fire productions on the building equipment and backups and mission critical operations that you have. These are kind of into the back-end of it that we already usually ignore. Make sure that all the buildings are inspected properly by the fire inspection because now that everybody's at home, there are higher chances of some of the stuff they could make big dormant happen. Do you have your backups of emergency?  And then any mission critical operations your cooling any heating water or anything, we have redundancy on these things. Make sure that you're building physical aspects of your buildings, make sure that you do those and then if you don't have credit card payments, for rent payments, make sure to enable them and also inform tenants that you can pay rent through credit card or maybe in that you can actually give back the money or the transaction fees. Usually in a credit card payment there is a two and a half percent transaction fee. Hey, you can use credit card. If you use a credit card, let us know. We can refund you the transaction fee.    James: Yeah. That's something that we are happy because we moved all to online payment for the past one year. So now it's so much easier during this kind of thing because...   Rama: Especially if you're not yet on the credit card payment option, make sure that you talk to your property management software and enable that and then also inform them, Hey, like you already have ACH but you have an option to pay through credit card. That's another thing and also another incentive is, I think Neil was using his, if you can give some credit, if they pay the rent before fifth of the month, or if you pay April and May upfront now you'll get a $100 off or $150 off. Give them incentive to pay for the next two to three months upfront. So that if somebody has that capability to do it now they can use up the program and they can get, they can get a credit for that and make sure, again, this one is, I think should be the first stop. If you're working with the tenant, either a late payment waiver or a traded audit, lease modification, any other that you're working with them, make sure that they show the letter that they lost their job. Otherwise people will make use of these features that you would actually giving. So that's the primary and then the couple of things we already talked about the short term rent leases and renegotiating the contracts and other one is primary, the model unit. Now that nobody's coming in and seeing the units, maybe you can use your model unit as lease apartment for short term, but this is the [33:07unclear] idea and lease to traveling nurses because right now with the Covid a lot of these hospitals are actually getting healthcare professional from outside, from other towns, other places and they're hiring more people as a temporary staff, but these traveling nurses and healthcare professionals need to have some place to stay. You can go; I had to find this link, James. I'll talk to Ellie and then send it to you as well later on; you can put it into your notes.   James: Is this a link for traveling nurses?   Rama: Yeah, there is a way to find out these people and then post your apartments there. Hey, if your apartment is say five to ten miles from a hospital major hospital and you can actually use these resources to actually post, hey, we have available short term rentals, maybe for lease or not, we can give you this for the next 90 days to 120 days. That's another way to actually fill a unit. James: That's awesome, it looks like we went through the list. So let me add one more thing, which I just remembered. If you have never done a virtual 3D tour of your units, you want to prepare right now, there's a lot of photographers out there that they can do a virtual 3D two of the units. Right now that's very useful because right now we can't use our leasing agents to go and tour the units, we just tell them to go themselves or drive around or look at the pictures or look at the videos. But if they have a really nice virtual 3D picture, there'll be a really good way to attract leases to you. Rama: Rentally has a self-touring technology. You can purchase webcams. So if you're using Rentally, also Rentally is also an app into existing property management. You can put the webcams there. You don't need to be there, your leasing staffs are not exposed. So they can come in 24/7, you'll send them the lock core. You'll open the unit and you can monitor from your leasing office or whatever desk you are and then do that, Rentally has that. James: Yeah, I did look at that as well. So that's awesome. Rama, thanks for sharing this. Is there anything else you want to mention to the audience and the listeners? Rama: Yeah, I think we have some light on the other end of the tunnel. The government is helping us. Hopefully I think this will pass and we'll back stronger and stay safe.    James: Yeah. Yeah. Multifamily is still one of the best asset classes to invest in because there's so much help we are getting from all our different sauces. Imagine if you are an office or warehouse or industrial or everything is closed down, or hotels. Right now things are doing really badly in that asset classes. But shelter is part of the Maslow's hierarchy of needs, food, shelter and safety. So absolutely everybody needs housing to stay on and live on.  So thanks for coming in and hopefully we can add this as soon as possible and that's it. Thank you very much, Rama.    Rama: Yeah. Thank you, James.   

What is cost segregation, and how does it work? If you're knowledgeable of the tax code and understand what you’re able to do, you will put money in your pocket.  Today, I am talking to Kim Lochridge, Executive Vice-President at Engineered Tax Services. The company started with about six employees and has grown to 130 to do 150-200 cost segregation studies a month. Kim loves talking about taxes. She’s here to help make sense of it all!  You’ll Learn... [03:10] Investment Depreciation Concept: What you get when you have an investment property. It's a tax deduction. [05:15] Depreciation is everything and anything, including buildings, carpet, walls, paint, countertops, and cabinets that depreciate over 27.5 years (unrealistic). [07:17] Cost Segregation Metamorphosis: IRS allows building professional/engineer that understands property and tax laws to segment each component of a building.  [10:30] Does Kim use cost segregation? No matter how big or small, she doesn’t do a deal without cost seg. [11:53] Cost Segregation Studies: How long are you going to own the property? What are you going to be doing with the property?  [12:03] Justify Numbers: Don’t do a cost seg study unless it makes sense financially to pay less in taxes for more money to reinvest. [15:10] Audit Defense: Engineered Tax Services covers questions from IRS about cost seg performed by internal engineers. [16:00] Tax Strategy: Know how to use it and when to use it. Too many people don't understand taxes and let their professionals handle it.  [16:21] Motto: We do believe that everyone should pay tax, but there's nothing in the code that says you have to leave a tip. [16:55] When and when not to do cost seg? Ask questions. If something doesn't make sense, make it make sense.  [21:35] Bonus Depreciation: Too good to be true? Or, leaving money on the table by not doing cost seg? Probaby 80-90% of real estate agents are missing out.  [29:30] Depreciating Bonus Depreciation: Do it now before it decreases from 100% to 20% in 2026. Tweetables Engineered Tax Services’s Motto: Everyone should pay tax, but there's nothing in the code that says you have to leave a tip. Depreciation: What you get when you have an investment property. It's a tax deduction. Don't do a deal without cost seg. It doesn't matter how big or how small. Bonus Depreciation: It’s a big deal, not a scam, to spark the economy.  Resources Kim Lochridge’s Email Engineered Tax Services Schedule E W-2 Form 1099 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) Opportunity Zones DoorGrowClub Facebook Group DoorGrow on YouTube DoorGrowLive DoorGrow Website Score Quiz DoorGrow Cold Leads Calculator Transcript Jason: Welcome, DoorGrow Hackers, to the DoorGrow Show. If you are a property management entrepreneur that wants to add doors, make a difference, increase revenue, help others, impact lives, and you are interested in growing your business and life, and you are open to doing things a bit differently, then you are a DoorGrow Hacker. DoorGrow Hackers love the opportunities, daily variety, unique challenges, and freedom that property management brings. Many in real estate think you’re crazy for doing it, you think they’re crazy for not, because you realize that property management is the ultimate high-trust gateway to real estate deals, relationships, and residual income. At DoorGrow, we are on a mission to transform property management businesses and their owners. We want to transform the industry, eliminate the BS, build awareness, change the perception, expand the market, and help the best property management entrepreneurs win. I’m your host, property management growth expert, Jason Hull, the founder and CEO of DoorGrow. Now, let’s get into the show. My guest today is Kim Lochridge. Kim, welcome to the show. Kim: Thank you, Jason. Thanks for having me. Jason: Kim is here with Engineered Tax Services. We're going to be chatting a little bit today about cost segregation and how it works. Those of you that don't really geek out on accounting, that's okay because I pay people to help me with that stuff. I don't either, so I'm going to ask all the questions. We're going to figure this out and make sure it'll all make sense. Kim, give us a little bit of background on you, and how you got started with Engineered Tax Services. Kim: Thank you for the internal question. I've been with Engineered Tax Services. I'm the Executive Vice-President, and I've been with them for about 10 years. I started out as an associate. I was on the board of a manufacturing company, and they were looking into some energy-efficient tax credits. It was just a brand new program that came out and tax rules. I found this company because they were doing that early on. That was really my beginning and how I met them. I just thought I came on board.  We've been growing the company since we started about five or six employees. Now we have about 130 across the country. We're doing about 150-200 studies a month across the country. It's pretty impressive. Jason: All right. We will get into what those studies are in just a minute. Let's get into the subject at hand. Maybe we start in the preshow, in the Green Room, we were chatting for just a little bit. It was like, "When is this stuff?" "Maybe I should explain it a little bit to you, Jason." You did which is very gracious of you. Why don't we start with the concept of depreciation on an investment? Just to make sure those that are not yet investors, or they're just new in the space, and they're starting to deal with real estate investors, understand this concept. Kim: Okay. Depreciation is something that you get when you have an investment property. It's a tax deduction, essentially. On top of the mortgage interest or any of that expenditures that you spend on that property, you also get depreciation.  Depreciation is calculated depending on the type of property that you have. If it's a single family home or some type of residence like a multifamily and then in capacity, you're required to depreciate that property over 27½ years. If it's any other type of property like an office, retail, or anything commercial, that is 39 years. For today, I think almost everybody in the audience is more of a single family-owned, we’ll target more at 27½. Just know that that's interchangeable with 39 if it's commercial. Essentially, if you have (say) a $300,000 single family home, you're going to be able to depreciate according to the IRS. You're going to divide that by 27½ and you end up getting $10,909 every year, that you can help use that to offset the income that you made on that property and then not pay tax on it. Sometimes, if it's a smaller home, that might cover it, that and any expenses, and you won't have to pay any tax on the income (which is nice). But sometimes, if your cash flow's pretty good, once you're high right now, mortgage rates are low, you might've owned it for a while, then this could be something that could help you. If you have that, your income is more than the depreciation, then you're going to want to make sure to do something else. This is where cost segregation comes in. Also, if you end up having multiple properties, and one is cash flowing much more than another, then you can basically take that cash flow, and you can do from one to another if it's in the excess. We'll go over some of those details a little bit more. Essentially, the depreciation is just that. You have depreciation. You're required to depreciate a building if it's on a Schedule E or if it's a rental income. If it’s a second home, you're not going to depreciate it. It has to be a Schedule E or some sort of an income revenue-generating project. Jason: The idea with depreciation is that everything in the property is going to depreciate at the same way? Kim: Yeah, everything. It contains the whole building, whatever you bought. That means carpet, walls, paint, countertops, cabinets, anything that you bought in that purchase is going to be depreciated over 27½ years. Jason: [...] lasts about 27½ years, right? Kim: That's what the IRS says.  Jason: Okay, that's not reality. How do we solve this problem there? Kim: Yeah, it's not reality. For decades since the 40s, cost segregation as a whole, what we're going to talk about today, has been around since the 40s when it began in court cases. That's because property owners went and argued the fact that, "This is what I'm doing. This isn't really fair because assets that I'm depreciating over 27½ years or 39 years are not going to last that long. I'm replacing them, in some cases, multiple times over the course of ownership. I want different rules. I want to be able to depreciate those separately." It made it very difficult for a CPA to say how much is the carpet or how much is the building when you just bought up a building. You didn't put it in. You don't have receipts. You don't know how much the roof, the HVAC, the water heater and all that were. They can't break it down. The CPA doesn't have the ability to do that. The IRS came back and over years of morphing cost segregation, they said, "We're going to give you the ability to do cost segregation, which means you have to have a building professional or an engineer, somebody who understands property and tax laws to come into the building, and segment (hence, the segregation) out each of the component of your building." As a result of segmenting those out, you can depreciate them in different time zones, or different buckets. For instance—these are just some examples, depending on the purpose on some of those components—carpeting is always going to land in a five-year bucket. You're going to be able to depreciate all of your carpet in five years, not 27½.  Things like all of your landscaping, your driveways, curbing, gutter, landscape bushes, trees, all of Rockwell expenses, all of that stuff, gets to be depreciated over 15 years. That's more realistic. Things are going to be overgrown. You're going to have to rip things out. You're going to have to replace fences, all those types of things. They'll give you that bucket as well.  The law also says that you can break down certain components like mechanical, electrical, and plumbing, as long as it's for specific purpose for the building, and not necessarily for the building itself. It has to be for the business.  It gets pretty complicated and these rules have morphed since the 40s. There have been massive amounts of court cases that give us these rules today. As an example, something traditional out of today, if you have that same $300,000 single family home, percentage-wise, we're going to be able to take (conservatively) about 40% of the cost of that building or $120,000, and we're going to be able to shift that into faster class lives for you. You won't have to depreciate all of it over 27½ years, but we can break it out.  Essentially with that, that would be $180,000 gets depreciated over 27½ years, and about $120,000 gets split up between five and 15 years. Those are the good rules of thumb numbers to use. Following so far? Jason: I'm with you. Kim: I have to tell you, I love tax. I know it's really geeky, but it's okay. I can help you through it. Jason: That's why people hire you. You're weird. Kim: I get excited about it. Just to kind of give you an idea, I'm also a real estate investor myself. I have my day job, but I'm also an investor. I have invested in about 800 doors in multifamily in Texas. We have cannabis warehouses, we have a mobile home park, just my husband and I. We manage them all ourselves (which is pretty incredible) plus a full-time job. Jason: Do you use this? Do you use cost segregation? Kim: Of course. I don't do a deal without cost seg. It doesn't matter how big or how small. Jason: That's the cool phrase for it, it's cost seg. Kim: Yes, short for cost segregation. Jason: Guys, get yourselves some cost seg. Pretty dope. Explain how your company helps with this. Obviously, accountants can do these. The property manager isn't doing this. The investor doesn't know when they will buy this property. How do we solve this problem? Kim: Engineered Tax Services, this is our specialty. This is one of the main service lines that we offer as cost segregation. This is where I was saying that we do about 150-200 studies per month across the country, whether it's a single family residence all the way up to something like the AI Building in Chicago—big, high-rise, office buildings. We do cost segregations. We're very good at it. It's cost effective. Most CPAs, if it's not over $2,000,000 then it's going to be too expensive. We have single family home rates. We have different levels of studies that we can do according to how long you are going to own the property, what you are going to be doing with the property and those types of things. Maybe we should go in and talk about some numbers, Jason, just to tell everybody (the listeners and the viewers) what it would mean for them. Jason: Yeah. I don't know if this is where you're headed but if you're saying that a lot of people say, "Oh, that's for the big properties. That's too expensive to do for my clients on this single family home or my investment property." Help them justify the cost of doing this study. Nobody would ever do it with you ever unless it made sense financially. Kim: I haven't since a project that isn't at minimum like a 50-to-1 return. It's going to be better than any improvement you can do in the house, any tenant change over, addition, or whatever you're going to do, your returns on this are going to be [...]. Jason: By doing this, by getting the cost seg study, working with you guys, and with their accountant to make this all happen, what has this allowed the investor then to do that they wouldn't have been able to do otherwise? Kim: They're going to be able to depreciate more in the first years rather than just the $10,900 on the $300,000 property that we talked about.  Jason: Which means they're just reducing their tax liability? Paying less taxes? Which maybe means they have more money to reinvest? Kim: Exactly. I want to preface this with the fact that there's a lot of investors that this is passive income for them. If you don't know whether your income from your investment property is passive or active, you want to talk to your CPA because sometimes this gets locked up. We're only talking about if you're a non-real estate professional, how to offset the income from the property so you're not going to have to pay tax on that. This isn't a loophole. This is nothing that is illegal. This has been around for decades. This isn't something that I’m going to get in trouble if I do this. This is simply just a different method of accounting and it requires a professional to come in. Just like an inspector or an appraiser would come in to tell you more specific about a building that you're building. This is basically more of a professional coming in to explain more of the accounting side of it. Jason: Okay. What do you call these experts that come out to the property to do a cost seg? Kim: They're engineers. Jason: Engineers? Kim: Yeah. Engineers come out. They're either structural professionals or mechanical engineers that understand building mechanics. They understand how to break down different components in the building. They're our own employees across the country. They come out to do those studies to document everything.  Just keep in mind that the IRS says that if you have the building professional onsite, then that is required by the IRS. A CPA can do some sort of cost seg if they're knowledgeable about it, but many of them aren't going to be able to tell you how much the [...] costs. If they do, they're just going to do it from a square foot allocation. It's not going to be able to stand up in the event of an audit.  We offer audit defense, so if the IRS does come back and question this, we're going to cover all of that for you. We're going to defend that for you. Our reports are going to be solid. We're going to be here and that's what this covers. We're going to stay behind the product. Jason: Okay. What else should people know about cost segregation or about your company that they may ask? Kim: I think we need to talk about tax strategy because I think this is really important for people to understand. So many people (and I think in my opinion, too many people) don't understand taxes, and they let their professional handle it. That’s exactly what you said in the very beginning, Jason. Jason: Yeah, that's what I do. Kim: Yeah. We have a motto at Engineered Tax Services. The motto is we do believe that everyone should pay tax, but there's nothing in the code that says you have to leave a tip. Jason: I love it. Kim: If you're knowledgeable of that tax code and you understand what you are able to do, you will literally put money in your pocket. That's what this strategy does. That's what these studies do for you. You have to know how to use it and when to use it. That's what I can help with. We help with realizing when is the good time to do cost seg and when it may not be a good time. When it would not be a good time to do a cost seg study is if you just flip. You're going to buy and you're going to renovate it. You're going to get rid of it. You will probably not want to accelerate depreciation. It's just not smart because you're essentially taking more depreciation upfront because you're going to hold on to those assets like the carpet, and you’re depreciating it over five years. You're not going to get all that money and keep it if you sell the building. Jason: Right. You don't want to pay for the future owner of the place’s carpet. Kim: Right. Unless you're doing substantial rehab—that's a different story—and if you're actually going to depreciate the property on a flip, you usually don't depreciate it because you're never placing it in service, if that makes sense. You're never really putting in service because it's all going to be under renovation. You're not going to depreciate it. This does not include flippers, but it does include people who are renting their property. If you have this passive income, let's just take our $300,000 example from the beginning, you're giving the $10,900 in the depreciation every year. If your cash flow is bigger than that, more than that, and you're still paying some tax on that income, you might have to figure that out because you might have a job in your W-2, and you're not really sure what part of this is what you owed in tax because of the house and the income, and what's on your W2.  It's really important for you to see where this is coming from. "How much of my paying tax is from my rental property?" Ask those questions to your CPA, or we can work with you on that. We're looking at tax returns and can help you there. That's the first thing. Just ask some questions. If it doesn't make sense, let's make it make sense. Let's make sure that the common sense is there. At least, you trigger certain things in the brain. When you get into that and you start realizing that you are paying tax on the income, that $10,000 isn't enough, then you're going to want to do some sort of cost segregation, so you can accelerate the depreciation faster especially if you're going to do renovations. Many times we buy property, and then we're doing renovations, either immediately or very soon after or even just repairs and maintenance, and we have to capitalize that in many cases. Now, you're actually depreciating two assets. Let's say you bought a building that had a roof, then the roof gets replaced in five years, now you can't write off the roof. You have to capitalize it which means you have to depreciate it. You don't just get an expense for the cost of the roof. You have to capitalize it and depreciate it. Now you have two roofs. You're depreciating one in the purchase and you're depreciating one you just bought. That's where we really want to come back from that and say, "I don't want to depreciate two roofs. When I sell this property, I'm going to get killed in the accumulated depreciation on both of those assets. I only have one in the building. Why am I depreciating two?" If you do a cost seg study on the original purchase, then you replace the roof, not only do you have to capitalize the new roof, but you can write off the remaining depreciation of the old roof. Traditionally, CPAs can't do that because they don't know how to value the roof if you don't have a cost segregation study.  Not only are we going to help you with your depreciation, but you're now going to have a very detailed fixed asset report that's going to outline every single aspect, every component of that building, and it's going to have a number attached to it. Every light switch plate cover on the wall, every baseboard, every layer of the roof, HVACs, and hot water heater. Now, you have this really great report that every time you do any improvement, it has to be capitalized. You're going to write off the remaining depreciation of the old.  Let's think about this for a minute. Let's say you buy a property. You have it for three years and the hot water heater goes out. It's a significant dollar amount, you have to replace it. You can now take that hot water heater if it's not expensable. You capitalize it and write off the old hot water heater. If you have it in a straight-line depreciation, that water is being depreciated over 27½ years. That means you're going to have 24½ years left of depreciation on the old one. Now, you're depreciating two of them. Why not get that money right now and help cover the cost of the new water heater? That's the beauty of cost segregation. Jason: Nice. You mentioned real estate agents. Are they not allowed to do cost segregation on their properties if they're an agent? Kim: No. It actually gets better for them. If you're a real estate professional, this is a whole different conversation. Jason: A lot of our listeners, they're property management business owners, but they're also brokers, real estate agents, and are licensed, most of them. Kim: Yeah. That's where we really want to get into. This is part of the tax strategy that I was talking about. If you are a real estate professional in any capacity, whether you're self-proclaimed real estate professional and you're managing your own property, or if you're actually a real estate professional, an agent, or a manager. If you are paying tax, if you are a W-2 employee or if it's a 1099, if you're paying tax, and you're a real estate professional, you have had some misinformation. This industry right now, we have a real estate president, like him or hate him, it doesn't matter. He's a real estate president. He walked in and just literally handed the real estate industry a gift with a big red bow. It's called bonus depreciation. Remember what when we said the $300,000, you'd have over 27½ years. You'd have $10,900. Then if we did a cost segregation, we would be able to accelerate the depreciation. That would be a lot better, actually. Now, with the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2018, President Trump passed the bill for bonus depreciation. Let me go back a little bit in history. Bonus depreciation has been around since 2006. It was 50% bonus depreciation (and I'll cover what that 50% of what in a minute) on new construction or renovations. You're essentially able to really expense a lot of stuff to a certain point—at least half of it—for a long time from 2006 until through 2017.  In 2018, President Trump passed this Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. Not only increasing the bonus depreciation to 100% from 50%, they also expanded it to allow purchases not just new construction. What this means is that, say you're a real estate professional. Let's say you're making $200,000 a year. Maybe it's tons more, but let's just call it that. Let's say you're making $200,000 a year, and at that level you're probably paying 33% tax rate or something like that. Maybe a little bit less. Let's call it 35% just to be generous. Each year you're paying about $70,000 in income taxes. If you are a real estate professional and you go buy a property, let's just say you go buy this $300,000 house, and you're going to start renting it out. We have the cash flow, we have the income from that which is also a factor, but let's just talk about the tax for a minute. When and if you do buy a $300,000 property and you're a real estate professional, then you do a cost seg study on that building. Essentially, we're going to be able to write off about 40% of it. That's $120,000. Normally, if you're not a real estate professional, that's locked up in your passive income and it cannot offset your W-2 wages. It has to just stick with the income from the property or other properties that you owned.  If it goes in your Schedule E, if you own 10 properties, then that $120,000 will house all the other properties. But it is still stuck on the passive side because it's passive income. When you're a real estate professional, it's an active income. This is active depreciation, which also covers all of your regular W-2 or 1099 income when you're in the real estate industry. Remember when I said that the $120,000 will be shifted over five or 15 years. We have to prorate that all out over these buckets. What's really cool about bonus depreciation, that means 100%, not 50% anymore on purchases, but 100% of your purchase price that is allocated to a class life less than 20 years. You heard me talk about the 5-year buckets and the 15-year buckets. Anything in a cost seg study that you reclassify that's less than 20 years which would be about 40% of this building, you're going to take as a writeoff in year one. Now you get this $120,000 in the year that you purchase it. You can go buy a property on December 31st and it closes before the end of the year. You can offset your taxes by the amount of your results of cost seg study. In this case, $120,000 that you get to offset, all of your $200,000. You've made $200,000, you're going to depreciate $120,000. Now you're only paying tax on $80,000. But if you buy two houses, you basically just wrote it off, and you can pocket that $70,000 that you would've paid in taxes. Let's just run the numbers real quick. If you have $300,000 and you're saying you're going to put 30% down, that's $90,000. Let's just say the $120,000 times the tax rate of 33%, so $40,000. Basically, what the $120,000 would equate to is about $40,000 in cash. Instead of coming up with your down payment of 30%, if you have to come up with 30%, you've got to come up with the $90,000 down payment to buy that $300,000 house. But you're going to get $40,000 back in your pocket. Immediately. As soon you file your tax return. You get to write that off. Buy two properties and you just write off your entire tax liability for the year. Jason: Okay. This sounds almost too good to be true. Help me understand. How many agents do you think are doing this type of stuff, that they're not doing cost seg, and they're just leaving tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars on the table. Kim: Probaby 80%-90%. Jason: This is a pretty big problem. Kim: That’s why I’m on the show because I want to raise awareness. I will tell you personally, I'm an executive, my husband's an executive, we have high incomes, and when they came out with this bill, the first thing that I told my husband was, "We have to go and buy some properties." I am a real estate professional by trade because of what I do anyway, so I'm a professional. We are under contract to buy a mobile home park. We're closing on December 31st. We have good income and I bought it, but I actually am going to have about $400,000-$500,000 write-off this year for my taxes. Jason: Nice. Is there anything else that people need to know about this? That was a really good point. Any other major things that we should be aware of? Kim: Yeah. Bonus depreciation goes through 2026.  Jason: Okay, then what happens? Kim: Then it starts to phase out starting in 2023. It goes from 100% to 80%. Then 2024, it goes down to 60%. Then 2025, it goes to 40%. Then in 2026, there's only a 20% bonus depreciation. It doesn't mean cost seg is not beneficial. It's still beneficial to do that just like it would've been without bonus depreciation, but there's a greater incentive to do it now. This is all brand new tax rules that just came out in 2018. If you're saying to yourself, "Hey, why haven't I heard of this? This has got to be a scam." It's not. This is a big deal. It's huge for President Trump [...]. Jason: It's a big deal. Was this done to basically spark the economy? Is that why they're throwing this out there? Such a big [...], so to speak, then they're depreciating their bonus depreciation over time? They're going to be taking it down, but is that the mindset of why was it put out there? Kim: Yeah. I'm in the tax community for the real estate roundtable in Washington, DC. When the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act was being formulated, we had long discussions about how to deal with depreciation and what to do. Everyone was worried about the real estate being in the 7th or 8th inning as far as the cycle goes. “Hey, we’re a little bit worried about this. How can I continue to be sustainable at this rate?” The big talk of this Tax Cuts and Jobs Act on President Trump's docket was solely to raise the GDP and just really get the economy going a little bit better. What they did to incentivize that is to offer this bonus depreciation. This was part of that incentive to buy property, exchange property. They also, in this package, were part of the opportunity zone, which I know a lot about. If you don't know about that, we can do a whole another show on that, about purchasing property in an opportunity zone, and having essentially no tax liability on that after you held it for 10 years (as long as you do some improvements). That's a whole another show that we can do. All of these are part of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. It's very powerful, and in my opinion, I think we probably, at that time, went from a 7th or 8th inning in real estate back down to a 5th or 6th inning. That's where it really continued to boost and postpone any kind of real estate downturn.  Jason: Who is aware of this and is capitalizing on this? Obviously, your company and your clients. Who's been taking advantage of this? Kim: We do a really good job educating CPAs across the country. We try. There are a lot of CPAs out there. We cannot touch them all. We've got 120 people and there's literally hundreds and thousands of CPAs. We do the best we can. We love CPAs. We want to educate them. We want to connect with them. If you are not doing this and you want to do this, it would be great for us to work together. I really want to talk to your CPA because he has more of use out there that I want to make sure he’s or she's aware and give him or her resources to be able to let other people know that we do this. We do this very economically. I work with a lot of property management companies, investors, and funds. I work with a lot of family offices. I work with a lot of individuals. The word is now starting to get out there. There's a lot more individuals that are starting. We do a lot of shows like this to bring what really the wealthy has done for a long time down into mainstream. That's really what we've been doing. Jason: Random seg question, if property managers came to you, and they've got lots of investors, is there some sort of service that they could work with on you that they can add as a new revenue stream to push their investors towards you? Kim: Yeah. Absolutely have them call us. We can do some sort of [...] share or something like that, or just the finder's fee or something like that. Property managers, historically, have been difficult. Property managers do the property management. They usually don't get involved in the taxes. It's hard for them to have those discussions because a lot of times with the owners they'll say, "Hey, you should really do cost seg," they're going to go, "Oh, it's taxes. My CPA handles that." Now you're dealing with two different layers. Just like you said in the beginning, "If it has anything to do with taxes, I'll let my CPA do it." Those people have that mentality like, "Oh. I'm sure my CPA's already doing this if it's that big." I'm telling you, please listen to me, most CPAs are not doing this. I'm telling you that right now. Most of them aren't. Be proactive. Take your own taxes and your knowledge into your own hands and ask the appropriate question.  I will leave you with a kind of case study of a project I've been working on right now. This is incredible. I literally have a client that I was referred to from a CPA. The CPA brought me the client—a very good CPA client of mine. He owns tons of property all over the country. His family owns property and I've done all their cost seg for about five or six years. We finished the project. I was in my closing call with them, explaining those studies in the last report and everything. He says to me, "I'm part owner in this mobile home park. I think we should probably do this. Do you think it will be worth it?" I said, "Absolutely. Mobile home parks are killer. They're amazing." They do way better than single family homes or multifamily with that matter.  They said, "Yes. It's absolutely worth it. Get me the depreciation schedule, and we'll go over it." He put his partner on the phone with me, and we talked about it. Then, they finally sent me the depreciation schedule. The mobile home park was put on their depreciation schedule as land, $3.5 million as land. I looked at that and I almost gasped, that I called, and I was like, "That's not good. You're not depreciating this at all. Land is not depreciable. It looks like you just bought a raw piece of land." He goes, "Well, that's just all there is. We don't own any of the parks." I go, "Yeah. But you own the pads, the electrical post, you own a laundry facility and there's a house there, there's fencing and there are all kinds of stuff. They are land improvements. That's all 15 year depreciation. You have to pull out the land first then depreciate what's left." He goes, "Oh, man." Long story short, we get on the phone with the CPA. They're like, "Why didn’t you depreciate this? Why is it all on land?" He's like, "Oh, well. I didn't know." The CPAs don't know this stuff. Make sure that you're asking questions. If you have even just the inkling, reach out to me. I try to be very responsive to my emails, text messages, and whatnot. Email me. It's klochridge@engineeredtaxservices.com. Shoot me an email. Give me some synopsis on what's going on. Send me your depreciation schedule and I'll be able to tell you real quick if we can do something or not.  Most CPAs are not doing this because we don't have the resources. They don't even know. How was a CPA to know how much the electrical post we're going to depreciate? How was he supposed to know how much the pads are? They don't. You have to have a professional to go out there. Appraisers can't do it because they're going to tell you what's in there and what's the total value is. They're not going to break it down. Inspectors are going to tell you what's wrong. Nobody's going to tell you what the cost of every component is in that building. That's where the power comes. Jason: Awesome. This is really interesting to me. I appreciate you coming on the show, Kim. You gave out your email address, which we will have in the show notes as well, and on the website. How else can they get in touch with your company? Kim: Our website is engineeredtaxservices.com. I'm also on the back page with our team. Just pick my profile and shoot me an email from there as well. I'm happy to help you. I have an assistant that can handle all the influx of emails that might come. We'll be able to work through them all. I'd love to hear it from you and please just reach out, so we can at least talk about tax. Jason: Perfect. Kim, thanks for coming out and hanging out with me here on the DoorGrow Show. Kim: Anytime. Jason: All right. We'll let you go. Bye. Kim: Okay. I’ll talk to you soon. Bye, Jason. Jason: All right. There you have it. Really interesting topic. I didn't know about that. It's really fascinating. I'm sure it might be new to a lot of you. If that was helpful, make sure to reach out to them. If you are watching this on YouTube, make sure to subscribe, and catch these videos as they come out. If you are paying attention to us on iTunes and listening, make sure to subscribe on iTunes. If you can give us a little review, like this video, whatever you can do to help us about, it means a lot.  We're putting out a lot of free content. We would love it if you would reciprocate just a little bit and help us out. It helps us get the message out. It helps us get greater awareness and help more property managers change this industry. I'm Jason Hull of DoorGrow. This is right towards the end of the year. This may come out in 2020 on iTunes and other places. To everybody, happy holidays. I hope you have a fantastic 2020. If you're looking to grow your business, you're wanting a vision for 2020, you want 20/20 vision, you have a plan, and you want to do something different, reach out to DoorGrow. I'll say this real quick, if you didn’t get the results you wanted in 2019 or the result you wanted in 2018 or in 2017, you know exactly where you're going to be at the end of 2020. You're going to be at the same level of results you had every year so far. That's your default future. If you want to have a creative future that's dramatically different, then I would love and be honored to help you create that. We've helped hundreds of companies do that. Those that listened to me, followed, do what I tell them to do, and show up to our coaching calls, they get those results. They get it. I would love that to be you. That's it. Bye, everyone. Until next time, to our mutual growth. You just listened to the DoorGrow Show. We are building a community of the savviest property management entrepreneurs on the planet, in the DoorGrow Club. Join your fellow DoorGrow hackers at doorgrowclub.com. Listen, everyone is doing the same stuff. SEO, PPC, pay-per-lead, content, social, direct mail, and they still struggle to grow. At DoorGrow, we solve your biggest challenge getting deals and growing your business. Find out more at doorgrow.com. Find any show notes or links from today’s episode on our blog at doorgrow.com. To get notified of future events and news, subscribe to our newsletter at doorgrow.com/subscribe. Until next time, take what you learn and start DoorGrow hacking your business and your life.

This week, we revisit some of the best calls and texts from previous broadcasts.  The listener topics include: Insulation "stack effect" Windows with broken seals Issues with air improvement systems (dehumidifiers, HVACs, air exchangers) What to spot when buying caulk Should crawlspaces be insulated? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Engineering Influence sat down with Richard Branch, the Chief Economist for Dodge Data and Analytics to discuss the 2020 economic forecast for the A/E/C industry.Transcript:Host: Welcome to another episode of engineering influence ACEC's regular podcast series. Today we're talking with Richard Branch, who is the chief economist for Dodge Data and Analytics. And we're going to talk about his 2020 forecast for the construction and engineering industries. Good morning Richard.Richard Branch: Good morning. How are you?Host: Doing well, thanks. So this is your first forecast for Dodge. Can you give us a little bit about your background?Richard Branch: Sure. So yeah, our previous chief economist Bob Murray, a well deserved retirement. He ended his term at the end of August. I started right after him in September. I've been with Dodge about 10 years now. My previous position here as a senior economist covering mostly the commercial markets as well as our Canadian forecast.Host: Great. I saw that you're a graduate of university of Ottawa. Are you? Are you Canadian?Richard Branch: I am. I'm actually a dual citizen, so I went, did my undergraduate at the university of Ottawa, moved down to Boston to do my graduate work in economics at Boston College and fell in love with the city. And fell in love with my wife who's a Boston girl and stayed here.Host: And you live and you work out of Goffstown I saw. Is that, is that right?Richard Branch:  Well my our office is in Bedford, Massachusetts, just a little bit North of, of Boston's one of the Northern suburbs. But I live in Southern New Hampshire.Host: Well a couple of weeks ago Dodge put out its forecast for for 2020. What's your view on the the AEC industry for for next year?Richard Branch: Sure. So what we're looking at for total construction activity in 2020 and the total construction being the sum of residential construction, non-residential buildings as well as what we would call non building. That's kind of the infrastructure side of the market. We're looking at a decline of 4% for 2020 $776 billion in terms of construction starts for next year. Just to put that into perspective, that would bring the construction industry back to about where we were in 2017. So certainly not a cataclysmic drop in activity next year, but certainly a settling back after several long years of us with several years of strong growth.Host: And why do you see that settling back taking place?Richard Branch: Well, we're certainly starting to see the seeds of slower economic growth in the U S. GDP was 2.9% in 2018. We're expecting it to slip this year down to around 2.3% for 2019 and we expect the economy to slow even further in 2020 down to around 1.5% growth. So not recessionary, but we're starting to see the effects of the trade uncertainty the tariffs that have already been put in place as well as the potential for future tariffs causing uncertainty amongst business leaders in the economy. And we expect that to result in, in a continuation of a slower of job growth, which we've seen this year. In addition to the fact that just how tight the labor market is right now. Certainly in the construction industry, the lack of available labor is certainly a key issue and we think that works to constrain growth in, in construction next year.Host: I mean, with, with your point about the labor market as well as the slowing economy are those pushing the combination of those two things, are they pushing the the industry down a little farther than it might've needed to be if one or the other weren't a part of the equation?Richard Branch: I think so. I, you know, we, if for not that the trade uncertainty, if, if the labor market had if there were, if there were more available workers, we certainly wouldn't see economic growth slow. To the extent that we're expecting it to do in 2020 you know, it would be back above potential growth - the potential rate of growth in the U S economy is around 2% give or take. So barring those two events, we would probably see another year of slightly above potential growth next year.Host: So in, in, in your forecast, are there certain sectors that you expect to perform better than average or better than the average of all of them in 2020?Richard Branch: Yeah, absolutely. It to put a fine point on it. I would say that projects that have some semblance of public funding will do okay in 2020. So we're talking education, construction, particularly K through 12, healthcare construction, some transportation construction in terms of airline terminals and whatnot. As well as some of the infrastructure categories. We're talking streets and highways. Environmental public works like water system sewers. Those should do a well, those should do okay. Next year, you know, moderate growth where we expect to see the slippage in 2020 is more on the commercial side. So these are projects that are highly tied to the overall growth rate in the economy. So we're talking offices, retail and warehouses. We expect that market to slip back next year along with the residential market. FAST Act expires in September, 2020. So there would be need to be a new surface transportation bill to take effect after that. The growth that we're expecting on that streets and highways is really that, that last year of the FAST Act.Host: And and you were mentioning the ones that you don't expect to do as well and you, you met you, you mentioned housing. Is that a, is that basically is that a job growth thing or what would you attribute to slow down and housing to?Richard Branch: Yeah, great question. So I think you've got to have two separate discussions here. First of all, single family, single family has really underperformed in this cycle. Due to for the most part, affordability housing prices essentially been growing faster than wages and incomes and, and pushing people out of that suburban single family market. More often than not, that has been, has been the Millennial age group.Richard Branch: And as the millennials start to age, we're seeing that group continuing to have difficulty entering the market mostly because of the lack of available supply of that entry level or starter home. People just aren't able to build those homes because the margins are pretty tight. So on the single family side we see it more as a supply issue as opposed to a demand issue. Whereas on the multifamily side, very aggressive growth over the life cycle. So we had all those folks that were were forced out of the suburban single family market going into either townhouses or condos or the rentals, all of that track in, in multifamily. So that has seen very aggressive growth throughout this cycle. And what we're starting to see already this year is a bit of a pullback and especially in larger metropolitan areas. So places like Chicago, excuse me, not Chicago, places like Boston, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Miami, even New York City starting to ebb a little bit. And so it's, those are pulled back in those larger markets that are pulling back that the multifamily side. But as you mentioned, the multifamily side is very much tied to overall economic growth, very much especially tied to labor market growth. So that's also having a bit of a negative effect on the multifamily market in 2019.Host: And one market that a lot of our members are involved in is, is the power market, the you know, building pipelines building transmission lines....where do you see that market going?Richard Branch: Sure. So the electric power category as we classify it is, includes your traditional fossil fuel plants. It includes LNG export facilities all those big things that are being built down in the Gulf Coast. It also includes the transmission lines as well as renewable. So wind and solar utility scale, wind and solar. That market's actually doing very well this year FERC has streamlined their approval process for LNG facilities. And as such, we've seen several large projects break ground this year. Particularly the Cameron LNG facility in Louisiana was a $4.2 billion project that broke ground earlier this year. So that side of the market seems to be doing well as well as the wind power side, renewables the, the traditional fossil fuel plants not doing so well. There was a good period of growth in the 2014 to 17 range as more natural gas fired plants were being started. But that has started to ebb back slightly. And on the transmission side, we're certainly starting to see growth there, whether it's a grid hardening. So these are our utilities looking to protect their, their infrastructure from storms and whatnot, or circling back to that renewable side, all those wind plants in the Midwest in terms of building transmission lines to bigger power centers.Host: Great. Thank you. That's great. So one question that I've had for a couple of years about, about the Dodge forecast as it is you, as you use the dollar value of starts, what, why, what, what do you see the value the forecast value of that?Richard Branch: So why, why do we, why do we talk in terms of dollars?Host: Yes. Yeah. I the value of,Richard Branch: Yeah, that's, that's a great question. So our data, we actually forecast both the square footage figure as well as the dollar value. I tend to like to talk about the dollar value figure for for two reasons. Number one, it does include that non building sector, that infrastructure side where there is no square footage applied in those, in, in those building categories, but also it's more inclusive. So our dollar value figures include new construction, it includes additions, but the key part is it also includes renovation activities. So it's a much more inclusive. And, and when you look at say a category like retail where a significant chunk of the retail sector in terms of construction is actually renovation work. I, I think it's important to talk about that opportunity, whereas the square footage side of our data doesn't include renovation.Host: Great. That makes sense. Yeah. And and one of the things I think I saw in the, in the forecast was a bit about server farms or whatever the proper term for that is...Richard Branch: Data centersHost: Data centers. Yeah, that seems to be a big continuing to be a big growth area.Richard Branch: It is. So we classify data centers as office construction. And back in 2017, data construction was about five point $4 billion, accounted for about 13% of all office activity in terms of our data, 2018 up to $10.4 billion in construction for data centers. 22% of all office activity was data centers and that demand for cloud space and for telecommuting and the like has certainly kept this market very strong. And we expect that to continue certainly in the years to come in and will actually be a bit of a cushion to the office sector. Whereas the traditional office sector, will pull back a little bit. As the economy slows, it should be cushioned slightly by those data centers and they're very, very expensive projects in terms of the infrastructure, in terms of the wiring and in terms of the HVACs, they are very complex buildings. Very expensive.Host: That's remarkable growth.Richard Branch: Yes, absolutely.Host: So looking at, turning towards towards our members, the engineering from the firms around the country, from from a Dodge forecast, you know, you typically look into the coming year. What, what lessons can engineering from leaders take from, from those, those numbers and descriptions?Richard Branch: Sure. Well, I think that the big thing I've been saying to folks as we unveil our forecast is, and I believe I mentioned this at the outset, is we need to remember that even though this was the decline of 4%, this isn't what we saw in 2007, 2008, there will still be loss of opportunity for growth across the construction industry. And we need to remain aggressive. We need to remain creative in terms of finding those opportunities. And those different opportunities may exist in different geographies than you're currently used to. They may be different building verticals than you're used to say education versus say a more commercial sector. And that this will be because there's no systemic underlying economic issues like we saw in 2007, 2008. This will be a fairly short downturn. And then by the time we're back into 2021, we should start to see those seeds of growth in the building markets again. And it's important to prepare for that 2021 return to growth in 2020. Again, in terms of being creative and being aggressive.Host: So you, so looking a little farther into the future, you see 2021 is a stronger year than 2020.Richard Branch: Certainly on the residential side of the market. Absolutely. that will be kind of the, the engine of the recovery in 2020 in terms of construction markets. And then we should start from the commercial construction kick in, in terms of growth towards the end of 21 into 22 and then institutional. So things like schools and hospitals lagging a little bit after that.Host: Well, that's very optimistic.Richard Branch: Again, I think so. I certainly compared to what we just went through, you know, 10 or 12 years ago this will be a fairly mild downturn. I again, I there, there's nothing systemic in the economy that's pointing to a longterm catastrophic pullback and activity like we had in the last cycle. This will be fairly short, be fairly mild, and as long as folks, again, are being creative and aggressive and finding opportunities they will fund.Host: Oh, great. Well, I appreciate your taking the time to talk with us. This has been a very enlightening,Richard Branch: Thank you. Happy to do it. Thanks for having me.   

Star Trek Discovery, Saturday morning Trivia, The Last Jedi, Rogue Squadron 3D, Spider-Man PS4, RFGen NES challenge, Metroid Prime 4 delayed, Bohemian Rhapshity, Daredevil, Into the Spider-verse, Baby vampires, Jedi ghosts, HVACs explained, A Fandango Exclusive announcement

Hooper, The Seven Ups, HVACs, Ghostbusters 2020, Daredevil, Punch Out Wii, Vox buys a projector, Star Trek Discovery

In this episode I speak to Chris about server room environments and more specifically, Lierbert units. Server rooms are clean and if done right, they are HVACs best kept secret. Happy HVACing. Check out the tools mentioned in the podcast... Testo 510 https://www.testo.com/en-US/testo-510/p/0563-0510 Yellow Jacket Electric/Manual Lightweight Flaring Tool https://yellowjacket.com/product/electricmanual-lightweight-flaring-tool/ Viper Ice Machine Cleaner https://www.refrigtech.com/viper-nickel-safe/ Armstrong Pump Contest armstrongfluidtechnology. com/hvacknowitall Cool Air Products www.coolairproducts.net Fieldpulse fieldpulse.com/hvacknowitall Tru Tech Tools https://www.trutechtools.com Preferred Testo Pricing http://www.bit.ly/TTT-DISCOUNTS

Co-founders of Let's Fix Construction, Eric D. Lussier and Cherise Lakeside, host the latest episode and start talking about the Summer construction season Summers as a contractor, as Eric's company is, is typically filled with project management and the physical construction of a building. However, this Summer of 2018 was filled with a heavy bidding climate for Eric, as well as many other contractors that he spoke with. Cherise, in contrast, who works in a design studio, found that 2018 has found that projects are not bidding when they would typically bid. Owners are looking for alternative methods to save money and get their projects built, including looking for alternative schedule to build. As a finish trade, Eric bemoans how the construction schedule typically squeezes the Division 9 contractors, especially the flooring guy, who are forced to work with other trades in the room in sub-par conditions such as non-weather tight rooms or with HVACs not running. The skilled labor workforce is discussed briefly as Eric spoke to a large Northeast General Contractor who is tackling not one, but two large projects in Burlington, Vermont. They presently don't envision having a labor problem themselves, but they do foresee that many of their specialty subcontractors will have issues staffing their work. The wages are out there, especially on prevailing wage projects. Turning the page on the Summer, Fall is quickly approaching. Typically in September, CSI's annual convention and affiliated tradeshow, CONSTRUCT is held. Eric and Cherise met at CONSTRUCT in Phoenix in 2012 and then went on to attend Nashville in 2013, Baltimore in 2014, St. Louis in 2015, Austin in 2016 and Providence in 2017. This year CONSTRUCT moves to October 3rd to the 5th in Long Beach, California and is coming up in just two short weeks. As Eric and Cherise outlined previously on the Let's Fix Construction blog, they find themselves quite busy in 2018: http://www.letsfixconstruction.com/blog/knowledge-innovation-collaboration-construct-2018 A new presentation debuts in 2018 for Eric and Cherise, titled 'Facing Danger: Public Speaking for Non-Public Speakers' and Eric wrote the concept for this session around Cherise's public speaking career, which launched at CONSTRUCT in Nashville five years ago. You can read more about the CONSTRUCT session here: https://explore.constructshow.com/Attendee/Schedule/SessionDetails/254418 The next presention hosted at CONSTRUCT will be the flagship presentation, 'Let's Fix Construction: An Interactive, Problem Solving Workshop'. CONSTRUCT in 2017 hosted an abbreviated version of this workshop, with about 150 attendees in 45 minutes. Being given twice the amount of time in 2018, many interesting conversations will be held about hot-button issues in the industry, and given the opportunity to talk to other disciplines outside of the contract, open conversations are typically held and enjoyed. In this year's Luncheon session is the 'Archispeak Interactive Luncheon: Real Talk About Challenges, Opportunities & Innovations Surrounding AEC Teams' hosted by Evan Troxel, Neal Pann, and Cormac Phalen. Cherise met Evan, Neal and Cormac through Twitter a handful of years ago and as a member of the CONSTRUCT Education Advisory Council, Cherise offered their name to speak at CONSTRUCT. You can check out their podcast at https://archispeakpodcast.com/ and more on the session at https://explore.constructshow.com/Attendee/Schedule/SessionDetails/254314 Cherise hosts the fourth annual Young Professionals Program on Wednesday, October 3rd, which was built for those 35 and under to provide the attendees with the training, networking, mentoring, and education that they need to boost their careers to the next level. The core session of YP Day is the two hour speed mentoring session where the attendees will meet one on one with leaders in the industry. Each party takes turns to learn more about their career paths, challenges they have overcome, and advice they have for each other. There is still time to attend YP Day at a discounted rate. Check out www.CONSTRUCTshow.com/YPday for more details on the schedule. The last CONSTRUCT 2018 session that Cherise is involved in is the 'POWER PANEL--Millennials as Successors: Misconceptions & Realities - Hear it from them!' Joined by Michael Riscica (aka Young Architect), Cam Featherstonhaugh, Kyhla Pollard and Tiffany Coppock on stage, Cherise is hoping to dispel some commonly held beliefs about their generation and what they want for the future of the industry. Read more about this panel at https://explore.constructshow.com/Attendee/Schedule/SessionDetails/254580 Thursday night, October 4th will be the second annual Partners and Pints event with our friends at Clark Dietrich. We hosted year one at Narragansett's production brewery in Pawtucket, RI and this year we will be taking over Gladstone's at the historic Pike's Pier. FREE to attend, Partners and Pints features food, drinks, games, and giveaways and another chance to hang out with friends new and old. There is still space and still time to register at www.PartnersandPints.com Speaking of still time to register, there is still space to attend CONSTRUCT. All new registrants can save 20% on the education package or receive a FREE Expo pass You can use the promo code SMFB06 or visiting here: https://www.compusystems.com/servlet/AttendeeRegLoginServlet?evt_uid=168&PromoCode=SMFB06

Happy new Year. Lets start off 2017 right with some playoffs rondo and of course Hvacs hot topics

HVACs + My Stock Trading Past + Who SPC is Voting for See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Jon and Tyler share an intimate chat while Lance is out on assignment.  Topics range from HVACs, to roller derby, and Tyler counts down his top 10 american television shows on the air today.  Jon plots to steal away Tyler's girlfriend, and Tyler doesn't even seem to care. The T.V. debate is informative and extensive.  Enjoy.