Darcy Austin

Navigating Obstacles: Project Success Story

July 28, 2023 By Darcy Austin

The Challenge: In a recent project we faced an unexpected challenge involving the procurement of 6 Smoke Control Fans essential for theFire/Life Safety systems. With a delay in the shipment of originally ordered fans threatening the schedule and overall project completion, the situation required urgent action.

The Action: ACI Mechanical decided to take a proactive approach. Our committed team promptly switched manufacturers, securing alternative fans from Twin City Fans. This manufacturer was able to meet all the job, performance, and delivery requirements within a noteworthy 16-week lead time, ensuring no major disruption to the project timeline. Switching manufacturers in the eleventh hour came with its challenges – changes to electrical connections, VFD sizes, structural fan supports, and seismic rails, detailing, and ductwork connections were needed. However, our dedicated team swiftly navigated every impact with strategy and urgency, maintaining the original schedule.

The Result: The team’s diligence and hard work led to a successful craning of the fans to the roof, precisely on schedule, circumventing a potentially significant setback.

Conclusion: This milestone could not have been achieved without the dedication and hard work of our partners at Hermanson Company and Twin City Fan. The overall experience is a testament to the power of Thinking Big, Thriving Together, and the relentless pursuit of our project goals, even in the face of unanticipated obstacles.

Lead Times Depend on Supplier Strength

June 21, 2023 By Darcy Austin

Our Commercial HVAC product lead-times are all over the place. GRD’s terminal units and nose control from price Industries had best in class lead-times, some under three weeks with quick ships in a day or two. Lead times depend on supplier strength.

Large rooftops, chillers and VFDs still have longer than normal lead-times. Electronic components stress the supply chain from our suppliers like Carrier, Yaskawa, and Johnson Controls. Commercial and industrial fans from Twin City and PennBarry are coming at industry leading lead-times.

The team at ACI has opted to stock more products and grow warehousing capabilities to buffer the negative impacts of long lead-times. A side bonus is our ability to stage large, complex projects in Portland and Seattle.

View the full Blog Here

Why Choose Twin City Fan?

April 5, 2023 By Darcy Austin

Business is constantly changing and you want to be with a partner you can trust. See why we like the ACI and TCF combination.

ACI Mechanical & HVAC Sales is now partnering with Twin City Fan (TCF), in all locations. This ensures we can provide our customers with broader options, top tier technical support, and industry leading production times.

New main line brand of fans, vents, hoods and blowers

The bottom line: We can now serve our customers with better EC motor technology, industry leading acoustics, and the best laboratory fans on the market; including a broad range of FRP fans made in-house
Why it matters: We help you with a solid choice vs Greenheck products and other brands for your project

Yes, but: If you do not know TCF, you will. The options, choices and support from this fan company are stellar, and along side ACI’S FAN EXPERTS, you can choose the best fan options for your project.

Twin City Fan’s Chairman and CEO Mike Barry is committed to innovation, while other fan companies remain constrained by lack of capital investment, and other fundamental issues that prohibit growth. “We treat our reps like family, and we invest,” said Mike.

TCF Leadership provides a strong foundation of trust and effective communication will help us in this partnership.
Culture & Values are massively important in a business relationship. We find we have the best success when our manufacturers share similar core values, that drive mutual success.
Investments in new technology; ERP systems, robotic welding and automation, and web-based software tools put this fan company ahead of the pack.

The bottom line: Twin City Fan is the rising star, leveraging off their #1 OEM position in the $4.4B North American semi-custom and custom AHU fan market. Privately held, they can afford to take the long range view for success.

The PNW is home to Boeing and those industrial roots are still felt in our designs today. Whether it’s Boeing, Life Science, Tech Office, or a new K12 school, Twin City Fan has you covered. State-of-the-art manufacturing facilities and rigorous testing procedures to ensure their products are built to last.

Products

QSL Mixed Flow Fans combine the benefits of axial and centrifugal flow fans, offering a compact design with straight-through airflow, high pressure capability, preferred acoustics, and efficiency. Airflow up to 160,000 cfm and 8” static. Certified for restaurant, smoke and heat applications, making it suitable for a wide range of HVAC and industrial applications. The acoustic properties are best in class, and AMCA certified.
VC/U Best in class power roof ventilators. New and improved design for energy efficiency and leading weather proof construction. Improved design and packaging to survive transport through roughest conditions. EC motor driven fans, up to 1800 rpm, with simple plug and play digital set up make, this is a versatile solution. No more screwdriver guestimates or “factory-only” programming. Advanced backward incline fan wheel design and sturdy construction make this new fan a winner. Sizes up to 3870 CFM and 2.0” static pressure.

Lab Exhaust designed to meet the specific requirements of laboratory environments, featuring corrosion-resistant materials, low sound levels, and high-performance capabilities. Airflow to 86,000 CFM and static pressure to 8”. Many view TCF as the leader in this category.

QSL Arr.4 Standard (Blue) Modo Rendering

See TCF’s Fan and Blower Encyclopedia – Fanpedia

View TCF’s full 2022 Catalog PDF here

Click here to read ACI Mechanical & HVAC Sales Partners with Twin City Fan & Blower Press Release

Working with the best: Price Industries

March 29, 2023 By Darcy Austin

Price Industries is a leading manufacturer and supplier of commercial HVAC equipment and systems, known for their innovative GRD, Chilled Beam and noise control designs and high-quality products. However, what truly sets them apart from their competitors, like Titus, Nailor, or Greenheck, is their outstanding engineering support team, which provides unparalleled technical assistance to their customers. I see it firsthand in every interaction we have with Price Industries!

The engineering support team at Price Industries is comprised of experienced and knowledgeable professionals who are dedicated to helping our customers find the best possible solutions for their Air Distribution, Sound Control, Custom AHUs and ERVs and Operating Room systems. They ensure that every project is successful, from design to installation notes and beyond. The labs (Winnipeg is show above) are full of real world examples of HVAC equipment, many fully operational, providing great hands-on training.

One of the key strengths of Price Industries’ engineering support team is their ability to provide customized solutions that meet the unique needs of each project. They use advanced software like Price Predict (CFD Modeling) and basis of design tools to simulate and analyze different scenarios, allowing them to develop solutions that are both efficient and effective. This level of customization ensures that each HVAC system is tailored to the specific needs of the building and its occupants, resulting in optimal performance and energy efficiency. For real. We just taught another consulting engineer how to layout diffusers automatically with Ripple, a REVIT plug-in. How cool is that feature! Bonus: The Price people become your friends, they really care about you and others.

ACI Mechanical won the Price Cup in November 2022. We only won because Price Industries understands, and lives by one of our Core Values: Thrive Together. Thank you Gerry Price and the Price Industries family!

By: Keith Glasch – Blog

Noise Control in Action

January 24, 2023 By Darcy Austin

ACI Mechanical & HVAC Sales had an application where a four ton horizontal discharge heat pump was creating too much noise in a densely populated neighborhood. We engaged Price Industries noise control, and they took action and delivered!

The Price team used aluminum panels with weatherproof insulation and perforated panels, the “AP” series, combined with a bill-nosed “RH” panel. The contractor installed the silencer in 90 minutes. All dimensions and colors custom, including an access panel for servicing the CDU.

The silencer reduced the sound so much that the homeowner and nearby neighbor were thrilled with the outcome, “I can barely hear it run”, said the neighbor who had preciously complained, particularly during cold spells where high speed compressor and fan noise were frankly loud.

By: Keith Glasch – Blog

Back to School – Boosting Indoor Air Quality

August 17, 2022 By Darcy Austin

As schools start to go back into session Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) is on everyone’s mind. School districts and higher education facilities have been looking into ways to improve their quality of air. ACI Mechanical & HVAC Sales has recently partnered with top manufacturers that address these concerns on improving air in K-12 schools and universities.

High traffic buildings like schools are addressing the crucial topic of good quality air and the new technologies that can impact the health and performance of students and teachers positively. Room air purifiers, Ionization, and HEPA filters are among those products.

Room Air Purifiers (RAP)

Room Air Purifiers are not limited by the current HVAC system in place. Schools and other educational facilities do not need to replace their existing systems in order for these units to purify the air. Camfil’s City M for example can move 256 cubic feet of purified air per minute through its HEPA filtration unit.

Price Industries has expanded their purifier products now including an Overhead Air Purifier and their Room Air Purifier . These units come with a multi-layered approach consisting of adding on bipolar ionization, HEPA/MERV filtration and UV light to eliminate unwanted particles, dust, viruses and other unwanted contaminants.

Needlepoint Bipolar Ionization

NPBI (Needlepoint Bipolar Ionization) generates ions that form bonds on particles like viruses, dust, and other containments clumping together and making it easier to filter.

GPS Air, the leaders in indoor air quality, is now on ACI Mechanical & HVAC Sales’s line card for all branches. GPSs focus is to deliver clean air without negative effects of ozone-producing technologies. They address all indoor air challenges by continuously making enhancements on their technology. Products listed below will soon be available at ACI and our online store.

ESSER Funds through Carrier

ESSER Funds (Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Funds) through the Washington State Purchasing Cooperative allow for state and local agencies to assist needs by replacing equipment and services. These funds can be used by State University Systems, K-12 schools, and community colleges through local governing bodies. ACI Seattle branch is in a new strategic alliance with Carrier.

Darcy Austin

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